CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Computers, GPS, 'Smart' 'Phones

Bike Hub iPhone app

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  1. chdot
    Admin

    (The London Transport symbol is for finding Boris Bike stands. Edinburgh one day???)

    Now available in the app store.

    In a few days time the CycleStreets app should also be available.

    Both use the CycleStreets routing so will produce the the same suggested routes.

    The Bike Hub app has been produced with money from the UK bike industry and one of its features is a bike shop finder - though the database is a bit out of date, and relies on post codes. (It is intended to use the Open Street Map database when this has recorded actual locations accurately.)

    Both apps have different ways of doing things and some different functions. To me, the most surprising thing is that the Bike Hub app doesn't use the touchscreen for placing start and finish markers. These have to be found using 'search boxes'.

    It's good to see a growing number of bike related apps - there are several for the London bike hire scheme.

    Try the latest two if you have an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad and share your thoughts. (Android versions will probably come some time.)

    Posted 13 years ago #

  2. kaputnik
    Moderator

    I take it those of us without iThings have to stick to being old fashioned and asking the way off a likley looking person (probably with a bike)? :)

    Posted 13 years ago #

  3. SRD
    Moderator

    Spokes maps give bike shops too, although I guess you have to figure out your own route.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  4. chdot
    Admin

    Spokes map is probably more accurate for shops! (Until OSM data is 'reconciled'.)

    Posted 13 years ago #

  5. SRD
    Moderator

    I found having a phone number for the shop particularly useful. Does yr app do that?

    Posted 13 years ago #

  6. cb
    Member

    Just installed Bike Hub for iPhone.

    Looks pretty good, but... it seems to fail to find any road I search for.

    It couldn't find "Dalry Road".

    I tried "Dalry Place" instead. When I had typed "Dalry Pl" in the search box, the street I wanted appeared in the results list, but as soon as I typed the next letter ("c") it told me it couldn't find anything.

    Lots of other streets in failed to find. Is this a temp. glitch?

    It did find Haymarket Station and my postcode and as a result I'm going to try new route home tonight (using, I think, the little known route over (under?) the West Approach Road that I think has been mentioned on here a couple of times, but for some reason I've never got round to looking for it myself).

    One other thing... on the map there is a big gap in the West Approach Road. Presumably because you can't cycle down it. But I think that's just confusing.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  7. kaputnik
    Moderator

    Looks pretty good, but... it seems to fail to find any road I search for.

    Better than Nokia Ovi Maps. I was in Abderdeen and searched for "Musa", a venue about a mile from where I was at the time. It wanted me to go 5,100km to Mexico to find a place called Santa Musa instead.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  8. cb
    Member

    "I found having a phone number for the shop particularly useful. Does yr app do that? "

    Looks like it only knows the name and location.
    Not the end of the world assuming your iPhone has an internet connection...

    Posted 13 years ago #

  9. carltonreid
    Member

    Thanks for the feedback on the app.

    An update will be posted at the end of the week, creating among other things drop-pin start/end points. We also forgot to add the proper credit info for OpenStreetMap so this will be added too.

    A much bigger update will take place in a few weeks: true turn by turn navigation with a voice and/or buzzer for turns. I wasn't too sure about including this in version 1 because I'm not too sure about how many people have handlebar iPhone holders. However, at Eurobike, I saw loads of new ones, one of which is the dog's doo-dahs so maybe this is a sector that will grow.

    I agree about the locations and names. It can be hit and miss sometimes. The postcode tool is an old, free one. Cyclestreets will be adding a much better one soon.

    On Dalry Road problems that seems to be something we're not doing right. Cyclestreets' 'namefinder' gets the right results so we need to fix that glitch.

    Bike shop numbers can be found in 'bike shop finder' in 'More'. Ideally I'd like numbers to pop up within the 'find bike shops' part of the app, and we'll work on this.

    One of the gratifying things about releasing this app was the number of people who've said they will now become members of the OpenStreetMap community and add details via the OSM iPhone app plugged in the iTunes entry.

    http://bit.ly/buwDXO

    Posted 13 years ago #

  10. chdot
    Admin

    "CycleStreets iPhone app now available!"

    http://www.cyclestreets.net/blog/2010/09/21/iphone-app-now-out

    Alan Paxton, the developer of this app, lives/works in Edinburgh.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  11. chdot
    Admin

    "on the map there is a big gap in the West Approach Road. Presumably because you can't cycle down it."

    No, there is a 'tile problem' at http://www.opencyclemap.org - being looked into!

    (it's fine on OSM)

    Posted 13 years ago #

  12. cb
    Member

    The West Approach Road appears if you zoom right into the map.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  13. cb
    Member

    " "CycleStreets iPhone app now available!" "

    Installed it and had a quick play. Another great app!

    It was able to find Dalry Road when I did a search (see Bike Hub comments, above) but the ability to click the map for start and end points is so much more useful. I did find the click sensibility a bit high as I kept flagging the start or end of the route when I actually was just trying to scroll the map.

    The app agreed with me on quickest route home from Haymarket so I think it's dead good.

    It would be nice to be able to switch between Quickest/Balanced/Quietest route. You seem to have to change this in the settings and then re-plan your route.
    I like to see the different route options when using Cyclestreets on a big 'puter so I missed this on the iPhone.

    I guess I should be logging comments somewhere else...?

    Posted 13 years ago #

  14. chdot
    Admin

    "It would be nice to be able to switch between Quickest/Balanced/Quietest route"

    YES that was one of my early comments (I've been playing with the beta for a while). It's slightly better in the Bike Hub app - but not much.

    There was some discussion about how many people would use the app that had never come across the web site. I'm sure the answer is 'a lot', but early adopters...

    "I guess I should be logging comments somewhere else...?"

    Don't worry the key people will see your comments here, but it would be good if you could put a review on the CS app in the App Store too.

    (And tell your friends...)

    Posted 13 years ago #

  15. chdot
    Admin

    "The West Approach Road appears if you zoom right into the map."

    AH!

    A 'tile rendering issue' then.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  16. chdot
    Admin

    I've had an email from 'someone who knows' -

    "it's probably best summarised as a data issue over a couple of days when the new cyclemap server was being setup that is known and will be fixed in the future. Editing the data might fix it."

    This morning it looks like it's been fixed.

    Generally if you see something 'wrong' or missing, try some OSM editing. Don't worry about it not being 'perfect' - other people will be along to iron out the kinks and add the missing links.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  17. kaputnik
    Moderator

    Slightly OT. But what's the legality of cycling the West Approach road?

    There's signs on the eastbound entrances from Dundee St. and Westfield Road saying no cyclists, pedestrians, horses etc. But there don't appear to be any westbound off of Lothian Road?

    Are you allowed to go west by bike but not east?

    Posted 13 years ago #

  18. chdot
    Admin

    You can go as far as Canning Street.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  19. chdot
    Admin

    Finally got a pic

    Posted 13 years ago #

  20. chdot
    Admin

    Apps updated

    http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=1478

    Posted 13 years ago #

  21. undertake
    Member

    Generally if you see something 'wrong' or missing, try some OSM editing. Don't worry about it not being 'perfect' - other people will be along to iron out the kinks and add the missing links.

    Posted 12 years ago #

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