RideLoop
GPX vs FIT vs TCX: which file to use for a cycling route
Route planners hand you one of three files. All three get a loop onto a bike computer, but they don't hold the same things, and one detail inside a GPX file decides whether your Edge follows your roads or picks its own.
Short version: use GPX with a track in it. Every device and app reads it. Use FIT only when a tool hands you a FIT course for a Garmin. TCX is the older Garmin format and rarely needed now.
| GPX | FIT | TCX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Open text (XML) format | Garmin's compact binary format | Garmin's older text (XML) format |
| Opens in | Nearly everything: Garmin, Wahoo, Hammerhead, Coros, phones, mapping apps | Garmin devices and most training apps | Garmin and some older tools |
| Turn cues | Not built in; the device works them out from its map | Can carry course points (turns, climbs) | Can carry course points |
| Readable by people | Yes, open it in any text editor | No | Yes |
| Best for | Sharing a route with anyone | Garmin courses with cues | Old workflows |
Track or route: the GPX detail that matters
A GPX file can hold two different things:
-
A track (
<trk>): hundreds or thousands of points along the road. The device follows the line exactly. This is what you want for a planned loop. -
A route (
<rte>): a handful of waypoints. The device works out the roads between them with its own routing, which may put you on the busy road you were trying to avoid.
If a loop comes out different on the Edge than on the planner's map, a waypoint-only route is the usual cause. RideLoop's GPX files carry the full track.
FIT courses
FIT is the format Garmin devices record your rides in, and it can also carry a course. A FIT course can include course points like "left turn" or "climb starts", which some planners add. Garmin Connect turns an imported GPX into its own course anyway, so for Garmin riders the difference is small.
TCX
TCX (Training Center XML) came before FIT. You'll still see it offered as an export, and Garmin devices read it, but GPX or FIT covers everything it did.
Elevation
A GPX track may or may not have elevation on each point. Without it, your Edge's climb page has nothing to show until it has its own map elevation. Garmin Connect fills in elevation when it imports a course, and courses RideLoop sends to Garmin Connect get elevation the same way.
Get a GPX loop on graded roads
RideLoop builds loops on roads riders have graded for pavement, shoulder and traffic.
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