Average Speeds For Different Road Types

[Peobody]

Which one, riding the motorbike or playing with Basecamp and the XT?
I fully appreciate what Basecamp & the XT contribute to riding so I don't mind creating routes in Basecamp but I stay pretty annoyed with the idiosyncrasies in both. I can't give enough credit to the forum members who identify them and help me work through them.

[Fxwheels]

The XT can navigate a track, giving turn by turn directions,

So if the track gives direction how is it different from navigating the route?

[jfheath]

The XT can navigate a track, giving turn by turn directions,

So if the track gives direction how is it different from navigating the route?

I was trying to keep the message simple and short. I'll check back, but I think that I said that the XT can navigate a track.

It can do this in three different ways.

1. By simply loading the track and just using the XT screen as an automatic scrolling map.


2. By loading the track and selecting Go! The XT doesn't issue instructions, but if you wander away from the track - which is shown as a magenta line, just like a route, it will add additional information - a straight dotted line indicating the direction from where you are to the closest point on the track, and the straight line distance to the track as one of the data buttons. eg bottom right corner.

app.php/ZXT-P51



3. One of the tool options for a track is to convert it to a trip. If you do this you get a navigable magenta line which issues turn by turn directions - just like a route. It never recalculates the original route, but if you wander away from the magenta line, it spots the closest point from where you are now, and plots a new route to that point. This can behave very oddly if it plots a route behind you, as that then becomes the closest point, and it gets stuck in a never ending loop of trying to get you to go back. But that is really only when testing its behaviour. Generally, detours are not like that.

app.php/ZXT-P53

[Fxwheels]

Thanks jf
I used #1 but yet to try #2.
The thing with the tracks is you have to be more aware of not missing the turn

[jfheath]

Yes, that is a problem.
I do use tracks a lot, but only to superimpose the route. That way I know where my route used to be before the XT recalculated it !

[izabelleferland]

To @jfheath; To what speed have you set your settings in BaseCamp (adjust your average speeds) to calculate accurate ETA of a trip ?

I'm trying to plan a 5000km trip to visit the Blue Ridge Mountain and I want to make sure my stops will be accurate, not too short or too fast versus the calculation of my XT.

[Peobody]

I live in North Carolina. The Blue Ridge Mountains are my playground. You will love them, especially if you come south through Eastern West Virginia.

FWIW, below are my Basecamp speed settings. My trips are approx 6 hours saddle time per day. In the morning I am leaving on the three day mountain ride. I just looked at those routes and the variances between BaseCamp and the XT estimates are 24 minutes, 15 minutes, and 1 minute, BaseCamp being longer. The days with lots of mountain roads are the days with the bigger variance but the variance isn't large for me to want to make a speed setting adjustment. I can't speak to the accuracy of the XT estimates because I am not attentive to time spent at stops along the way.

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[lkraus]

Basecamp can only create a very rough time estimate.
Interstate highways here can be 55-70 mph, up to 80 in the western U.S. (I set BC to 67)
Major highways can be 50-70 mph (58).
Other highways can be posted at 55-60, hills and curves can lower averages to 40 mph (45)
Collectors can be 35-50 mph. (35)
Residential averages will be well under 25 because of stop signs, but hopefully little time will be spent on those streets. (25)

If my arrival time really matters, I re-create the route in Google Maps. Maps uses actual traffic speeds and history to calculate travel time. The travel time varies by time of day, so I specify the expected departure date and time.

[izabelleferland]

thanks to you both Peobody and lkraus, it helps a lot.

I have also remarked that Google map is much more accurate and I'm trying to have both (talking about BaseCamp versus Google) match and avoid re-creating my routes in Google.

But with all tests I did and time spend searching on this topic, I would have had more then enough time to do them in Google,

[Peobody]

I usually create mine in Google first and then recreate them in BaseCamp. Google satellite and street views are invaluable for planning stops and verifying paved/unpaved. It's also easier to use to find the approximate 6 hour point from which I then plan the lodging location.