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Why I built OffTrail

I've been riding adventure motorcycles for years.

For navigation, I always preferred dedicated GPS devices. Not because they were particularly modern or convenient, but because I could never find an app — especially on iOS — that worked the way I wanted.

I wanted something simple, fast and functional.

Load a GPX. See where I'm going. Ride.

So I kept using my dedicated GPS. It got older, slower and increasingly outdated, until eventually it stopped working altogether.

That left me with two options: buy another dedicated GPS, or finally move navigation to a phone, either mounted on the bike or through CarPlay.

I looked at the available apps again.

And I still couldn't find what I wanted.

So I built it.

Adventure motorcycle riding a dusty gravel trail, with more riders following behind

It was supposed to be just for me.

The first version of OffTrail was an iOS app simply because I use an iPhone.

There was no business plan, no launch strategy and no intention of building another navigation platform.

I just wanted the navigation app I couldn't find.

Then a few riding friends saw it.

They wanted it too.

So I put OffTrail on the App Store.

Then other riders started finding it. Some of them asked the obvious question:

“What about Android?”

So Android happened too.

Adventure rider standing next to a mud-covered motorcycle at the end of an off-road event

And then things got a little out of hand.

What started as a personal project a little over two months ago now has around 900 active installations across iOS and Android, all around the world.

We've done no advertising.

No launch campaign.

Just word of mouth.

People have been finding OffTrail, using it, telling other riders about it, and sending us ideas about what would make it better.

And that's pretty much how we're still building it.

Adventure motorcycle stopped on a quiet gravel road through a forest

Built for riding, not for managing an app.

OffTrail isn't trying to replace every mapping, planning or adventure platform out there.

The idea is much simpler:

Pick a route. Then ride.

Import the GPX you already have. Create a route when you don't. Take the maps offline. Put your phone on the bike or use CarPlay or Android Auto.

And go ride.

Every feature has to earn its place.

Because the reason OffTrail exists in the first place is that I couldn't find a navigation app that stayed out of the way.

I'd like to keep it that way.

OffTrail — See what you're missing.

Ricardo Costa
Creator of OffTrail · Adventure rider
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