Route creation - workflow, algorithms and the like

[jameso]

I like the dice or asking people for directions ideas. I have a general rule for local rides - never ride past a byway or small lane that you've not ridden before. Always good to throw a random turn into a ride, it's why I got into road bikes that can go off-road in the first place.

RE komoot - I've used it a fair bit and think it's fair to say it's not meant to be a detailed route creation tool, more of a route share and ideas app. It's good for finding routes others have ridden and modifying them a little. But for creating a detailed route from scratch it's not as user-friendly as others plus it seems to struggle with UK ROW designations.

Can't comment on strava as I don't use it much, was interested to see if it came up much as an option though in case I was missing anything. I have a log-in to look at heat maps, mainly for MTB trails. Not sure I'd trust strava heatmaps for road riding, plenty of roadies use roads I'd go out of my way to avoid.

The 2 bits of route I most remember are firstly, the Fosse Way.

A local route. It's a good one but I know what you mean, it's also like riding on an MX track at times : ) (shout if you ever want some remote recce services in the Glos/Bristol area)

TCR was always an interesting race format for this routing aspect. I'd wondered if there was an opportunity to race a good all-road bike and take route options that the guys on 28mm tyre TT/road set ups couldn't. I don't think so though - maybe here and there but not over that kind of distance.

[jameso]

Cycle Travel for such a route throws up the probkem of using paths that end up needing to be ridden much more slowly/cumbersome(ly).

Yes, the short / lowest elevation gain option that Cycle.Travel produced in detail in RWGPS uses quite a lot of Voie Verts and similar riverside paths that are generally a bit slower to ride than slightly more rolling secondary roads nearby (ime). They're nice bike paths but I'm going through it using satellite view to re-route some of those sections, but not all. It's good to have a bit of variety on a long ride.

[PaulB2]

RWGPS is great for gravel bikes, I don't find it as good if you want a more MTB route since it prefers a country lane to a bridalway if there's the option. I don't know if the paid version allows you to tweak that. As others have said, Komoot is terrible for routing you on to a footpath and I won't be using that again.

[redefined_cycles]

Used Cycle.Travel for the first time routing through London today (usually use Strava or spend at least alot more minute fretting and conferring, if that'sa word). I'm on the 2.50£ per month sub. In two inputs (of postcodes/location) I was given a nice 12 mile route from the station to my AirbNb.

All I did was drag a few dots to make the route go over Swaines Lane (one of very few steep hills in London I believe). Aside from it thinking it's a no entry both ways in the middle (it's one way at the top to stop idiots coming down a narrow 18 percent hill) so routing me through the park, it was all good. Route made in 5 minutes or less.

During the ride everything was excellent. No untoward additions of silly dangerous roads or hardcore walking paths, etc... Traffic only got mad at me once when I tried to cut em up on a dual carriageway (I was riding across and markings on the rd suggested zigzags... plus it's London so thought its the done thing!).

All in, very happy and glad I needn't have opened the irritating Strava app for making the route. 2 clicks and it was in my Wahoo too I'll be using more often InshaAllah...

[redefined_cycles]

Using many back (all bridle) paths was still slightly annoying, but I wasn't in a rush. Tomorrow I will be so hopefully it'll still do me summat ok Making that route now!!