Originally Posted by
01 CAt Man Do
There are numerous websites that allow the creation of planned routes that also allow the user to download the route to their smart phones by using a phone app. The ones I usually hear the most about are *RidewithGPS and Mapmyride. I use *RWGPS myself. While RWGPS website also offers it's own phone app it will also work with a few other notable navigation apps. I use Cuesheet and Locus Pro for android ( Iphone versions should also exist ). Both work well for general turn by turn navigation for planned routes although Locus Pro has many more features and programmable options. Cuesheet is the easiest to work with though. With Locus Pro in order to export the route you have to have a drop box account ( free ) so you can access it from your phone. With Cuesheet the routes you create on RWGPS automatically come up when you link it to RWGPS website. ( *Been since last year that I visited these websites so no doubt there might be new options and better features since I last logged on. )
Most of the phone navigation apps offer free starter versions of the app but if you want better features you can always purchase the "advanced or Pro version" for a small one-time fee. On the other hand if you chose to use RWGPS's own phone app the last I heard they charge a monthly subscription fee which is of course much more money. Then again you can choose to "pay as you go" with the RWGPS app and only pay for the months you know you will most likely be using the app.
Keep in mind in order to create a planned route you still have to do so on one of the websites I mentioned. To do that you open an account and then you should be good to go once you decide what app to you want to use.
Right now my favorite navigation app is *Locus Pro. I like *LP because LP gives me the option to use *Openstreetmap(cycle) as one of the many maps it offers. *OSM (cycle ) is nice because it also clearly shows a lot of "off road trails and off road paved trails". That fact alone makes it a big winner IMO, even if the app is somewhat complicated to work with. At least with Locus Pro if you have a problem with something they do have a dedicated website that can answer most of your questions.
So tell me what is better about RWGPS vs using Google Maps to create a route (comparison)? And is Lopus pro less resource hungry than Google Maps or My Tracks? Also since I have never used a Garmin for a bike explain to me what is meant by the quote I have heard people say that certain events have a pre planned route and you can "put the route into your GPS". Do Garmins have the ability to create routes or do you still have to use a site like RWGPS or Google maps and then import the same file into your Garmin just like you would your phone? The only downside I see right now is I would be tempted to stop using Strava since using 2 navigation apps at once would surely hog my battery down. I wish Strava had the ability to accept created maps.