Any Garmin Connect users?

[Bobsiii]

In the Denver areas we have 100s of bike/multi-use trails, but most of them are disconnected. I haven't ridden roads in decades and worry about safety, as I'm sure others do. There are several trails I'd like to work out loops for and wonder what roads most bikers use/think safe. It sounds like the Garmin Connect will provide this info?

For instance: from my home near Sloan's Lake I'd love to find a direct way to Golden, then make a big loop with the Clear Creek Trail, S. Platte River Trail and Lakewood Gulch Trail. 32nd Ave has a bike path almost all the way but then it drops down to a twisty two lane with no shoulder for the last few miles as it winds its way past Coors. It's almost perfect but the 2 lane section scares me. My thought is that Garmin Connect would tell me if other riders use that road, or how they make way to Golden. (To do an out-and-back on the trails puts me right around 60 miles - range problems.)

If not Garmin Connect any other options?

 

[Mr. Coffee]

I find using google maps in bicycle mode to be nothing short of miraculous.

 

[Citycrosser]

Take a look at the Strava Global Heatmap. If you have a Strava account, you can select cycling only and zoom into street level to see where folks are biking. It works great to find new routes.

I’m a Garmin connect user but I think you’ll find the Strava heatmap more useful.

 

[Bobsiii]

I find using google maps in bicycle mode to be nothing short of miraculous.

I'm quickly finding that google maps is often out of date.

 

[Bobsiii]

Take a look at the Strava Global Heatmap. .

Signed up for Strava, checked the route in question in Global Heatmap and saw that 32nd is a heavily biked route, all the way. Exactly what I wanted to know, thx a ton.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

I'm quickly finding that google maps is often out of date.

At least in my experience, no more out of date than OSM, Mapquest, &c. I imagine it kind of depends on where you live.

 

[dblhelix]

At least in my experience, no more out of date than OSM, Mapquest, &c. I imagine it kind of depends on where you live.

It does depend on where you ride. It’s good in areas popular with cyclists. I’ve found that the best routing, bar none, is talking to locals when in doubt.

 

[Bobsiii]

I thought Google Maps rely on municipalities, etc. to report updates to their bike paths/bike friendly streets while Garmin and Strava use rider data to tell you where people are riding. Seems to me that users data is more reliable than government/bureaucratic processes.

 

[dblhelix]

I thought Google Maps rely on municipalities, etc. to report updates to their bike paths/bike friendly streets while Garmin and Strava use rider data to tell you where people are riding. Seems to me that users data is more reliable than government/bureaucratic processes.

At one time Google Maps requested feedback on its suggested routes. I can remember getting the prompts 2013-2014 and thinking it was partially crowdsourced. I haven’t seen the prompts in a while.

One issue was routes via gravel and dirt. There is tremendous variation in gravel and some of the large chunky stuff is a no-go. Back then I had 700/32 tires; the even wider tires on ebikes allow more latitude on gravel. Still, Google put me on impassable dirt roads last summer in less-travelled areas. Route recommendations tend to be excellent in urban areas.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

I thought Google Maps rely on municipalities, etc. to report updates to their bike paths/bike friendly streets while Garmin and Strava use rider data to tell you where people are riding. Seems to me that users data is more reliable than government/bureaucratic processes.

The reality is that nearly all of the mapping providers purchase their data from the same bunch of aggregators, which are multibillion dollar companies that you have never heard of. They of course use government data, along with satellite imagery and a certain amount of ground-truthing.

I'm not strictly speaking a Google fanboy, but for two big reasons I believe Google has much higher-quality mapping data in general than their competitors. The first reason is that I live on the edge of the world, and you could find my address and home on Google maps for years (typically around five years) before you could find it on anybody else's mapping platform. As the world became more automated this led to hilarious and frustrating exchanges with DHL and Fedex where I was authoritatively told that my address did not exist. Well, I could simply look outside and know that was not true.

The second big reason is that I consult on GIS problems from time to time, and I've found that on average the Google maps datasets are more up-to-date and have fewer errors (this was in the US and Canada, if you live in Kazakhstan your milage may vary) than other datasets. When used this way Google maps data is also much, much more expensive. So you get what you pay for.

Google maps runs over the cloud, but nearly all of the other map providers simply push updates a few times a year (in reality quite often less than once a year). So while there is one big disadvantage of running over the cloud (no Internet: no maps) you are almost certainly more up-to-date.

Heatmap-type solutions like Strava, Garmin Connect, and Ride With GPS are great for finding where other cyclists are riding, but interpreting that information to build an efficient and safe route from point A to point B is a whole other problem.

 

[Bobsiii]

Heatmap-type solutions like Strava, Garmin Connect, and Ride With GPS are great for finding where other cyclists are riding, but interpreting that information to build an efficient and safe route from point A to point B is a whole other problem.

Makes sense. When I head on a new route I preview with Google Street View and still ride cautiously until I know the route and its problems. Heatmap gives me another tool, a compilation of local knowledge.

 

[steve mercier]

I tried Strava heat maps but shut it down. I found that the commuting cyclists routes are the most popular since they have the straightest lines which may be alongside minor highways around here . But if I commuted I would not need Strava and if I am dayriding I would rather take the scenic routes anyway. I also noticed Google maps was not completely up to date on my last mountain climb. There are new roads that cut many k,s off the old route but I only found out later, the hard way. Nevertheless I will take Mr Coffee to be correct that it is probably the best. Is there a bike computer out there that does a better job than a smart phone at displaying Google maps ?

 

[6zfshdb]

I use a Garmin Montana handlebar mounted GPS. Together with Garmin's free Basecamp software and Google Earth, I create my own routes using my home PC. Once I've created and investigated a route, I download it to the Montana GPS. The GPS uses built in maps which can be specialized to include things like topography and does not require a cell signal to function.

I use the internet to pick up tips & tricks for riding in a selected area and incorporate them into my route. Google Earth and Google Street Level View give me an excellent idea as to what the route will look like when riding. Things like shoulder width, trail surface conditions and traffic patterns are easily identified. User photos uploaded to Google Earth are also helpful. The route is saved on my PC for future use and can easily be modified as conditions warrant.

Although there are many handheld GPS units available that will work, I prefer the Montana for it's large daylight readable screen, flexible display configuration and good battery life. If necessary, I can power the GPS via the USB port and e-bike battery.

 

[AHicks]

If possible, I like driving my car on sections of a route that might be a concern, prior to making that run on a bike. I hate surprises, and love the feeling I'm off on an adventure I know will be a safe one (or as safe as possible anyway).