Small team. Big (s)miles 😊
Byker is independent. There are no investors to answer to: just riders building the app we wanted to use.
How Byker came to life
Byker started with a familiar frustration. The best rides we'd had came from a mate's tip, a scribbled list of B-roads or a detour someone swore by, yet the apps we planned with didn't know any of it. They couldn't tell a great road from a dull one, put the basics behind a subscription, and showed little care for where our rides began and ended.
So we set out to build the route planner we wanted: one that joins up the roads you choose, lets riders describe them in their own words, and keeps the essentials free. To make free sustainable, Byker runs on its own server with its own maps, routing and search, instead of paying another company every time a rider looks at a map.
It grew one ride at a time: a planner, then sharing and ratings, then events, clubs, chats, ride recording and speed camera alerts, each shaped by what riders asked for. Today Byker is made in the UK for UK riders, and it gets better with every road you share.
Our moderators
Trusted riders who review reports and keep Byker a friendly place to share rides.
You, the riders
Every published ride, photo, rating and event is made by riders. Byker is only as good as the roads you share.
Tell us what you think
Ideas, bugs, a road we've mapped wrong? We read everything. Tell us here.