How to map a bike route?

THere are several sites.

I like Bones IN Motion because it has teh best elevation profiles. You set up a free account and can keep a journal of your rides/runs.

www.bimactive.com

As an example, here is yesterday's run:


There is a screen shot below...I had to shrink the bejeezus out of it to get it to upload, though, but you get the idea,.



GMap Pedometer lets you save individual map links and has elevation, but it's not as sophisticated as bimactive in terms of elevation. Both use teh same google mapping interface, but you can't create an account with gmappedometer.

www.gmap-pedometer.com

US Track and field site apparently has one too, but I've never used it.


Edited by AdventureBear 2006-05-03 3:15 PM






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bimpage.bmp (92KB - 4 downloads)

Hey, A.B., I'm a bit confused about the bones in motion site. Doesn't mapping your routes on BIM require that you have a GPS-enabled phone or other device with you on your runs?

http://www.bimactive.com/ba/ui/land_faq.php

Because that's not at all what Gmap pedometer does. I mean, I'd love to have the elevation data that BIM has and gmap doesn't, but there's no way I'm buying a GPS phone and lugging it around with me on a run for this purpose.

******************************

No need to respond to my question, Adventure Bear; I decided to get off my arse and log in to BiM to figure out what was going on. To provide an answer for everyone else:

You can log in to BiM and log your runs in one of three ways:

1) Manually, mmuch the way google maps pedometer does.

2) by uploading data from a GPS device

3) by paying for the ability to have a GPS enabled phone on you when you run, thus logging automagically.



Edited by stupidnickname 2006-05-03 3:26 PM

No, the GPS cell phone is what makes BIM totally kick *** but you don't need one to use the site. When you create an account, there is a page that gives you 3 options for uploading a route...manually using the gmap interface, uploading a GPS file from any GPS device, or uploading the Cellphone's data. What makes BIM kick *** is that IF you have the GPS phone, which I do not, you just turn it on, and take it for your ride/run and it uploads your route automatically for you.

I still use BIM because of teh journal keeping and the USGS elevation profile data. There is also a topo map option that you can see, but it's a bit tricky to get to and I won't confuse you with it right now. Just creat an account and starting using it, it rocks.

Scroll down to teh second part of the FAQ page, it's about the NON cell phone features of BIM

Edited by AdventureBear 2006-05-03 3:22 PM

OK, I'm trying out the bimactive site and like it, but can't seem to print out a map to give to others...I'll keep working at it, but thanks for the suggestion!

I might recommend the Gmap pedometer site then. Fewer bells and whistles, and I've printed out maps from it multiple times. There's even a "print map" link on the left of the screen.

Here's the Gmap pedometer:

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/

And here's the USATF site:

http://www.usatf.org/routes/map/

You're right...to print out a route, I think I've used the gmappedometer site. Sometimes I'll just go to google maps adn zoom in on a neighborhood i'm not familiar with so I have a street map when I arrive. I know in general where I want to go, but get lost with the turns sometimes.

Except I just tried to do it, and teh route didn't print, just the map.

Edited by AdventureBear 2006-05-03 3:47 PM

Now I'm having problems with my BiM maps. I can plot a route, and save it -- but the elevation data never comes up. I just get this:





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Sometimes it takes awhile for the USGS profile to work. I think they are accessing a separate database that is pretty massive to build the profiles. In my original post I had an profile of a route I created yesterday. If you read the thread right after I posted it was there. After I posted, I went back to teh route to change the TIME of the run, and I guess it tried to completely rebuild it, so I am getting the same thing. It will come up eventually, but yeah, it'd be nice if it it would be there instantly. It's still a nicer profile than the one on GMAP.

To answer teh question about a public place...the site allows you to "blog" any activity that you do, and you get a blog address. This is one area I think teh site could improve upon, because there is no central place to see other users stuff, like BT has (BT Blogger). So you can make your stuff public, but you still have to tell other people how to find it. I think my site is

http://Adventures.bimblogs.com

I kind of got tired ot trying to use their blog, I am satisfied just looking at my own journal on the site...the blog ads yet a bunch more fields to fill out that I just don't have the energy for. Oh yeah, the blogs are where the topo maps come in. Check out my blog link above to see examples.


But still...it's a cool site.

Edited by AdventureBear 2006-05-03 4:05 PM

BIM is awesome!  I use it to track my longer rides.

Noted above.