Bike trip Digital Tools - drawing back the curtain

Planning the Bike Trip

One of my friends expressed amazement that I planned my trip from Cincinnati to Cleveland myself.  It really wasn't too hard, given that the route was already planned, and all I had to do was to decide how many miles I could reasonably do in a day, and book a hotel or a stop in that location.

For my self-planned tours that I plot myself, I use a number of digital tools while I am biking. Most of them are free. 

Bicycle Cockpit

This photo is not mine, but I found it shared in multiple places across the Internet.  I would give credit to the owner if I knew who it was.   It is excessive!  I hope never to equip my bike like this.  I just used the photo to get your attention.   On my bike, I have just the phone, usually. 

Bike Trip Planning Overall Organization

First, I have an MS-Access database on my desktop computer,  where I list details of upcoming trips as I come across them. Since it is only one table, all the IT people out there will be shaking their heads wondering why I don't just use a spreadsheet, and maybe they are right.  The database format does force me to be disciplined about data entry formats, though.  I list the destination, the URL of historical sites or travel sites, a route description, a link to the map, and so on. It is my collection of notes for future and past trips. 

Planning the bike route

Second, I use MapMyRide to plan my routes for my trips. MapMyRide is an app provided by Under Armor. I wish I could wear their apparel, but most of their clothes don't come in my size. I did buy some hair elastics at their store once. They were very nice hair elastics, and they fit perfectly.  My grandkids do wear the brand though, as I have observed by the logos on their clothing.  

The basic version of the Map My Ride app is free, but there are optional enhancements that you can subscribe to.  I previously did route planning in Google, but realized a few months ago that MapMyRide has easier-to-use tools.  The tools and available functions are different depending on whether you use the mobile app or the desktop version. I usually do route planning on the desktop.  I believe the basic map information does come from Google maps. It even has the little gold guy that allows you to look around on the StreetView, which I drag onto the map.  This is extremely helpful when planning trip segments on public roads, because I can see if there is a wide shoulder for riding on.  It is less useful if trying to determine what a bike trail might look like in advance. Google's cars outfitted with cameras evidently have not made the jump to bicycles.   I recently discovered that once saved,  I can export my Map My Ride route map in KML (keyhole markup language) format and import it directly into Google Maps. From there, I can send to my phone.  This will save a lot of re-plotting which I have been doing.  

Bike Trail Information

To find information about trails, I use the Traillink app.  I have the mobile version installed on my phone and use the web version on my desktop.  It is sponsored by Rails to Trails organization, and most of the trails I have found in Ohio are in their database.  Each trail has a description and most have several reviews. It allows you to check off the trails as you complete them. 

Bike Route - City research

I also use Google and Wikipedia extensively to look up information about the history of the places I will be visiting.  I use TripAdvisor and other travel sites, especially if I am looking for overnight lodging or places of interest.  To find places to eat along the way, I may use Yelp! or Google or any of the other apps that allow search for and review of restaurants.  I have found a number of web sites that help with finding attractions, such as the Roadside America site and a couple of historical marker sites.  Had I thought to review the Roadside America site before my trip on Sunday, I would have learned of a quirky museum inside a funeral home, in Dover, Ohio, that contains memorabilia from over 2000 funerals. 

Bike Trip Route Navigation

I use Google Maps, when I remember, for turn-by-turn audio navigation.  It is surely easier than looking on a paper map or stopping the bike to pull up a digital map. But, I have to check every once in a while to make sure it hasn't re-routed me because of the existence of a shorter route. 

I also use Google Maps to share my location with my husband in real time.   If I have some kind of breakdown or accident, he will be able to find my last location and speed to my assistance!  

For tracking my ride and recording statistics about my actual route (when it is different than the planned one,) speed, and timing, I again use Map My Ride. I start a workout at the beginning of the ride.  I have it set to pause automatically if I stop. Most of the time it automatically resumes when I start moving again, but once it a while it does not.   Map My Ride integrates mostly seamlessly with the Great Cycle Challenge web site, which is a month-long challenge to raise funds for kid's cancer.  I have participated for the last two years.  As soon as I finish my ride, the software shares the tracking automatically and tallies up my mileage towards the challenge amount. 

Tracking bike performance

On one of my bikes, I have Wazoo cadence and speed sensors.  These have their own apps which integrate automatically with Map My Ride. I need to move these sensors to my new bike.   I am aware of other apps that do this function.  Maybe they do it even better, but I haven't tried them.  One is Strava, which many, many cyclists use.  Another is Garmin, which seems like it might be proprietary to their device hardware. I wear an old Fitbit, and it duplicates some of the Garmin functionality.  When I remember to sync it with my phone, it logs my activity and tells the Weight Watchers App how many minutes I have been exercising and then Weight Watchers calculates how many extra "points" I am allowed to eat for the week.  Unfortunately, I often ignore my point limits and eat whatever appeals. 

Bike trip photos

I take photos using my phone during the trip, and Map My Ride allows me to associate specific photos I choose with my workout in the social media section of their site.  My Motorola phone automatically stores my pictures in Google Photos app, and backs them up to the cloud as soon as I am on Wifi, so it is painless to integrate the photos into my Google blog.  

Bike trip tech power

I also carry extra battery packs for my phone.  

So, those are my secrets!  Do you have any you would like to share?