Smart phone mapping

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vickster

Legendary Member
 
Komoot. You have to pay 20 or 30 quid for the world maps but it works very well. osmand is very nearly incomprehensible even if it's free. Ridewithgps do a similar offering but it's a regular payment as opposed to a one off purchase.
 
OP
OP
david k

david k

Hi
Location
North West
Maybe the OP doesn’t have one?

I bought the garmin explore, was impressed but didn't feel it gave me significant advantage over my current set up so returned it.
The one feature I liked was the routing. I currently use a garmin 800 edge as an onboard computer, a garmin vivoactive 3 watch to log the ride, using the 800 as a back up and my iPhone to help if I get lost.
I wondered if I could use an app or similar to give me the routing option I'm now missing?
I could use the 800 but it's not great for routing and needs plugging into a computer
 
OP
OP
david k

david k

Hi
Location
North West
Full Komoot lifetime package is £20 at mo (rather than £30)
I like the look of that, is it good?
 

Heltor Chasca

Out-riding the Black Dog
Komoot is ok. It has teething problems. Particularly long routes over 200km. If you import a GPX or TPX file from another source it will do its own thing a re-route you. Particular examples: An anti-clockwise route became a clockwise one; a straightforward route along a canal sent me over a very high, gravel ridge despite being set for ‘road only’; and again via a town out of my way because it had a cycle track. Like a badly behaved child, you need to check and double check any routes.

Forget about adding photos or POIs to their ‘story pages’. Their server is just way too slow and frustrating.

Good for finding campsites if the route is small.
 
Komoot is ok. It has teething problems. Particularly long routes over 200km. If you import a GPX or TPX file from another source it will do its own thing a re-route you. Particular examples: An anti-clockwise route became a clockwise one; a straightforward route along a canal sent me over a very high, gravel ridge despite being set for ‘road only’; and again via a town out of my way because it had a cycle track. Like a badly behaved child, you need to check and double check any routes.

Forget about adding photos or POIs to their ‘story pages’. Their server is just way too slow and frustrating.

Good for finding campsites if the route is small.
I'd listen to this experience and mitigate it by saying most routes you create on anything need checking, so this is no different. Komoot is very good for areas you don't know and need a route for, touring, holidays etc... which is how I use it for getting a route into my Garmin. Integration is also good but yes, it has foibles and you need to get used to what they are. I don't use it for the social stuff so can't comment on that.

Edit: oh and to say, you get one free map area so you can try it before you buy it.
 
Location
España
is there an app which allows you to create a route on a smartphone and use on your ride?

I bought the garmin explore, was impressed but didn't feel it gave me significant advantage over my current set up so returned it.
The one feature I liked was the routing. I currently use a garmin 800 edge as an onboard computer, a garmin vivoactive 3 watch to log the ride, using the 800 as a back up and my iPhone to help if I get lost.
I wondered if I could use an app or similar to give me the routing option I'm now missing?
I could use the 800 but it's not great for routing and needs plugging into a computer

Based on your two posts there are a couple of ways to interpret your request.
Are you looking for an app to plot a route (in advance) on your phone and send it to your edge to follow? (In other words, it saves you faffing about with a computer)
Or
Are you looking for an app that will let you plot a route mid-ride which you then follow either on your phone or your Garmin?

For what it's worth, OSmand has been my back up navigator for a few years now (touring).

It is a PITA to get used to, but once you are familiar with it, it is a brilliant piece of kit giving turn by turn (voice) directions as well as POIs and (for me) it's killer application is the fact that it will create routes on the fly with no internet access. By the way, you can also use it in the car.

I tested Komoot and RidewithGPS locally (NL) and while RideWithGPS is handy for looking at other people's routes, I wasn't a fan of either's routing. Cycle.Travel is for me, the best routing engine - but that's only online - not an app.
 

Dogtrousers

Kilometre nibbler
Ridewithgps do a similar offering but it's a regular payment as opposed to a one off purchase.
I could be totally wrong but I thought for RWGPS you had to use the web (PC) interface to plan routes and the app (phone) to follow them. The OP wants to be able to plan on the phone.

I'm a premium member and I have the app (but rarely use it), and the app (my version at least) doesn't do route planning.

But I have been repeatedly proven to be an idiot, so don't set too much stock by that.
 
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