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Maybe it’s just what you know but every time I’ve used Garmin Connect it’s felt like a dumpster fire compared to Strava. Even for route planning (years ago) wh

Maybe it’s just what you know but every time I’ve used Garmin Connect it’s felt like a dumpster fire compared to Strava. Even for route planning (years ago) which I would not say Strava is fantastic at, it still seemed worse. YMMV

asdff 5y ago
Are any apps at all actually good for route planning especially on a bike? It seems like that this is something in software that just sucks. I don't even bother anymore, I open up a topographical map and figure out routes by hand. No more turning left across six lanes from a stop sign. No more route thats "mostly flat", aside from the 400ft of undulating terrain that saps you. No sharing the road with semitrucks that go 50mph and are actively trying to force you off and into riding on the sidewalk. No more surprises. All this planning turns things into a homework assignment, but its worth the investment for points of interest you regularly are going to.
- jamincan 5y ago
  I use ridewithgps.com, but rely heavily on my own local knowledge to avoid problem areas.
- Doctor_Fegg 5y ago
  https://cycle.travel/map https://cycle.travel/map Disclaimer - my site. It’s very focused on quiet routes, so will generally prefer a hilly road if the alternative is a traffic-infested one. Europe/North America/AU+NZ only at present.
  - sastraxi 5y ago
    Really impressive site, thanks for sharing it! Bonus: I'm just used to sites not having data / support for Canada; this was a pleasant surprise. UX observation: clicking to create a start and end was relatively intuitive, but it took a while to find "Close route" to reset it (and be able to click for start / end points once more).
    - Doctor_Fegg 5y ago
      Interesting point - thanks! There's an (X) button to close the route but maybe I should change the icon to a trash can or similar...
  - cheeze 5y ago
    This is good. Guessing you're already ahead of me, but a feature that I find super useful in competitors is an elevation map of the route after I've selected it.
    - hedora 5y ago
      It has that, in the hamburger menu. (Also, an alternate route button!)
  - InCityDreams 5y ago
    Checking it out...thanks,
  - rich_sasha 5y ago
    Great! How do you determine quiet-ness? Is it just by the grade of the road, or do you have some kind of data feed for quietitude? E.g. in the UK, some A-roads can be very quiet despite being technically major, whereas some B-roads or even ungraded can be very busy, e.g. if they are used as shortcuts.
    - Doctor_Fegg 5y ago
      It's by historic traffic data where available, defaulting to road class if not. (Before I added the traffic data, it used to route over rough mountain tracks in the Highlands to avoid A roads...)
- hondo77 5y ago
  > Are any apps at all actually good for route planning especially on a bike? No. Google Maps directions for bikes is a good start but you have to take the routes with a big grain of salt (even with that Google is still better than every other app I've tried). I street view the route to make sure there's a least a good shoulder and re-route appropriately.
- mattmichielsen 5y ago
  I've been really happy with ridewithgps.com for route planning. I do sometimes have to go to other sites for areas I'm more unfamiliar with. It syncs any routes I make automatically to my Wahoo GPS, and gives me options to share with others on that platform.
- cheeze 5y ago
  Komoot is by far the best IMO. It's not perfect, but it's pretty good. My workflow is 3 monitor setup. Komoot in the middle, actually planning the route. Strava heatmap on the left to see where people often travel in an area. Gmaps on the right to see streets and street view. It's still a pain to plan, but it's _so much easier_ with komoot.
- InCityDreams 5y ago
  komoot.com Used by ultra-racers to plan multi-day events. My only problem is, that when I select 'road ride', it tries to get me on a bike path. That would be a good thing for some people.

asdff 5y ago

Are any apps at all actually good for route planning especially on a bike? It seems like that this is something in software that just sucks. I don't even bother anymore, I open up a topographical map and figure out routes by hand. No more turning left across six lanes from a stop sign. No more route thats "mostly flat", aside from the 400ft of undulating terrain that saps you. No sharing the road with semitrucks that go 50mph and are actively trying to force you off and into riding on the sidewalk. No more surprises. All this planning turns things into a homework assignment, but its worth the investment for points of interest you regularly are going to.

jamincan 5y ago
I use ridewithgps.com, but rely heavily on my own local knowledge to avoid problem areas.
Doctor_Fegg 5y ago
https://cycle.travel/map https://cycle.travel/map Disclaimer - my site. It’s very focused on quiet routes, so will generally prefer a hilly road if the alternative is a traffic-infested one. Europe/North America/AU+NZ only at present.
- sastraxi 5y ago
  Really impressive site, thanks for sharing it! Bonus: I'm just used to sites not having data / support for Canada; this was a pleasant surprise. UX observation: clicking to create a start and end was relatively intuitive, but it took a while to find "Close route" to reset it (and be able to click for start / end points once more).
  - Doctor_Fegg 5y ago
    Interesting point - thanks! There's an (X) button to close the route but maybe I should change the icon to a trash can or similar...
- cheeze 5y ago
  This is good. Guessing you're already ahead of me, but a feature that I find super useful in competitors is an elevation map of the route after I've selected it.
  - hedora 5y ago
    It has that, in the hamburger menu. (Also, an alternate route button!)
- InCityDreams 5y ago
  Checking it out...thanks,
- rich_sasha 5y ago
  Great! How do you determine quiet-ness? Is it just by the grade of the road, or do you have some kind of data feed for quietitude? E.g. in the UK, some A-roads can be very quiet despite being technically major, whereas some B-roads or even ungraded can be very busy, e.g. if they are used as shortcuts.
  - Doctor_Fegg 5y ago
    It's by historic traffic data where available, defaulting to road class if not. (Before I added the traffic data, it used to route over rough mountain tracks in the Highlands to avoid A roads...)
hondo77 5y ago
> Are any apps at all actually good for route planning especially on a bike? No. Google Maps directions for bikes is a good start but you have to take the routes with a big grain of salt (even with that Google is still better than every other app I've tried). I street view the route to make sure there's a least a good shoulder and re-route appropriately.
mattmichielsen 5y ago
I've been really happy with ridewithgps.com for route planning. I do sometimes have to go to other sites for areas I'm more unfamiliar with. It syncs any routes I make automatically to my Wahoo GPS, and gives me options to share with others on that platform.
cheeze 5y ago
Komoot is by far the best IMO. It's not perfect, but it's pretty good. My workflow is 3 monitor setup. Komoot in the middle, actually planning the route. Strava heatmap on the left to see where people often travel in an area. Gmaps on the right to see streets and street view. It's still a pain to plan, but it's _so much easier_ with komoot.
InCityDreams 5y ago
komoot.com Used by ultra-racers to plan multi-day events. My only problem is, that when I select 'road ride', it tries to get me on a bike path. That would be a good thing for some people.