Garmin Cycle Maps are they better than Google Maps?

WheelMeals

I don't own a Garmin, but considering investing mainly for the GPS.

Primarily as the Google Maps Cycle route feature, is in my opinion very poor. As it assumes you have a full suspension MTB and can go through muddy bridal paths and also magically fly over farmyard gates in many instances.

Is Garmin's Cycle maps feature much better (any better)?

TBH I really like the convenience of using my phone (and would take on a ride anyway)
So other than Garmin are their any other bike specific GPS apps that are good for road biking in the UK?

cgfw201

Use Strava. The heatmaps feature is the best thing out there for plotting routes in new areas in my experience. although it was better when you could use it alongside Google Streetview.

WheelMeals

Thanks cgfw201, big Strava fan (not Premium) maybe this is the clincher to get me to subscribe.

Some smart dev should take all the heat map data and utilise in a Roadbike specific GPS (or Strava launch themselves)

apreading

https://ridewithgps.com

free

very good

allows use of Open Cycle Maps amongst others

WheelMeals

Many thanks apreading
Will check it out

kingstongraham

WheelMeals wrote:

Primarily as the Google Maps Cycle route feature, is in my opinion very poor. As it assumes you have a full suspension MTB and can go through muddy bridal paths and also magically fly over farmyard gates in many instances.

Is Garmin's Cycle maps feature much better (any better)?

In my limited experience, it's much the same. I have mine set to motorbike if I it ever needs to use re-routing so it doesn't try to take me on non-tarmac cycle paths.

benjamess

cgfw201 wrote:

Use Strava. The heatmaps feature is the best thing out there for plotting routes in new areas in my experience. although it was better when you could use it alongside Google Streetview.

x2 i use the heat map feature to plot all my rides if it's glowing bright red then your pretty much safe on a road bike

anything blue or hardly coloured at all then off to google to street view it!

WheelMeals

Thanks folks, me just being lazy and hoping for someone to devise a solution that can auto-plot the route (opposed to having to plot from data)

Surprised no ones figured this out given popularity or Strava/Map My Ride etc as seems to be a common problem.

I'll get plotting

ben@31

I use Strava for planning future routes, working out the distance etc.

You can import these routes into a Garmin and they'll give you turn by turn directions. Aka a big arrow saying "take the next left"

However I don't find any maps on a Garmin user friendly. It's hard to scroll around and when zoomed in, I loose situational awareness of where I am in the grand scheme of things.

For using a map during a ride, I much prefer using the OS MapFinder app on my phone. It's easier to scroll around and quickly zoom in and out. The app automatically changes the scale of the map and they're saved in the phone so still works without any signal .

ben@31

The Strava route planner does auto plot... Just click where you are starting then where you want to end up and the program will calculate the route for you

reds99

Try downloading garmin basecamp, google talkytoaster for his maps. Its either a £10 or free and then install the map he sends a link for and install into basecamp.
The maps are so much better than anything ive come across.

priory

OSMAND gives you openstreetmaps which is much more visible and better drawn than google , particularly important in daylight. you get full contours and hillshading and points of interest etc.. and choices of colouring.

IT DOES NOT NEED A PHONE SIGNAL WHILE ARE OUT, JUST GPS TO RECEIVE FREE.

As I demonstrated to myself last friday , it has no appreciation of hills and bridleways if you ask it to give you a cycle route, so I went round the roaches then found myself pushing/carrying the bike for half a mile then went up Danebridge and Winkle among other little adventures.You can set it to ''avoid unsurfaced roads'' but you still have to look carefully at the route it suggests ; or you can do your route on cyclestreets and download the gps route from there. I have used in uk spain canaries and mallorca

PS google maps for all its faults is good for drawing a route on because of the ability to pull the line onto the roads or tracks you want. When you have completed the route you can copy the url then paste it into www.mapstogpx.com which gives you a gpx file you save , probably on your laptop then send it into the tracks file for osmand . google the process.Its easier than it sounds.

I have a GPX file, how do I get it into OsmAnd?
Android
You can download and open it via File Browser or Dropbox and select OsmAnd as a target application
You can put it in OsmAnd home folder: osmand/tracks/(optional_sub-folder)/your_file.gpx
this is the best explanation I found
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5i34VnudLc
the route to the tracks file you need to find is at 5minutes in.

WheelMeals

Cool, thanks folks