noobinsf 

I've started looking at ridewithgps to plan some routes, but I wondered if there is a library of shared routes that can be perused. Is it only available if someone actively shares a link, i.e. route by route, one by one?

What I'm specifically curious about is whether there are Bay Area rides for beginners (stifle your laughs) so I can gather some easy miles. I have a couple of guide books published by Moon, but just looking for other options.

I know I can plan routes myself -- just wondering if there's a way to take advantage of others' collected routes.

Troul 

Stalking other's routes isn't advised.

Create your route & keep altering it as you go.

noobinsf 

It's considered stalking? Yikes, never mind, then. I wasn't aware of that perception, but I get it.

unterhausen

It's not stalking. RWGPS has a search function that should get you started

Buzzkill53120

I don't know if I would call it stalking. RWGPS routes can be set to private. You can set a privacy zone so your location isn't revealed. If people are willing to share their rides by setting routes to public, why would it be stalking?

shelbyfv

On the menu bar across the top of the RWGPS page there is "Find." That should be what you are looking for. Never thought of it as stalking, they seem to encourage it.

noobinsf 

I appreciate these different perspectives -- I'll poke around with the "find" function. That's exactly what I was looking for.

Drew Eckhardt 

See https://cycling.stanford.edu/local-routes/

Plus

https://www.quora.com/As-a-novice-bi.../Drew-Eckhardt
Use

1. ridewithgps.com to plan, create GPS courses/cue sheets, and search for routes
2. Randonneurs USA ride search for enjoyable 100km and longer routes
3. Krebs South San Francisco Bay and Monterey Bay Areas Bicycle Touring Map (Santa Cruz, San Francisco, Palo Alto, San Jose, Big Sur, California Coast) to see designated bike routes, traffic, and grades over that entire chunk of the Bay Area.
4. Roads to Ride, South: A Bicyclist's Topographic Guide to San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz counties to identify enjoyable climbs on the peninsula.
5. Roads to Ride: A Bicyclist's Topographic Guide to Alameda, Contra Costa, and Marin Counties to choose East Bay climbs
6. The Strava Global Heatmap

njkayaker

Talking about searching for routes as "stalking" is silly.

Searching for routes on Ridewithgps is a normal thing to do and one of the benefits of the site.


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noobinsf 

Wow, thank you!!

gear64

The stalking comment is crazy. The few sites I've done mapping from all have public/private settings and I would say encourage public posting. I enjoy seeing what variations others do, and I post some of mine publicly to give others ideas. There's typically easy to use tools for clipping the last stretch to your home if that concerns you.

oldwinger14

I routinely use the “Find” feature in RWGPS to find routes near my home. Because the originator(s) shared these routes as opposed to making them Private they are, in my opinion, routes the originator wants other people to use. Many times, I have edited some of these routes to my liking to create new routes. Other times, I have simply used the map to create my own new routes. Once you get the hang of using RWGPS, you’ll find that it is a powerful but relatively easy tool to use. When I first started using it and couldn’t figure out how to do something, I sent my question(s) to their support staff, who in all instances provided prompt and clear answers.

fishboat

Nonsense.

RWGPS is a crowd-sourced site where people post public rides..it's the site's content..which they sell in the form of upgraded memberships while offering a great! free membership service.

There's an option where you can pin other's routes as well as copy them to your own account. I'd advise making copies of others routes private so as no to clutter up the site with duplicate routes (makes searching more cumbersome). The FIND..search function works very well..use it and have fun.

If you find a user that seems to post rides you like, you can search on that person..click on the username. The RWGPS tutorial area is good also..lots of options.

I recently populated the "Collections" feature..very nice to have all routes in an area presented at once..good to string routes together or to plan a trip.

oldwinger14

In addition to labeling using others' routes not as stalking but one of the features and principles in RWGPS''s design, you raised two very good points.

One, is that while it's often worthwhile to support software developers by paying for their premium features, the vast majority of us can get all we need out of the free version of RWGPS.

The other is the reminder to make your copy of someone else's route private so the library doesn't get clogged with duplicates.

Sy Reene

A bit off topic but still somewhat related, but any experts with RWGPS know of a way to take a route that doesn't have a cue sheet (ie. turn by turns), and do a simple Edit and Save As but with all of the cues added? Is really the only way to redraw the whole route as a new route?

Drew Eckhardt 

Use the paid version "auto trace" feature.

https://ridewithgps.com/help/trace-tool

"Do you have a route without a cuesheet, or one that is in a foreign language? Perhaps you uploaded a GPX route file sent to you by a friend, or from another website and need to make it available for voice navigation.

This article will teach you how to use the Trace tool, available to Premium subscribers."

Sy Reene

hmmm.. that would do it. Thanks. Though not going to upgrade my membership for this not-often need. I am a paid user, but just at the "Basic" level.

njkayaker

Import /convert the "trip" to a "route".

Edit the route. Click on "add control points".

Click on the route to add control points (the white circles/ to pin the route in places to the map. Don't click at intersections.

You don't want too many of these or too few.

Then, drag the red line a bit away and then back.

That will generate the cues.

you can get little glitches at the control points you add. To clean those up, add control points around it and remove the control point (by clicking on it). Then, drag the red line to get RWGPS to redraw it.

After some experience, you can do this fairly quickly.

(You don't really need the "autotrace" feature.)