Did someone say road trip? The sweet freedom of cruising on the open road, passing beautiful scenery and simply enjoying the ride is a rush that will be familiar to many motorcyclists. With navigation app Calimoto, finding your next amazing route is just around the bend.
Calimoto is designed to help you discover the best tours, while also taking care of the planning, navigation and tracking. “Our algorithm analyses different parameters such as road surface, landscape, number of curves, altitude, but also whether the road runs through a city, a village or the countryside,” says Hans-Joachim Allenfort, co-founder of Calimoto.
Portrait of Calimoto
Founded: March, 2016
Founders: Sebastian Dambeck, Luca Osten, Hans-Joachim Allenfort
Company headquarters: Potsdam, Germany
Fun fact: Only one third of the team actually ride motorcycles.
Popular in: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, UK, US.
Excursion planning and guidance
One of the app’s highlights is its round-trip planning, which spares you from getting lost while trying to figure everything out on your own. “If I have two hours to spare, Calimoto suggests a suitable tour,” Allenfort says. All it takes is a few steps in the app to save your route before heading off.
We’ve been able to compile a large database of motorcycle meeting points.– Hans-Joachim Allenfort, co-founder Calimoto
Based on the breaks taken by Calimoto’s users, Allenfort’s team are able to pinpoint the most beautiful spots on the routes listed in the app. “We’ve been able to compile a large database of motorcycle meeting points in this way,” he explains.
There are myriad other practical features that make Calimoto an indispensable road buddy. For example, the app’s voice announcements will guide you while you ride, so you can rest assured that you’re on the right route while your phone stays in your pocket – this also means you won’t need to have the display of your iPhone on, which is helpful for preserving battery while on longer tours.
Not only for motorcyclists
A short spin in the morning, a little test drive in the afternoon – it’s reasons like this that Allenfort took the rather unusual step of moving the company from the start-up hub of Berlin to nearby Potsdam. “In a big city, you don’t want to ride a motorcycle; it’s better in Potsdam,” he says.
The proximity to Berlin has nonetheless been beneficial. Thanks to the city’s many universities, he has no problem finding highly qualified employees on his doorstep who are passionate about the app – although not all of them are motorcyclists. But that’s not a problem for Allenfort, because the app offers so much more: it’s popular with those using scooters and e-bikes, and useful when navigating in a convertible or rental car.
With Calimoto, no matter where you are or what you’re driving, you can always find the best route for an unforgettable road trip.