Ride your own ride

[vince]

I love it when some one has a GPS it is great. Now add a second one on the ride and you get something called GPS Moments. I love those even more.

[carlson_mn]

Even as a younger rider I spent ten years with a map folded up into a tank bag on my Bandit or other bike.  While it worked, I spent a lot of time looking down and squinting at my tank map figuring things out rather than paying attention to the road and sometimes I felt anxious figuring out the next turn.  I'm sure most of you know what I mean.

Since switching to a large 5" GPS it is no comparison, the GPS is so much easier and faster to notice the route, on top it has my next turn/waypoint by name and it is always counting down the distance until that point.  The route is highlighted in purple which stands out compared to all other roads, and I get a preview of the road up ahead at all times.  I encourage anyone to try out a 'route enabled' GPS it has been a tremendously positive experience for me using one over the last year.

However, like Ray said, creating GPX routes can take hours.  It is detailed, sometimes finicky, but it is worth it, and in a way it is fun.  I am still fairly new to it.  I do not know a good way to make route sheets though, especially the pretty PDF style, so if anyone wants to help me with that I'm all for it. 

[pkpk]

I experienced a renewed sense of adventure after getting a GPS.  I think it's simply because I hate map reading and the need to remember road names and turns.  I was also frustrated that most Rand McNally type maps didn't have Wisconsin name roads shown. 

I actually enjoy the route creation on laptop.  It gives me a chance to look for new roads on-line and map out a full day's ride.  Converting route sheets for people give me an opportunity to sanity check their roads and distances (and I find mistakes on at least 50% of newly created route sheets.)

Speaking of which, I need to move all my GPS files from MN-Sportbike to this website now that Ray created a nice directory.  This could take a while but I'll try to have it done by next week.

[aschendel]

However, like Ray said, creating GPX routes can take hours.  It is detailed, sometimes finicky, but it is worth it, and in a way it is fun.  I am still fairly new to it.  I do not know a good way to make route sheets though, especially the pretty PDF style, so if anyone wants to help me with that I'm all for it. 

The Garmin MapSource program is what I'm most familiar with, well, that and google maps...  I haven't used MapSource yet to generate route sheets, but as you can see from the attached screenshots I bet it would / could work well.  I think copying and pasting into Excel (assuming it picks up the columns correctly) would be ideal, then you can delete some steps maybe if they aren't needed and rename stuff or use decent fonts / spacing, etc.

Andy

[Chris]

However, like Ray said, creating GPX routes can take hours.  It is detailed, sometimes finicky, but it is worth it, and in a way it is fun.  I am still fairly new to it.  I do not know a good way to make route sheets though, especially the pretty PDF style, so if anyone wants to help me with that I'm all for it. 

The Garmin MapSource program is what I'm most familiar with, well, that and google maps...  I haven't used MapSource yet to generate route sheets, but as you can see from the attached screenshots I bet it would / could work well.  I think copying and pasting into Excel (assuming it picks up the columns correctly) would be ideal, then you can delete some steps maybe if they aren't needed and rename stuff or use decent fonts / spacing, etc.

Andy

Do you have to pay for the Garmin MapSource?

[aschendel]

It's free but they don't make it super-easy to get / install.  I've gotten it to work on a few computers but still need to write down the exact pattern.  It definitely involves "installing" a map update to the computer (one of the Advanced Options during a map update -- so you'd want a Garmin device to bother with this) and possibly installing an old version of MapSource first.

If you google for it Garmin's official statement isn't quite accurate, and there might be a good description out there somewhere about getting it to work.

Andy

[pkpk]

Actually, Mapsource is officially discontinued.  You can download "Basecamp" from Garmin and install for free.  But here is the rub for both, neither has map detail that would show addresses and names of parks and such.  For Mapsource, you would install a mapset that you purchase for your GPS that would come on a CD or DVD.  Now that mapsets are built right into GPS's, you connect the GPS to Basecamp to get that level of detail showing in the application.  Either way, without a purchased mapset, you might as well just setup routes in Google Maps instead.

[carlson_mn]

I use microsoft streets and trips.  It works very well for making routes and exports them directly as a GPX file.  I've actually gotten pretty good at it and I think I made my route file last night for today's ride in about ten minutes after I knew where I wanted to go.  Microsoft sells it for $30-40.   

[Tim...]

Back on topic...

"Ride your own ride", for me, is very situational.  It could be taking over leadership of a "Slimy Crud" ride, or taking over ride leadership from a "leader" who can't follow their own route sheet, or leading a noob around the ABC's, or smelling the roses ride from the back.

You narcissists ...

[EZpower]

It was interesting to read the opinions of more experienced riders. I thought it would be nice to include the thoughts of a more inexperienced rider like me. I am late to the sport. I only began riding two years ago. For the last two years I've been riding with members from other forums and fortunately most of the rides were organized with the same theme. Group ride. No man left behind. Every one was made aware that faster riders who knew the route and were better skilled were generally ahead, but at major intersections everyone would wait for the noobs like me. This provided a few key points for me in learning to ride. One: it gave me the opportunity to concentrate on the road and not a piece of paper taped to my tank, which would create a distraction for me, and keep my eyes off the road. Two: I have been on many rides where experienced riders went down, including inexperienced me, and were glad others were there to help them, and not following a piece of paper to the next meeting spot.

I am still learning and very grateful to riders who are willing to wait for others.

Some of the postings of group rides on other forums will say "experienced riders only". Which is perfectly fine. There is nothing wrong with letting everyone know what the intention of the pace is going to be.

[pkpk]

The problem with not using a routesheet is you wind up absolutely hoping that the guy ahead of you will wait at every intersection in plain view.  Unfortunately, riders get tired or impatient and may forget to wait.  Or you might get tired and miss the rider waiting for you.  Probably the most likely way a group gets split up is when one rider takes a wrong turn and others follow.  Then you come along and now there is no rider waiting at intersections.  It's good practice to get used to reading a route sheet for your own protection.  I agree that it's not the easiest thing to look at route sheets taped to the tank.  It's a skill that only 'comes by doing' though.

[Tumbler]

It's good practice to get used to reading a route sheet for your own protection.  I agree that it's not the easiest thing to look at route sheets taped to the tank.  It's a skill that only 'comes by doing' though.

Well said.  I never used to use route sheets when I first started riding but now would rather have them than not.  Even if it's a ride I've done before or just riding by myself to remind me of the turns coming up.  As I've done this more & more it gets easier & easier to do.

[Ray916MN]

Riding off a route sheet definitely takes more effort than just relying on the people in front of you to show you the way or to rely on others to wait for everyone at every route change. Sounds good, but where it typically falls apart is when there is a following rider, who isn't keeping track of which road they should be on loses sight of the rider ahead of them and there is fork in the road.

If the rider is lucky they pick the correct fork in the road to take. If they are unlucky and pick the wrong fork, it typically sucks for everyone. The rider who takes the wrong fork often rides for a long time before realizing they've lost the group. The group turns around and typically never finds the rider who took the wrong fork, even after sometimes searching the sides of the road to make sure the lost rider isn't lying in the weeds or down a ravine on the side of the road. Personally, I really dislike searching ditches and ravines for missing riders.

We provide route sheets to help make sure people don't get lost on rides, and to make it possible for them to be entirely responsible for their own ride. It takes effort on everyone's behalf to run a successful ride. Unfortunately the lack of effort or control of some ride participants is all too often what ruins a ride for a group. Route sheets also enable people who get split from the group for one reason or another to rejoin the group further down the route.

Of course a group leader could stop at every fork in a route to make sure that everyone takes the correct fork, but frankly when you're riding off a route sheet or a GPS unit, you typically don't even notice the forks in the road and  there is typically no safe place for a group to stop and wait for other riders.

[Greg]

Also, to be clear, using a route sheet as the base for the route doe NOT mean "riders are left behind". The folks here who organize group rides will always look for a rider who has disappeared.

[EZpower]

Of course a group leader could stop at every fork in a route to make sure that everyone takes the correct fork, but frankly when you're riding off a route sheet or a GPS unit, you typically don't even notice the forks in the road and  there is typically no safe place for a group to stop and wait for other riders.

So just to be sure, as a new rider, I should expect to fend for my self. Might as well ride by my self. For me, group rides gave me a comforting feeling that when I make a mistake, some one will be there to scrape me off the ground.

I don't mind learning new things. That's why I'm still riding. Learning how to read a route sheet is something that I will strive to learn. But as a new rider, other forums provide the comfort for new riders. Makes me feel less of a retard.