Author Topic: Recommendations for route planning on the PC  (Read 4479 times)

Davef

Re: Recommendations for route planning on the PC
« Reply #25 on: 22 July, 2020, 07:33:12 am »
I use a mixture of strava, rwgps and experiment a bit myself in writing my own software.

I only added rwgps to the range I use recently, mainly for the ability to read in an existing gpx and edit it. It is also the best if you want to add notes to the route.

For on the go routing the new strava mobile app is pretty cool. You basically draw a line on the map with your finger indicating where you want to go and it routes it.

For those of a computer programmy persuasion there is graphhopper which is an api you can call passing in way points and it returns a gpx route. Because of the limitations of the free level you will need to make a few repeated calls if you have many waypoints and then concatenate the results.


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Re: Recommendations for route planning on the PC
« Reply #26 on: 22 July, 2020, 07:58:57 am »
RidewithGPS also has a mobile route planner. In extremis you can route yourself anywhere with voice cues.

But that wasn't the original question.

Re: Recommendations for route planning on the PC
« Reply #27 on: 22 July, 2020, 03:44:08 pm »
Is it just me or does the Strava route planner take you the wrong way around roundabouts as if we a right side driving country??

It doesn't seem to understand one-way systems, either.  And what fboab said about it b0rking on longer routes.

TBH, its redeeming features are the heatmap and the veloviewer plug-in.

Its loop generating feature recently suggested I do an illegal and dangerous right turn which I thought was a bit odd. Elsewhere on the route it tried to make me ride on a shared use pavement with loads of side roads that had priority which seemed strange for Strava. I'm on the free trial but can't see myself paying. I probably would have paid if this feature was better.

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Re: Recommendations for route planning on the PC
« Reply #28 on: 23 July, 2020, 10:08:14 pm »
I use RidewithGPS to plan routes and download to my Garmin.  However, I've found with all mapping software (generally because they aren't written in the UK) it interprets some very strange things as cycle routes and so I have to do some checking, and it has a delight of avoiding even the most miniscule stretches of main roads and throwing me onto cyclepaths (obviously with the assumption that what is deemed to be a cycle route is actually rideable without dismounting every 100m or so). 

So I do additional checking.  Bing maps can be set to Ordnance Survey mode - which I find helpful sorting out tracks paths and imaginary lines on the map from actual lanes.  And Google Streetview gives me a chance to look at the actual road if I am still in doubt.  I think there are plenty of other apps that will do as good or better job than RidewithGPS - I use it because I am used to it and it works for me - but augmenting it with the other two tools is something I would probably still do if the primary app was better.
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Re: Recommendations for route planning on the PC
« Reply #29 on: 03 August, 2020, 09:25:33 am »
I was using the free version of RWGPS but since adding POI became a paid for feature I have been using all trails, (was GPSies).

I found it an easy transition from RWGPS, it's very similar, I can toggle between 'hiking-cycling-driving' when creating, switching to 'hiking' if I want to take a shortcut over a footbridge for example then back to driving I want to stay on roads. There are two cycle focused modes, 'Bike touring' may include a smooth trail where as 'Road biking' will be on paved roads and paths that support bicycle access.