Cyclan help
Cyclan plans bike rides on small, rideable roads and is built for road bikes. Here is how everything works.
Quick start
- On the start page choose Try without an account, or sign in with Google or a code by email.
- At the top choose Route to go from A to B, or Loop to end up back at the start.
- Set the start by double-clicking the map or by searching for a place. On a phone, double-tap or press and hold the map.
- For a route, set the destination and it appears by itself. For a loop, set the length and click Find loops.
Plan a route
A route runs from a start through as many points as you like to a destination. It recalculates by itself after every change, so there is no button to press. While it calculates, the old line stays in place and an indicator above the map shows the progress.
- Search for a place: Type a place or address into the search box and pick a result. In the window on the map you decide whether it becomes the start, destination or a waypoint.
- Round trip: With the “Loop – back to the start” switch, the route ends by returning to the first point.
- My location: The crosshair button jumps to your position if you allow it.
Edit points
- Add: A new point slots itself into the right place, in the section it lies next to. If it lies beyond the destination, it becomes the new destination.
- Move: Drag a point to another place on the map.
- Change the order: In the list, drag a point by the six dots next to its name.
- Remove: Click the × in the list, or right-click the point.
- Undo, Reverse, Clear: These buttons are further down the sidebar. Reverse flips the direction of travel.
The sliders
The sliders decide which roads Cyclan prefers. They apply to routes and loops. The small i next to each slider explains it right in the planner.
| Slider | Effect |
|---|---|
| Surface | Avoids unpaved tracks, cobbles and roads of unknown surface. At “paved only”, unpaved tracks are closed. |
| Prefer small roads | Prefers paved farm roads, cycle paths and local streets and avoids secondary and minor roads. Main roads are always avoided. |
| Nature | Prefers small roads along woods, rivers and lakes. |
| Climbing | For routes, sets how strongly climbs are avoided. For loops, it also deliberately picks flatter or hillier rides. |
| Bigger roads downhill, smaller roads uphill | Takes longer, steeper descents on secondary and minor roads by preference, and climbs a little more on small roads. |
Plan a loop
The loop planner finds rides that start and end at the same place, without you having to set points.
- Switch to Loop at the top and set the start.
- Set the length, for example 40 to 60 km. Anything from 5 to 300 km is possible.
- Click Find loops.
- You get up to three suggestions. Click one in the list, or its grey line on the map, to view it.
The search usually takes a few seconds to about a minute. The button shows the progress, and Cancel stops it. Loops with attractive roads, little town and as little doubled road as possible come first.
- Add a point: With “+ Add point” you choose up to five places the loop should pass through.
- Other loops: This button searches in other directions for more suggestions.
Narrow valleys and mountains often have only a few roads. Cyclan then finds fewer loops, or the way out and back share a stretch.
Edit a loop
Edit loop below the suggestions moves the selected loop into route mode, where it becomes a round trip with all its points. You can add, move and remove points as on any route, and the ride recalculates. The suggestions stay in the Loop tab in case you want to go back to them.
Read the route
- Distance, Uphill, Time: The time is a cautious estimate from length and climbing. Enter your own speed at “Time at avg.” and it applies to all tours. “Estimate” brings the estimate back.
- Elevation profile: The colours show the gradient. Move the mouse over the profile or the route to see position, height and gradient.
- Way types and surface: The bars show how much of the route runs on which roads and surfaces. Click an entry to highlight those stretches on the map.
- Warnings: A notice appears if a route uses mountain paths or a ferry.
Weather and wind
Under Weather & wind you choose the day and start time for the next seven days. Cyclan shows temperature, rain and wind along the route and how much of it is headwind or tailwind. If there is a better start time, the page says so. On round trips it also suggests riding the other way round if the wind is then more favourable.
Along the way: water, food, trains
This section lists places along the route, such as drinking water, bakeries, cafés, supermarkets, petrol stations, bike shops, repair stations, train stations and toilets. The data comes from OpenStreetMap, which has no opening hours here, so check them before you ride.
Map and layers
The Map button opens the choice of Standard, Terrain and Satellite (with an account). Below that you can switch on layers:
- Main roads, showing only single-carriageway ones where cycling is allowed, plus secondary and minor roads
- Cycle paths
- Paved and Unpaved, from zoom level 13
- Drinking water and Supermarkets, from zoom level 15
The button with the line makes the route transparent, so you can see what lies beneath it, for example on the satellite image.
Street images
The camera button shows road photos from the open project Panoramax. Available images appear as lines on the map, and a click opens the photo. “Set point here” turns it into a waypoint. That way you can check a road’s surface in advance. Alternatively, the page opens the spot in Google Maps in a new tab. Esc ends the mode. Images are not available everywhere.
Tours and account
- Without an account: On the start page choose Try without an account. You can then plan routes with up to 5 points and search for loops 3 times a day. Saving, sharing, GPX export and satellite images need a free account. When you sign in, your current tour stays.
- Save: The button saves the tour with a name under My tours. With your account it is on all your devices.
- Open: When you open a tour, it is recalculated with the saved settings.
- Export and import: Under My tours you can back up all tours as a file.
- Sign out: This empties the browser. Your tours stay in your account.
- Delete account: You find this under My tours. It also removes all your tours from the server.
Sharing
Share creates a short link that appears in chats with a map image, length and climbing. On a phone the share menu opens, on a computer the link is copied. Anyone who opens the link can view the tour without an account and download it as GPX. Editing or saving requires signing in.
GPX
- Export: The GPX button downloads the route as a file you can transfer to your bike computer or its app.
- Import: Use the same button to load a GPX file. The route is shown exactly as it is. If you change a point, Cyclan recalculates it with your settings.
On your phone
- Slide the panel: The settings sit in a panel along the bottom edge. Drag it up or down by the handle. It has three heights: collapsed, half and almost fully open.
- Set points: Double-tap the map or press and hold it.
- Collapsed: The panel then shows only distance, climbing and time. A tap on the handle opens it again.
Settings
Under Settings at the end of the sidebar you choose the language (German, English, French, Italian, Spanish) and the units (kilometres or miles).
If something goes wrong
- “No rideable way”: A point is probably off the network. Move it onto a road or set the surface one step lower.
- No loop found: Change the start or the length, or try “Other loops”.
- The route takes a long time: Calculation runs on a public service that throttles when it gets many requests. Cyclan then retries by itself.
- The login code does not arrive: Check your spam folder. The code is valid for 10 minutes.
Routes are calculated automatically from open data and can contain errors. Check for yourself on the road whether a way is rideable and allowed.
You will find more answers under Questions & answers. Otherwise write to kontakt@cyclan.app.