GPS tracks of rides

[Bud]

I think this has been briefly discussed in the past, but I thought I'd bring it back to life.

I recently (last August) got a Garmin Foretrex 201 wrist mounted GPS receiver. I have been using it a lot lately when I go skiing to track my runs or backcountry adventures. When I get home, I save the tracks on the PC for viewing on topos. The really cool thing is that I can then examine the elevation profiles (which make me feel justified for having sore quads after a day of skiing).

I've only used it on my bike a few times, but that's been pretty cool too. I was thinking about using it on every ride so I can keep the tracks as a more detailed record of my cycling (yes- I'm a data freak).

So here's my latest idea involving these tracks. It might be cool to have a web depository of these tracks so people could view ride (or skiing) details. For example, if someone was visiting a place to do some cycling, they could check out the track of a certain ride to see if that's what they wanted to do. Let's say you wanted to see the details for riding up the Grand Mesa (in Western CO) from the north. You could go to this site and see the elevation profile and map track (I'll have to post this later- I'm at work and don't have the topo cd's here).

So I have two questions:

1. Does anyone else do this or think this is cool?
2. Would there be any value in sharing these things on a website or would I be doing this for my own geeky interest?

[Dekonick]

I don't know but CC has the new garmin bike computer/gps/HR monitor for 400 clams.

Looks like a tech junkie's dream... :)

[davids]

That's quite a, um, mound... Grand Teton, perhaps?

[billrick]

Hey Bud. Motion Based and Garmin have beat you to this idea, and boy is it cool! Garmin bought Motion Based, and all Garmin GPS owners now have (limited) free access to the program. And you can make your GPS-logged rides public through the Trail Network, which is a searchable database of rides and runs and I think even backcountry skiing.

Here is the link. Plug in dates and keywords like "Colorado" and "Cycling" and it will limit the search down to what you are interested in. A bit slow sometimes, but very, very cool.

Trail Network (http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/network/digest/view.mb)


:D

[Bud]

Motion Based- cool. I'll check it out and play around with it a bit. Thanks for the info, Bill.

[OldDog]

I run an etrex legend mounted on my handlebar. I do sometimes loose the signal, presumably 'cause my head gets in the way of the satilite signal, I need to stop at waypoints to make sure I have signal prior to clicking in the point.

Other sites you might take a peek at:
geocaching dot com . A hikers treasure hunt net club. cool.
google "map to cue", a freeware program that will take your route once downloaded into your topo program (I'm running topo 4.0) and through an excel program will make a slick cue sheet. good for mapping club rides and passing out for those rides whereas the leader does not wait for slugs like me.

I'd like to hear from anyone else playing with a gps on the bike.

[billrick]

I'm a complete convert to GPS on the bike. (See the other thread running on the Edge/Forerunner 305.)

After pitching the Motion Based website, I have to admit that I now use the SportTracks software that TriJim mentioned a while back. This is a fantastic piece of software for tracking your rides and runs. You can also track the mileage on your equipment, including running shoes, tires, and dogs (5.2 miles on my Great Dane puppy so far this week!). And you can track your weight, % body fat, sleep quality, illness, injury, and other personal data. AND you can plug in photos! (BTW thanks to TriJim for mentioning this one!)

Here is the link to the shareware site:

SportTracks (http://www.zonefivesoftware.com/SportTracks/)

I'd be curious to hear what everyone else is using to track their workouts.


:)

[Bud]

I'll have to check out SportTracks as well. Currently, I just use the Garmin software to bring in the data and view the profiles, then export the data to my AllTopo CO maps or something else to view the track on a map (the Garmin topo maps aren't too great- I prefer USGS 7.5' quads). Google Earth is cool for this too (if you have the upgraded version). Basically, I mostly like to view the tracks and profiles.

As far as signal, I have not encountered any problems wiht loss of signal when riding, running or skiing. Perhaps it is because we don't have a thick, impenetrable deciduous tree cover out here, but I also think the Foretrex has a pretty good antenna (better reception than my old EMap).

[quattro]

O.K., forgive my ignorance. I purchased the Garmin 201 for my wife who is a runner, what software do I use for her to download it to our computer? Where do I find it and how much will it cost me? Sorry, I don't use the device but would like to help set her up. Thanks in advance for the info., feel free to PM me with the details, again thanks. quattro

[billrick]

O.K., forgive my ignorance. I purchased the Garmin 201 for my wife who is a runner, what software do I use for her to download it to our computer? Where do I find it and how much will it cost me? Sorry, I don't use the device but would like to help set her up. Thanks in advance for the info., feel free to PM me with the details, again thanks. quattro

Nothing to forgive, Quattro. I think most of us are stumbling blindly into this stuff. I'd recommend downloading the SportTracks software from the link above. It is shareware, so if it doesn't work or you don't like it, no obligation to pay up.

So here we go . . .

Once the software is loaded and running, link the Garmin GPS unit to the computer using the Garmin-supplied USB cable.

Then, click on the "Import Data" button on the left hand side of the SportTracks screen. If the GPS unit doesn't show up as a data source, you may have to click "Add New Source" (or something similar).

The program will upload the data from her runs automatically and log them by date, spreadsheet-style. If you have a DSL or cable modem, it will also automatically insert the Google map and satellite imagry with her runs superimposed on top. There are a lot of features buried in the pull down menus, so explore it all. Great stuff.

I'm doing this from memory so my directions may be off. The program is easy to navigate, so you should have no problems at all. Let us know how it works out.


:)

[spiderlake]

Just to throw another piece of software into the mix, I highly recommend topofusion:

http://www.topofusion.com/

The software is designed by a cyclist and sports such features as 3D rendering, topographic and aerial maps and the ability to playback stored sessions. It also does some stuff with traffic simulation but I haven't gotten too deep into that yet.

There is also the ability to combine photos with your map route. Basically, the program will compare the timestamp from the camera data to the GPS and plot the photos appropriately. You can then output that data into an HTML format page for viewing on the web.

I'm still using an Garmin Etrex Legend with mixed results. Like others, I tend to lose signal a lot. A friend of mine is using the Garmin GPSMAP 60CS and can't stop raving about it. It seems to have a better antenna and also has the ability to connect an external antenna, if desired. Where I spend a lot of time trying to find the perfect angle for my unit, he just throws it in the mesh pocket of his camelbak without any problems. Of course, we rarely use the GPS for actual navigation while biking but rather to collect data to review in topofusion later. We have a grand vision to plot and map out all of the MTB trails in our area along with some popular road routes and share them via a webpage. Grand ideas......

[Bud]

We have a grand vision to plot and map out all of the MTB trails in our area along with some popular road routes and share them via a webpage. Grand ideas......

That's what I'm interested in too- sharing the rides via the web. I don't use the GPS to navigate on my road bike, but rather to track so I can view the maps and profiles. Keep me posted in you guys set up that site for sharing. I may try to put one together on my own webspace. I think it would be great to do this.

I'll check out topofusion too- thanks for the tip.