How do you plan your rides?

FazerPhil

FazerPhil

Honorary President IBA UK
Staff member
Premier Member
IBR Finisher
I'm wondering what members now use to plan a ride route. Be that rally, certificated ride or just a day out.

Personally I use Basecamp/ Google maps and with the Drive app on my phone or a laptop load stuff into my Garmin XT and Zumo 660.
I extract data from the Basecamp route to produce an excel route card.

Years ago I used a bookshelf full of Ordnance survey maps for the UK; Michelin maps/ Guides for Europe; lonely planet guides for further afield.
 
I too plan using BaseCamp and Google maps. I too have a Garmin595 on the bike plus my iPhone16 ProMax running Google Maps or Guru Maps.

I started out with paper maps and route cards and was an early adopter of GPS technology and must have spent a fortune as the units developed. Starting with a Garmin III then a Garmin V, Street Pilot, 660 and I think I missed one out. I remember paying £995 for my Street Pilot!


The development and current ease of use is amazing and the real time information outstanding.
 
Eons ago...doesn't matter, didn't get lost. :D

Today (and for the last few years...) - First cut with https://www.mappite.org/ Good overview of route, do-able on-line, not too memory intensive. Export the GPX, massage as necessary in Basecamp to put into the bastardized Garmin unit on the Honda Goldwing.

A day out ride? Not many roads around here, so no planning necessary to go out on a dayride.
 
I don’t own a GPS capable of accepting routes. So I just go point to point and hand write some notes on turns. Mostly the ‘shortest route” and “avoid highways” preferences take me on the kinds of roads I enjoy. The last SS1K ride I did I didn’t us a GPS, just planned it on Google Maps and knew where my gas options were, turn around point was and did the ride w/o difficulty.

I like some of the features of MRA Routplanner but since I don’t use the phone and my GPS won’t do routes, I haven’t fully explored it. Free and Pay versions exist.

Ride with GPS is another interesting tool.
 
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Mostly a Google Maps for route planning and IBA related stuff. Long time Waze user for A to B trips and commuting. I have been learning bit more about the My Maps side of google lately since I can export gpx routes more easily from it and upload to my Garmin.
I have never really attempted to learn Basecamp although I probably should. .

I tried Rever and Gaia but found both lacking functionality and ease of use. Rever has the advantage of no restrictions on number of route points and the tie in to Butler Maps is nice. It is good at finding great "motorcycle" roads but the interface for efficient turn by turn IBA style routing is clunky and no where near as good as Google Maps. Gaia may be good for more offroad oriented riding but is cumbersome for road route building in my experience.

MyRouteApp shops promise but I have not used it much yet.
 
I primarily use Google Maps for research and combine that with Basecamp to lay out a specific route if needed. I've also been testing MyRouteApp and their nav option since both of my bikes have Android Auto units on them. Trying to figure out how and when that can substitute for using a dedicated GPS.
 
I have used different “routing” applications over time, but I always return to using Basecamp. I also put the route into Google Maps because that is what the certification teams want. I use a spreadsheet to combine the data of a rally into a usable form before I put it into Basecamp for routing.
 
Rally is new to me, have to figure that one out yet.
For everything else I stick to BaseCamp.
For a certified ride I find the possibility of juggling with various parameters very convenient (maximum speed, type of road etc.).
I put in my presumed starting time and create a timetable from there. I verify the distance of the route in Google Maps for certification purposes but that's it concerning Google. Haven't seen another mapping program that is free and can do that.
In Basecamp, I print out the area of my stops, so that I have an idea what is ahead, how far it is from the previous point and what time I 'd have to arrive there.
That way I have a hardcopy and I 'd be able to ride the route without electronics, should that event occur.
My main device is a Garmin Zumo XT, backed up with an old 345.
Another backup system would be my previous Samsung Xcover 4 phone with OsmAnd+ that also acts as a backup for my daily smartphone.
For a simple ride I use the XT with a route I created in BaseCamp. In case I have to be at a certain, unknown place, I let the XT decide.
And because I was born in a previous century, I never leave home without a paper map ;-)
Take care,
Ed.
 
I have a desktop PC and a TomTom Rider 400. I use Plan.TomTom and ITNConverter route mapping software to access *.gpx files, plan routes and create POI files which works for me in planning routes and gets me by in the BBT. Google Maps Street View is useful at times too. However, it seems to me for rally preparation everyone is using a laptop, Garmin and Basecamp. I don't have any of that.

Time for a whinge... I did consider entering the 8 hour and 12 hour UK rallies where the rally book is available in advance of the rally and I could prepare on my desktop, the idea was to build up to the BBR 36 hour rally. Unfortunately with the BBR, for whatever reason, the rally book isn't made available until the very last minute which rules me out because I do not have a laptop. Should I lay out £500+ for a laptop which I would only use for the BBR 36 hour rally? Well there could be more to it than a laptop.

Having seen John Young's excellent 'How to plan a rally' presentation it is clear to me that the TomTom Rider and ITNConverter fall short of the functionality of Garmin and Basecamp. So my bottom line is...

Should I lay out £1,000+ for a laptop, a Garmin and Basecamp which I would only use for the BBR?
 
You can buy a perfectly adequate second hand laptop for a couple of hundred pounds from eBay, you really don't need a top end one if all you want to use it for is route planning.
If you are really averse to technology, in next years BBR I will be including what3word location for all bonuses and an A3 sized physical map of the UK marked with all bonus locations, so you can work out a rough route by eye and navigate point to point with just a phone if you want to.
 
I'm not averse to technology, I get along fine on my desktop it just isn't portable. I did purchase a 'refurbished' laptop off eBay 2 years ago, long story short it died one month after the warranty expired, no more used computer equipment for me thank you.

I'm not sure how what3words would help, I've never used it and I'm unclear how what3words would transfer to my TomTom Rider. I am averse to using a phone to navigate on a motorcycle. An A3 physical map could be useful but the means (a laptop) to transfer a gpx file, or better an ov2 file, to a TomTom Rider would still be required.

Can someone explain why the rally book can't be made available earlier?
 
JohnR said:
..............Can someone explain why the rally book can't be made available earlier?.....
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In some rallies planning on the clock or at least planning restricted to the night before rewards the riders who can plan most efficiently. Just like reading comprehension, the route planning is an integral part of motorcycle rallies in addition to just sitting on the bike and twisting the right hand.

For those where fast planning at or near the rally start time is an impediment for any reason there are the rallies with the rally book provided well in advance. It's easy to see the pros and cons of each situation.
 
Technologically averse was the wrong way to put it - apologies.
what3words will not transfer to Garmin or TomTom, as it is just a phone/computer app. For our purposes it's a simple but accurate way of navigating point to point using the app on your phone. I will be offering this as an alternative after a suggestion since the last BBR by those not wishing to use a laptop.
As Ox put it, planning the route on the evening before the rally is an integral part of the BBR and will not be changing.
We do market the BBR as the toughest rally in the UK, and we see that as part of the challenge, and the 8 and 12 hour yearly rallies cater for those who have no wish to carry a laptop to the start location.
The map I will provide will be A4 (sorry, A3 was a typo - my printer would not be capable of producing that) but this will be of limited use to anyone without a phone with the what3words app installed, as all it will give you is a rough location of the bonuses together with their code.
The baseline is that yes, you could take part in the BBR without a laptop, a Garmin device and basecamp, but you would be making difficulties for yourself. The cheapest way to do it would be to take part using your phone and what3words. I would honestly say that the latter method would be OK for a participant who wanted the fun of taking part, but who was not too bothered about being competative, as what3words is not a route planning option, just point to point.
 
don't do rallies
ss1000 in gb - don't plan i know where I’m going
day out - what are those

work - post code, eastings and northings or what three words converted into Long and Lat via grid reference finder web site and then entered into a Garmin; sometimes what three words via phone then press the google map or tread app button to navigate

on the continent - MRA (if only i could remember how to use it to make sure the waypoints are there)

ride/route verification - MRA
 
People enter rallies for different reasons. Some are very competitive and aim for a podium finish, some are looking to hone their route planning skills, some just fancy a ride in the sunshine. The Brit Butt is not aimed at novices and having the rally book released at the last minute is a key part of the challenge. Some Rallymasters have even kept a final fly in the ointment out of the book altogether, entrants only being told in the final rider briefing. There are plenty of rallies offering advance access to the rally book, next week's Dutch Magic-12 for example or June's Brit Butt Light.

Anyone aiming for a podium finish is almost certainly going to need to employ a chunk of technology, nothing too sci-fi though cos this is the 21st century after all. If you'd rather be old school and stick pins in paper maps and tape road books onto your tank, you'll still have an excellent time but you might not make the podium.

In the BBR, a GPX containing all the locations is emailed to entrants at the same time the rally books are issued. That's merely a convenience to those entrants who want to load it into a spreadsheet or satnav without copy typing. Anyone wanting to do their own copy typing or pin mapping is quite able to do that without using that GPX.
 
I use Google Maps. I separate the trip into pieces with each stop as a separate route. I do this because if you have the entire trip on one map, it will try to reroute you at some point and getting it back on track is difficult. I never have that problem if each leg of the trip is separate.

I use Excel spreadsheet to keep each part of the trip in order. I made a basic template with the route, name, miles, distance, type of stop all plotted out, and it automatically adds them all together for a total miles and distance. Save the template and every time that you want to make a new trip you can right click on the document and 'Open a copy'. You rename the copy at the top and then the original template does not change and can be used for all your trips.

Once I make the complete route on Google Maps, I break it down into each stop. I then tap 'Details' on the route and this brings you to a detailed menu. On the right it has 3 icons allowing you to download to your phone, share, or print the route. I tap the 3 dots with lines which is 'Share'. From here i can 'Copy Link' and past it into my Excel spreadsheet and enter the other information I want to see while traveling including any notes to myself. In Excel I designate it as a link (the template has this already done in the column I place the links) and I am set to go! On the road I open the Excel document which now has all the links, mileages, distances, and notes. I tap the link and it brings up the map for that part of the trip. After I stop for fuel or a destination, I tap the next link which gets me the next map. Quick and easy on the road. I use Apple Carplay or have my phone mounted on the handlebars (usually both). I can also enter different options which I can choose while traveling by entering different routes into the Excel to choose from.

It may seem like a lot of work, but it is fairly easy after making the template and getting used to entering the information. I learned a few shortcuts by playing with the programs that make it easy.

Sorry for the length, but wanted to include enough details for anyone interested.

-Doc
 
JohnR said:
Can someone explain why the rally book can't be made available earlier?
Click to expand...
As stated in the post above and it levels the playing field.

JohnR said:
I did purchase a 'refurbished' laptop off eBay 2 years ago,
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I use a 17 year old laptop that was given to me to do my routing. Why? It still does what it did, as well as it did, 17 years ago which is way faster than I can do it without it. Being it is so old, I have no problem taking it with me. I protect it as any prudent person should, but If it gets scratched, dented or whatever, it's no big deal. I've definitely gotten my monies worth from it even with replacing it's battery earlier this year. It even goes with me when I travel to my cousins who lives 22 hours and three time zones away. The simplest and shortest route to her house consists of two roads. That's one turn and doesn't even require a paper map to navigate. I still plot and load the route into whatever devices I usually use for rallies and cert rides along with new things I want to try to exercise the muscle memory. I use plot fuel/food/rest stops and use them as bonuses.

Rallymasters want and need new, less experienced riders to participate in our rallies. However they also want to make it challenging for those that are and to keep both groups coming back for more. The "Puzzle" is more or less for the latter group and for the former, some of them include "Potential" or "Old School" routes, if followed, will earn you "Finisher" status.

A wise man told me along time ago that I'm passing on today is "I can't, never accomplishment a darn thing" and I couldn't agree more. I no longer dwell on "What I can't do" but on "What I can do" instead.
 
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Google maps is a great general planner with click and drag to change route being very useful, although I use "Tyre" for the route plan once it's established.

The advantage with Google Maps is being able to use street views to check the location before committing to it, as well as finding fuel stops and hotels.

I also use ITN converter to double check the route sometimes with regard to mileage, there is often a disparity compared to Google maps.
This app also allows you to open routes and save them in the format required for TomTom or Garmin import, it does not however allow export to device, so back to Tyre for me!

Never got on with Basecamp so despite having the app on the laptop I seldom even open it!

I often wonder how I managed to travel all over the country and even in Europe, as a field engineer before satnavs ever became a thing.. oh wait, it was paper maps.... lots of paper maps.....
 
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