# Mapping Rides



## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

I'm not looking for equipment discussion...I have equipment I'm happy with.

What I'm curious about is an easy, efficient means to display ride data on a map and share that map.

I've used motionbased for awhile, but I'm tired of the issues, and waiting for support for my GPS on Garmin Connect. I've spent a lot of money on GIS software, but it's not ideal for simply showing a ride on a map with relevant stats. I want simple. I'm reevaluating my choices.

It would be nice, if like motionbased, I could use it for other activities and tag them as a mountain bike ride, a paddling trip, or whatever.

Is there such a monster out there that is more reliable than motionbased?


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## abramsgunner (Feb 18, 2005)

I just started using Sporttracks.... It doesn't recognize my Garmin Venture CX, but I download everything in EasyGPS and save it as a GPX... then import it into Sporttrack. It shows my tracks on a map and downloads weather details, corrects for elevation, adds up my miles, etc. etc. OH yeah, and its free! :thumbsup:


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## ArmySlowRdr (Dec 19, 2003)

He said an easy way to share---sportstracks is local machine based..?



abramsgunner said:


> I just started using Sporttracks.... It doesn't recognize my Garmin Venture CX, but I download everything in EasyGPS and save it as a GPX... then import it into Sporttrack. It shows my tracks on a map and downloads weather details, corrects for elevation, adds up my miles, etc. etc. OH yeah, and its free! :thumbsup:


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Oh, I have plenty of programs to download and view. Like I said in my OP, I've spent a small fortune on technical GIS software for my personal use. But it's not simple. Motionbased, for example, uses its own app to download map data. I don't want to convert from one program to another to another. That defeats my desire of EASY.

I just don't like waiting till Monday to download, when I have the time to do it Saturday or Sunday because the system sucks (motionbased). What's the point of mapping my rides if I can't easily share via Google Earth or some other app? I might as well leave the GPS home or throw it in my pack, wasting the time and effort it took to make my stem mount.


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## PVR (Oct 29, 2006)

Yes, Sport Tracks is not a web app but it is only one click to export the data to google earth format (kml) so that the file can be emailed. Of course, only basic data is available (start and finish times etc)

You can also export Garmin MapSource data to Google Earth easily and the speed and heart rate data is also shown. I haven't figured out a way of making the display very attractive, however. The track comes out as a thick black line.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

PVR said:


> Yes, Sport Tracks is not a web app but it is only one click to export the data to google earth format (kml) so that the file can be emailed. Of course, only basic data is available (start and finish times etc)
> 
> You can also export Garmin MapSource data to Google Earth easily and the speed and heart rate data is also shown. I haven't figured out a way of making the display very attractive, however. The track comes out as a thick black line.


Sporttracks is a start.

I don't want to e-mail to share, however. I want to be able to post the track somewhere that people can view at their leisure. I like how motionbased links with facebook to show a list of recent activities a person can click on and view all the details. A different, more functional, but similar service that also links with facebook or gives a good direct link (or better yet, one that allows forum embedding) for sharing would be best. I know about mapsource...I just don't like it for anything other than putting maps on my GPS.

Does the paucity of responses indicate that motionbased has no serious competitors and that I should put together my own site/app even though I can't even program a calculator?


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## PVR (Oct 29, 2006)

NateHawk said:


> ...Does the paucity of responses indicate that motionbased has no serious competitors and that I should put together my own site/app even though I can't even program a calculator?


Sounds like a plan to me! 

My GPS is supported by Garmin Connect and, after playing with my uploaded data on the site for a few minutes, I can't say I am a fan of the interface.Your own website would certainly give you more flexibility and allow you to directly link to Facebook, even if you only had Google Earth files to start with while you located/developed an app to display the data you want.


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## alamere (Dec 15, 2007)

When I want to share a ride with other people, I put it on www.mtbguru.com. It has a google-based map display, basic stats, photo tagging, and allows others to download the ride. It has been quite reliable for me. It will only accept .gpx files so .tcx files need to be converted first. Topofusion works well for that though there are several other ways to do the conversion. I use it for the rides I want to share, and use sporttracks to log my workouts and effort level.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

PVR said:


> Sounds like a plan to me!
> 
> My GPS is supported by Garmin Connect and, after playing with my uploaded data on the site for a few minutes, I can't say I am a fan of the interface.Your own website would certainly give you more flexibility and allow you to directly link to Facebook, even if you only had Google Earth files to start with while you located/developed an app to display the data you want.


Anyone who knows programming want to get with me on this idea? I don't know squat about it and couldn't implement it, but I have the ideas.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

anyone use www.mapmyride.com? saw the ads during the tour and decided to look. looks like an option, also seems to be a mapmyhike.com, too. more features than motionbased it seems.


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## goodvibe (Oct 4, 2005)

I have used mapmyride.com and it is awesome. I have mapped a road ride at home and uploaded it to my Garmin 705. It is pretty cool. 
-V


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## chiplikestoridehisbike (Aug 8, 2007)

So far, I like everytrail.com Free, you can upload from phones or standard devices, overlays the plot onto google maps and gives basic stats of the trip. Allows geo tagged photos to be associated to the trip, and allows people to download the file for their device.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

chiplikestoridehisbike said:


> So far, I like everytrail.com Free, you can upload from phones or standard devices, overlays the plot onto google maps and gives basic stats of the trip. Allows geo tagged photos to be associated to the trip, and allows people to download the file for their device.


Do I have to upload geotagged photos to the service or can it link to another service? For example, I use Flickr for photo storage, and it allows manual geotagging. I usually give my photos a general location, like all photos from a ride might get tagged for the TH, but I'd rather not have to upload photos to two services if I was going to use that feature.


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## chiplikestoridehisbike (Aug 8, 2007)

They have a flickr import tab so I guess you would have to load them. It is a free website, give it a try and see how it works for you.


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## slocaus (Jul 21, 2005)

I have been following this idea, and think it is good, but I have no programming skills at all. In my searches for trail info, I have always wished for what you state, MB just frustrated me no end.

Here is an interesting article on GPSTrackLog.com titled *Garmin, trails, and missed opportunities*.


> I see no reason Garmin can't utilize their MotionBased data to build a better trail map. They could decide how many tracks they would need for a given trail, and how much error was allowed before throwing out a track. A little follow up by hand (and even this could be automated) could establish trail junctions and where they connect to the nearest road (i.e., trailheads).


It is an interesting read. If you look at where he has the multiple trails on the map, you can see where the ability of TopoFusion to make a trail network is so useful. Maybe you can recruit Krein to build an online site using the power of TopoFusion and use his forums and MTBR to get the users to upload trails, then have trail networks built?

Maybe a pipe dream huh?


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

slocaus said:


> ...you can see where the ability of TopoFusion to make a trail network is so useful. Maybe you can recruit Krein to build an online site using the power of TopoFusion and use his forums and MTBR to get the users to upload trails, then have trail networks built?
> 
> Maybe a pipe dream huh?


Where's Krein...we need a Topofusion update that allows online sharing! Put it in and your software might do the trick (and I'd buy it).


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## Barkleyfan (Jul 26, 2008)

I don't know much at all about Garmin or the Motionbased system, but I do know the GPSed setup is pretty cool. Not sure how, or even if you can export to their servers, or if they offer what you're looking for, but no harm in checking them out. Another I've heard good things about, altho I've never played with it, is the Track Me software on Luis Espinozas website. These are designed around phones rather than dedicated GPS computers, but if you can make one of these systems work...:thumbsup:

http://gpsed.com/

http://www.luisespinosa.com/trackme_eng.html#S4


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## alanm (Sep 2, 2009)

NateHawk said:


> I'm not looking for equipment discussion...I have equipment I'm happy with.
> 
> What I'm curious about is an easy, efficient means to display ride data on a map and share that map.
> 
> ...


Mate, Have a look at http://www.oziexplorer.com/ maybe what your chasing. Not sure but can't hurt to look.

Al


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## perttime (Aug 26, 2005)

I put the tracks from my GPS phone on http://sportstracker.nokia.com/nts/main/index.do

It is really aimed at Nokia phones but you can import GPX files into it. It displays a limited number of points so the displayed track gets a bit rough if it is a longer ride.
An example: http://sportstracker.nokia.com/nts/workoutdetail/index.do?id=1453943


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Seriously? Phone software? 

I asked about software I could use to share GPS data collected with a real GPS.

One guy suggests some SW that MIGHT work on the local computer (not quite what I was asking for...but anyway)...and that brings out people just promoting phone software like that's what I'm looking for. NO! I have a real GPS. Also, I did mention I have PLENTY of very expensive and very good software for visualizing GPS data. Think Garmin Connect, MapMyRide, stuff like that. Right now, I'm thinking I'll just be patient with Garmin Connect. Some cool new features just got added.


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## Cheers! (Jun 26, 2006)

I miss motionbased.com

was the best. displayed detailed data rather than dumbed down data like garmin connect. You could look up other people's rides and download their course/ride to your garmin edge unit. Great for finding MTB trails...


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## slocaus (Jul 21, 2005)

Cheers! said:


> You could look up other people's rides and download their course/ride to your garmin edge unit. Great for finding MTB trails...


You can still do that with Connect, click on the _Explore_ tab. I guess I do not understand. Here is the link to one of my rides. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/2683786

I did not use MB much since it seems it always took about 5 tries to upload and was always overloaded, so I do not know what was missing. I have been using Connect since I got my 705, but only really so others can share my data. TopoFusion is my mapping software and SportTracks for fitness tracking.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

I agree. MB was crap. I went on there today to try to save my old activities to my pc in case some didn't get transferred (and I'd be able to do a manual upload later) and the website crapped out on me every time. Maybe it had some nice features, but I could never use them because the site couldn't handle the traffic. GC has at least been a stable site and I've had no trouble loading. I've only tried uploading tracks a couple of times as I tried working out some weird anomalies to one of my activities resulting from the transfer. Got it figured out and fixed. I'm not so interested in using GC for mapping or for more than basic training info. The real utility for me is in sharing my activities, and GC has that down pretty good so far. 

As for training software, we'll see what ends up working best for me. My Edge 705 will arrive next week, as well as my Tanita scale. Both devices have their own tracking software, so I'll be trying them out to see how I like them. If neither works for me, then I'll try something else. 

For mapping, I don't think Google Earth is quite the best solution. It's good for general use and for sharing (I was just recently conversing with a guy today about a TH location for some trails, as neither the USFS map nor GE gave all of the right details to set a waypoint from the pc. Someone will have to mark a waypoint at that TH in person sometime). I really like NG Topo! but would prefer better compatibility with tracks. I may try out topofusion to compare, but I do generally prefer topo maps over aerial photos.


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## perttime (Aug 26, 2005)

NateHawk said:


> Seriously? Phone software?
> 
> I asked about software I could use to share GPS data collected with a real GPS.


So, give us a list of stuff you want the service to have.
If you want to share, it is a service you need. Right?

I SHARE tracks from my phone GPS. The same service can take data from s "real" GPS too, if you are able to get a GPX file. Whether the service is up to your high expectations is a different matter.


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## Barkleyfan (Jul 26, 2008)

perttime said:


> So, give us a list of stuff you want the service to have.
> If you want to share, it is a service you need. Right?
> 
> I SHARE tracks from my phone GPS. The same service can take data from s "real" GPS too, if you are able to get a GPX file. Whether the service is up to your high expectations is a different matter.


I'm getting the idea that the number one prerequisite is that the service not be compatible with phones. Maybe a bad childhood experience?


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Yes, a service is what is needed. Phone SW is not what I want. My phone won't use it, nor do I pay for the data plan to access the GPS feature, anyway. All my phone will do is display coordinates. No navigation or any of that. I use my phone for phone calls...that's it. If there happens to be a phone compatible service that does what I want, I'd be willing to check it out.

I have plenty of PC software for mapping purposes, too. What I need is a service that can supply some mapping functionality and share rides easily. One service. I don't need serious mapping functionality for most of the rides I do. Sometimes, I do. For those occasions, I can go with something I already have on my pc (but if the service offered that functionality, that'd be a bonus). But, I have friends all over the place and I like sharing my activities with them.

Features I want most:
Compatibility with my 76 CSx and an Edge 705. (I have to wait for GC to be compatible with my 76, but that should happen by the time I'm able to get out again)

Easy sharing. Like the ability to embed in a forum (not the screenshot/upload a photo route), the ability to embed on Facebook, for example. Just click a link and it's there, or at least a script to put it there (GC does many sites, but I haven't found a way to embed in forums yet if it even exists)

Display on a variety of map types: topo, aerial, streetmap, for example (so far, finding topo overlay has not gone so well...seems I have to do that on my pc for now)

Display of other metrics collected: altitude, heart rate, etc. Would be nice if there were decent altitude corrections (have to wait for GC to introduce better corrections)

Things that would be nice, but I don't need:
Printing of maps from the service. Ability to put things on the map to aid in navigation like grid lines, coordinate system, scale bar, etc (I have pc software that can do this)

Advanced fitness tracking. I know GC offers some. Not sure how good it is yet since I don't use it yet. 

The more features the service has to take advantage of what the Edge 705 can do, the better. The less pc software I have to use to do what I want, the better. I want to streamline as many functions into one package as possible.


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## bobdole (Mar 13, 2008)

National Geographic TOPO! Series by state with the upgrade to 4.0


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

bobdole said:


> National Geographic TOPO! Series by state with the upgrade to 4.0


Have it already. Besides, that's a PC-based solution, which I've detailed that I don't need. I need a SERVICE (online service, like Motionbased, Garmin Connect, Mapmyride.com, etc).


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## Barkleyfan (Jul 26, 2008)

Like I said, not having a Gamin unit, I'm not sure how they work. I've played with a couple on display, and on a couple friends bikes, but never fell in love, so I never learned much beyond how to pull up navigation on them. If you can export the data to your computer in GPX or KML, I think you can tweek one of these services to work for *your* systems.

Another one to look at is Track Me. This one has both a PC and a phone interface specified, meaning you don't need the mobile app to interface. I'd like to be more help, but as I do have the WinMo handset, mine are already configured to interface on the mobile.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Problem is, gpx and kml don't handle extra data fields well...like HR and cadence. Usable for the 76, but not so good for the Edge, which uses a different format that handles the extra fields better. It irks me that most consumer grade equipment and software don't don't often work well enough together to do everything that each product is capable of. Hardware is getting rushed to market because of the 'arms race' of GPS manufacturers, and software is rarely thought through completely.

I have plenty of experience with Win Mobile interfaces. I use survey grade stuff on that platform with some serious software for my thesis project. I'm using .shp format and geodatabases for that, though. Seriously rugged handheld computers.


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## Barkleyfan (Jul 26, 2008)

Right on. Well, that exceeds my knowledge of GPS. I've never been much interested in GPS until I got a phone that came with it, and even then, I've only looked into it casually. From what little I've read, Garmin seems to be extremely proprietary. I learned to hate my ipod for that same reason.


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## perttime (Aug 26, 2005)

The service I pointed you to is adequate for me but clearly lacks several features that you'd like to have.

*** yes, I pointed you to a service, not phone SW ***


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Barkleyfan said:


> Right on. Well, that exceeds my knowledge of GPS. I've never been much interested in GPS until I got a phone that came with it, and even then, I've only looked into it casually. From what little I've read, Garmin seems to be extremely proprietary. I learned to hate my ipod for that same reason.


Believe it or not, Garmin is less proprietary than many choices. There are 3rd party map data options and many 3rd party software solutions for Garmin receivers. While other receivers force you into one thing or another for map data (even Delorme does unless you fork over the bucks for XMap), there are free map data options and MUCH less expensive software options (MOAGU) you can only use with a Garmin.

I think the problem with Garmin arises from their inclusion of heart rate and cadence and the fact that .gpx files were never intended to hold that kind of data. .gpx is a standard created a long time ago and it just didn't work for fitness GPS receivers. So, Garmin essentially had to create a new format that could handle the new data. Not sure what'll happen if/when other manufacturers get into the fitness GPS market.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

I played with Garmin Training Center for a bit today...and found one reason to hate it: I couldn't edit a track to delete extraneous points. I took all my old activities from motionbased and used them to test. One canoe trip had a couple of extraneous points on it from before I put the canoe in the water. Training center couldn't delete them period. Also, Training Center forced me to upload each individually. No bulk uploads.

So, I tried SportTracks. Nice software. Doesn't do what I want for mapping or sharing, but it's better than TC for fitness. It at least has limited edit functionality (allowed me to clip extraneous points into a new file, which I could delete...and removed from the old file). It would be nice to be able to choose a point and just delete it, though. I guess I have to use .gpx files for that. The modularity of SportTracks is nice, too...but I dislike the forced donation process one particular plugin contributor uses. Jerk.


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## Cheers! (Jun 26, 2006)

Can anyone confirm if Garmin Training centre is able to calculate moving averages while ignoring stopped durations? Motionbased used to do it perfectly. But it appears Training Centre still lacks this feature.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Cheers! said:


> Can anyone confirm if Garmin Training centre is able to calculate moving averages while ignoring stopped durations? Motionbased used to do it perfectly. But it appears Training Centre still lacks this feature.


I played with it for about 5 minutes before I found a deal breaker for me. You're better off starting your own thread about it here or posting on forums.garmin.com


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## slocaus (Jul 21, 2005)

Cheers! said:


> Can anyone confirm if Garmin Training centre is able to calculate moving averages while ignoring stopped durations? Motionbased used to do it perfectly. But it appears Training Centre still lacks this feature.


This announcemeny will make you happy, eventually.  
https://forums.garmin.com/showpost.php?p=2221&postcount=2



> Many of the improvements that have been made to Garmin Connect may not be noticed by many of our long time MotionBased users. Garmin Connect is available for more browsers, operating systems, and 14 languages. It is also going to be accessible for third-party sites to extract data via an API. We've made more improvements to the infrastructure than the feature set, and therefore the updates may not be apparent to our customers.
> 
> Garmin Connect is also working on some great features which will surpass any of those from MotionBased. We have some good ones in our upcoming release in late August including Calendar, Manual Entry of Activities, Location, and Weight tracking. We're also working on bringing back some of the features that many liked at MotionBased -- Elevation Corrections, Moving Time/Speed, Weather, and the Analyzer.


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## TwoWheelMan (Jan 5, 2009)

NateHawk said:


> So, I tried SportTracks. Nice software. Doesn't do what I want for mapping or sharing, but it's better than TC for fitness. It at least has limited edit functionality (allowed me to clip extraneous points into a new file, which I could delete...and removed from the old file). It would be nice to be able to choose a point and just delete it, though. I guess I have to use .gpx files for that. The modularity of SportTracks is nice, too...but I dislike the forced donation process one particular plugin contributor uses. Jerk.


I'm nearly 100% sure you can delete single points on a route in SportTracks, using the Routes view. It isn't totally intuitive. Check the documentation.

I agree, though, that in general SportTracks strength is as a fitness/training tool, rather than mapping tool.

FWIW, to share routes, I use the online GPS/training/routes site RunSaturday.com. There is a SportTracks plugin which will upload files singly or in bulk to RunSaturday. Works a treat.


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## slocaus (Jul 21, 2005)

Nate, here is a new to me site, Trimble Outdoors. It is their support site for their GPS application for smart phones, but you can upload a .gpx file from any GPS. It does not appear to have any fitness data, but I did not have much time to play with it. I will try to upload a .tcx file later to see.

I did search for rides near me, and there are few, but the sharing rides and embedding rides feature looks nice. It has photo and video links as well (mouse over the photo and video links below). Here is one below (not my ride) that shows off its features. I just need more time to play with it to see if it is really useful for a dedicated GPS user. I thought you might want to investigate it more.


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## slocaus (Jul 21, 2005)

Ok, it will take a .tcx file and it has a topo feature!


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

I've been aware of Trimble Outdoors for awhile. Not sure why I didn't think it was sufficient for me. I do know that Backpacker magazine uses it a LOT for hikes.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Am I mistaken, or does that software not even display HR/Cad info from a .tcx file? I searched all over for it, but could not find it. Cool that you can also put in POI's and photos, though I'm curious how the photo geotagging works. Do you have to upload directly to the site, or can the site pull photos from somewhere else, like Flickr?


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## slocaus (Jul 21, 2005)

NateHawk said:


> Am I mistaken, or does that software not even display HR/Cad info from a .tcx file? I searched all over for it, but could not find it. Cool that you can also put in POI's and photos, though I'm curious how the photo geotagging works. Do you have to upload directly to the site, or can the site pull photos from somewhere else, like Flickr?


It only reads the .gpx data from a .tcx file, so no cadence or heart rate data on the site. It is a site designed around an app for phone GPS users it seems, so I understand that there is no fitness data there. I just thought it was cool that it will read a .tcx file, since that is what the bulk of the files are that I have saved in TopoFusion for the last year plus, i.e. no conversion.

The geotagging appears to need photos uploaded direct to the Trimble Outdoors site, I cannot see a way to pull photos from a sharing site; I'll keep playing with it. I use Picasa, and having to upload twice is a hassle.

My excitement is the ability to choose topo maps in the display, this is the only online site I have seen that has that can do so, and the ability to embed the maps into a forum / website. I also see that there is a link to "Automatically publish your shared trips on Facebook" have not gone there yet.

This just appears to be the most comprehensive of the GPS sharing sites that I have found so far. I'm curious why you ruled it out before, since it seems to have many of the featuers you are seeking; it is not perfect, but for me, the best I have seen. I may or may not really move to it though, without the fitness data/reports, so I will still need SportTracks to get the HR data to keep my cardiologist happy. In all fairness, Garmin Connect will not give me the accumulated reports either.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

I looked into it a bit more, and it looks like there's a program you can buy to put on your PC that allows you to put together detailed trip reports. I zoomed in pretty good on one of your rides on the 'terrain' function, and it also puts topo lines in, though they're harder to see.

There was a site I was looking into. I can't remember what it was now...maybe SportTracks. Anyway, there was support built in for geotagging photos through Picasa. Dang...I need to find it. Anyway, I use Flickr, which allows me to geotag a photo without GPS data. I can click a location on the map to assign to a single photo or a group of photos. It'd be nice if somebody supported just pulling the photos from Flickr to put on the map (either automatically or manually...or both). It's not like Flickr doesn't allow people to make apps like that.

I just don't want to upload photos twice.

Garmin Connect now supports linking directly to Facebook, so it covers that feature for me.

At any rate, Trimble Outdoors does seem like a very fully-featured site/program for general location sharing stuff. It'd be nice to get that plus a site that can handle fitness data that can show graphs over time or generate reports to show progress or something like that.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Fascinating. Apparently I created a login on that site some years ago. Maybe I did that before its current features were part of the site. Maybe that's why I haven't been using it.


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## maxxijazz (May 29, 2009)

Maybe this will help with the embeding. When i want to show the ride on my blog i use this website, sportypal
Probably it's not the best solution but it works for blogs, webpages , i haven't try it on forums yet.
It just need to upload the GPX file to this site , and there is the option for embeding:









Then when I put this into my blog it gives nice map with pop-out menu for the info about the ride like this:


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

I've found that embedding is hardly a unique feature, and one I'm not all that concerned with anymore. I'm now looking at what makes the different services unique from each other. This one doesn't look especially unique? Does it do anything that others do not?


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## maxxijazz (May 29, 2009)

Well, if you start comparing them one by one, i think all depends on your phone and on the OS on the phone. Maybe one will work perfect on one type of phone but will not be that much optimized for some other phone. And there will be always new one's coming out.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

maxxijazz said:


> Well, if you start comparing them one by one, i think all depends on your phone and on the OS on the phone. Maybe one will work perfect on one type of phone but will not be that much optimized for some other phone. And there will be always new one's coming out.


Did you read the thread? I don't care if it works with a phone or not. I DO care that it works with my 76CSx and my Edge 705 (recent purchase).


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## mdplayer (Mar 13, 2006)

NateHawk said:


> Features I want most:
> Compatibility with my 76 CSx and an Edge 705. (I have to wait for GC to be compatible with my 76, but that should happen by the time I'm able to get out again)
> 
> Easy sharing. Like the ability to embed in a forum (not the screenshot/upload a photo route), the ability to embed on Facebook, for example. Just click a link and it's there, or at least a script to put it there (GC does many sites, but I haven't found a way to embed in forums yet if it even exists)
> ...


I honestly didn't read the entire post, but did scan over all of it, and didn't see any mention of this. Did you try http://trainingpeaks.com?? I have been using it for about a year and am pretty darn happy with it. It uploads everything from my 705 without much of an issue. The only issue I find is when I upload a LARGE file (like 8+ hours of constant every second recording), it has a problem, and have to work the file a little. Not much of a bother being those files don't happen often.

Other than that, it isn't on a local machine (web site), has been very reliable, easy posting to facebook, twitter, etc, has a bunch of different map views, keeps track of all your stats (hr, elevation, speed, cadence (if you have it), all that jazz), and a bunch of other things.

There is a paid version and a free version. It seems like all of the things you want to do is part of the free version, but I may be wrong as I have my paid account through my coach.

I would check it out, couldn't hurt. And sorry if someone else mentioned this, but thought I would add my $0.02.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

mdplayer said:


> I honestly didn't read the entire post, but did scan over all of it, and didn't see any mention of this. Did you try http://trainingpeaks.com?? I have been using it for about a year and am pretty darn happy with it. It uploads everything from my 705 without much of an issue. The only issue I find is when I upload a LARGE file (like 8+ hours of constant every second recording), it has a problem, and have to work the file a little. Not much of a bother being those files don't happen often.
> 
> Other than that, it isn't on a local machine (web site), has been very reliable, easy posting to facebook, twitter, etc, has a bunch of different map views, keeps track of all your stats (hr, elevation, speed, cadence (if you have it), all that jazz), and a bunch of other things.
> 
> ...


TrainingPeaks looks great for fitness data. I will probably play with it to see if it's sufficient. However, you don't get the mapping unless you pay for premium service, I see. Hmmm, I don't like that. I get free mapping almost anywhere. It's the advanced training stuff I wouldn't mind paying for.


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## Krein (Jul 3, 2004)

slocaus said:


> Here is an interesting article on GPSTrackLog.com titled *Garmin, trails, and missed opportunities*.
> 
> It is an interesting read. If you look at where he has the multiple trails on the map, you can see where the ability of TopoFusion to make a trail network is so useful. Maybe you can recruit Krein to build an online site using the power of TopoFusion and use his forums and MTBR to get the users to upload trails, then have trail networks built?
> 
> Maybe a pipe dream huh?


I must have missed this part of the thread, while out on the Colorado Trail.

That link from GPStracklog is interesting and I had missed it as well. Motionbased tried to hire me about 4 years ago to add the TopoFusion network functionality to their site. I turned down the job for a number of reasons, and it seems they've been too busy with Garmin Connect to do anything with it themselves (the details of TF's network algorithm were published as an academic paper).

Now... as for TopoFusion doing online mapping... I would love to do it, but so far I have focused on the local app only. One thing is I would need more significant web hosting, which would increase the overhead (time and $) of my 'one man show.' I have been looking for an online sharing site (that is small, not run by a huge business) to partner with, and I'm hoping something will come out of it.

In other words, I really would like to see your pipe dream come to fruition, as well. A full on database of user submitted trails would be very sweet to have on the web and also available as a data layer in an application like TopoFusion.


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## Nathan Cloud (Jul 18, 2005)

Krein said:


> Now... as for TopoFusion doing online mapping... I would love to do it, but so far I have focused on the local app only. One thing is I would need more significant web hosting, which would increase the overhead (time and $) of my 'one man show.' I have been looking for an online sharing site (that is small, not run by a huge business) to partner with, and I'm hoping something will come out of it.


PM sent


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## FlyBoy (Dec 23, 2003)

I'm trying to find something similar as well. I recently converted from a PC to a Mac and am in need of something internet based that I can access from anywhere. I haven't decided on anything yet, but I am leaning towards RunSaturday: www.runsaturday.com. This seems to have everything you need for fitness and for mapping. It seems as though you can share files and maps. I just found out about it recently, so I haven't spend to terribly long looking at it.

If anyone has comments on this website, please post. Another good thing about runsaturday for me is that since I previously used sporttracks, it appears as though it can upload from sporttracks into your runsaturday account. This makes for an easy way to transfer data.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Krein and Nathan Cloud working together? I'd be all over that!

Macs have a crappy selection of mapping software available...it's why I'm still on Windoze.

As for runsaturday...I thought it was a runner's service, but they've got mentions of other activities, too. I'll have to play with it for awhile at home (I'm in Houston on my laptop in a hotel right now) before I can see if it does what I want. Training looks like it has more than I want. We'll see if it's got the mapping features I want, too.


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## FlyBoy (Dec 23, 2003)

Let me know what you decide and the pluses and minuses of each. I'm importing all my sporttracks data into runsaturday today. I'm going to play around with it for a little while before I decide if it is right for me. I think the important thing is having all your data in a format that you can move between applications and services. That way if something better comes along you arn't stuck where you are at. I will add, the one that that runsaturday appears to do, is keep track of miles/usage on bikes, wheels, shoes, ect... I didn't see this feature on any of the other internet based stuff I was looking at.


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## FlyBoy (Dec 23, 2003)

Ok, so uploading from sporttracks into runsaturday didn't really take that long. For some reason I couldn't figure out how to load more than one month at a time. Over the course of lunch I did it all though.

The functionality of runsaturday seems to be good, especially for sharing information. They have a whole magnitude of export and sharing options. It's really quite impressive.

The things I don't like are the overall display of the website. For instance, sporttracks has a great front page where you can see three different fields right up front. The list of your activities in runsaturday is hidden underneath the "train" tab. 

Also, I don't know how easy it would be to export your entire history to another program in the future...I couldn't find a link to do this. This would be problematic if you ever want to pick up shop and move to something else. 

Thoughts?


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Your experience sounds like most other sites out there. Individual uploads are pretty much all you can do. No batch uploading or uploads of a whole history or anything. That's okay for me right now. My history of activities is fairly small, since I used a handheld GPS previously and didn't always use it. Aside from uploading a couple activities to try it out. I'm essentially starting from scratch after the new year, when I'll be able to ride again.

It would be nice to get some kind of display on the front page, but a lot of sites don't do that. MapMyRide shows nearby activities, but none of your own data. Trimble Outdoors also makes you work to find your activity list. Seems Garmin Connect is best at giving you a quick view of your own recent data on the front page right now.

But if it's still accessible easily, that's not a big deal. One click on a tab to get you there is okay.

Right now, I'm sorta leaning towards MapMyRide, but that's before I've played with runSaturday. I do like Trimble Outdoors for a few things, and Crankfire is great for maps (although there is really no fitness tracking there). I think I will most likely end up using something different for fitness and maps. I have downloaded and started using SportTracks and I just am not liking it. The interface is funny, and the plugin system is being ruined by a guy who is charging for his plugins.

I like both Topofusion and Crankfire, and if those two get together, there's no question I'll be using them for maps. Fitness functionality is up in the air, though.


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## FlyBoy (Dec 23, 2003)

Reading through some of the forums on runsaturday, it appears as though they are merging with a European company. Perhaps this will bring about an even more functional website.


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## FlyBoy (Dec 23, 2003)

Ok, so after playing around with it a bit more today, here is what I have come up with for sharing. Like I said earlier, runsaturday offers multiple sharing options, but this one seems to be the best. Click on the link and let me know what you think. You can do this for any event that you upload.

http://www.runsaturday.com/Map/Create/Course/1771


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

I'm finally home and able to play with this. The embed function has a little to be desired, to be honest...but it's good enough. I did like the link you posted and how you could mouse over the elevation profile and it would show the locations that correspond. It's nice that you can batch upload by putting a bunch of files into a .zip file. Many sites lack that feature.






This one looks like a keeper.


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## dpx (Feb 6, 2010)

I just accidentally stumbled over this thread...

I've been looking for something similar for a while, namely a program that would generate static HTML reports for my rides (TCX history files) [which could be uploaded to a web server in order to show it others, of course]. I'm not a windows user so this was even harder and I eventually gave up and created a program that would do this. It probably doesn't have all the features you're looking for since I aimed for simplicity, but I made it open source, so if anyone wants to improve it, go ahead.

I attached two screenshots; the first shows the index page that displays all rides as icons. Second image shows the detail page for one ride, including the mapped track on a dynamic OpenStreetMap.

If you want to give this a try, I could either process a bunch of raw TCX files for you or you can try it yourself. I'm not sure how to set it up on a windows system, though.


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