Are We Condemned to Strava?

[ava1ar]

I do not know Komoot enough. Is it true you need to buy access to at least one Region to really enjoy that service? Will try to look to Komoot deeper.

There is free region available. Also you can unlock the region bundle or global region via single-time payment (see here for available options). However their premium subscription adds pretty much nothing valuable for me, so I just bought the world region and using it (see here for World Pack / Region Pack vs. Premium comparison). Komoot is Europe-based, so technically their coverage of Europe should be great (definitely not worse than US-based RideWithGPS).

Total number of trails over 10 miles found ?
.
..
....
ZERO.

Yes, their US maps are not great - as I said above, they are Europe-based company and their main focus are European cyclists. However it is getting better - I am in NYC suburbs area and after recent update their maps are pretty usable for route planning.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

There is free region available. Also you can unlock the region bundle or global region via single-time payment (see here for available options). However their premium subscription adds pretty much nothing valuable for me, so I just bought the world region and using it (see here for World Pack / Region Pack vs. Premium comparison).

Many of my gravel riding buddies confirm what you are say about Komoot as the service is becoming increasingly popular here.

Komoot is Europe-based, so technically their coverage of Europe should be great (definitely not worse than US-based RideWithGPS).

The accuracy of a route planner greatly depends on the maps selected by the developer; in this respect, RideWithGPS is excellent for Europe. There is another matter, which is how well a route planner can meet your desires and type of ride (like "road cycling, e-bike"). RWGPS is devoid of the "ride type" option!

I am planning a Double Metric Century route from my near neighbourhood to a location near the city of Toruń where my B&B is located. The default RWGPS route was simply boring, non-optimal and pretty long.

Now, following your advice, I unlocked all regions for the flat fee in Komoot. Asked the same question for the A -> B route to get as many as five alternatives! But hey! Komoot allows you selecting the type of your ride! I chose "e-bike road cycling" to immediately get the optimal route! Interesting and the shortest! Komoot warned me that 874 m of the route would lead through inappropriate surfaces! More: It allows you displaying exactly the type of Points Of Interests (such as a grocery store or restaurant) on demand. Finally: the feature called Trail View is reportedly available in Komoot, so you could actually see the picture of your trip segment to make sure it is rideable! (Only I do not know how to use it).

Thank you for drawing my attention to Komoot @ava1ar! The service looks excellent for my needs! (RWGPS will remain my advanced editor for already planned routes in other systems).

 

[Stefan Mikes]

@ava1ar, it is getting better and better with Komoot!
A friend of mine who is a road cyclist (using Komoot & Garmin) had whispered to me there was even a better route on asphalts along the Vistula. It required a single mouse movement in Komoot to make the service understand my intention! It is a great great service! Thank you again!

 

[ava1ar]

@ava1ar, it is getting better and better with Komoot!
A friend of mine who is a road cyclist (using Komoot & Garmin) had whispered to me there was even a better route on asphalts along the Vistula. It required a single mouse movement in Komoot to make the service understand my intention! It is a great great service! Thank you again!

Glad it works well for you, Stefan! I am using it a lot as well and it helped me to cover the gap with route planning service for Bosch ecosystem. Bosch has improved their online route planning service a lot since then, but I still prefer Komoot!

P.S. Komoot mobile app is pretty descent as well. You can create/update routes on the go if needed.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I like Komoot as a route planner more and more! The great advantage of Komoot is the knowledge of places where road-works are carried out and the ability to find detours. Sadly, RideWithGPS is not aware of the construction works and leads you into big trouble on your ride.

The lack of the "ride type" of RWGPS makes it hopeless at times. It can easily direct you into a long segment of sandy road while telling Komoot you are riding a "road e-bike" (Yes! E-!) will guide you exactly the way I would have selected myself if I knew the terrain as good as I know it now. Had I planned my recent trip with Komoot, it would take 135 km (84 mi) instead of 161 km (100 mi)!

 

[PatriciaK]

I like Komoot as a route planner more and more! The great advantage of Komoot is the knowledge of places where road-works are carried out and the ability to find detours. Sadly, RideWithGPS is not aware of the construction works and leads you into big trouble on your ride.

The lack of the "ride type" of RWGPS makes it hopeless at times. It can easily direct you into a long segment of sandy road while telling Komoot you are riding a "road e-bike" (Yes! E-!) will guide you exactly the way I would have selected myself if I knew the terrain as good as I know it now. Had I planned my recent trip with Komoot, it would take 135 km (84 mi) instead of 161 km (100 mi)!

I'm going to take a look at Komoot, thanks, Stefan!

 

[BlackHand]

Hmm, fails the same test that RWGPS, Strava, and Bosch did for me last week: Komoot happily routes you through a military base.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Komoot happily routes you through a military base.

Komoot is certainly good in Europe!

Edit: It was Wahoo own routing not to understand the roadworks. RWGPS suggests a route similar to Komoot but throwing unpaved segments in here and there without any need!

 

[mschwett]

Komoot is certainly good in Europe!

Edit: It was Wahoo own routing not to understand the roadworks. RWGPS suggests a route similar to Komoot but throwing unpaved segments in here and there without any need!

RWGPS likes to throw in unpaved segments because its algorithm really wants you to avoid cars. not sure if that’s programmed intentionally or just the result of it learning from what a lot of cyclists do.

on the web version, at least, you can change the routing preferences to make it avoid that. but it’s not perfect.

komoot looks interesting, with really nice detail on the popular routes, but i find RWGPS works pretty well for me. i don’t believe it’s ever tried to send me an impossible direction, and the surface database is getting a lot better.

 

[PatriciaK]

Hmm, fails the same test that RWGPS, Strava, and Bosch did for me last week: Komoot happily routes you through a military base.

View attachment 157857

And, it's clearly labeled on their own map!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I need to re-iterate how Strava Maintenance Log is useful to us who are engineers Strava - Settings - My Gear - My Bikes. I regularly ride two e-bikes and would be lost without the Maintenance Log. Here are the screens for my Vado SL:

My original Vado 5.0 45 km/h has been retired. (Her mileage was well over 14,000 km until the motor and the frame broke at the same time).

The basic facts about my Fearless.

The "blue" components are current. There is also a long ‘black’ list of parts that were replaced, along with their mileage, to help determine when to check the chain or brake pads for wear.

Each component can have extra notes, which is helpful. In this case, I didn't need to replace the entire cassette but just replaced the smallest sprockets (doable for many Shimano cassettes).

@MartsEbike: just following up our talk

 

[MartsEbike]

I need to re-iterate how Strava Maintenance Log is useful to us who are engineers Strava - Settings - My Gear - My Bikes. I regularly ride two e-bikes and would be lost without the Maintenance Log. Here are the screens for my Vado SL:

View attachment 185197

My original Vado 5.0 45 km/h has been retired. (Her mileage was well over 14,000 km until the motor and the frame broke at the same time).

View attachment 185198
The basic facts about my Fearless.

View attachment 185201
The "blue" components are current. There is also a long ‘black’ list of parts that were replaced, along with their mileage, to help determine when to check the chain or brake pads for wear.

View attachment 185202
Each component can have extra notes, which is helpful. In this case, I didn't need to replace the entire cassette but just replaced the smallest sprockets (doable for many Shimano cassettes).

@MartsEbike: just following up our talk

Excellent!

I definitely need to pay more attention to Strava!

 

[Roamers]

I feel like a lite-weight; no Strava, an ugly kickstand, motor not calibrated to .001 mph out of 20.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I feel like a lite-weight; no Strava, an ugly kickstand, motor not calibrated to .001 mph out of 20.

Are you an engineer?

 

[Roamers]

Are you an engineer?

An anal one. Love data, but these days, biking is a leisure, no mind (except cadence) activity. Check and fill tires is about as exciting as I get. I do use Wahoo app to watch cadence and heart rate.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

An anal one. Love data, but these days, biking is a leisure, no mind (except cadence) activity. Check and fill tires is about as exciting as I get. I do use Wahoo app to watch cadence and heart rate.

I wonder when you replace a chain.

 

[Roamers]

I wonder when you replace a chain.

I have a belt now. In the past, I have never replaced a chain that I recall. The ebike is the 4th bike I've owned in 50 adult years. I'd guess the highest mileage was the touring bike that did RAGBRI and pre-conditioning twice; finally donated it a few years ago. I'd bet it had less than 5K miles on it in 20 years of ownership.

Not really a dedicated rider like a lot of you folks. I think we have ~60 miles this year in 4 rides.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Strava is definitely for active people: hikers, runners, cyclists, e-bikers, etc. For me, it plays an important social role; it is a great pleasure to see the activity of your distant friend!

It is also a great tool to keep (and search for!) memories, especially when one adds some pictures.

I recorded that boat trip as 'Sailing' for memories Not the activity that counts towards my "Cycling" or "E-Bike" activities!

Or, our Tory Island hike. Tory Island (Toraigh) is the northernmost island of Ireland.

What is fantastic about Strava is it is fairly easy to find a relevant trip, especially when you gave a meaningful name to the activity.

 

[Roamers]

Strava is definitely for active people

My son and granddaughter us Strava. They both mountain bike compete so use it daily to watch progress.

Cool idea tracking trips. We hike a lot but track on Polar Beat to record activity in Fitness Pal where we track nutrition and health info.

i could see using it as bragging rights back in the day when we were conditioning for RAGBRAI and had a group of 10 that traveled together. These days it's my wife and I; not a real "social" couple.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Another Use Case of Strava Maintenance Log

Now, it is the big Vado 6.0.

I have noticed my chain started skipping on the 10th (out of 11) gear, a 13T sprocket. A brief peek into the Strava Maintenance Log made me understood the chain was ridden for 1,000 miles and needed a check for the stretch. Although an inspection with a Bike Hand YC-503 chain stretch tool clearly indicated a 0.75% stretch, I also measured distance between 10 subsequent chain rollers with a digital caliper (the exact value was 128.22 mm). The rule of thumb is: 'If the chain is stretched to 128 mm, replace it immediately. If it is 129 mm, the small cassette sprockets are probably already damaged'.

The Strava Maintenance Log reminds me what chain was used last time and how many chain links I needed. I intend to replace the chain and also replace the 13T cog only (most Shimano cassettes are serviceable).