VeloViewer Explorer Score and Max Square

[L CC]

I paid to get into Raby Castle Deer Park (again) only to find I couldn't reach my desired square, the gates were locked and I am not fit for climbing over fences.

I made Mr Smith drive me a couple of miles to 'attack' it from the other direction. 

[Solocle]

I did a couple of rides on the weekend, totally about 230k and added 54 tiles and 4 to my square taking it to 24x24.

I think I'm stuck in most directions with private land so my squadratinos lunch explorations are probably going to move towards increasing yardage.

They ought to be possible around there, Jonathan France managed an absolutely humongous max square.

[Bilfred]

That’s basically the Max Square that I’m aiming for before retirement! So incredibly impressive

[Solocle]

That’s basically the Max Square that I’m aiming for before retirement! So incredibly impressive

I don't have a hope with square, being confined by the coast on two sides and Porton Down on a third, so it's clusters for me.

[Revolution9]

45 new tiles on Saturdays Halloween Hundred

11696 tiles
Max square 18x18
Max Cluster: 848

[sg37409]

Ticked over 10,000 tiles today.

10,010 tiles
779 max cluster
14*14 square

[hippy]

Anyone else having issues with the Squadrats plugin and RWGPS? Chrome Canary won't even render the website map and both Chrome and Canary have stopped showing the purple button. I've pinged the dev an email but I might have to go look for an alternative for route planning w/ tiles.

I've used stathunter, but it doesn't do the little tiles I don't think - any alternatives?

[L CC]

The button shows in the preview but not in the main planner... Hmm.

You can still get the squadrats button in Garmin Connect but then you're on the Garmin Course creator and all the joys that brings.

[hippy]

The button shows in the preview but not in the main planner... Hmm.

Are you having the same issue then?

It works in Komoot it seems, so definitely looks to be a RWGPS+Squadrats issue. Weirdly though my Canary browser seems to have shat the bed with regards webGL at the same time. I wonder if a Windows update or browser update broke both at once.

[L CC]

The button shows in the preview but not in the main planner... Hmm.

Are you having the same issue then?

It works in Komoot it seems, so definitely looks to be a RWGPS+Squadrats issue. Weirdly though my Canary browser seems to have shat the bed with regards webGL at the same time. I wonder if a Windows update or browser update broke both at once.

Yes, same issue here- and it's just today as I used it yesterday.
I don't have Komoot or Strava premium but it's working in Garmin, so agreed, probably a RWGPS issue.

[hippy]

I've linked him to this thread and I've emailed examples of a route with the issue so it's over to him now I guess.

Double annoying though is that Chrome Canary has stopped rendering webGL stuff. I wonder if the latest release stopped supporting my onboard Intel 530 HD chipset?
I don't really want a new machine but I might have to add an external video card if they're going to break my kit.

[hippy]

Looks like if you set the map type to Google Maps in preview and then click edit, it will work.
Other map types though are broken.

[carlosferreiro]

RWGPS also not been showing the Statshunter tiles layer for me for a few weeks.

[hippy]

There's been a change to Google Maps within RWGPS where it won't let you Street View unless you're already in Google Maps. It used to work in OSM etc.

I guess Corps are going to crack down when it doesn't suit them but it's a pity it always negatively impacts the users.

[hippy]

It's still a bit flakey but it's definitely working again in Canary.

[smileydave]

The Upper Thames 200 delivered 91 more tiles and increased the cluster by 11. I took the west bank of the Thame from Chalgrove to Wheatley to pick up 6, but missed one because a previous GPS funny made me doubt myself, so I ignored the turn.... A couple more excursions from the route on the drag up to Chipping Norton. Slightly kicking myself for not picking up the Soho Farmhouse one, which would fill a gap. I'd planned to pick it up on another ride, but now that I've been past it, I should have done it. It would have only added a km or so to the route.
Then one final off route excursion to fill a gap in Wychwood Forest. Down a muddy bridleway, the GPS beeped to say I was off route, went a bit further, hung around for a wee, then got home to discover that I still hadn't quite caught it, by a matter of feet, I expect. Frustrating...
Also, if I'd followed the diversion to avoid the flood near the start I'd have had two more tiles AND dry feet

[Graeme]

Just passed the 3000 tile mark for my largest cluster. I think I'd like to focus on the roads out towards Liverpool, and see if I can join the coasts together as others have done before me.

[andyoxon]

I've been stuck on 40x40, 1800 max cluster for a while now.  Possibly because I've developed a bit of an intolerance to 'drive n ride', and the req'd rides are getting longer.  Plan to do some more train 'n bike...

[Jeff E]

“Intolerance to Drive and Ride” !!!!!      The whole point in creating a Max Square, is surely, the achievement of EVERY ride (Apart from Races or Events) being from your HOME.     The further the achieved Tile is from home, the greater the sense of achievement and ride enjoyment.      200-600km+ are regularly ridden as Audax DIYs, so you have MANY Rides yet to look forward to, and enjoy.         Obviously Water based Tiles cannot be ridden by Bike, so transporting a Canoe etc is just acceptable Common Sense

[Pingu]

“Intolerance to Drive and Ride” !!!!!      The whole point in creating a Max Square, is surely, the achievement of EVERY ride (Apart from Races or Events) being from your HOME.     The further the achieved Tile is from home, the greater the sense of achievement and ride enjoyment.      200-600km+ are regularly ridden as Audax DIYs, so you have MANY Rides yet to look forward to, and enjoy.         Obviously Water based Tiles cannot be ridden by Bike, so transporting a Canoe etc is just acceptable Common Sense

Well, that's one point of view.

[andyoxon]

“Intolerance to Drive and Ride” !!!!!      The whole point in creating a Max Square, is surely, the achievement of EVERY ride (Apart from Races or Events) being from your HOME.     The further the achieved Tile is from home, the greater the sense of achievement and ride enjoyment.      200-600km+ are regularly ridden as Audax DIYs, so you have MANY Rides yet to look forward to, and enjoy.         Obviously Water based Tiles cannot be ridden by Bike, so transporting a Canoe etc is just acceptable Common Sense

'The whole point' for me at least is enjoying exploring different areas* by bike...    If for some rides, I start cycling somewhere distant from home via car, or train - so be it; not too worried about not being overly 'hairshirt' Audax about it.  In any event many people actually drive / train to the start of audax events...   

* not forgetting the almost 'philatelic' accrual of map tiles...

[SoreTween]

“Intolerance to Drive and Ride” !!!!!      The whole point in creating a Max Square, is surely, the achievement of EVERY ride (Apart from Races or Events) being from your HOME.     The further the achieved Tile is from home, the greater the sense of achievement and ride enjoyment.      200-600km+ are regularly ridden as Audax DIYs, so you have MANY Rides yet to look forward to, and enjoy.         Obviously Water based Tiles cannot be ridden by Bike, so transporting a Canoe etc is just acceptable Common Sense

'The whole point' for me at least is enjoying exploring different areas by bike...    If for some rides, I start cycling somewhere distant from home via car, or train - so be it; not too worried about not being overly 'hairshirt' Audax about it.  In any event many people actually drive / train to the start of audax events...   

The trouble with driving to ride is that if you project the concept to the extreme you get people stopping in a layby, walking round their car and driving to the next tile.  It's a ridiculous extreme I've not seen done but it's what is at the bottom of the drive to ride slippery slope.  How far towards that point you are prepared to go is entirely up to the individual.

Personally, I'll carry on driving to audax because I was doing that before I started on veloviewer.  I've taken public transport to/from holidays and was driven to the start of one this year.  I'll do a ride out from somewhere I was going anyway such as visiting relatives.  But drive just to ride is out.  Drive to walk to a square that cannot be obtained legally by bike is in my rules but I have to connect the walk to somewhere I've ridden to, I've filled in a few gaps that way.

[andyoxon]

The trouble with driving to ride is that if you project the concept to the extreme you get people stopping in a layby, walking round their car and driving to the next tile.  It's a ridiculous extreme I've not seen done but it's what is at the bottom of the drive to ride slippery slope.  How far towards that point you are prepared to go is entirely up to the individual.

Personally, I'll carry on driving to audax because I was doing that before I started on veloviewer.  I've taken public transport to/from holidays and was driven to the start of one this year.  I'll do a ride out from somewhere I was going anyway such as visiting relatives.  But drive just to ride is out.  Drive to walk to a square that cannot be obtained legally by bike is in my rules but I have to connect the walk to somewhere I've ridden to, I've filled in a few gaps that way.

Yes, the 'slippery slope' argument is often considered fallacious though...    One of my 'recent' drive to ride for explorering was to Waddesdon, from where I did a ~100km (6hrs elapsed) of maximised tile bagging.  Otherwise would have taken a long time, doing familiar roads.  I've also trained it to Banbury / Moreton in M, and cycled back bagging tiles.  At least tile bagging is not a standardised event with 'rules'*, or a competition, but on occasions when I have used alternative transport to get to a start, it's always been for a decent ride.
As I've said, this is changing for me, but personally, I'm unlikely to start doing DIYxGPS 200/300/+ kms to bag tiles...

*apart from the human powered aspect etc...

[Ivo]

I took the train to ride in not yet  covered area's long before I had a GPS, so long before I started tile hunting. And I still do it. And I see no problem with doing a short lap collecting multiple tiles if I have 1-2 hours between 2 trains. The aim is to ride as many area's you wouldn't ride otherwise, not to create restrictive rules.

[Zed43]

The trouble with driving to ride is that if you project the concept to the extreme you get people stopping in a layby, walking round their car and driving to the next tile.

Tile 8454 x 5345 requires a kayak or you can take your car on the A6 motorway (in the Netherlands), stop at the parking area, walk around and bag the tile. I've seen it done.

Silly? Sure.

I did use the kayak to bag that and other water tiles in the area but burned in excess of 15 litres of petrol that day.

Silly? Sure.

But it was a nice day out with the 2CV and on the water 

For the past three years most of my DIY200 rides (close to a 100) did start somewhere remote at a train station. A monthly subscription that allows free travel during the weekends and a bicycle that masquarades as a folding bike (those travel for free on Dutch trains) does make this financially doable. There's also a bunch of official BRM rides that did add to my cluster/square and did start no where near my home.

For the "only rides from home count"  argument I would suggest to add that only a true Scotsman can bag tiles