Routes in Southern Austria/northern Italy & Slovenia

John, I think you are running the risk of over complicating your very kind offer to share all your routes.

Each time a bod loads the sample route into their computer and software, there is always the chance of some alteration; mine with a Mac was an extreme example as I ended up with a text file. Other than that, the route looks OK to me.

Why the alteration(s) occur will vary for a number of reasons. Trying to cater for them all is very difficult, as the fellow who has pointed out the oddity has discovered and you are now finding out. Why he might have a motorway slider all the way in one direction is indeed a mystery, if indeed that what he has. Maybe it's as simple as last time he used his software he wanted the fastest way between two points and he's forgotten? That helps to explain why Leedude turns all his preferences OFF as it removes - or at least reduces - the chances of variables coming in, I do the same. You turn the avoid motorways preference ON, by default. Already there is a significant difference between the two of us and you, which may or may not create a difference between what we see on our computers and what you see on yours. Multiply that by up to ten or more for every 10 bods who load your routes and you can see where this whole endeavour might be heading.

I suggest you let bods load the routes you proffer up. Then let bods zoom in on them and tug them about (or not) as they see fit. You'll be here forever if you try to cater for every variable, trust me. That is what Leedude and I did when we created the giant route file between us. We have no way of knowing if each and every route works for everyone. I suspect they won't as I can see some oddities when I look at them, straight lines between points for example, meaning I'd have to do some work to maybe pull the route around or who knows, my device might do it for me automatically. Unless I go to Norway I'll probably never find out.

Alternatively:

1. You can load more and more shaping points in

2. You could maybe create each route as a track. That should never change on download and import into Mapsource or BaseCamp. What happens to it in Tyre or the other very popular 'Garmin is crap' alternatives I have no idea. That will then require the recipient to convert the track to a route (easy or hard to do and may still be preferences dependent) or trace over it, hard or easy again.

3. You could save each route as a .gbd file, readable only by Garmin devices but I'm not convinced that would help.

4. Lob them all up and add a screen shot of what each route's meant to look like. Bods can then compare theirs with yours. I use that method on some websites like Louis.de for example, comparing my version of their download with their map. That though is extra work for you.... And me.

If you go on many of the third party websites of routes (Louis.de or RiDE for example) you might find that their routes sometimes come out as straight lines between points, whilst to them and others they maybe look quite normal. Your routes may well do the same, I wouldn't worry about it too much. RiDE don't when their routes now sometimes fail to display in the updated Google maps software.

You suggested that bods tug your very nice circular route about to match their needs; correcting innocent conversion errors that have crept in is no different, really.
 
John, I think you are running the risk of over complicating your very kind offer to share all your routes.

Each time a bod loads the sample route into their computer and software, there is always the chance of some alteration. Why the alteration(s) occur will vary for a number of reasons. Trying to cater for them all is very difficult, as the fellow who has pointed out the oddity and you are finding out; why he might have a motorway slider all the way in one direction is indeed a mystery, if indeed that what he has. Maybe it's as simple as last time he used his software he wanted the fastest way between two points?

Let bods load the routes you proffer up. Then let them zoom in on them and tug them about (or not) as they see fit. You'll be here forever if you try to cater for every variable, trust me.

I an sure you are right ( you can print that out and frame it!)

I think all I can do is say these routes work as intended if they are used as I described. People are, of course free to play with them as they will. But I think you overestimate the level of experience of the majority of users. Most people just want something they can download and use without any further effort. That is not to denigrate such folk, we all make our own choices about how involved we want to be in various fields, life is too short to be an expert in everything.

All I am saying is that by following a few simple steps these particular routes will work as intended. By doing so anyone, even a complete novice will be able to use the route without problems.Any setting made to allow this can be reversed so I really don't see the problem. Obviously someone with your level of skill and experience can do otherwise and will have no problems adjusting routes to suit themselves.

John
 
Thank you for the kind offer John, yes your routes are welcome. I stayed with you in September 2014 and found your routes excellent. I am revisiting again in September this year: can you tell me, did you pass on your routing information to Willem?
Alan R

At this point in time I can only say. No comment.

John
 
I think all I can do is say these routes work as intended if they are used as I described. But I think you overestimate the level of experience of the majority of users. Most people just want something they can download and use without any further effort.

All I am saying is that by following a few simple steps these particular routes will work as intended. By doing so anyone, even a complete novice will be able to use the route without problems.

I think it's you who is over estimating, not me.

As you are rapidly finding out with bod number one and his apparent motorway slider setting, yours is a hope that will sometimes founder on the rocks of reality, just like when bods head to Malta in the water, not Malta up a mountain.

Lob your routes up as you see fit and deal with the issues bods might have on a case by case basis, is my best suggestion. Good luck.
 
I think it's you who is over estimating, not me.

As you are rapidly finding out with bod number one and his apparent motorway slider setting, yours is a hope that will sometimes founder on the rocks of reality, just like when bods head to Malta in the water, not Malta up a mountain.

Lob your routes up as you see fit and deal with the issues bods might have on a case by case basis, is my best suggestion. Good luck.

It's not about hope. I know that my routes work under the conditions I have specified. I have neither the time or the inclination to deal with issues caused by people using settings that differ from those the routes were designed for. If anyone has problems with my routes and are using the specified settings I will do everything in my power to assist in any way I can.

People are free to make the choice but I can't be responsible for outcomes. I would advise,as you have, that people make a copy of the route in it's original form before making any changes. The routes come from extensive local knowledge so the roads used are what I think are the best for bikers. If you change the way they work try to keep to the intended roads.

John
 
John these are your routes made by you for your use and you are giving the people of this forum the chance to gain insight from your experience, anyone who downloads these routes does so because either they are visiting that area or thinking they may do, or like me and a few others who just like to have options. I myself would never look a gift horse in the mouth so to speak, but if i did have a few questions about a route through a certain area i would ask here on the forum or research it myself. with reference to settings altering a route it is unavoidable, because people will set their preferences to what they prefer, and if that buggers up your route hopefully people will realise this and set the preferences accordingly. So John i would just upload them as they are and leave it at that.
 
John these are your routes made by you for your use and you are giving the people of this forum the chance to gain insight from your experience, anyone who downloads these routes does so because either they are visiting that area or thinking they may do, or like me and a few others who just like to have options. I myself would never look a gift horse in the mouth so to speak, but if i did have a few questions about a route through a certain area i would ask here on the forum or research it myself. with reference to settings altering a route it is unavoidable, because people will set their preferences to what they prefer, and if that buggers up your route hopefully people will realise this and set the preferences accordingly. So John i would just upload them as they are and leave it at that.

I can only really upload them as they are anyway but to me it makes sense to point out the settings used to create them and the device settings I had in mind when doing so. People can make their own minds up on whether they use those setting or not and live with the consequences. I think I will write a simple list of settings used and upload that with the routes. I will do this for my own sake so that I feel I have done all I can to ensure the routes work as intended.

John
 
Belt and braces approach John, i hope people appreciate the effort that some bods take when doing this sort of thing.
 
Now that it's near enough agreed that trying to cater for every eventuality is all but impossible (and therefore hopefully little or no reworking required by the OP) let's get back on track:

As some of you might know I have a large number of day routes that I developed whilst running a biker hotel in southern Austria.

I am thinking of making all the routes I created during my time in this region freely available to all.

Around 60 routes in all although some are variations on a theme to cope with different ideas as to what makes a day's ride
Most are circular routes based on where I used to live in Austria, anyone wishing to stay in the area could adjust the start/end points to suit

How's it going, John?
 
Now that it's near enough agreed that trying to cater for every eventuality is all but impossible (and therefore hopefully little or no reworking required by the OP) let's get back on track:



How's it going, John?

Slowly! What with the mother in law being with us and a long weekend in the north I have had no time ( more accurately I risked the wrath of two generations females if I didn't pay full attention to their needs!) Peace has returned so hopefully the first batch will be ready very soon

Jom
 


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