How to find new cycling routes?

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I keep doing the same 45km loop that I know but I would want to try new routes but I don't really want to be going down random roads and getting myself lost, is there any good place where I can find some GPSx files to follow? The routes must be suitable for a road bike.
 

vickster

Legendary Member
Strava? ridewithGps?
You may need a premium membership
 
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oreo_muncher

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Strava? ridewithGps?
You may need a premium membership
I have strava, the membership. There is that explore option and they show you routes but I have no idea if these are just random computer generated ones and most likely a bit rubbish or if they're nicely planned if you know what I mean. That I don't want it to be like Google maps that led me to cycle down bad roads and even onto the motorway...
 

snorri

Legendary Member
Your fear of getting lost is completely irrational and denying you much of the pleasure of cycling, get out there and explore, take some food and drink basics with you, what is the worst that could happen?
Carry an OS map and compass in your bag, these will get you home in the event of failure of electronic devices.
 
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I just take my phone with me (it is normally running Strava anyway) and wander off somewhere
after a while I try to work out what direction I have gone in and what direction I need to go to get back home
If I see a promising looking track I often just give it a try - I can always turn round.

3 things help
a) doing it in summer - so you have longer to get home before dark - and it is less likely to rain - also you can normally see the sun so it is easy to work out which direction you are going in
b) knowing that I have a phone with me with a navigation app if I need it - so if I get totally lost (which has happened only once) I can just use that to get back home
c) Logging the ride with Strava (recently - used to use a different one) so that I can work out where I went when I get home - and use that to make a better ride for next time
 
Just a warning
I saw a thing a while ago where some people were looking on popular cycle route websites for people who seemed to have expensive bikes
then looking for them on Strava (and others).
They sometimes found someone who had a lot of routes logged that started and finished in the same place - which was likely to be where they lived
Then they broke into the person's shed hoping to find the expensive bike - or sold the info to someone to do the same
so if you log routes on an app and make them public - don't start logging until you are away from home!!
 

PaulSB

Legendary Member
@ebikeerwidnes this was an issue several years ago. Strava was the culprit but there is now a simple solution. Go in to your Strava settings and you will find an option to hide your start and end point from everyone except yourself. There are various options from memory I have mine set to hide my rides within a ½ mile radius of home.
 

PaulSB

Legendary Member
@oreo_muncher there is a lot of fun and pleasure to be had in simply setting off and following one's nose or an OS map. However having read many of your posts in another thread I can understand why this might not appeal to you at present. The security of knowing a fellow cyclist has planned or ridden a route would perhaps be reassuring.

If you join RWGPS - there is a free option but I don't know exactly what options this gives - you will be able to search for routes. All you need to do is enter a start location, how close to this location you would like the route to begin and the search will show you matching routes. You can then download the GPX file.

The same may exist in Strava, I don't know as I've never tried it.

Do check the privacy settings on your Strava account but it's not a big issue if you hide your start point. Hide the widest area you can.
 
Location
London
https://cycle.travel/map

give it a start point and an end point - select round trip - it has a great talent for finding quirky and surprisingly quiet routes even in this crowded isle. I've ridden for miles and seen hardly a thing.

you can also tell it to stick to paved routes.

as for getting lost, being slightly lost is interesting - you are hardly likely to get totally lost and not be able to find your way back as it seems you have a gps.

don't go through the back of the wardrobe though.
 
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oreo_muncher

Guest
Your fear of getting lost is completely irrational and denying you much of the pleasure of cycling, get out there and explore, take some food and drink basics with you, what is the worst that could happen?
Carry an OS map and compass in your bag, these will get you home in the event of failure of electronic devices.
I have no sense of direction. Don't do paper maps and can't use a compass and don't think I ever will use those 2 things. The worst is you can't go home and you're stranded riding up and down random country lanes. I happily go random places on my bike in London because I know it quite well and can always find a way home but don't know Nottinghamshire at all- still after 1 year I hardly know the place...
 
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oreo_muncher

Guest
https://cycle.travel/map

give it a start point and an end point - select round trip - it has a great talent for finding quirky and surprisingly quiet routes even in this crowded isle. I've ridden for miles and seen hardly a thing.

you can also tell it to stick to paved routes.

as for getting lost, being slightly lost is interesting - you are hardly likely to get totally lost and not be able to find your way back as it seems you have a gps.

don't go through the back of the wardrobe though.
I just use my phone to follow routes. I don't like getting lost, it stresses me out. I don't need more stress in my life. I want a quick 2-hour bike ride, I don't have the whole day to explore especially with daylight hours being short and it is cold.
 
Location
London
I just use my phone to follow routes. I don't like getting lost, it stresses me out. I don't need more stress in my life. I want a quick 2-hour bike ride, I don't have the whole day to explore especially with daylight hours being short and it is cold.
ok - I'd take more than a phone though if getting lost stresses you so much - back it up with a garmin that takes AA batteries and/or a map.

Your choice of routes is going to be severely limited anyway if you are only giving it two hours.

I have no sense of direction either.
 
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oreo_muncher

Guest
ok - I'd take more than a phone though if getting lost stresses you so much - back it up with a garmin that takes AA batteries and/or a map.

Your choice of routes is going to be severely limited anyway if you are only giving it two hours.

I have no sense of direction either.
I don't have garmin or wahoo or any of those GPS devices.
 
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