Lifestyle

8 Reasons to Plan your Cycling Adventures with Komoot

There's a whole world out there to explore and Komoot will help you find your way

We’re always on the lookout for our next cycling adventure. There’s just so much of the world to explore on two wheels that it can often feel quite overwhelming; where to start, where to finish and where are all the glorious coffee shops along the way.

For many cyclists looking for new routes and rides, we turn to popular sites like Sustrans or Strava, but what do you do if you want to create a whole new route just for you? Well, you can roll away your maps because an all-new route planner and navigation app is here, and it’s called Komoot.

Essentially, Komoot allows fans of the outdoors to effectively plan hikes, walks, runs and, of course, cycling adventures. Free to download and free to use, Komoot is available globally across most platforms: iOS, Android and web, as well as for Apple Watch, Android Wear and Samsung Gear smartwatches.

Here are a few reasons why you should get Komoot’ing this year…

Komoot is for everyone

Whether you consider yourself to be a beginner cyclist or a few QoMs away from being a pro, Komoot is for everyone who rides on two wheels.

From the winding undulating roads to alpine trails for the mountain bikers, you can plan any cycling adventure you fancy with recommendations from the local experts, or ‘Pioneers’ in Komoot-speak, on where to stop and what to see along the way. If you need some refuelling or a place to crash after a hard day of pedalling, no problem! You can easily build in stops along the way.

Komoot has everything to plan your adventure

So, what do you want your adventure to entail?

Well, of course, you want a good route, varied in elevation perhaps with some techy climbs, sweeping descents and some gorgeous scenery with that all important cake stop along the way. Komoot can plan all that for you and much more…

With its interactive elevation profile, detailed surface type information, a range of map interfaces and data overlays displaying additional information such as accommodation and shops, Komoot offers everything you could possibly need to plan the most epic of trips

Komoot for beginners

If you’re fairly new to the world of two wheels, planning a ride can be a little daunting.

Fortunately, Komoot has made it easy. Once you open the app on your phone or computer, simply drop some pins on the map, choose ‘round-trip’ and your preferred type of cycling, et voila!

Komoot also allows you to adjust settings like your fitness level, road types and terrain which adds a great deal of confidence knowing your planned route is realistic to your ability. If you don’t like something, then it just takes a few clicks to adjust your route and you’ll be cycling off before you know it.

Komoot for experienced riders

For more experienced cyclists, Komoot offers an incredible level of detail about your ride which is displayed on the main route interface. How much of your route consists of various surfaces, gradients along the way as well as the average time required to complete when you adjust the fitness levels.

These features are particularly useful when riding in unfamiliar territory as there’s less chance you’ll come across any unpleasant surprises!

Komoot for all disciplines

Unlike other route-planners, Komoot is able to cater for all disciplines of cycling.

Mountain bikers can choose the trail difficulty based on whether they consider themselves a cross-country or all-mountain (Alpine) rider.

Adventure cyclists and backpackers can choose Komoot’s road biking ‘with gravel’ category to prioritize routing on gravel roads.

Road cyclists can use Komoot to discover off-the-beaten-path quieter roads and benefit from other locals tips and recommendations when venturing into unknown territory.

Komoot on your smartphone or GPS

One of the great advantages with Komoot is that you don’t need a fancy or flashy GPS device to run your route on, the downloadable app works great on your smartphone so you can navigate and tweak your route as you ride.

Download Komoot via the App Store here

Download Komoot via Google Play here

However, if you do happen to have a GPS device, Komoot can be synced with most bike computers and has advanced integrations for Wahoo ELEMNT and ELEMNT Bolt and a number of Garmin devices.

Komoot for your community

Just check out all those Komoot users and Pioneers!

One of the greatest things about Komoot is its input from the community. Komoot has implemented a Pioneer initiative for local experts who are rich in knowledge and know-how. These Komoot Pioneers are definitely individuals to follow as they’ll be uploading new routes, segment highlights and top recommendations that you won’t want to miss out on.

The Komoot community isn’t just about its Pioneers either, users can upload their rides, photos and leave notes on where to stop and Segment Highlights for other riders to see and ultimately use.

So not only can you find riders in your area to buddy up with, but you can also find some secret tucked away trail that you never knew existed, along with prime coffee shops, of course!

The Highlight for Stelvio Pass is a perfect example of this and you can check that out here.

Komoot is free

The Komoot app is free to download and use for everyone all over the world – hurray!

If you want the full experience of Komoot, which includes using the maps offline, there is an additional charge. New users receive one region of their choice for free when they sign-up, while additional regions are priced individually. Unrestricted offline access to worldwide maps requires a one-time payment of £29.99 – not a steep price to pay for unlocking the world, don’t you think?

For more information and to sign up with Komoot head over to their website here and begin planning your next two-wheeled adventure!

Feature photo: Chris McClean and Komoot