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Tracking Commuter Mileage Online

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Old 09-20-14 | 05:05 PM
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Tracking Commuter Mileage Online

Which online mileage tracker do you use?... if any? I am somewhat of a stats nut and probably due to some OCD and love to track numbers in anything especially my biking mileage. There are a few options out there that I know about but was wondering if there were others I didn't know about. Do they have apps? GPS tracking? rewards?

These are the 3 I know about

www.defining1.com

Running and Cycling GPS Tracker, Performance Analytics, Maps, Clubs and Competition | Strava

Inspiro Software - Apps Development Studio - Inspiro Software

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Old 09-20-14 | 05:10 PM
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I occasionally use Google My Tracks to record my rides. I sometimes upload to MapMyRide (which also has its own app). I think Strava also supports My Tracks format, but I have no interest in comparing with others.
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Old 09-20-14 | 06:30 PM
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Not a direct answer, but I use a Garmin Edge 200. I use it like a stopwatch. I hit start when I start and save when I stop. The battery lasts a couple of days on a charge when I use it, and I like that this is independent of my phone's charge. Every few days, I connect it to my computer by USB. This causes the computer to upload my data to the Garmin web site, where it gives me more information than I could hope for.
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Old 09-20-14 | 06:46 PM
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Strava, and recently joined the Bike Forums Commuter group
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Old 09-20-14 | 06:51 PM
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Now that I've got a cheap bike computer, I just let that track my miles. I figure I'll check them once a week for a log.

I'd like something that does heart rate and cadence though.
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Old 09-20-14 | 09:53 PM
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Originally Posted by beastonabike
Which online mileage tracker do you use?... if any? I am somewhat of a stats nut and probably due to some OCD and love to track numbers in anything especially my biking mileage. There are a few options out there that I know about but was wondering if there were others I didn't know about. Do they have apps? GPS tracking? rewards?

These are the 3 I know about

www.defining1.com

Running and Cycling GPS Tracker, Performance Analytics, Maps, Clubs and Competition | Strava

Inspiro Software - Apps Development Studio - Inspiro Software

Cheers,

Dave
Go to the app store for whatever OS your phone uses and search for things like "fitness tracker" or "bike computer". If you don't have a phone, most of those apps tend to have websites associated with them they sync to and you can review, edit, and manually upload data as well.

Runkeeper and endomondo both have cycling as an activity, logs your routes- Runkeeper will allow you to create a route ahead of time or designate one of the tracks you've already completed as one- and they both have challenges that offer rewards. I think I'm signed up for 3 challenges between the two of them (already scored a reward a week or so back on Runkeeper for PR in a non-cycling activity).
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Old 09-20-14 | 10:08 PM
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I log my running and cycling to RunningAhead.com and also to a local application on my computer called SportTracks. Both import data from my Garmin 910XT and have great reporting. SportTracks even has a local weather plugin that will automatically download data from local weather stations and record the temperature at different points during your workout based on GPS position. My workouts also get uploaded to Garmin, but I never look at them there and don't bother to enter any workouts on the Garmin website if I didn't have my GPS.
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Old 09-20-14 | 10:18 PM
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Old 09-20-14 | 10:26 PM
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aahhh yes correction.... there are 4 I know of
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Old 09-20-14 | 11:16 PM
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There's also the Commuter Cycling Century Challenge (among others) on bikejournal.com

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Old 09-21-14 | 06:57 AM
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I use Strava. It's kind of like a social networking site in that you can follow people you know if they use it as well but it tracks miles and all kinds of things.

For my commute I just use my phone with the Strava app but for longer rides I use a Garmin 200.
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Old 09-21-14 | 07:52 AM
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I don't rely on any website for recording my mileage. I don't know the likelihood of any given site shutting down but it seems your records could be at risk if the one you relied on suddenly wasn't there.

So I keep mine on my desktop computer at home. Once upon a time I logged miles in a spreadsheet (back in the 90's and it started with running). When that got too unwieldy, I migrated that to MS Access. By then I think I'd incorporated cycling miles but eventually I hit some kind of limit when the entries exceeded 9,999. This led me to MySQL, which I have been using ever since, with the added benefit that it is free and independent of the operating system.

Using html as a front end and to display results is also free, as is PHP which I use for logic and Apache which is the web server.

My application has evolved over the years to be a workouts database, not just a means of logging miles. I track all the kinds of exercise I do with it, from push ups to hikes to bicycle touring or commuting, etc. It will tell me how many miles I've run in a given pair of shoes and even the breakdown of the types of surfaces I ran the miles on and it will tell me what bicycle I rode the miles on.

A couple of years ago, as an unemployed software developer with time on my hands, I found that I could import data from Google's Mytracks and from my Garmin watch so that I did not have to enter any distance or time information for a ride, run or walk. And it would tell me where I'd been during the workout.

My latest enhancement is to create a table of bicycle parts and one of installed parts and relate them to the rides I record. So now, like with shoes for running or hiking, I can tell how many miles I have on bicycle parts. I have 259.2 miles on newest tire, a Schwalbe Marathon Plus, in case you're wondering.

Admittedly, it is a bit more hassle when I get a new computer as I have to go through the installation and configuration of Apache server, MySQL, etc. But I don't lose the data due to it and I never have to fear that because of the disappearance of some website I have no control over.
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Old 09-21-14 | 01:57 PM
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Runkeeper, Strava, Map My Ride, Garmin Connect are pretty much the only appropriate answers.

I use RK, Strava and GC via ipBike (Nexus 5 w/ANT+) or my new Garmin Fenix 2.
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Old 09-21-14 | 02:48 PM
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I use Strava. I found an app that you can do one touch on the icon and it starts recording. However, being a bit of a geek, I'm thinking about the following setup: download a Mytracks plug in for Tasker and create an automated start/stop for recording a ride when I disconnect/connect to my home/work WiFi network. Once a month or so I would export it to Strava.

Last edited by matimeo; 09-22-14 at 09:29 AM.
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Old 09-21-14 | 10:05 PM
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Old 09-21-14 | 10:21 PM
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Originally Posted by noglider
Not a direct answer, but I use a Garmin Edge 200. I use it like a stopwatch. I hit start when I start and save when I stop. The battery lasts a couple of days on a charge when I use it, and I like that this is independent of my phone's charge. Every few days, I connect it to my computer by USB. This causes the computer to upload my data to the Garmin web site, where it gives me more information than I could hope for.
both my wife and I also have garmin 200s though we upload our rides to MapMyRide. Great little device and e website is also easy to use.
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Old 09-22-14 | 07:40 AM
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I use Endomondo ... I've been using it so long I'm hesitant to switch, and I flat out like it.

I have Strava on my phone too, and will use it from time to time.
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Old 09-22-14 | 11:05 AM
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I've used MapMyRide for years, but I'm currently very annoyed with them. Ever since they introduced their new "Gear Tracker" sponsored by Zappos they've had incorrect totals for all the gear that I'd tracked mileage for in the past and now I can't track separate mileage for components (because their gear tracker thinks everything is a shoe). They say they're going to fix these problems, but it's been a month since I last saw my data.
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Old 09-22-14 | 11:27 AM
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I map my rides (generally prior to using them) using MapMyRide from the computer and then I ride them and log what I've done. Most of my rides are commutes so therefore, there are more rides than routes which is fine. I used to use a GPS app on my cell phone but they aren't very accurate and are made less accurate in poor weather (apparently, one time, I rode about 3km of my 25km route home and then flew the rest in a straight line, over the trees, lake and buildings right to home).
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Old 09-25-14 | 07:08 PM
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I run Strava with my iPhone. I like Strava because I have my different bikes saved on there, and have various parts listed on my bikes, with dates installed, so it shows me exactly how many miles are on various parts.

For instance I installed my road bike's current tires exactly 13 months ago today, and have 3,165 miles on them. Rear tire is showing some wear, so I'm hoping I make it to 5K miles on them.
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Old 09-26-14 | 08:18 AM
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I'm not sure why putting things online automatically makes them better. I guess if I wanted to do that, I'd just toss my stuff into a Google spreadsheet.
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Old 09-26-14 | 08:50 AM
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Originally Posted by ItsJustMe
I'm not sure why putting things online automatically makes them better. I guess if I wanted to do that, I'd just toss my stuff into a Google spreadsheet.
If you're using your smartphone as your GPS it's much easier.
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Old 09-26-14 | 09:25 AM
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Originally Posted by Andy_K
I've used MapMyRide for years, but I'm currently very annoyed with them. Ever since they introduced their new "Gear Tracker" sponsored by Zappos they've had incorrect totals for all the gear that I'd tracked mileage for in the past and now I can't track separate mileage for components (because their gear tracker thinks everything is a shoe). They say they're going to fix these problems, but it's been a month since I last saw my data.
This must be part of the App on the iPhone or something. I've never seen/heard of it on the website.

Originally Posted by jrickards
I map my rides (generally prior to using them) using MapMyRide from the computer and then I ride them and log what I've done. Most of my rides are commutes so therefore, there are more rides than routes which is fine. I used to use a GPS app on my cell phone but they aren't very accurate and are made less accurate in poor weather (apparently, one time, I rode about 3km of my 25km route home and then flew the rest in a straight line, over the trees, lake and buildings right to home).
haha. Yes this exact same thing happened to my wife on her ride into work before. 90mph, straight across 4 miles through a stream, over buildings, and woods. Great stuff.

Now we both have Garmin 200 GPSs. They are small, and have worked great. I use it daily for commuting and for weekend rides. At the end of the week I just import all my rides from the week into the website.

Originally Posted by ItsJustMe
I'm not sure why putting things online automatically makes them better. I guess if I wanted to do that, I'd just toss my stuff into a Google spreadsheet.
That's way more time consuming. Putting them online doesn't make them "better" it just is easier, and has many more useful options. Especially since all I have to do it plug in my GPS, and click the import button on the website and all my rides are there. No typing anything.
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Old 09-26-14 | 09:54 AM
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Originally Posted by the sci guy
That's way more time consuming. Putting them online doesn't make them "better" it just is easier, and has many more useful options. Especially since all I have to do it plug in my GPS, and click the import button on the website and all my rides are there. No typing anything.
Hell with Garmin Connect syncing with all the other sites (Strava, Endomondo, MapMyRide, et al) all you have to do is plug in the Garmin to the computer and it uploads across the board without even hitting a button.
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Old 09-26-14 | 11:55 AM
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Originally Posted by the sci guy
This must be part of the App on the iPhone or something. I've never seen/heard of it on the website.
Nope. It's on the website. For a long time you could add the gear you used when you logged a workout. Seeing the totals for the gear was convoluted at times, but it was there. Then on August 14 they introduced this "new" feature sponsored by Zappos and suddenly you could only enter one piece of gear per workout and the totals for existing gear were apparently recalculated from old logged workouts with only one piece of gear used from each existing workout. The result was bad data.

You can get to the "gear tracker" feature from the "My Home" drop down menu on the current website if you are logged in.
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