What is the best way for family and friends to see where you are during the ride? Is there a way they can view a map that gets updated with your position using your cell phone? I understand that this is common for marathon and other events like this. I have looked at Ride Spot, but it tells me that I cannot publish because the route is not public. Also I am not sure that this is continually updated.
July 22 - 29, 2023
Register Now
Family and Friends Following you On the Internet
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Bike Shops
Charter Services
Friends of RAGBRAI
11 Replies
Cell reception is spotty, and constantly searching for a signal will eat up your battery.
That said, there are several options. iPhone users can share their location with other iPhone users through the built-in “Find My Friends” app. Google Maps can share your location with anyone you choose. Both Garmin and Wahoo products have tracking systems. I have my Wahoo ELEMNT computer set up to post a link on my Facebook page every time I start a ride, and since my Mother doesn’t use Facebook, it emails a link to her. Anyone can click on that link and get my location (or the most recently uploaded location). I also carry an external battery stick and keep my phone plugged in all the time.
Road ID also has a free app.
Read about it here.
Those running events use mats that detect the runner’s assigned chip as they cross the mat, and then calculate a most likely position between mats. Ragbrai does not use such a system.
Do something stupid, be caught naked, there are plenty of cell phones to document it so it will go
viral! I am sure your friends or family will be informed! I think Strava app will allow followers to access your location.
Do something stupid, be caught naked, there are plenty of cell phones to document it so it will go
viral! I am sure your friends or family will be informed! I think Strava app will allow followers to access your location, but with spotty coverage it may not work 100%
Life 360 free
I was thinking about getting the Wahoo Elmmt for the tracking, not just tracking on ragbrai. Do you like it?
I have been using the Elemnt for a little over a year now & like it a lot. I was a long-time Garmin guy but got tired of the units getting “confused” & crapping out
The Elem battery life is fantastic (multiple rides). I use Ride w/GPS & the routes download easily. Rides also upload well. The maps are black & white & not nearly as detailed as Garmin’s. Also, the Elem does not indicate street names on the map. But it does give street info for upcoming turns when you follow a route.
Overall, a big THUMBS Up!
I’ve been using an Elemnt since late 2017. I really like it. I switched from an old Garmin because I couldn’t read the tiny font while riding without glasses. In addition to what bricyle Rothberg posted, the Elemnt allows you to configure screen to have anywhere from 1 to 9 data fields which means the font size can become nice and big.
Find my Friends works great on iPhone.
I like my Wahoo a lot. I like the Wahoo “ecosystem” of apps and the ability to use it with my KICKR trainer, easily import routes, etc. The new Roam uses more color. There are things my ELEMNT does that my friends’ Garmins don’t, but then they can display weather reports including wind speed and direction. It seems like that is something Wahoo could add through a software update. I do get frustrated by the lag in reporting grade %. They say it is more accurate because it is filtering out potential “noise,” but it seems like it can be 100 yards behind.