Most of us have cycle around daily with powerful GPS devices in our pockets: our iPhone and Android devices. A few of us even have a Garmin GPS. However, few people have used the GPS functionality beyond basic route planning apps such as Bike Hub and Google Maps.
That’s a shame as it can be incredibly useful for when:
- You are taking part in a cycling event and the organisers have provided GPS coordinates in a GPX or KML file
- You’ve purchased a cycle routes book or eBook and it includes GPS coordinates for each ride
- You want to go on a weekend ride and plan out your route, so you don’t end up checking a map all the time
- You are using a site such as Bikely.com or Map My Ride to see what routes others suggest near you and you want to follow those routes
- You are going on a weekend ride with your friends and they want to send you the file so you can see and follow the route
- You’re running a cycling blog called londoncyclist.co.uk and you want to share a great ride with your readers
We’ll cover all of these uses in this ultimate guide to using GPS on your mobile phone (/cellphone for our American readers!).
Importing GPS coordinates to your iPhone, Android or Garmin GPS
Uploading GPS coordinates to iPhone, Android and Garmin devices is easy:
- For instructions to get your GPS coordinates on to your iPhone, see my iPhone GPS video
- For Android, see my Android GPS video
- For Garmin, see my Garmin GPS video
To test this out, try using the GPX file for my Quirky London ride from the London Cycle Routes eBook.
For iPhone you need to download either Bike Hub (free) or Cyclemeter (£2.99). Either app will do. Then, simply email yourself the file, open it up in your Mail app and tap on the attachment. This will give you the option to open it on Bike Hub or Cyclemeter.
On Android you’ve got a couple of options. You can view the route on the Bike Hub app (free) which uses Open Cycle Map or you can view it using an app called My Tracks by Google (free). Importing the GPX file is easy. Simply email yourself the file as an attachment and save it. Then go in to your File Manager and open it. It should load inside the Bike Hub app. For the process to open a KML or GPX file in My Tracks, read the comments below.
Finding GPS routes to follow
Here is a list of some of the sites that allow users to upload GPS courses:
- Everytrail
- Bikely.com
- MapMyRide
- Race Shape (good article on DC Rainmaker about how to cleverly use this site)
- BikeMap.net
- GPSies
- Garmin Connect
- Ride With GPS
As there is very little moderation of what people upload, you’ll find a lot of routes that won’t be very useful, so it takes some digging. If you’ve used one of these sites and highly recommend it, please leave a comment below with your suggestions.
If you have a more specific route in mind, for example Lands End to John O’ Groats, you can easily find a route by typing it in to Google and appending GPX to the end or GPS.
These days, many new cycling guidebooks and eBooks provide GPS coordinates. You’ll also find routes inside magazines such as Cycling Plus.
Converting GPS files
Sites such as GPSies and GPSVisualizer will allow you to convert GPS files between different formats such as GPX, KML and TCX.
If your route is on Google Maps, there is a link to export to KML. From there you can convert it to GPX for use on your iPhone or Android.
Creating GPS routes
You are spoilt for choice when it comes to route plotting websites. Here are a few of my favourites:
Recently, I’ve come across a new site called Plotaroute.com.
I’ll walk through how to create a ride on that site.
First off, navigate to the site and tap on Plot a route now!
I want my ride to go from Richmond, so I type in Richmond and pick it from the list.
With Richmond in view, I can then switch between Map, Satellite and Paths mode. Paths mode is useful, so I can see the local cycling infrastructure thanks to Open Cycle Map.
Then, I click on the map, where I want my route to start.
From then on it’s just a case of adding more points, until my ride is complete.
Then, I can name my route in the top right, I can tap save the route or export the GPX file to use using the options on the bottom right.
If you’d like to see it, it’s available here:
http://www.plotaroute.com/map/85
This is by far the easiest GPS route plotting site I’ve ever found, so I thoroughly recommend it.
Creating GPS routes using your iPhone
A suggestion from DC Rainmaker that I thought would be useful for those of us who like to plan our routes on our iPhones is the EasyRoute app. This allows you to create a GPS route on your iPhone, very similar to the sites mentioned above.
Following routes
Obviously your iPhone or Android device isn’t much use in your pocket. Therefore a bike mount, can be a really useful addition.
Is there anyway to import the file in to Google maps so you can use the follow route function over top down view?
Hey Russ –
I tried to do this for about 7 hours yesterday. I tried my old technique, which basically involves loading the map in to Google My Places, then copy and pasting the short URL in to your default Android web browser. This then asks you to open it in Google Maps, but on my Samsung Galaxy S3 this no longer works. You can see this technique in action here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drMBt3sXa7c
What you can still do, is load it up in:
A) Chrome Web Browser on maps.google.com but not in your Google Maps app.
B) You can also load the route in Google Earth very easily but this gives you a satellite view which isn’t ideal for following a route.
If anyone does come across a way, and I’ve searched pretty extensively and I believe it’s simply a feature that Google have removed, then I’d love to know more. I’m fairly sure that eventually Google will add this back in to Google maps.
Andreas
Did you try this tip?
http://mycomputertroubles.wordpress.com/2013/02/07/3/
Just tried it and that worked for me! The steps were very slightly different on a Samsung Galaxy S3:
1. Downloaded the MyTracks app (free) from Google Play
2. Downloaded the file from my email (as per this post, sending it to myself as attachment then choosing save).
3. Went in to My Files
4. Went in to Download folder
5. Copied the file, navigated back to My Files and created a new folder called MyTracks (this is inside /storage/sdcard0 which is the default location of My Files) and another new folder inside MyTracks called gpx.
6. Opened up the My Tracks app, used the button to get more options and chose Import All
7. Chose All GPX from /MyTracks/gpx
It imported the GPX just fine and now I can view it in the Google Maps on Android inside My Tracks. I also see you can import KML files.
In future, I’ll probably use Google Drive to import the files. That’s even easier.
Great tip Vincent – hope it helps more people do this! It’s amazing when you know what you are doing.
Have you tried http://www.bikehike.co.uk for plotting routes?
It’s similar to plotaroute.com but also has the option of using OS (Ordinance Survey) maps.
That’s another good one. Thanks for suggesting Rich. I’ve used them in the past.
I use TomTom for android. I plan and sanity check the route, then plug in an earphone into one ear to hear the spoken directions and put the phone in my back pocket.
I also use an external bluetooth GPS device with “Bluetooth GPS” to get a much more reliable signal lock in the city than I can get with the built in GPS in the phone.
Works well provided you carefully check the route planned by TomTom beforehand and are happy sticking with the roads. Although it has a bicycle planning mode, it doesn’t know about hills or cycle paths or cycle lanes.
Only downside is that on the rare occasions when TomTom crashes, you have no idea, because you can’t see the screen!
Have you ever tested the Bike Hub app on Android?
Not yet. I’m planning on giving the cyclestreets.net mobile app another look first as they say they’ve added turn by turn voice navigation support and live route replanning too. I think the bike hub app is powered by the same cyclestreets route planning web service underneath.
Nice – be interested to hear back about how you get on and yes you are right, Bike Hub is powered by CycleStreets.
I’d like turn-by-turn verbal directions on my iPhone for a route I’ve created on one of these sites.
Similar to when I’m driving and Google maps plots the route and tells me “turn right on Elm Avenue in one quarter mile,” etc…
But this would be for a route I’ve mapped. Is there such an app?
I believe Garmin 800/810 computers do this.
I believe this would work with Bike Hub – have you tested it?
I use co-rider (free on iOS) but it doesn’t give road names which is a bit of a drawback
For Android, you could also try OsmAnd. Its free, and lets you download offline maps for complete countries. It can show a GPX track, or follow a route.
Thanks Craig for the recommendation. The ability to download offline maps is also pretty important so that’s a great addition.
Hi Craig,
could you give some more details how to upload gpx track in OsmAnd. It would be perfect solution abroad to avoid high charges for data transfer.
http://ridewithgps.com/
“GPX Reader” on Android seems the best for me so far. You can upload GPX to it and rather than just following the route, you can jump to any waypoint along the way so you know where the points of interest are.
thanks andreas. Now to see if it works
This all works except if you export the route to Google Maps, it doesn’t show up – or at least I can’t find it. Andreas mysteriously says he uses Google Maps “in” My Tracks. What does that mean?
Here’s another free tool to make conversion from gpx to kml format and vice versa and get your needed results. Just upload your files and it will make your conversion quickly. http://kml2gpx.com/
‘Sketch a Track’ for Android (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wolfgangknecht.sketchatrack) could be interesting for you guys to create GPX tracks. You can draw tracks directly on the map and you also get an elevation chart.
The app also works great in combination with the Samsung Gear/Gear 2 to get the tracks on your wrist.
I’m the developer of the mentioned app and would be happy if you give it a try!
I’m not worthy to be in the same forum. ROTFL
I can create a route with GPSies on my PC. but not on my android phone. On the phone I can start “create route” but the map will not appear on the screen. I have tried different web browsers. What’s up.
Just tried Plotaroute. It has a major problem – it does not seem to “follow roads” – so every corner has to mapped. Mapmyride will follow roads for miles, and even if there are junctions, provided there is only one way to go to reach destination, it will turn at appropriate junctions too. This cuts down mapping time significantly.
Hello – my problem is that bike hub (or google maps) is not an option when I try to share the gpx file I’ve sent to myself on my iphone. Any ideas how I can make these an option? Thanks