Route planning app

[Dibble]

I’ve finally got back on my bike after 4 years. It’s not remotely fancy, it’s just a Ridgeback commuter thing. I’m using it to try and drop some weight and strengthen my leg after a motorbike accident about 4 years ago ( thread here).

I’m going to need some more reconstructive surgery to finish fixing my femur. I don’t really want to buy a specific bike GPS and at the moment, I don’t have access to a computer. I’ve got an iPad and an iPhone, so what app would people recommend? I’m assuming there is something that I can use to mark waypoints and then join together for a route?

The simpler, the better. Assume I’m a Luddite and you’ll be right.

[tr7v8]

Kommot isn't great but t does the job.

[Mastodon2]

I use Komoot. It's a little fiddly, easiest to do the route on a laptop or PC then save it and access the saved route by the app on your phone. It does on-screen navigation and can shout directions if you have your phone in your pocket.

It's good at picking quiet routes away from main roads which is preferable for cycling and you can tell it the sort of riding you do an how fit you are, which helps it work out expected times and how hard the route is for you. The elevation profile display is really useful too, it details total climb and descent on the route, shows you where in the route it occurs and how steep the gradients are.

It's free but only for your local area, if you want neighbouring areas you have to pay for them as country, country or world wide maps. It's not particularly expensive and youll probably be able to use it for free for most or all of your local rides unless you live on a border of two counties.

[Piginapoke]

Komoot is ok, although it can like hills and the odd footpath.

Garmin Connect route planner and Strava Routes both free and good.

[Smiler.]

Ordnance Survey subscription is £20 a year.

It's brilliant, gives you the elevation as well as distance & you can switch maps on a PC. Nothing to download on the PC, the phone app syncs the routes you create.

The mapping goes to Pathfinder scale. It's superb & for the money, a no brainer.

Edit: just seen you don't have a PC, not sure you can create routes on a phone, but you might be able to on a tablet.

Edit: just checked, you can plot routes on a phone, but might be frustrating with the small screen.

Edited by Smiler. on Tuesday 11th August 22:57

[Dave.]

Smiler. said:

Ordnance Survey subscription is £20 a year.

It's brilliant, gives you the elevation as well as distance & you can switch maps on a PC. Nothing to download on the PC, the phone app syncs the routes you create.

The mapping goes to Pathfinder scale. It's superb & for the money, a no brainer.

If you buy the paper maps, there's a scratch off panel in the back which lets you download that map within the os app to keep without the need for subscription.

Better vfm if you only need a few areas.

[Kermit power]

I'd vote for the OS as well.

You access it via the web, so even if you don't have your own PC, you could use it in a library or wherever to plan routes on a bigger screen, then just access them from your phone.

I'd also recommend a Quadlock mount and iPhone case to mount the phone on your handlebars.

[ecs]

The route builder on Strava has gotten really good lately - there's a feature which will create a loop based on some parameters which you can set like distance, how flat it is and the road surface type. You can also plan point to point if you're going somewhere in particular. It bases the routes on popularity and they have lots of data to go on now. You, however, need to subscribe which costs about £40/year.

https://blog.strava.com/routes/

[Dibble]

Thanks for the replies so far. I need something that I can route plan on without access to a computer, either on my iPad or iPhone. I’ve already got the CoPilot GPS app, which is great for vehicles, but less so for bikes (it doesn’t seem to be able to route me along a cycle path/towpath, even when the vehicle type is selected as a bike).

I’ll have a look at the suggested options - which of the OS apps is recommended? There seem to be a few options. I’ve already got Strava and a Sunnto app, but the Strava is just the free version, so it might be worth upgrading. The Suunto app only records routes rather than plotting them in advance (again, if I had access to a computer, I could use that and then upload to tone app on the iPhone/iPad).

[anonymous-user]

I use ridewithgps.com on an ipad. Works OK

[Kermit power]

This is the iOS Ordnance Survey app --> https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/os-maps-walking-bike...

Sign up here --> https://osmaps.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/

That will give you the login you need for the app. There's a 7 day free trial with it.

You absolutely don't need a PC to access it, although if you can get access to one every now and then in a library or wherever, you'll just find it much easier for building routes. Either that or shell out £25 or so to get an external mouse for your iPad, so you're not trying to insert route waypoints with your fingertip, as it's pretty tricky to be accurate!

[Dibble]

Thanks again. I’ve had a look at Komoot and it looks like it might do for starters. I’ve got an Apple Pencil, so I can use that instead of my sausagey digits on the iPad! I’ve managed to create a route I’ve seen on the British Cycling website, but it just seems to give an overview, rather than any details (this may well be user error, of course...)

I also forgot to mention I’ve got the Ultimate Addons case/dock for my phone already, which I used on my motorbike. If I didn’t already have that, I’d definitely be getting a QuadLock.

I’m going to have a look at the OS maps now. I’m familiar with the paper maps having done a fair bit of hillwalking in my youth, so something familiar on screen will be a bonus. It seems that whichever app you use, no two UIs or displays are even remotely similar, so you have to “learn” each app as you use it.

[Your Dad]

If the definitive map for your county is available online then it can be useful (and free) if you're wanting to plot offroad routes as you can pick out the relevant PRoWs and then plot a route using your preferred plotting website.

I use mapmyride, I find Komoot has lots of inaccuracies in the mapping data for my local area and it contradicts the definitive map (Komoot says no RoW whereas the definitive map shows there is).

[Kermit power]

Dibble said:

Thanks again. I’ve had a look at Komoot and it looks like it might do for starters. I’ve got an Apple Pencil, so I can use that instead of my sausagey digits on the iPad! I’ve managed to create a route I’ve seen on the British Cycling website, but it just seems to give an overview, rather than any details (this may well be user error, of course...)

I also forgot to mention I’ve got the Ultimate Addons case/dock for my phone already, which I used on my motorbike. If I didn’t already have that, I’d definitely be getting a QuadLock.

I’m going to have a look at the OS maps now. I’m familiar with the paper maps having done a fair bit of hillwalking in my youth, so something familiar on screen will be a bonus. It seems that whichever app you use, no two UIs or displays are even remotely similar, so you have to “learn” each app as you use it.

Having completely standard 1:25000 and 1:50000 maps is exactly what I love about the OS app.

Also, if you happen to be able to ride in a National Park, it does automated route detection between any points you choose, which is an absolute joy for route planning

[oddman]

ecs said:

The route builder on Strava has gotten really good lately - there's a feature which will create a loop based on some parameters which you can set like distance, how flat it is and the road surface type. You can also plan point to point if you're going somewhere in particular. It bases the routes on popularity and they have lots of data to go on now. You, however, need to subscribe which costs about £40/year.

https://blog.strava.com/routes/

Second this. Strava also uses the data from their heat maps allowing you to see popularity of routes which shows the actual route on the ground - probably more relevant for running and mountaineering but useful.

[Dibble]

Just an update, as personally I always like to know how things turn out...

We went for our first ride using Komoot last night. I got a couple of routes from the British Cycling website, plotted them on my iPad (the Apple Pencil helps here, rather than my fat sausage fingers) and then saved them. I can then access the routes from my phone and the route we used last night was absolutely fine. The only downside is that it seems to eat phone battery, so I’m going to have to think about powering the phone, either via a dyno hub or from a battery pack. The hours ride used about 40% of an iPhone XR battery.

It’s a mixed bag so far. Route planning good, phone being bled dry, not so much!

[smn159]

Invest in an Elemnt Bolt cycle computer - used if you have to - rather than muck about powering your phone

It will transform your riding experience

[Dibble]

smn159 said:

Invest in an Elemnt Bolt cycle computer - used if you have to - rather than muck about powering your phone

It will transform your riding experience

Cheers, I shall have a Google - but as above, if it needs attaching to a PC, I don’t have access to one at the moment.

Just as an aside, I’m looking into an iMac or macbook. Will route planning apps/computers work with Macs?

[smn159]

Dibble said:

smn159 said:

Invest in an Elemnt Bolt cycle computer - used if you have to - rather than muck about powering your phone

It will transform your riding experience

Cheers, I shall have a Google - but as above, if it needs attaching to a PC, I don’t have access to one at the moment.

Just as an aside, I’m looking into an iMac or macbook. Will route planning apps/computers work with Macs?

You don't need a computer for the Bolt - you set it all up from the phone app, so should be OK. I had one until recently and the navigation works really well. It doesn't re-route if you go off route though, just tells you that you've gone wrong - although if you zoom out you can usually find the route again easily.

Route planning apps work fine with the Mac

[Dibble]

smn159 said:

Dibble said:

smn159 said:

Invest in an Elemnt Bolt cycle computer - used if you have to - rather than muck about powering your phone

It will transform your riding experience

Cheers, I shall have a Google - but as above, if it needs attaching to a PC, I don’t have access to one at the moment.

Just as an aside, I’m looking into an iMac or macbook. Will route planning apps/computers work with Macs?

You don't need a computer for the Bolt - you set it all up from the phone app, so should be OK. I had one until recently and the navigation works really well. It doesn't re-route if you go off route though, just tells you that you've gone wrong - although if you zoom out you can usually find the route again easily.

Route planning apps work fine with the Mac

Thanks, useful to know.

I obviously *need* an overpriced and overspeccedwMac. Man maths, you see...