Mapping / routes archive question

[Bearbonesnorm]

For those who know about such things, I'm thinking about collecting together all the previous BB200 routes plus Big Bear, Offa's Byke etc and putting them up somewhere so people can download them ... where should I put them? Can I form a BB page on Komoot or similar site?

Input appreciated, ta.

[JackT]

Great idea.

I'd suggest RideWithGPS. Even with a free account you can compile your routes into a Collection which will have a single URL to a landing page.

Disadvantage of Komoot is that only paid users can download GPX files from routes published on Komoot. Free users can access the route within Komoot, but can't take it out of the 'walled garden'.

[pistonbroke]

If it wasn't so poorly supported in the UK, I'd suggest Wikiloc, it's perfect for this type of thing. Just subscribe (foc) with an appropriate user name and upload the routes to your area. Just make sure they're ticked as public and anyone can see and download them whether they have a paid (€10 pa) membership or not. Komoot is much more geared to making money for the developers which would be fine if it wasn't such a bag of poor show. Maybe if more people uploaded UK routes to wikiloc, it would be better supported.

[Zippy]

I reckon mr Barter is someone you should listen to in this respect.

My 2p on the subject is:

Other online services come and go, often involve subscriptions and change how they work with time/disappear etc.

Keep it simple. Bung the GPX files somewhere on your server/host, then either just put a sticky thread in the routes bit on the forum, or a static page on with main BB website. I'm sure the rest of the masses on here will do visualisations and other things with whatever online mapping tool is popular at any one time.

[Boab]

The main BB site's built on WordPress. You could create a new page for each route, with a map graphic, salient info and a link to GPX; so you host it all yourself. Or, link to RideWithGPS (my preference) or some other service; you could obvs just do it all in one of those services. Personally, Komot is utter ...

[jameso]

Easiest may be as already suggested, GPX files for dowload on the BB site then anyone can re-load into their choice of app/site. I use Ride With GPS for route creation and editing, it's the best I've found for detailed work and cut + pastes etc. Just lacks an OS map layer but there's work-rounds.

Komoot is fine for following routes but it's not meant to be a route creation tool in the way you or I create routes. Plus even if you're a paid user and can download the GPXs the problem is finding a route there in the first place, I'm not sure why the search is only by region. I can't even find my own route collection on komoot from the front page

Wikiloc is good, agreed. I like it for planning rides in France.

[Boab]

The other benefit to self hosting, you can stick a large DONATE button under the links to each GPX. Given how much some folks seem to want donated for the routes they create...

[Bearbonesnorm]

Ooh yes, I'm liking the idea of keeping it in house and under one roof. I shall get my IT people (Dee) to delve for me ... 'cos I'm useless.

[JackT]

You can embed OS Landranger/Explorer with a GPX track on a Wordpress site using this free plugin.

https://wordpress.org/plugins/os-datahub-maps/

But you have to register with the OS DataHbub service, and be sure not to exceed the map tile limits for the free user tier. I use this for the Lost Lanes online route info and haven't had a problem with tile limits thus far.

As others have said, hosting yourself would be a good way to increase traffic to the Bear Bones site and maybe solicit donations. Also, if you leave comments on, users can post their comments, suggestions & appreciation etc for each route. But slinging them all up onto RwGPS and putting them into a Bear Bones Collection is 15 minutes work and it's all done.

[dlovett]

Stick them on your website would seem the best idea. Otherwise Garmin Connect and Ride with GPS will let anybody download them for free. Strava etc require you to be subscribers to download these days.

[Asposium]

You can embed OS Landranger/Explorer with a GPX track on a Wordpress site using this free plugin.

https://wordpress.org/plugins/os-datahub-maps/

But you have to register with the OS DataHbub service, and be sure not to exceed the map tile limits for the free user tier. I use this for the Lost Lanes online route info and haven't had a problem with tile limits thus far.

As others have said, hosting yourself would be a good way to increase traffic to the Bear Bones site and maybe solicit donations. Also, if you leave comments on, users can post their comments, suggestions & appreciation etc for each route. But slinging them all up onto RwGPS and putting them into a Bear Bones Collection is 15 minutes work and it's all done.

Maybe create a new forum section called "routes"
Closed to new posts
You (i.e. god-of-boners) create a post with a title of the route
In said post is a link to the route GPX
An overview map as above
And a donate link

We, your disciples can comment accordingly depending on the evilness or sheer brilliance of a given route

[/sarcasm off]

[JackT]

Stick them on your website would seem the best idea. Otherwise Garmin Connect and Ride with GPS will let anybody download them for free. Strava etc require you to be subscribers to download these days.

It depends what your objective is. Sharing among a smallish group or to as wide an audience as possible?

There's no copyright in a bike route, no matter how much we might think of it as our creation. As someone who writes books of bike routes, I am very much aware of this fact. Thus far I've found that people are happy to acknowledge / doff the cap if they use or adapt "someone else's" route. And I'm just happy if what I do helps people have a good time.

[Dave Barter]

Stick them on your website would seem the best idea. Otherwise Garmin Connect and Ride with GPS will let anybody download them for free. Strava etc require you to be subscribers to download these days.

It depends what your objective is. Sharing among a smallish group or to as wide an audience as possible?

There's no copyright in a bike route, no matter how much we might think of it as our creation. As someone who writes books of bike routes, I am very much aware of this fact. Thus far I've found that people are happy to acknowledge / doff the cap if they use or adapt "someone else's" route. And I'm just happy if what I do helps people have a good time.

One of mine appeared verbatim in another route guide book! Showed the author had great taste.

ps. I am a big fan of OS Datahub if you know what you're doing. I use the free maps and data all the time in QGIS. The WP plugin is a great idea, I'd definitely go down that route if I didn't hate WP so much.

[Bearbonesnorm]

I'd definitely go down that route if I didn't hate WP so much.

I don't know enough to hate it but no doubt Dee has enough to go round

[jameso]

The other benefit to self hosting, you can stick a large DONATE button under the links to each GPX.

Do this. If you do, IOU already for the Big Bear route that was a great base for my Wales wandering last summer.
Add a 'no refunds' note to the BB200 routes perhaps based on what I've heard of them..

[Blackhound]

I have no comment on how to do what you propose, don’t know enough about it. Last month, when a bit under the weather, I decided to search for the Big Bear route but was unable to find it. ‘Big’ and ‘bear’ were too common words so I waded through a few pages of the ‘Routes’ forum but eventually gave up.
I would have emailed for a copy if I was really intending to do it, but it is something I will keep putting off.