RideWithGPS

[dodgeman]

If we’re sharing benchmark pictures this is the oldest I found, on the bluff of the Mississippi River near Dallas City Illinois. I also had used the website you posted to find benchmarks.

 

[mschwett]

FWIW, I use RideWithGPS regularly and the altitudes are pretty damn good.
I actually have an old U.S. Coast & Geodetic Survey Base Marker on my property, so I know the altitude there and what I get is within 10ft of that. Maybe it depends on the phone? I'm using an iPhone 14 Pro Max.

i regularly do rides with known "peak" elevations, as well as often being next to the ocean, or in areas of the city where i've done professional work and have elevations burned into my brain. recent iPhone elevations are really very good generally, which make's @Jeremy McCreary's report a little surprising. two weekends ago i summitted mount diablo, which has posted signs every 1,000 feet, at the top of the road, plus a benchmark at a monument. despite a longish ride, changing weather conditions (storms blowing out) the indicated altitude was never more than 20 feet off, and usually closer. very impressive considering the limitations of GPS based elevation in a small consumer device.

i also routinely park my bike at work in a basement garage under a high rise, and even there it's pretty damn close, reading -15 typically. i don't think anyone at apple or google is really telling what all the data used for the elevation readings are, but they're likely some combination of barometry, gps, wifi triangulation, basemaps, who knows what else.

entertainingly, the benchmark at the top of mt diablo may be off by three feet...

Mount Diablo Meridian | The Center for Land Use Interpretation

Most Initial Points are created incidentally, as baselines (and sometimes the meridians) are usually created first, with one end anchored on relatively immutable geographic features, such as the confluence of rivers, or latitudinal lines. The west has a number of exceptions, where prominent...

clui.org

 

[dodgeman]

Interesting read on Mount Diablo. I remember several years ago some idiot journalist decided the mark for the four corners was way off. There happened to be a triangulation station not too far away, but I think it was a couple of miles away. A triangulation station is set in a random location that has good visibility and then its latitude and longitude are determined as accurately as possible, all done originally in the 1930’s. This journalist published a story saying the four corners was off over 2 miles.

 

[tomjasz]

High enough?

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

i regularly do rides with known "peak" elevations, as well as often being next to the ocean, or in areas of the city where i've done professional work and have elevations burned into my brain. recent iPhone elevations are really very good generally, which make's @Jeremy McCreary's report a little surprising. two weekends ago i summitted mount diablo, which has posted signs every 1,000 feet, at the top of the road, plus a benchmark at a monument. despite a longish ride, changing weather conditions (storms blowing out) the indicated altitude was never more than 20 feet off, and usually closer. very impressive considering the limitations of GPS based elevation in a small consumer device.

Beginning to think that my bike resides in its own little space-time bubble.

Used to ride Mt. Diablo in my MTB days in Orinda and know those signs and that summit monument well. The core of the mountain and the sedimentary rocks tilted up toward it on all sides have a remarkable geologic origin. A bike is a great way to explore the rock outcrops that tell the story. If the summit visitors center shop is still open, they'll have something on the subject.

 

[6zfshdb]

If we’re sharing benchmark pictures this is the oldest I found, on the bluff of the Mississippi River near Dallas City Illinois. I also had used the website you posted to find benchmarks.
View attachment 151295

Great find!

The oldest benchmark recovery I submitted to the USCGS was JW0034 or X11 :

It's a chiseled square and not a survey disk. It was monumented in 1871 on the west wall of the Fifteen Mile Creek Aqueduct along the C&O Canal near Little Orleans, MD. It was last located in 1941 and it took over an hour for my brother and I to find. We had to use a whisk broom to sweep off the top of the stone coping.

This is the data sheet with the recovery information I submitted to the USCGS in 2010:

I know it seems like wasted effort but there is a lot of history associated with these benchmarks. A great deal of work went into their placement and there is some satisfaction associated with their recovery. An old surveyor friend once told me their creation in the early 20th century was the modern equivalent of putting a man on the moon.

 

[dodgeman]

1879, that’s a good one. It looks like that must be your recovery note at the bottom. I wonder about the quality of the data on it, the elevation might not check that good.

 

[6zfshdb]

1879, that’s a good one. It looks like that must be your recovery note at the bottom. I wonder about the quality of the data on it, the elevation might not check that good.

Yes, those are my recovery notes from 2010. There is a more recent recovery in 2023 shown on the current datasheet.

The elevation shown on that old Garmin GPS III+ was almost 50' off the 1941 NGS adjusted value. Consequently, I didn't bother reporting it. The handheld coordinates however were definitely more accurate than the NGS estimate. Tree cover makes the station unsuitable for highly accurate "blue book" GPS measurements.

 

[smorgasbord]

Here's the Base Marker on my property:

I haven't yet risked the $250 fine for "disturbing,

 

[Chazmo]

RideWithGPS friends:

Couldn’t decide if I should add a new thread, so I revived this one even though it’s veered. When does that ever happen around here?

So, I’m a premium RideWithGPS subscription holder (at least for this year), and I use the app all the time essentially as my GPS when I’m riding since I mounted my iPhone on my bike several months ago. I think it’s terrific, and I’m not particularly interested in Strava’s competitive-oriented nature, etc. So, anyway, RWGPS is awesome, especially the various map overlays and the ability to find trails based on their crowd-sourced RWGPS map. Another great thing about RWGPS… I had a question about the software, blasted them an email, and got an answer back in a few hours. I mean, really… Who does that anymore? I love it!

I keep all my rides out of public view because I’m a little concerned about my privacy. But, RWGPS introduced a new socially-oriented feature that I'm very interested in trying out. Any of you gents/ladies ride in central MA at all? @stompandgo any interest in trying this group collection? It might almost be worth me finding a way to transport my bike down to the Cape to have a little fun with this. Actually, seriously, we should chat about that sometime. I have a small riding group up here that might be into that...

Anyway, thoughts? Interest? — Charlie (in central Massachusetts)

 

[stompandgo]

Once I stopped riding with the club in western MA, I set RidewithGPS up for friends only. I don't ride with groups here yet.

Riding the rail trail here can be mind-numbingly boring for the most part, interrupted with bits of incredible beauty. I do not trust myself riding on main roads here. There is too much chaos. Back roads, though, are no different than any other back road anywhere, one you get to the outer Cape. There is also a dirt road infrastructure out there that will be my next thing to explore.

Chasmo, I bet that I know many of the roads that you ride on frequently, as I rode that way a lot when I lived there (Oxford and Millbury). You, and anyone else, is welcome to HMU for a ride if you are down this way. I don't know how DM's work on this forum, but I'm sure it's easy to figure out.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

RideWithGPS for North America.

Komoot for Europe.

 

[Chazmo]

RideWithGPS for North America.

View attachment 195804
Komoot for Europe.

Sorry… Stefan, what part of NA are you talking about here?

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Sorry… Stefan, what part of NA are you talking about here?

Mostly the U.S. and Canada RWGPS is an American system, and as such it is especially well suited to your part of the world. I had been a RWGPS subscriber and it worked for my part of the world but...
Komoot is a German product. Komoot is strongly focused on Europe, and a rider here can get more information about the local POIs than possible with RWGPS.

The feature that made me use Komoot is a variety of routes specific to:

• Cycling (touring)
• Mountain biking
• Road cycling
• Gravel riding
• Enduro mountain riding

Any of these activities can be additionally modified with "E-Bike". A route suggested by Komoot is planned according to the specified activity type. I don't think RWGPS can do it.

 

[Brian-s]

Mostly the U.S. and Canada RWGPS is an American system, and as such it is especially well suited to your part of the world. I had been a RWGPS subscriber and it worked for my part of the world but...
Komoot is a German product. Komoot is strongly focused on Europe, and a rider here can get more information about the local POIs than possible with RWGPS.

The feature that made me use Komoot is a variety of routes specific to:

• Cycling (touring)
• Mountain biking
• Road cycling
• Gravel riding
• Enduro mountain riding

Any of these activities can be additionally modified with "E-Bike". A route suggested by Komoot is planned according to the specified activity type. I don't think RWGPS can do it.

I have paid for rwgps and komoot. Your right, the ease of modifying trails by activity type is quite handy.

Edit: big advantage for rwgps, is Google map layer. This shows gas station/restaurants/restrooms.

 

[Chazmo]

I have paid for rwgps and komoot. Your right, the ease of modifying trails by activity type is quite handy.

Sounds like a cool feature. RWGPS has map overlays for different types of rides too. commute sounds more in-depth. For me, having bike trails on the nav map is awesome.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Chazmo, say you are planning a route from A to B involving some hilly nature park in the middle an some asphalt roads around it. Will RWGPS plan a different route for a road bike and an MTB? This is what Komoot actually does! My experience with RWGPS is it creates routes for a gravel (or, an all rounder) bike.

A road bike route, Komoot.

A gravel bike route, Komoot.

An MTB route, Komoot.

RWGPS has chosen the most boring route (and different from any Komoot suggestions). Moreover, it goes with heavy traffic for many kilometres in the north (similarly to the road bike route of Komoot. However, RWGPS enters rough terrain while Komoot Road Bike plan is purely on asphalt).

Yes, it is possible to choose Surface: All or Paved or Unpaved in RWGPS, which doesn't change the fact it is not activity specific at all.
Komoot will try finding any singletrack for MTB (if available) but it will protect a Gravel rider against any singletracks.

 

[BlackHand]

Komoot is a German product. Komoot is strongly focused on Europe, and a rider here can get more information about the local POIs than possible with RWGPS.

Hopefully that continues. A few months ago Komoot sold out to Italian company Bending Spoons who has since laid off about 85% of the employees.

 

[Chazmo]

Chazmo, say you are planning a route from A to B involving some hilly nature park in the middle an some asphalt roads around it. Will RWGPS plan a different route for a road bike and an MTB? This is what Komoot actually does! My experience with RWGPS is it creates routes for a gravel (or, an all rounder) bike.

Hi Stefan!

I have not used a lot of ride planning (yet) on RWGPS. As you know, my preference is to stay off road when possible, but often it isn’t. So far, RWGPS as shown me a lot of the trail systems where I ride. It’s really helped me stay on course when I get off the well-marked rail trail and explore some of the single-tracks. There are a lot of these in some areas.

I’ll definitely be exploring more possibilities as time goes on.

Komoot sounds really cool too.

 

[Chazmo]

Beginning to think that my bike resides in its own little space-time bubble.

Used to ride Mt. Diablo in my MTB days in Orinda and know those signs and that summit monument well. The core of the mountain and the sedimentary rocks tilted up toward it on all sides have a remarkable geologic origin. A bike is a great way to explore the rock outcrops that tell the story. If the summit visitors center shop is still open, they'll have something on the subject.

Hey, Jeremy… I know this was an old post, but I was up Mt. Diablo (in a car) about a year ago. That’s very cool that you used to bike that mountain. Whew. I guess you are no stranger to riding in the heat! Yikes!