route making apps

I have used Rever for years - free and paid version - which is often offered at a discount around $25 per year. Other riders I know use InRoute and swear by it - but it's a monthly/yearly subscription. I'm about to take a 9 day trip this week into next and have imported the gpx files created in InRoute (by the ride leader) into Rever and our BMW Connected app. I will probably be using the BMW one unless I get frustrated with it and I'll have Rever as my backup.

What I like about Rever is the maps are up to date and you can easily share a route to another rider who can download the app and create a free account and they instantly have the route you created. It has also tracked and kept a history of my rides/routes for the past 4 years I have been using it. I can pull up a previous route and ride it again.

If you are using an iPhone, check out Scenic. MyRouteApp, Rever or Kurviger are ok on Android or any web browser.

Good, I guess it all depends on what your intentions are. Go from point A to B, pass by C. Google maps will do. If what you want is to follow a specific set of roads, MRA or others are okay but not free. They either have limited options, the exported file needs to be reworked in Basecamp to work properly with your gps or you'll just get a snooze fest route.

Free. The best free app is still Basecamp. It's a pain to learn, not very user friendly and only runs on PC or Mac. But it will let you create routes no automatic routing app can match, for free. That implies that you will look up the roads in google earth or streetview, search the web for comments, gpx files, etc. And slowly build your route.
There's a loop I like to ride late in the fall. It follows a river and the US border. If I use the app options to highlight the route, I get sent on the major highways. If I spend the time to select the road and add multiple waypoints, it will use the twisty local roads. Guess which one I prefer?

My point is if you want an interesting ride over specific roads, no app will work automatically. Whatever app you choose to use, if you want an interesting ride, you need to work for it.

DavidMcK said:

Just remember there is a steepish learning curve with Basecamp and it may well be discontinued so you may need to think about investing time in another solution.

Click to expand...

I was always frustrated using Basecamp as I had never taken the time to really learn it in a structured way.

Due to that frustration, I subscribed to MyRouteApp in October 2020 and purchased the lifetime Gold membership. However, in the subsequent time, I have been very disappointed in that product's slow development and the company's primary focus on their own navigation tool. When I had signed up there was much talk about correcting issues with GPX file transfers to Garmin devices and such, but very little came of it and the exports now are almost identical to their original attempts.

Primarily due to MRA's poor record I made a conscious effort to learn Basecamp (using this reference: Learn BaseCamp – New England Riders) and now use it almost exclusively to plan my rides. It interfaces seamlessly to my Nav VI, of course, and also supports all the enhancements of GPX which have been developed over the years. I'm actually glad that I found my way back to Basecamp ( ) so my money at MRA wasn't exactly wasted.

Larry

I have given up on my Garmin zummo 595 and moved on to a Garmin Zumo XT which is a major improvement, night and day better.

Yeah... thanks for the advice.
iI is amazing the newer zumo XT cost $300 less and is much better!
Garmin shipped me a refurb replacement and I used it along Route 66 from LA to Chicago.
There was no improvement so I shipped it back to Garmin for a refund.

I am still fighting with BaseCamp. Another issue.
Great photo! Thanks for sharing!

I will look into my options 'down the road' before heading cross country again.
I traveled through 26 states by using the basic plan of putting in a major city and it worked to get me there, then I used my iPhone to get to a particular address because the Garmin device often would show it as unavailable. Sheesh.

I have tried many different options and, for me, the best option is to use Basecamp to plan the route, explore options using either Google Maps (free) or InRoute (not free), then add shaping points to Basecamp before transferring the route.

I have not had much success with the free options. I use Basecamp regularly and am very comfortable with it.

One nice feature of InRoute is that you can do searches at intervals along your planned route. For example, you could search for gas every 200 miles and InRoute will give you a list of possible locations. InRoute also has charts you can pull up that will show elevation, wind speed, temperature and precipitation projections along your route. It is not free, but it is worth a look in my opinion.

Google maps is handy, but it will route you down a dirt road without a second thought and with no warning.