Flattest Route
Dev tools
route planning
SHOW HN2013
237points
75comments
#53of 1,739 in 2013
Top 4%of 2013 by points
How HN took it
MixedNo clear lean
19 positive, 16 neutral or asking, 4 mixed, 12 critical, out of 51 comments about the project. Thread score +0.14.
Execution: 0 for, 8 againstIdea: 6 for, 2 againstDesign: 2 for, 0 againstPricing: 0 for, 1 againstPerformance: 0 for, 1 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Useful visualization of elevation along routes.
From 3 comments
Cool app, just a few points. Love the elevation charts, really well done. One route indicated the lane cove tunnel in Sydney, a place where I can't run or cycle, I could get…
beilabs on HNThis is great. Nice work and excellent visualization. There's a pre-existing tool I like to use, which is not nearly as nice looking but does allow you to specify your maximum…
100k on HNThe dots used for showing the difficulty can be dragged when altering the route. Other than minor finicky things like that, it seems to be a neat idea. Cool work!
pkill17 on HN
Works in many cities beyond SF.
From 4 comments
Works for Seattle, as well. Thanks!
throw_away on HNWow. That looks great. We need one of these (well, more than one!) in the UK.
stevejalim on HNWorks in Sydney, Australia
artsrc on HNI've been using Marble ( http://marble.kde.org/ ) to show me elevation profiles of routes I bicycle. This site is pretty cool too! (This site works everywhere there's map data,…
idupree on HN
Objections
Elevation data misses bridges and tunnels, giving false steep grades.
From 4 comments
You don't seem to handle bridges correctly; mapping from "North Vancouver, BC" to "Burnaby, BC" reports a 65% slope the moment you come off the Second Narrows bridge -- because…
cperciva on HNI noticed this problem as well. I live in Ithaca, and crossing one of our many gorges generates grades of +/- 150% (as an example, try starting at "Arts Quad, Ithaca, NY" and…
thecyborganizer on HNPretty interesting, looks like Google Elevation API misses some tunnels though (looking at a route that should go through Broadway tunnel right now). Tunnels are key for getting…
No1 on HNcool app. The elevation data over the gg bridge seems to be a bit off. Out of curiosity what data set is it from?
stbtrax on HN
Routes can be less flat than shorter alternatives; routing quirks.
From 3 comments
If I plot a route from Hyde and Bay to 6th and Mission, it routes me over Nob Hill. If I change it two streets to 4th and Mission, it routes me around the Embarcadero, which is…
willthames on HNMost of the complaints I've read so far seem to center around a lack of data: apparently Google doesn't have elevation data for a sloped bridge, nor for whether a particular…
delinka on HNThe length of the route is affecting the slope of each segment. For example, Bolinas, CA to Vacaville, CA has steeper segments than the Bolinas, CA to Dixon, CA even though they…
stevewilhelm on HN
Does not work in some cities such as Berlin and Barcelona.
From 2 comments
Why is "-11%" rendered as "Moderate"? Everything <0 should be "Easiest", shouldn't it? Or maybe even add another category, "Downhill"? Also, any idea why this doesn't work for…
graup on HNWhat did you mean? Didn't work for me. I need this to avoid hills when running in Barcelona :)
dotcoma on HN
Requests
Add a least-effort routing option balancing distance and hills.
From 2 comments
Request: estimate the route that requires the lowest "work". This way, you could make tradeoffs between distance and effort. I'd happily travel an extra flat mile to avoid a .25…
a5seo on HNIt would be cool to integrate route choice (suggest a variety of routes from short/hillier to longer/flatter) using the API at http://bikesy.com
brendannee on HN
Add a hilliest or downhill route option.
From 3 comments
Could I please have the most hilly option for my legs?
juskrey on HNRequest: tell me the longest route that is downhill all the way.
tim_hutton on HNSomething doing the opposite would be cool. I'm training on my bike in SF and the hills are the best.
Pirate-of-SV on HN
Support GET parameters or bookmarkable URLs.
From 2 comments
Hey it would be great if you allowed some GET parameters as well as POST, that way people could bookmark pages, etc
hardwaresofton on HNI too would like bookmarks
artsrc on HN
Questions
How the optimization algorithm works.
From 1 comment
I'd been thinking about making something like this for a while (I'm in Seattle). Glad that someone with more time and skills than me got it put together. What's the basic idea…
mdturnerphys on HN
Why the route over Nob Hill is chosen over flatter options.
From 1 comment
If I plot a route from Hyde and Bay to 6th and Mission, it routes me over Nob Hill. If I change it two streets to 4th and Mission, it routes me around the Embarcadero, which is…
willthames on HN
Alternatives named
CycleStreets, which weights routes by elevation.
From 2 comments
In the UK, cyclestreets is useful for this: http://www.cyclestreets.net/ ...it does route planning, but the speeds aren't just based on distance travelled but also the elevation.…
bazzargh on HNCyclestreets do that in the UK: http://www.cyclestreets.net
ZeroGravitas on HN
Bikecityguide app for European cities.
From 1 comment
If you live in europe I recommend this app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.bikecityguide https://itunes.apple.com/at/app/bikecityguide/id517332958 It's a…
Trufa on HN
Bikemap by amarpai with maximum grade setting.
From 1 comment
This is great. Nice work and excellent visualization. There's a pre-existing tool I like to use, which is not nearly as nice looking but does allow you to specify your maximum…
100k on HN
Marble desktop app for elevation profiles.
From 1 comment
I've been using Marble ( http://marble.kde.org/ ) to show me elevation profiles of routes I bicycle. This site is pretty cool too! (This site works everywhere there's map data,…
idupree on HN