As a number of users including myself are looking to move away from Bing maps, I'd be grateful if people could please list here any alternatives (such as runkeeper, ridewithgps) which are worth looking at along with any advantages disadvantages.
I like RideWithGPS for it's Connect like functionality. I like MapMyRide for the ability to send courses to my Edge 500 without GTC. It can also log workoutes against routes as well as upload activities from Garmin devices, but it's not as slick as RWGPS.
The last few day I have been looking through alternate online logging. Ride with GPS and Buckeye Outdoors seem pretty good.
They seem to have spent more time trying to be graphically pretty than functional. Navigation is not exactly user friendly. The big attraction is the maps.
Graphics will attract people interested in the bling (BLING not bing) and the Navagation can be learned.
This is so sad. G connect was so intuitive and easy to use.
I guess money talks again.
Now what do I purchace for my next GPS enabled bicycle computer?
The last few day I have been looking through alternate online logging. Ride with GPS and Buckeye Outdoors seem pretty good.
I'm a big fan of Buckeyeoutdoors having tried many of the other options (including RunningFreeOnline - which I think looks like it was devised in the 70's , before the internet had been conceived, sorry Phillip) and the developer is willing to make adjustments to get users the functionality they want......
Right now Buckeye will sync the Forerunners at the press of a button (including MultiSport files) and the developer is happy to make the amendments to his Garmin Sync feature to get the Edge FIT files to upload... all he needs is a volunteer to email him an Edge FIT file and do some sample syncing........ I did this with him for the Multi Sport feature, got it working in hours.
Never any need to apologise for preferring something else. I've looked at Buckeyeoutdoors, but didn't like the 'feel'. Being old I like the simple old style look and feel :)
But, there are a number of alternatives out there which offer far more than GC. So, rather than give up on the hardware, which pretty much does the job, because the software, (and if you think GC maps are crap what do you think of those in GTC?) is less than good, consider another on line alternative.
Training Peaks Active Trainer Buckeyeoutdoors DailyMile
I would recommend Runkeeper or Endomondo instead of GC and it's awful Bing maps.
Both Endomondo and Runkeeper uses Google maps and training data are easily imported from my Fr 305 with the Garmin communicator browser plugin.
