GPS app for planning cycling routes
twofastdogs
Posts: 37 Member
Has anyone had luck with finding an app that will allow you to plan out your cycling route and then use it for directions? I am looking for something that will let me identify small rural roads (I live outside an urban area in the Midwest) and can be used with a iPhone. I don't need it to track my actual cycling, as I will do that through my bike computer (which doesn't have the routing capabilities). Suggestions appreciated. Thanks from a directionally challenged cyclist.
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You can do this with Strava
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Map My Ride?1
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Strava or Ride With GPS. Those are the two that I use. The nice thing about RIDE with GPS is it will give you Turn by Turn when you're out on the road. And if you pay for the Premo service you can Cache the Turn by Turn so you do not use data.
Strava
Ride with GPS1 -
Thanks!0
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I'll second the Ride with GPS. I use it to plan routes, even off-road stuff, for myself. I know you can export .gpx files to a Garmin or such but I don't. You can also download maps from Google Maps for your area when on wifi and then access during the ride without using data.2
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Thanks @CincyNeid and @Spatialized for the recommendation of Ride With GPS - I've been playing with it for a couple of days and I really like it - it's infinitely better than my previous method of trying to do it in Google Maps.
But... I'm now stuck in a sort of half-way house where Garmin Connect is my main repository, as that's what syncs with my GPS, which links automatically to Strava and hence to CycLeagues and that all works great. However, I'm creating routes in RwG and I've not found a way that works to get the routes into Garmin or Strava. Theoretically there's a link via Garmin Communicator (which only works in IE rather than Firefox.. but doesn't work for me there either). I've tried exporting routes as GPX track, which Garmin Connect supposedly can import, but it rejects anything I export as an invalid file.
Have you managed to get data out of RwG into anything else? If so, how did you do it?0 -
doesn't look like Garmin Connect in its current form will actually import any files that are designated "courses". or "tracks"
if you look at the .GPX or .TCX files (they're actually just specific XML files, so they're pretty obvious what's going on) they differ markedly from "Activity" .GPX or .TCX files...
If you could "convert" the .GPX into a "Activity" .GPX, then you could use the option to "Save as Course" in the activities view. Then of course, you've got the aftermath to deal with - removing the "bogus activity" both in GC and in Strava or anywhere else you've decided to propagate the data to.
top and bottom of it is, Garmin are making it as awkward as they can to get data into their courses database UNLESS you actually record it on a GPS or you're prepared to draw it in their own app. Just one more incidence of Garmin being a PITA.
Just had a play...
Designed a course - https://ridewithgps.com/routes/14716747
exported it as a .GPX FIle.
Then uses this
http://www.gpsies.com/upload.do?uploadMode=convert
to convert the .GPX "course" file into a .GPX "Track" - I've tried it, and it imported the exported version into GC as an activity...
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1231489609 - which is dated 1st Jan 2010 - nice and conspicuous to find and delete later...
and this can then be converted into a "course" using the save as course option in the activity
which can be seen here...
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/12824805
(right, better go into strava now, and delete the crap loop on new-years-day 2010...)
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Thanks @CincyNeid and @Spatialized for the recommendation of Ride With GPS - I've been playing with it for a couple of days and I really like it - it's infinitely better than my previous method of trying to do it in Google Maps.
But... I'm now stuck in a sort of half-way house where Garmin Connect is my main repository, as that's what syncs with my GPS, which links automatically to Strava and hence to CycLeagues and that all works great. However, I'm creating routes in RwG and I've not found a way that works to get the routes into Garmin or Strava. Theoretically there's a link via Garmin Communicator (which only works in IE rather than Firefox.. but doesn't work for me there either). I've tried exporting routes as GPX track, which Garmin Connect supposedly can import, but it rejects anything I export as an invalid file.
Have you managed to get data out of RwG into anything else? If so, how did you do it?
What I do is download the .gpx file to my computer. Plug my Garmin 520 into my computer. And it'll let me open the Garmin as a Mass Media Storage device and I'll copy and paste the route(s) to my Garmin under the "new file" folder. And it'll show up in my courses. In fact I do most of my Route Planing on my Google Chrome Book and just push the files.
Here is a in depth how to
That's the only way I do it. And knowing you use Strava, I also use Strava to plan routes. The good thing about RwG and Strava is they use commuter data and you'll see your routes change based on the time of day, and day of week to help you avoid traffic.0 -
Thanks for those instructions guys - I'll have a play. I have tried setting up routes directly in Strava and while that works, I don't find it as nice as RwG - mainly as I find it difficult to orient myself on the less-detailed Strava map (for example, a distinctive local 5-way roundabout shows up as a roundabout in RwG but is a crossroads in Strava).0
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I use them both from time to time.
I love how RwG gives you gradients for your climbs, where as Strava doesn't. If I'm going on a longer ride I use RwG so I can make sure I don't burn out on climbs.
Living in the Miami Valley we have a ton of hills. Just about a month ago I went out for a 30 mile ride and climbed over 2,500 feet.0 -
doesn't look like Garmin Connect in its current form will actually import any files that are designated "courses". or "tracks"
if you look at the .GPX or .TCX files (they're actually just specific XML files, so they're pretty obvious what's going on) they differ markedly from "Activity" .GPX or .TCX files...
If you could "convert" the .GPX into a "Activity" .GPX, then you could use the option to "Save as Course" in the activities view. Then of course, you've got the aftermath to deal with - removing the "bogus activity" both in GC and in Strava or anywhere else you've decided to propagate the data to.
top and bottom of it is, Garmin are making it as awkward as they can to get data into their courses database UNLESS you actually record it on a GPS or you're prepared to draw it in their own app. Just one more incidence of Garmin being a PITA.
Just had a play...
Designed a course - https://ridewithgps.com/routes/14716747
exported it as a .GPX FIle.
Then uses this
http://www.gpsies.com/upload.do?uploadMode=convert
to convert the .GPX "course" file into a .GPX "Track" - I've tried it, and it imported the exported version into GC as an activity...
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1231489609 - which is dated 1st Jan 2010 - nice and conspicuous to find and delete later...
and this can then be converted into a "course" using the save as course option in the activity
which can be seen here...
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/12824805
(right, better go into strava now, and delete the crap loop on new-years-day 2010...)
I own a Fenix 3 HR and can store any gpx file directly to the watch without having to go through Garmin connect. If I plug it into my laptop I can drag and drop. I'm not sure you can do it with their other watches.0 -
singletrackmtbr wrote: »I'm not sure you can do it with their other watches.
Wouldn't know... if I want to wear a watch it'll probably be my Omega Seamaster or something similar, for riding, I want the data display on the handlebars, so I'll stick with one of the Edge head units
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