midliferider
Guru
- Location
- Northampton
Yes. I can't imagine how hard it was to tour before Google maps and street views
Ride With GPS map choices
- Thread starter abcd efg
- Start date
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Yes. I can't imagine how hard it was to tour before Google maps and street views
Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
I remember when you had to go out on your bike to see things, rather than looking through the eyes of the little google man.
matticus
Guru
Head for Germany then. Retro-tastic touring, very refreshing.
Ajax Bay
Guru
- Location
- East Devon
"What RwGPS mapping is best when looking for a route focused on 'quiet lanes'?"
I don't think any of the RwGPS routing algorithms address the OP's specific aim. I suggest they have to use what's there and their own expertise, rather than relying on the 'little man behind the screen'. I appreciate this might smack of Luddism.
I enjoy all my route planning using the OSM Outdoor mapping. This shows topography (contours and shadowing) which I find important. On another tab I have http://www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php with the large map toggled so I can zoom up and down (to as high as 1:25,000 UK OS). Sometimes the higher level of OS mapping is important/illuminating. I'm not a fan of the 'narrow' yellow roads, particularly for anything downhill: wide yellow is fine, and perfectly meets the OP's preference. After that B roads are fine as 'links' to preferred 'quiet lanes'.
I start with 'Driving' and only go to 'Cycling' when I need to choose/follow a route not allowed for motors. Sometimes have to go to 'Walking' if 'Cycling' 'won't play'. Revert to 'Map' if I need to use the little yellow man (GSV) and this also offers 'one way street' insight in town centres.
Aim to minimise 'control' points. After first save, go back and check every control point to check there isn't a inadvertent/hidden 'tab', remediating as necessary.
Here's one I'm maintaining 'for fun' running up to the LEJOG Audax in early July (not riding this: too much time on A82 and A9 and too little 'freedom'): https://ridewithgps.com/routes/31764424?beta=false
I don't think any of the RwGPS routing algorithms address the OP's specific aim. I suggest they have to use what's there and their own expertise, rather than relying on the 'little man behind the screen'. I appreciate this might smack of Luddism.
I enjoy all my route planning using the OSM Outdoor mapping. This shows topography (contours and shadowing) which I find important. On another tab I have http://www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php with the large map toggled so I can zoom up and down (to as high as 1:25,000 UK OS). Sometimes the higher level of OS mapping is important/illuminating. I'm not a fan of the 'narrow' yellow roads, particularly for anything downhill: wide yellow is fine, and perfectly meets the OP's preference. After that B roads are fine as 'links' to preferred 'quiet lanes'.
I start with 'Driving' and only go to 'Cycling' when I need to choose/follow a route not allowed for motors. Sometimes have to go to 'Walking' if 'Cycling' 'won't play'. Revert to 'Map' if I need to use the little yellow man (GSV) and this also offers 'one way street' insight in town centres.
Aim to minimise 'control' points. After first save, go back and check every control point to check there isn't a inadvertent/hidden 'tab', remediating as necessary.
Here's one I'm maintaining 'for fun' running up to the LEJOG Audax in early July (not riding this: too much time on A82 and A9 and too little 'freedom'): https://ridewithgps.com/routes/31764424?beta=false
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Richard Fairhurst
Guru
- Location
- Charlbury, the Cotswolds
I believe that if you have a Google Map showing on RWGPS then it uses Google’s bike routing; if you have an OSM-based map (any other) then it routes over an OSM database using a piece of software called Graphhopper.
Of course, if you like quiet lanes, other routing sites are available…
Ajax Bay
Guru
- Location
- East Devon
Forgive if off (RwGPS) topic but http://cycle.travel/ offers some really excellent routing algorithms.
https://cycle.travel/map/difference 'Quieter roads'
https://cycle.travel/map/difference 'Quieter roads'
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Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
If the type of road is important to you, do not rely on an algorithm. It is guaranteed to let you down in one way or another.
What I do is plan my routes in small steps, ensuring that I avoid the types of terrain I don't like, making plenty of use of Street view to check junctions etc.
What I do is plan my routes in small steps, ensuring that I avoid the types of terrain I don't like, making plenty of use of Street view to check junctions etc.
Fab Foodie
hanging-on in quiet desperation ...
- Location
- Kirton, Devon.
Pretty easy frankly....
mjr
Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
- Location
- mostly Norfolk, sometimes Somerset
Yeah. It was just that sometimes you blundered into epically crap situations like motorways or long unbridged sandy fords! I don't altogether miss either of those.
Fab Foodie
hanging-on in quiet desperation ...
- Location
- Kirton, Devon.
matticus
Guru
Yup - the maps show the motorways pretty clearly. And if a track isn't on your map, its likely to be a less reliable surface than the roads marked on your map - whereas routing software routes cannot be trusted.
mjr
Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
- Location
- mostly Norfolk, sometimes Somerset
Find a motorway sign on a cycleway (and worst of all are those quasimotorways signed as A roads but deeply no fun to cycle on), and did you misread the word "sometimes" as "every time"?
RWGPS_Chad
Member
Howdy, This is Chad from Ride with GPS, and the reference in algorithm differences relates to the underlying map data, and the routing optimization (cycling, driving, walking).
We use both Google Maps and Open Street Maps for underlying map data. These two sources are independent of each other, and can sometimes show different roads, paths, trails. They also use different geometry in drawing the maps, so there can be slight variations in how the algorithm interprets the routing optimization.
When using the RWGPS map style with cycling optimization, we apply a cycling preference (low speed, low traffic) filter and popularity matching. Other OSM based maps and Google based maps will not use popularity matching. More on popularity influenced routing, check out - https://ridewithgps.com/news/4859-introducing-popularity-influenced-routin
This all goes to say that different maps styles (Google based vs OSM based) can vary based on map geometry and inherit routing optimization. When the RWGPS map style is used with cycling optimization, we will apply a popularity filter, which gives a unique algorithm.
We always love questions at info@ridewithgps.com, so feel free to hit us up with more of these type questions anytime. And, enjoy the ride!
Cheers,
Chad
Ajax Bay
Guru
- Location
- East Devon
Chad -
thank you very much for taking the trouble to come on and explain.I am a massive fan of RwGPS since discovering about the same time as I started long distance cycling.
Here's a detailed route prepared for the Audax UK end-to-end (LEJOG) in 10 days time (5 days for 1430km):
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/31764424?beta=false (designed for completion in 5 days: my end-to-end, planned on RwGPS, was far more fun)
You can see I remain a fan of the 'Classic Mode' so thank you for retaining that as an option.
