Should I Build It Should I Build It
24 May 2025
Travel Maps

i want to build an interative map where mainly cyclist would import ...

...their route they want to do and the service would screen a quick view of the route, so the cyclist can understand where he is heading

Confidence
Engagement
Net use signal
Net buy signal

Idea type: Freemium

People love using similar products but resist paying. You’ll need to either find who will pay or create additional value that’s worth paying for.

Should You Build It?

Build but think about differentiation and monetization.

Your are here

Creating an interactive map for cyclists to preview routes before embarking is a promising idea, especially given the increasing popularity of cycling. The 'Freemium' category fits well, suggesting that while users appreciate such tools, converting them into paying customers can be challenging. With 11 similar products already in the market, competition is significant, highlighting the need for differentiation. High engagement (average 16 comments) indicates interest in this space, but the lack of clear 'use' and 'buy' signals from the metrics suggests you'll need a compelling offering to stand out and a well-thought-out monetization strategy. Consider that similar products have faced criticism around mobile usability, feature limitations compared to existing solutions and difficulties in justifying subscription costs. Focus on addressing these gaps to carve out a niche for your interactive cycling map.

Recommendations

  1. Given the freemium nature of this category, focus first on user acquisition and engagement. Offer the core route screening functionality for free to build a user base and gather feedback. Base route screening should be good enough, so cyclists find real value.
  2. Identify the cyclists who derive the most value from the free route screening. Segment your users based on cycling frequency, route complexity, or specific needs (e.g., long-distance touring, commuting, recreational riding) to understand their unique requirements.
  3. Develop premium features tailored to these high-value users. This could include advanced route customization options (e.g., elevation profiles, surface type filters), offline map downloads, integration with cycling computers, or real-time tracking features. Since users have requested GPX export, consider that as a paid feature.
  4. Explore team or group-based subscriptions. Cycling clubs or groups often plan rides together. Offering a team subscription with collaboration features could be a compelling value proposition.
  5. Offer personalized route planning assistance or cycling-related consulting services as a premium offering. This could involve helping users create custom routes tailored to their fitness level, preferences, or specific goals.
  6. Implement A/B testing with small groups of users to determine optimal pricing strategies for your premium features. Experiment with different price points, subscription models (e.g., monthly, annual), and feature bundles to find the sweet spot.
  7. Address criticisms from similar products, particularly regarding mobile usability. Prioritize a seamless and intuitive mobile experience for route planning and navigation, as many cyclists will use the app on the go.
  8. Differentiate your product by incorporating unique features or data sources. Consider integrating real-time weather data, user-generated reviews of cycling routes, or AI-powered route optimization based on cyclist preferences.

Questions

  1. What specific pain points are cyclists currently facing with existing mapping solutions that your interactive map will address more effectively?
  2. How will you balance offering valuable features for free to attract users while still incentivizing them to upgrade to a paid subscription?
  3. Considering the existing competition and the 'Freemium' category, what is your plan to create a sustainable business model that generates sufficient revenue to support the ongoing development and maintenance of your interactive cycling map?

Your are here

Creating an interactive map for cyclists to preview routes before embarking is a promising idea, especially given the increasing popularity of cycling. The 'Freemium' category fits well, suggesting that while users appreciate such tools, converting them into paying customers can be challenging. With 11 similar products already in the market, competition is significant, highlighting the need for differentiation. High engagement (average 16 comments) indicates interest in this space, but the lack of clear 'use' and 'buy' signals from the metrics suggests you'll need a compelling offering to stand out and a well-thought-out monetization strategy. Consider that similar products have faced criticism around mobile usability, feature limitations compared to existing solutions and difficulties in justifying subscription costs. Focus on addressing these gaps to carve out a niche for your interactive cycling map.

Recommendations

  1. Given the freemium nature of this category, focus first on user acquisition and engagement. Offer the core route screening functionality for free to build a user base and gather feedback. Base route screening should be good enough, so cyclists find real value.
  2. Identify the cyclists who derive the most value from the free route screening. Segment your users based on cycling frequency, route complexity, or specific needs (e.g., long-distance touring, commuting, recreational riding) to understand their unique requirements.
  3. Develop premium features tailored to these high-value users. This could include advanced route customization options (e.g., elevation profiles, surface type filters), offline map downloads, integration with cycling computers, or real-time tracking features. Since users have requested GPX export, consider that as a paid feature.
  4. Explore team or group-based subscriptions. Cycling clubs or groups often plan rides together. Offering a team subscription with collaboration features could be a compelling value proposition.
  5. Offer personalized route planning assistance or cycling-related consulting services as a premium offering. This could involve helping users create custom routes tailored to their fitness level, preferences, or specific goals.
  6. Implement A/B testing with small groups of users to determine optimal pricing strategies for your premium features. Experiment with different price points, subscription models (e.g., monthly, annual), and feature bundles to find the sweet spot.
  7. Address criticisms from similar products, particularly regarding mobile usability. Prioritize a seamless and intuitive mobile experience for route planning and navigation, as many cyclists will use the app on the go.
  8. Differentiate your product by incorporating unique features or data sources. Consider integrating real-time weather data, user-generated reviews of cycling routes, or AI-powered route optimization based on cyclist preferences.

Questions

  1. What specific pain points are cyclists currently facing with existing mapping solutions that your interactive map will address more effectively?
  2. How will you balance offering valuable features for free to attract users while still incentivizing them to upgrade to a paid subscription?
  3. Considering the existing competition and the 'Freemium' category, what is your plan to create a sustainable business model that generates sufficient revenue to support the ongoing development and maintenance of your interactive cycling map?

  • Confidence: High
    • Number of similar products: 11
  • Engagement: High
    • Average number of comments: 16
  • Net use signal: 11.7%
    • Positive use signal: 22.6%
    • Negative use signal: 10.9%
  • Net buy signal: -0.6%
    • Positive buy signal: 4.0%
    • Negative buy signal: 4.6%

This chart summarizes all the similar products we found for your idea in a single plot.

The x-axis represents the overall feedback each product received. This is calculated from the net use and buy signals that were expressed in the comments. The maximum is +1, which means all comments (across all similar products) were positive, expressed a willingness to use & buy said product. The minimum is -1 and it means the exact opposite.

The y-axis captures the strength of the signal, i.e. how many people commented and how does this rank against other products in this category. The maximum is +1, which means these products were the most liked, upvoted and talked about launches recently. The minimum is 0, meaning zero engagement or feedback was received.

The sizes of the product dots are determined by the relevance to your idea, where 10 is the maximum.

Your idea is the big blueish dot, which should lie somewhere in the polygon defined by these products. It can be off-center because we use custom weighting to summarize these metrics.

Similar products

Relevance

I built a map to find sign-posted cycling routes across Europe and POIs

09 Nov 2024 Maps

Excited to share an early version of my project - https://veloplanner.comIt's an interactive map where you can find signposted cycling routes (not MTB yet) and various POIs (campgrounds, shelters, viewpoints, and historic points). Everything is powered by OpenStreetMap.Currently, it only covers Europe since I wanted to limit hardware requirements. Even with just Europe, I needed an extra 1TB disk to handle data import. I'm planning to support the whole world in the near future.Right now it's just a viewer, but I plan to keep building and adding more features. Route planner will be main one to add. Also, I want to present detailed data about surfaces and bicycle infrastructure along the routes.Let me know what you think - any feedback is appreciated!Tech stack: - MapLibre + TypeScript (no frameworks) for map rendering - Planetiler to generate basemap - osm2pgsql, gdal and tippecanoe to generate POIs and route layers (routes require extra post processing, which I do in Elixir) - Web app is written in Elixir/PhoenixI'm hosting web app on Heroku and using Hetzner dedicated server to process OSM data.

Users generally appreciate the product, highlighting its ease of use and the usefulness of the water points feature. There is also interest in the technical aspect, specifically the use of Phoenix LiveView.

Users have pointed out that the service should include URLs for Points of Interest (POIs) from OpenStreetMap (OSM). Additionally, there are complaints about some fountains not being displayed on the map.

Avatar
11
3
66.7%
3
11
66.7%
Relevance

Bike route planner that follows almost only official bike trails

20 Nov 2024 Travel

Hey guys, I built a route planner that is mostly focused on bike touring and using existing bike infrastructure.For each request you're shown what bike tracks/trails your route uses and can further explore them by showing them on map or going to the official trail route.The main idea for the app is to have a friendly and easy to use planner that would make heavy use of official bike trails data (mainly from OpenStreetMap) and make it easy to plan a longer trip using the best possible bike routes out there.Currently the app only works for the Euro region but I'm planning to add North America very soon and then rest of the world.Technical overview: Route finding - Graphhopper sitting in a docker container on a Hetzner server somewhere in Germany. It has 38 GB of graph data(Europe) loaded into RAM for a fast graph traversal.Web App - Next.js 14 with Typescript, backend on the newest version of .NETMap tiles - right now I'm using MapTiler their free tier but planning to switch to my own home server soon and host the maps on it.

Users express a strong preference for mobile-friendly route planning, with many requesting a mobile app and highlighting issues with the current UI and route creation process. The ability to export routes to GPX is a common request, as is the need for better error handling and memory efficiency. Some users prefer planning on a computer with a monitor and mouse, but there's a consensus that mobile functionality is essential, especially for on-the-go adjustments and multi-day trips. The project is praised for its concept and GUI, but criticized for mobile usability issues and the lack of certain features like adding multiple points and waymarked routes. There's also interest in backend integration and expansion to North America. The $10 monthly subscription cost is debated, with some finding it reasonable and others too high. Overall, users are excited about the potential but desire improvements and additional features.

The Show HN product has received criticism for its mobile UI being unsuitable for complex tasks, confusing, and having routing issues. Users find the GPX feature limiting and the route planning process cumbersome, with specific complaints about waypoint management and lack of alternative routes. The app's performance on mobile devices, particularly on small screens, is also criticized. There are concerns about the app's regional availability, error handling, and language localization. Additionally, users are dissatisfied with the subscription model's cost and the app's lack of new or unique features compared to existing solutions.

Avatar
279
138
11.6%
-0.7%
138
279
24.6%
5.1%
Relevance

Manymap – Route Planner for Hiking, Biking with Real-Time Collaboration

11 Apr 2023 Travel Maps

Hey everyone, I'm Alex! I have been organizing expeditions and hikes for nine years, and I can't live without outdoor adventures. Part of preparing for them is route planning. So with my team, we've made a route planner for outdoor enthusiasts to use ourselves.Also, we've added a collaboration mode. You can create the route with friends like in Figma.If you are outdoorsy like me, try it and tell me what you think! People's feedback is crucial for us now!

Detailed local maps valuable for planning.

Avatar
3
1
-100.0%
1
3
Relevance

Citymapper 11 - CLUB features are now available to all

28 Apr 2023 Android Travel Transportation

Instantly compare your travel options in real-time across all transport modes globally! Easily navigate your city with turn-by-turn directions for all your public transportation, walking, cycling and scooter trips.

Citymapper CLUB features are now free following VIA's acquisition, generating excitement among users who appreciate the service and anticipate improved route access. Users congratulate the launch and suggest revisiting the product in the future.

The primary criticism is that the comment appears to be largely self-promotional, which detracts from its value and relevance to the Product Hunt launch.

Avatar
106
4
25.0%
4
106
25.0%
Relevance

Route Generator - Adventure awaits you

08 Oct 2024 Travel Biking Maps

Explore new routes tailored to your preferred mode of travel—whether walking, driving, biking, or cycling. This app generates personalized paths to make every journey an enjoyable adventure, no matter how you choose to move!

Avatar
3
3
Relevance

Google Maps Extended Routes - Advanced tools and features for Google Maps routes planning

09 Dec 2024 Travel Maps Chrome Extensions

Painless long routes planning in Google Maps. Pefect for cyclists and motorbikers. - Extend routes beyond 10 points - Make mobile-friendly - Optimize for shorter travel - Export to GPX, KML, Apple Maps, TomTom, etc - Split, reverse, append stops

Users are enthusiastic about the extension for optimizing Google Maps routes, particularly for cyclists. They express frustration with the native Google Maps' route limitations and desire features like GPX export. The extension addresses a significant need for improved route customization.

Users express frustration over the previous inability to perform a specific action. A key criticism highlights Google Maps' limitations in route planning, particularly concerning GPX export functionality.

Avatar
149
3
66.7%
3
149
66.7%
Relevance

Modz AI - If Google Maps had an AI companion

14 Jun 2023 Travel Transportation Maps

Meet Modz! 👋 Your route planning AI companion. Ask it to make a playlist to match the scenic route, podcast to cover your work commute or even whether it's safe to walk or bike.

A user requested the app be included in a directory and offered help with AI listing. Another user praised the idea but preferred integration into existing maps rather than a new app.

The primary criticism is that the product is "another maps app," implying a lack of unique value or differentiation in a saturated market. Users don't see a need for a new maps application.

Avatar
82
2
50.0%
2
82
50.0%
Relevance

Visualise all your Strava Activities

28 Oct 2023 Productivity

I was on a run and thought it would be cool to see which roads I've taken most and the ones I haven't taken yet.This is what my map looks like in London! https://raw.githubusercontent.com/behlock/strava-x/main/asse...Have fun creating your own map :)

Shared running map in London, encourages others to create maps.

Avatar
1
1
1
1
Top