Software business lessons learned from bike-trailing apps !

This August, as already mentioned in a previous post, I spent time in the beautiful mountain town of Arosa, Switzerland. To explore the bike trails, I turned to tech, Google, Google Maps, ChatGPT, and a handful of dedicated trail apps.

To my surprise, ChtaGPT outperformed Google in helping me discover the best routes, but I also tested a few popular biking apps:

❌ AllTrails → Overly complicated UI. Too many options = no options.

❌ komoot → I couldn’t even log in. Support reached out, but if I can’t start, the product already failed.

👍 BikeKingdom.ch → Perfect for Arosa/Lenzerheide/Chur. Web-based, no installation needed. Simple, effective.

From this little adventure, a few timeless software business lessons stand out:

 📌  Simplicity wins. Every extra click or option creates friction.

 📌  One-click access is gold. If installation or complex login gets in the way, users drop off.

 📌 Responsive web apps beat native. As a user, I want instant access. As a developer, I don’t want to pay Apple and Google’s tolls.

❌ And a final note: Google Maps was nearly useless in the Arosa mountains. Once you leave the main roads, it just doesn’t work.

💡 Sometimes the toughest trails teach the clearest business lessons.