While there is nothing quite as liberating as getting on your bike with no destination or goal in mind, the safest way to ride is to know where you are going and exactly how to get there. Fortunately, it has never been easier to create a bike route using your phone or bike computer.
5 Ways to Create a Bike Route You’ll Love
1. Strava: Ride Routes Like a Local
Whether you’re new to cycling or have been biking for years, Strava has a variety of ways to help you create a bike route. Their route-building features—available for subscribers, although there are free trials—can help you build a route using the app or website, based on the insights from other riders.
Let’s say you’re traveling to an area you’ve never been to before. You can use the routes feature (under the maps tab) to show roads and paths that are most ridden by other Strava users. Once you’ve found a route that interests you, you can adapt it to includes personalized destinations, as well as preferred elevation gain and mileage. Then, you can save the route on your phone or bike computer.
Strava also offers heat mapping for subscribers, which allows you to see the most frequently used bike routes in an area, so you can pinpoint where the locals ride.
2. Trek Travel: Vacation Route Planner
If you’d truly like someone to do almost all the planning for you—and to make your cycling into a vacation—try Trek Travel. Their options range from pre-planned self-guided trips to custom two-guide trips for riders of all levels. They offer e-bike tours, cycling training camps, and family-friendly trips all across the globe that include some iconic routes and climbs.
The bikes are, you guessed it, made by Trek. They will size you for both a bike and Bontrager helmet, as well as supply a Garmin GPS computer and complementary water bottle.
Similarly, if you’re looking for more cycling vacation ideas, with pre-built routes that you don’t have to plan yourself, check out Backroads and REI Adventures too.
3. Under Armour MapMyRide
Cyclists can access Under Armour's MapMyRide app and website to create, discover, and save cycling routes with user-friendly features.
Similar to Strava, cyclists can log rides, share their routes with friends, and participate in challenges. What sets this tool apart from the others may be the "bike path," button that allows you to view nearby bike paths with ease. You can download maps for free and access step-by-step directions.
MapMyRide also allows you to discover new routes in any city and share your routes publicly so others can find it.
4. Ride With GPS: Find Popular Routes Near You
You can build your own route on Ride With GPS, or use their Find a Route tool. It’s especially helpful when looking for a pre-planned route while traveling and also offers heat mapping so you can see popular rides near you.
Ride with GPS/Find a Route allows you to search by city or zip code, and then set how far you want to travel, as well as minimum and maximum distance and elevation gain and other preferences, like a looped route or out-and-back path. Ride With GPS will then display results based on the popularity of a route.
Many of the top routes include cue sheets and photos to give you a preview of what to expect while pedaling around. Ride With GPS also includes an Ambassador Directory so you can connect with local experts, clubs, and shops.
5. TrailForks: Find Your Next Mountain Bike Route
A gold standard in the mountain biking community, TrailForks offers a database of routes in areas across the country, offering info like difficulty ratings, reviews, trail grades, trail tracking (so you can cross off those you put on your wishlist), current conditions updated by riders, and photos and videos so you can see what you’re getting into. You can even check out the local trail association that maintains a route and offer up a donation if you loved it.
To make the most of the routes the app suggests as you’re riding, download the map before you head out to the trails. That way, if you don’t have service, you can still see get details and directions.
Keep in mind using TrailForks may take some trial and error, particularly if you’re looking to use its route-building features, but it’s a great way to find trail systems in a new area. Also, check back frequently, because mountain bike trails tend to get added, deleted, and rerouted pretty regularly and you don’t want to end up going completely off course.
The Last Word on Creating a Bicycling Route
You know this advice, but it behooves us to remind you: Eyes on the road, not your phone or computer. Your bike needs a phone or computer mount so you can, ideally, listen to voice prompts for turns rather than having to look down while you ride. If you’re traveling without your bike, bring your phone or GPS mount with you so you can use it with the bike you rent or borrow.
Michael Nystrom is a two-time IRONMAN finisher and a former editor at Active Network, Muscle & Performance and Oxygen Magazine. He covers all things cycling, from the Tour de France to new product releases, and has been published by USA Triathlon, Under Armour, Polar, Triathlete Magazine and more. When not swimming, cycling or running, he’s catching some waves or chasing his dog, Dingo.
