Who knows all the route planners on the Net?
Nobody. There's too much. And they all look alike.
Even worse. None is authoritative as a reference planner.
So what to choose?
Do like me. Test several. For me, here are the 3 best.
UTAGAWAVTT, the benchmark for mountain bikers.
As its name suggests, UTAGAWAVTT specializes in mountain biking or electric mountain bike (EMTB).
A good point for those who are only looking for tracks for mountain bikes.
The site presents several thousand routes. It's hard not to find a route close to home.
At least if you live in Europe. Because there are few recorded routes outside.
UTAGAWAVTT has the particularity of indicating charging stations for EMTB.
These terminals are supplied by BOSCH. Most of them are free and freely accessible. They are few in number at the moment but have the merit of existing.
Small downside. It is not possible to edit trails. You can only share a route that you have already done by bike.
It's a bit normal in a way. Not all mountain bike trails are listed on a map. It is impossible to edit a route if the path does not exist on the map.
BRouter-Web, my crush.
So there, yes, I know what you are going to say to yourself. What is that thing ?
It's not very sexy as a planner.
Yes. OK.
But I like the software side of the site. With a clean interface. A full screen map. And tools to draw your map a bit like Photoshop. You can draw a prohibited circular zone or a limit zone, put points of interest.
It certainly lacks a lot of indicators for cycling, but there is a lot of raw data in the analysis part.
What I really like is the concept of non-specialized tools. Route planners tend to take an overly biased view. Not allowing to edit the map.
BRouter-Web is far from perfect, but it stands out from the rest.
BikeSpot, my favorite.
BikeSpot is brand new. At first glance, it looks like other hike planners.
But when you start using it, you quickly realize that BikeSpot has much better ergonomics than the others.
Indicate your starting point. Here we go !
You switch directly to a map of the chosen location.
All you have to do is hover your mouse over the map to see the different routes on offer.
To have more detail on a route, click on it.
The stage profile will be displayed with all the necessary indications.
You will even have the weather forecast along your route with temperature and wind speed.
And even better, you can see, and even add spots if you want.
That is to say places where you can fill your water bottle. Or the location of stores to refuel along the route, for example.
You can of course import the routes in GPX format.
It is also possible to export your hikes to share them with the community.
But it is not possible to edit its route. Shame.
Conclusion
Not easy to find a route planner that actually fits.
Each has advantages that the others do not.
Some only allow you to edit your route.
Others only import and export routes but not create them directly on the site.
Each route planner also offers its own hikes.
In other words, you don't know all the courses in the region by looking at only one planner. You are bound to check out other sites for a bigger selection.
This is why it would be practical to have a database of hikes where each planner could have free access.
But maybe it already exists? Tell me if I'm wrong.
Thanks for reading me.
Of course, you too must have your preferences. If so, let me know in the comments.
#routeplanning #bikespot #bikeride #UTAGAWAVTT #trajetvelo #brouter #cheminvelo #roadbike #mtb #emtb #ebike