Cycling Sat Nav

[RaleighRider]

Hi everyone,

Is there such a thing as a cycling specific sat nav? On my phone I'm planning a route and it's taking me exactly the same way as it would in my car, but where I live there are many nicer routes by the river and along quieter country lanes, they may take a little longer but a nicer ride in my opinion with less traffic, I'm not used to them though so would need some directions to know when to get off the river roads to get to where I need to be!

Preferably a free one although understand I'm probably asking for the moon on a stick but I don't have a budget for this kind of thing!

Thanks for any info

 

[KnittyNorah]

Not a satnav as such, but certainly free - and you can pre-plan a route, or ask it to suggest a route, and gives you the directions - bike map. Well worth a free membership as then you can save your routes.

 

[PaulSB]

You don't say if you're using cycle specific software - it sounds as if you're not. If that's the case try Google maps which provides different routes depending on the mode of transport. I can't vouch for it being any good.

There are plenty of cycle specific apps/websites you can use. My preference is for RWGPS or Komoot.

You'll need a decent GPS unit unless you plan to strap your phone to the handlebars which always seems a dangerously expensive option to me.

Alternatively get on your bike, cycle the lanes, get lost and find your way home. That way you'll learn the local geography. While I'm a heavy user of GPS and route planning riding local lanes without guidance is a lot more fun than with.

 

[Blue Hills]

Check out http://cycle.travel/
For finding quiet routes.
Excellent.
Disagree with paul - i wouldn't use google maps for a cycle route, though it is good for a rough and ready quick view of options and distance.
I'd use a dedicated gps rather than a phone.

 

[CXRAndy]

There are some specific routing apps and online sites that do excellent jibs of picking quiet or common cycle routes.

I start with Google maps, just gives me guide to whats near and to avoid. Then Strava which uses data from common cycled routes- excellent for routing.

There is Komoot and cycle.travel which seem popular. There are others too

THEN there is a sometimes not so simple job of loading onto your device. I use Wahoo Elemnt which works very well at accepting strava built routes.

I steer clear of Garmin these days

 

[PaulSB]

Check out http://cycle.travel/
For finding quiet routes.
Excellent.
Disagree with paul - i wouldn't use google maps for a cycle route, though it is good for a rough and ready quick view of options and distance.
I'd use a dedicated gps rather than a phone.

Quite agree I wouldn't use Google maps but reading between the lines this is what the OP has available.

 

[fossyant]

There are apps you can use to upload a map to your phone - I've done it myself. Mapmyride, ridewithGPS and others. Some are no-longer free though. You plan a route on your PC, then upload to phone.

I have a number of Garmin computers, but my favourite is the Garmin Explore - it's excellent. I use Garmin Connect to plot routes on the PC as it also has MTB and Road options, so you can see where people do cycle if you want. I used it to cross the busy A55 in North Wales through a farm yard and over a cattle bridge last week, on a road bike. Not passable for cars, but just about OK on a road bike. Far nicer than trying to negotiate 2 busy roundabouts.

 

[Dogtrousers]

There are a number of devices/websites for planning cycling routes.

My favourite website for route planning is RideWithGPS, but others have their own favourites. My Garmin does satnav style auto routing to a destination but I've never used that feature.

The problem is that with a car, the quality of the route doesn't matter, just the journey time matters, so planning is straightforward. The best route is the quickest one, simple.

But on a bike, who is to say what the best cycling route is? Some cyclists may want to maximise time on cycle paths - but they are normally glass strewn and lumpy and littered with obstacles, so other cyclists may want to avoid them. Some cyclists don't object to a stretch of A road, others will go out of the way to avoid them. Some A roads are great to ride on, others are a nightmare (as are some B roads). There will never, and can never, be one best cycling route, because different cyclists have different criteria around what makes a good route.

So pick your favourite of the various tools available, but do not trust any of them. Check the route over manually and correct it to your own preferences.

 

[neil_merseyside]

Cycle.travel works very well on a phone for showing you the least trafficked route. It can output the chosen route as a gpx for a bike satnav of any make, or straight to Garmin Connect for transfer by bluetooth to a garmin GPS (my method). Using just a phone only for bike navigation is hampered by battery life issues of running big screens all ride, waterproofing and a suitable mounting.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I’d like routing that doesn’t mind A roads in 30 mph speed limits , and will route you on them if it’s less than a mile or so to next lane. But long stretches of A road at 60 mph. No thanks.

 

[D_97_goodtimes]

Hi everyone,

Is there such a thing as a cycling specific sat nav? On my phone I'm planning a route and it's taking me exactly the same way as it would in my car, but where I live there are many nicer routes by the river and along quieter country lanes, they may take a little longer but a nicer ride in my opinion with less traffic, I'm not used to them though so would need some directions to know when to get off the river roads to get to where I need to be!

Preferably a free one although understand I'm probably asking for the moon on a stick but I don't have a budget for this kind of thing!

Thanks for any info

Google, Apple and Android offer plenty of apps with free and premium versions - all have good and bad points. I tend to follow the road and see where it takes me.
The ordnance survey has a free option.
What three words for those lost and in trouble.

 

[RaleighRider]

You don't say if you're using cycle specific software - it sounds as if you're not. If that's the case try Google maps which provides different routes depending on the mode of transport. I can't vouch for it being any good.

There are plenty of cycle specific apps/websites you can use. My preference is for RWGPS or Komoot.

You'll need a decent GPS unit unless you plan to strap your phone to the handlebars which always seems a dangerously expensive option to me.

Alternatively get on your bike, cycle the lanes, get lost and find your way home. That way you'll learn the local geography. While I'm a heavy user of GPS and route planning riding local lanes without guidance is a lot more fun than with.

I'd love to get lost and not actually find my way home some days! But with a 2 year old in tow, I wouldn't be able to aimlessly wander as she'd be bored/hungry/tired/all of the above! 😅

 

[Mike_P]

I use Komoot to plan a route, if I am unsure on any bit it has chosen check it on an OS map and also gradients using Strava. Most GPS enabled cycling headsets will accept Komoots routes

 

[rogerzilla]

Google chooses some very unsuitable routes and frequently chooses pedestrian-only paths or refuses to allow you to use any A-road at all, sending you literally miles around the long way. Garmin auto-routing is similarly hit or miss, sending you 10 miles out of your way to avoid a "no through road" that doesn't actually exist.

The only reliable way is manually, from an OS map.

 

[cycling_eejit]

I've only been cycling for a few months and have been using Komoot so far and find it great.
I don't like roads with lots of traffic so like to stick to backroads. Selecting the "Bike Touring" option on Komoot seems to default to minor roads and you can always change the route if you want.
The advantage I have found is that I can create the route on the phone, for some of the others you have to use a website and upload it to the phone. The other feature I like is the audio navigation, I have found it faultless so far, just pick the route, click start and then I put the phone in my pocket and it tells me when and where to make a turn.