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Do you know this? You want to plan a cycle tour but one question after another comes up? Where should it go? Where should the tour go? Are there any places to stop for refreshments? Are there any special local features such as protected areas to consider? How do I plan the route? How do I navigate on the bike? Apps for route planning and navigation simplify the planning and realisation of cycle tours. We have tried out four apps:
This is followed by the Route preparation - Plan it yourself or use a tour from a tour portal. If you plan a tour yourself, you should always check whether there are any seasonal access restrictions on trails. The same should also be checked if you want to follow someone else's tour. You can find out more about this topic below under the keyword Misguided.
Route planning and navigation with komoot
Komoot is the number 1 most popular outdoor navigation app. If you want to try out the app or the browser version, you first need to create a user account. This is also used to exchange data between the online portal, app and GPS devices.
- Operating system: Android & iOS
- Costs: Basic with regional test map free of charge; the offline map world package costs 30 euros once, the premium subscription with additional functions 60 euros per year.
- Destination guidance: Destinations are entered using a map, highlights or the search bar. The address search is not really user-friendly. During the journey, the destination is guided by lines on the map, arrows and turn-by-turn directions. Voice output is also possible. If you leave the planned route, the route is rescheduled if an Internet connection is available.
- Route planning: Individual routes can be easily planned even on the small mobile phone display. Routes from the portal planning at home are seamlessly transferred to the app. Numerous ready-made route suggestions are offered. These can also be easily customised according to individual wishes.
- Offline functions: Pure map data can be saved on the mobile phone. This reduces data consumption when travelling. An Internet connection is required for recalculation or recalculation if you leave the planned route.
Advantages and disadvantages of the komoot tour app
- Plus: Simple operation; good route suggestions; many interfaces (GPS, e-bike)
- Minus: Not completely offline; premium subscription with limited added value
Outdooractive with excellent tour portal
Via the excellent tour portal from Outdooractive You can easily select a suitable route. The selection includes many quality routes in the cycling regions.
- Operating system: Android & iOS
- Costs: Basic account with advertising; Pro subscription (30 euros per year) with a larger selection of cards and offline data; Pro+ (60 euros per year) with an even larger selection of cards
- Destination guidance: Individually planned routes or tour suggestions are automatically synchronised in the background between the web and app. It is also possible to enter destinations directly. During navigation, directions are given by lines on the map, arrows and turn-by-turn directions. Voice output is also possible. When leaving the planned route, there is only a hint, no rescheduling.
- Route planning: It is possible to quickly plan your own tour on the move. But only with an internet connection. The strength of Outdooractive lies in the large number of high-quality tour suggestions.
- Offline functions: You can download your own map sections and planned routes in both Pro subscriptions.
Advantages and disadvantages of the Outdooractive tour app
- Plus: Detailed search and filter options for tour suggestions; many smartwatch integrations
- Minus: Not completely offline; no re-routing
Locus Map - ideal for remote areas
The top app for remote areas. With Locus Map, all essential functions are available even without an internet connection in the Gold subscription.
- Operating system: Android only
- Costs: Basic with adverts and reduced functions; Silver subscription (10 euros per year): extended functions, but without offline functions; Gold subscription (24 euros per year): Full range of offline functions
- Destination guidance: Individual destination input on the smartphone, GPX track import and transfer of planned routes from the web route planner possible. Destination guidance with line on map, arrows and turn-by-turn directions. The route is recalculated when leaving the tour.
- Route planning: Planning routes on the move is possible. It is better to import as a GPX track or transfer from the Locus web route planner. Locus Map does not offer ready-made route suggestions.
- Offline functions: The Gold subscription includes complete offline functionality. Maps and routing data are stored in the smartphone's memory.
Advantages and disadvantages of the Locus Map tour app
- Plus: Full offline function; inexpensive subscription models; large selection of maps
- Minus: No ready-made tour suggestions; interfaces to GPS and e-bike missing
Naviki - urban space and relaxed leisure tours
Bicycle navigation for urban areas and relaxed leisure tours. For this purpose, the marked cycle routes are preferably integrated into the planning.
- Operating system: Android & iOS
- Costs: Free basic version with advertising and reduced range of functions; additional functions as modules for a one-off fee
- Destination guidance: Informative map image in localities, optionally in three design styles. Marked cycle routes are highlighted. Route guidance with a line on the map, turn arrows and an extra voice prompt. If you leave the planned route, the route is rescheduled if an Internet connection is available.
- Route planning: Profiles for various bikes. With the exception of "Everyday", all profiles are subject to a charge. The leisure profile offers beautiful tours away from the main roads and is based on well-known cycle routes. Many bike-specific points of interest. Convenient planning on the computer, from where the tours are seamlessly transferred to the app. Cycle paths are automatically excluded for S-pedelecs.
- Offline functions: With the purchased offline map extra, map data can be stored on the mobile phone. No route calculation in offline mode.
Advantages and disadvantages of the Naviki tour app
- Plus: Known cycle routes are taken into account; sensible bike POIs; routing for S-pedelecs
- Minus: Not completely offline; no ready-made tour suggestions
Route preparation
Ready meal or self-planned? Before you can enjoy a tour, you need to plan and prepare. Some people love ready-made tours from a tour portal, for others, self-planning is part of the adventure. It takes four steps before you are ready to set off.
The finished tour
- Search and filter in the tour portal:
Filter out the right candidate from the mass of tours according to location, length, level of difficulty, etc. - Download the tour
Download your favourite route as a GPX track. - Checking the route and transmission
Open the loaded route in a map tool and check the route and elevation profile. - Destination guidance on the smartphone
Transfer to the sat nav app on the smartphone. If possible, load all data on the smartphone offline and start route guidance.
The self-planned tour
- Inspiration for the route
Before you start planning, you first need a tour idea. Websites, books or friends are a good place to start. - Detailed planning on an online portal
The route is put together step by step on an online portal or in the software. - Transfer to the phone
Ideally, the planning portal offers direct transfer to the sat nav app. - Destination guidance on the smartphone
Transfer the route and map material offline to your smartphone and start route guidance.
Misguided - Interview with Hartmut Wimmer
Time and again, cyclists are directed along paths and through areas where cycling is not permitted or where there are even general access restrictions, particularly by routes used by other users.
Hartmut Wimmer is Managing Director of Outdooractive AG and, as a board member of the association Digitize the Planet e.V., is committed to digitising rules for the use of nature. We spoke to him about this digitalisation.
MYBIKE: What exactly does your association do to digitalise the rules for using nature?
Hartmut Wimmer: There are around 26,000 protected areas in Germany. But there is no clear visualisation of where you are allowed or not allowed to do what - this also applies to cycling. We as Outdooractive would like to have the information in machine-readable form, then we could prevent unauthorised content and make users aware of the rules.
Who can enter these rules in your database? Are the entries checked?
Data sovereignty should lie with the institutions responsible for the respective protected areas. There are no plans for our organisation to check the content. The data will be played out with the respective source so that the credibility is emphasised by the source.
How does up-to-date information - such as short-term closures - get into the sat nav manufacturers' systems? They mainly use data from open street maps and sometimes work with very long update cycles.
In this first round, we are looking at the general rules and permanent or seasonal closures. The current road closures are a topic in their own right and require further development and additional funding.
Where can we get the latest information from a tour portal or sat nav app today?
Currently only on Outdooractive. We hope that other platforms will also use the data soon.
