Cycling (custom) route planner with TBT instructions....does it exist?

[PaulSB]

It doesn't matter how many times people say it if they are wrong.

As has been pointed out, the free version of RWGPS does NOT do this for users with phones. He hasn't got a garmin or wahoo. I was one of those who previously said it does, but I was wrong.

I know this but the OP said he is prepared to pay in his first post.

Free is good of course but I will pay although I'd rather avoid costly monthly subscriptions but may consider paying a one off purchase if it's not too much and the app does what I want it to do.

RWGPS is an annual subscription so doesn't fit the requirement. Komoot as I understand it is a one-off purchase. I don't use these apps on a phone but everything Komoot states indicates it works on a phone. This seems to come down to the OP not listening to advice or in truth not wanting to pay.

Not aimed at you but I'm not bothering with this further.

 

[Blue Hills]

I. I also found that the spoken directions were a bit OTT.

It swore/shouted at/insulted you?

 

[DiggyGun]

Thanks, I suppose what I mean to say is that I don't just want pre-et routes or the apps 'fastest' or most 'direct' route. That often misses some interesting routes I'd like to try.
I want to plot on a turn by turn basis a route of my choosing, however 'illogical' it may seem to the app.
I'm not bothered about plotting the route on the phone/app and I don't mind pre-plotting it on a laptop before loading it into the app/phone etc?

I don't have to have voice commands providing the turn by turn (TBT) instructions are clearly visually outlined on the screen of my phone.
I don't want to have to keep stopping to faff about with my phone if I get lost.
I hope that makes sense?

As previously advised by others Kamoot does this. Set your Start-point, End-point and Way-points. Upload, in my case to a Bosch Nyon and when used gives TBT instructions by beeps and graphics. Very effective.

 

[ade towell]

Use cycle.travel to plot your route then load the gpx onto Osmand. All free

 

[Blue Hills]

Use cycle.travel to plot your route then load the gpx onto Osmand. All free

Good tip, tho osmand is only free in a limited version.

 

[PaulSB]

Use cycle.travel to plot your route then load the gpx onto Osmand. All free

This I never understand. A cyclist wants some features in an app and spends forever looking for a free one. Why not pay for an app which has all the required features and more?

Not a dig at you ade - just something I can't get my head round.

 

[sasquath]

Good tip, tho osmand is only free in a limited version.

Google maps, free, have cycling route mode, allows drag and drop customisation, offers offline mode for routes in no 3/4/5g areas.
Also swithes off the screen between turns.

Komoot, currently free for your local area, approx 15 miles radius of first registration point, then one off fee £ 7.99 for a county and £19.99 for whole world.

Difference between them two aside of cost:
Google prefers roads, sometimes it splits cycling on dual carriageways so inspect route before following it, no easy integration with bike computers.
Komoot has sent me down overgrown impassable paths marked as bridleways on Google,open,and OS maps, so clearly local council not maintaining them: not komoot problem. Not a problem if you're exploring, and soon you'll know where not to go. Seamless integration with my sigma Rox4.0(£60) bike computer, more accurate that way than on app only, my s20fe GPS is more laggy than the one in Rox4.0.

 

[freiston]

This I never understand. A cyclist wants some features in an app and spends forever looking for a free one. Why not pay for an app which has all the required features and more?

Not a dig at you ade - just something I can't get my head round.

All the features wanted in an app by the OP are available in a free app (Osmand) - why pay for an app when you can get one which has all the required features (and more) for free?

 

[PaulSB]

All the features wanted in an app by the OP are available in a free app (Osmand) - why pay for an app when you can get one which has all the required features (and more) for free?

Why? I would argue it's worthwhile to support an app given one is using its' features. This is why I've paid for Strava and RWGPS for years and Komoot, as a first time user, this year. I like to see these things develop and without financial support that is unlikely to happen.

I know nothing of Osmand but @Blue Hills says the free version has limitations. His opinion is good enough for me.

 

[newts]

You can use Komoot for free as long as you have a data connection. Payment is required for offline maps.
They used send to send me offers every couple of months, world maps for £19.99 one off payment (normally £29.99).
Very good value & we use offline maps for walking.
Navigation does work (although i use a Wahoo Bolt on the bike) on a phone.

 

[Blue Hills]

I know nothing of Osmand but @Blue Hills says the free version has limitations. His opinion is good enough for me.

Last time I checked this point, the limitation was just on the number of map areas you could download. So if sticking to certain bits of the UK, or maybe all UK, not a problem.
Until recently you could pay a one-off lifetime fee to osmand for the full version (that's what i have - was called OSMand+, but they have recently changed it so that you have to pay a monthly or annual sub.
OSMand is great though I don't use it for on-route directions - I dump a track from cycletravel to my Garmin etrex (offline of course) then usually copy it to OSMand on a 7 inch tab I carry in a pannier - allows me to see the bigger picture and also look up interesting stuff that lies along my chosen route. A wealth of info can be called up, all offline, way more than on OS.

 

[HobbesOnTour]

This thread highlights the difficulty in selecting an app to use for route planning, especially with the differences between paid and free versions.
What is offered for free today may not be tomorrow.
Or, what can be done with a PC as opposed to a phone.
Or what can be done offline as opposed to online.

There is also confusion in navigation because there can be differences between what can be done on a phone and a gps unit (and often differences between brands and units!).

Then there is the age of the phone/operating system. Apps will lose functionality over time because of an older/outdated operating system.

A personal dislike with the more commercial apps is that they regularly change things around and I have to hunt to find what I'm looking for.

Also, on a thread like this a specific request for information returns specific replies, often ignoring the bigger picture.

Osmand, for example, has excellent gradient information, Points of Interest (supplied and supplemented with my own) that are navigable, it plays really well with other apps and works totally offline.

Strava I use only for keeping a pictorial record for each ride.

RWGPS is really good for searching routes in an area.

Komoot I have found to be unreliable at picking safe (or even existing) routes. Despite the claim of worldwide maps it does not have worldwide maps. And customer service is appalling.

cycle.travel suits my cycling style and how often do we get to interact with the head honcho with a question? A wonderful resource that is worthy of a sub. (Optional)

And Google Maps has its uses for bike travelling, but a decent planner it is not.

I use any and all in certain circumstances.

 

[freiston]

Why? I would argue it's worthwhile to support an app given one is using its' features. This is why I've paid for Strava and RWGPS for years and Komoot, as a first time user, this year. I like to see these things develop and without financial support that is unlikely to happen.

I know nothing of Osmand but @Blue Hills says the free version has limitations. His opinion is good enough for me.

They do accept contributions too - so you can financially support it even if you have the free version and you can pay for and subscribe to the all whistle-and-bells version just like you can with other apps. I find it so good that if I was looking for a paid-for or subscription app, I would most likely use Osmand.

Doesn't Komoot and Strava have a free version too?

For information, here are the purchasing options (this is from the Android page)

OsmAnd+ is a separate paid application available on Google Play and Amazon. You can add it to the Family Library in Google Play.​

​

OsmAnd Maps+ is an in-app purchase or a subscription for OsmAnd free version on Google Play, on Huawei AppGallery. All features and the price is the same as for OsmAnd+.​

​

OsmAnd Pro is a subscription, available for OsmAnd applications on Google Play, on Huawei AppGallery.​

The limitations in the free version are not deal breakers for a lot of users and the extras are usually available as paid-for plug-ins, such as contour lines and shading (I paid two quid I think for this plug-in several years ago); imho the biggie might be the limit to downloading free maps but, again, additional downloads can be purchased. Other features are available in the Pro subscription and include, for example, slope and road type shading on route lines.

 

[scragend]

It swore/shouted at/insulted you?

No, it kept telling me to "bear right", "turn slightly left" etc. even when there was no junction but just a slight bend in the road. Some of the notifications were unnecessary.