Cycle routes - how do you find yours?

[tyred]

I go out and get lost and try to find a way home.

 

[Gillstay]

I go out and get lost and try to find a way home.

Used to do that in London to learn the main landmarks and get east, west etc sorted in my head, but that was on a motorbike. Had great fun.

 

[pjd57]

Look at maps.
List places I want to pass through in order to reach destination. Follow road signs if possible.
If not , Google it. Stick phone in a pocket and listen to the directions.

 

[slowmotion]

I really like paper maps and I'm hopeless with GPS. If you're happy with a paper map, it gives you the context of where you are. That's a big bonus to me. The downsde is that they are an absolute bugger in rain or wind.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

I go out and get lost and try to find a way home.

They are the ones I like

I am starting to run out of places I can get lost round her now!

I think I explorer most of the out of the way places over lockdown
some of them get spoiled nowadays as there are people there!

 

[roubaixtuesday]

The downsde is that they are an absolute bugger in rain or wind.

A bar bag with a waterproof map case is your friend.

I use the Ortlieb one.

Downside is that only 1:50,000 maps are really available in the UK which makes for a lot of stopping to refold. French 1:100,000 series IGN are perfect, though only in France, obviously!

 

[Alex321]

We all have our favourite / go to routes that we default to, but I'm trying to find other routes to venture along.
Curious as to how members on here go about it, do you...
Plan it all out ahead of time?\

Sometimes

Just head to a certain area and make it up as you go?

Also sometimes

Use an app to follow and track your progress?

No.

Up till recently I've been more into mtb-ing so Forestry England has been handy for that. I have Komoot but find the info given is a little limited (could be user error ).
Answers on a postcard please

If I'm going to a completely new area, I will usually use RWGPS to plan out a route, then load that to my Wahoo.

If it is just an extension to areas I am familiar with, I'll usually just make it up as I go. But I usually then have a rough idea where the "new" route I'm taking is going to come out.

 

[Alex321]

Yea there's one (NCN 6 I think) out the back of Shepshed that takes you on a 3 mile loop to avoid a short (100yds) section of A road, tried it once til I realised. Now It may be on quiet back lanes but 3 miles of meandering ain't my idea of getting somewhere

Most of my rides are loops from home where I have no intention of actually getting somewhere, I'm just riding for the fun and exercise.

So I would probably quite happily take that loop fairly regularly.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

Yea there's one (NCN 6 I think) out the back of Shepshed that takes you on a 3 mile loop to avoid a short (100yds) section of A road, tried it once til I realised. Now It may be on quiet back lanes but 3 miles of meandering ain't my idea of getting somewhere

It's a bane of cycle planning apps that they tend to slavishly follow "quiet" or "official cycling" routes rather than sensible ones.

Often they'll have you diving repeatedly off into the suburbs to avoid tiny bits of main road, or going up and down huge hills (the Cat and Fiddle does this, and the cut through you're put on is full of reckless rat runners as well as adding 100s of feet of climbing!), or uncyclable bridleways.

The NCN system is entirely useless for planning longer rides - I wouldn't dream of using it for that purpose. NCN6 6 round Shepshed doesn't seem too bad from a "massive detour" perspective, but doubtless is rubbish for all the other usual reasons.

 

[T4tomo]

NCN6 6 round Shepshed doesn't seem too bad from a "massive detour" perspective,

It appears to be quite direct and far more preferable to the M1 or A512. Not sure where the 3 mile detour claim came from!!!

If route planning for a holiday etc, i used to use RWGPS, but now prefer Cycle.travel. Google maps streetview is ace for checking details

 

[Pduk]

Thanks all for your valued replies!

In the past I've driven to an area I want to ride round and just made up the route as I go, get to a junction, check my phones map and choose the next direction. This was road riding.
Over time I spent more time out on my mtb on trails so think if I'm being honest I've lose some confidence in being back out on roads I don't know.
Time to pull up my big boy padded pants and get out there again 👍
I'll invest in some paper maps as loosing phone signal isn't ideal.
Planning a route ahead of time is a good move too.

 

[raleighnut]

It's a bane of cycle planning apps that they tend to slavishly follow "quiet" or "official cycling" routes rather than sensible ones.

Often they'll have you diving repeatedly off into the suburbs to avoid tiny bits of main road, or going up and down huge hills (the Cat and Fiddle does this, and the cut through you're put on is full of reckless rat runners as well as adding 100s of feet of climbing!), or uncyclable bridleways.

The NCN system is entirely useless for planning longer rides - I wouldn't dream of using it for that purpose. NCN6 6 round Shepshed doesn't seem too bad from a "massive detour" perspective, but doubtless is rubbish for all the other usual reasons.

View attachment 775192

Looks like they've re-routed it since I last used it to be the way I'd go coming out of Belton, not been up that way since I shattered my Femur 12 years ago. Where it splits in 2 in Belton wasn't there before.

 

[ColinJ]

I'll invest in some paper maps as loosing phone signal isn't ideal.

GPS devices don't depend on a phone signal, they just need a clear view of an area of the sky large enough for line of sight to at least 3 or 4 of 24 GPS satellites! They work reliably except perhaps when they are...

• in very dense woodland
• in deep narrow canyons
• surrounded by huge skyscrapers
• jammed by the enemy in a warzone

I have not lost GPS signal in the 20 years that I have been using GPS devices.

PS I often lose phone signal on my rides so I would not use any solution that required a reliable phone signal!

 

[Pduk]

GPS devices don't depend on a phone signal, they just need a clear view of an area of the sky large enough for line of sight to at least 3 or 4 of 24 GPS satellites! They work reliably except perhaps when they are...

• in very dense woodland
• in deep narrow canyons
• surrounded by huge skyscrapers
• jammed by the enemy in a warzone

I have not lost GPS signal in the 20 years that I have been using GPS devices.

PS I often lose phone signal on my rides so I would not use any solution that required a working phone!

Thanks Colin that's good to know, I've never used a gps device on a bike but will look into too 👍

 

[N0bodyOfTheGoat]

Offline mapping on newer GPS computers is a god send, my older Lezyne without it went mental around The Mendips!

Don't forget to set up offline Google Maps on devices like your Android mobile, which iirc are valid for 12 months.