MTB Project Hack 4.5.4 + Redeem Codes

Update: the newest update has alleviated my issues below, I now use the app again for searching and planning (vs website before). Back to being a great app and easy to use for what you need. Thanks!

Do your self a favor and use the website... it’s what the app use to be. It’s so hard now in the mobile app to select the trial / ride you want. Your scroll horizontally which means you only see 1 at a time, and it never selects the most popular/common ride now (it use to). How it automatically goes to the trail main screen when you select one vs “view on map” is not as good.
Please bring back the old version, or at least bring back vertical scroll/select of the trails (when looking at a map, because realistically, I’ve never known anyone use the list/search view. I ride with 10+ people who use this)

Been using the app for years and it’s gone from a great tool to a not-so-useful and unreliable frustrating tool. The old UI was much more intuitive, simple, clean, and more than anything reliable. At this point with every update it’s a new set of issues. Either direction links don’t work, map manipulation doesn’t work, buttons to toggle screens don’t work, trail selection doesn’t work, search doesn’t work, etc. I understand the desire to feature bloat the app with all sorts of nifty things and having to rebuild the app in a way to allow that to happen is no easy feat...but it’s really feeling like there was a lack of QA testing or something. I mean some of the most common basic workflows such as “open app, search for trail, click on trail” do not work reliably. As the months have passed with this new version it’s becoming more and more of a thing where I end up force quitting and restarting over and over and trying to figure out how to get into the screen I want to see by some back door way and it’s super frustrating. Appreciate the work put in and for years of a super useful app/tool but it seems most of my fellow riders, even ones who never used the old version, feel this app is struggling. In an effort to add features 1% of users will even use at all the majority of the user base is frustrated and scratching their heads. The feedback is pretty clear. Hopefully the bugs can get hammered out so this thing can be enjoyed like it was previously.

It lets you record a ride but it’s buggy.

Sometimes it will stop recording and you have the start it a second time then it seems to work so long as you don’t switch apps.

The sample rate need to be improved. Winding trails can’t be captured well and will show a shorter distance than reality.

You can’t change the view on the map while it’s recording.

If you’re recoding while riding an existing trail it doesn’t help with forks or directions and again you can zoom to check on the map your self.

The app needs a way to take pictures while recording a ride and the ability to add a note and a way to submit that photo and note as a trail issue or a correction to a trail or route.

Even if you can get a clean trail recorded even then there is no way to export the ride in the app or make it in to a trail or anything. If you try and add a trail it just dumps to a website that can’t pull any info from the app. Even if you try and use the website it doesn’t use the same map layers / sat view as the app so it will not line up right or may show in one and not the other. Disappointing.

At this time It’s better to not use the recording feature at all.

This app should be fixed so trail makers can upload an in progress trail system and update as it expands. This is a primary suggested use of the app based in the name in the first place after all and should be a focus for further development.

MTB Project is an awesome resource for ride planning, whether in a new area or one I’m already familiar with. There are a couple quirks that I have learned to live with, but I would love to see improved.

First, elevation change always seems to be at least 10% less than what my Garmin or Strava on my iPhone indicates. I’ve had rides with more than a 20% discrepancy between MTB Project, my Garmin, and Strava.

Second, I wish I could leave a comment or add a trail photo without doing so through my computer. Often I would like to make a helpful comment after riding a trail, but it’s too much effort to go login through a computer later—so I just don’t bother. Ditto for uploading photos. I almost always take a few photos when I ride and upload to Strava, but it’s way too much effort to get those photos from my phone, to my computer, and into MTB Project. Sure, maybe I’m lazy. But that’s why I use MTB Project to make sure I hit the best downhills in the right direction!

I was super stoked when I first heard about this mapping app for mountain bike trails, so I made an account and began submitting all my favorite trails in my local riding area. For some reason, when you go to submit a trail, MTB Project wants you to add a bunch of information about the trail, including a super detailed description. This is kinda ridiculous if your are submitting a trail that you don’t the full details, like if dogs are allowed or not. Also, when I went to submit some of my trails, MTB Project rejected them because they “weren’t legal”, or “not visible on an official map”, or “is on private property”. This is SOOO maddening after filling in a bunch of info (as well as plotting GPS points on a map) and have someone dump your work in the trash! I believe there should be more freedom in choosing your trails to ride instead of heavily depending on “official maps”. If you want a trail map site that lets you plot trails anywhere, regardless of what type of land it’s on, I HIGHLY recommend switching Trailforks!

Used the app on a long ride that I was doing for the first time that was out of cell service range. The app keep the map even without service. I had flagged the ride as "to do"; so maybe that helped keep the map stored. Since the ride was multiple hours, I didn't keep my phone out. But just consulted it half a dozen times to check my progress and verify that I had taken the correct turns/branches on the trail. Reentering the app, the app didn't automatically update my location. I had to reselect the map each time from my "to do" list. But once doing so my position updated immediately. Really invaluable tool. I also had the trail map but you often you have no idea when on the map you are. Gave great peace of mind to reduce energy needed for orienteering.

Recently used MTBProject when heading up to ride some new trails in Indiana. Brown County has a ton of different trails to ride so it's pretty intimidating going there for the first time without anyone to guide you around. Using MTBProject I managed to navigate the trail system and do a super incredible loop put together using the maps and elevation plots on the app. Coolest feature I found was when riding up hill, you can pull up the elevation chart on the app and a little black dot pops up on the hill you're climbing and shows how much further up hill you have. The app also tracks exactly where you are on the trail so you know when to look out for connecting trails and such. Unbelievably helpful and was super impressed. Not sure how any mountain biker can get by without it.

This has been one of the best apps I’ve found for MTB trail locations that other apps trying to map “everything” seem to miss. My one complaint, and NOT with the app, is there should absolutely be 2 different ratings for any trails (MTB, hiking, etc) cause as a 40something YOF trying to get back to riding and in shape, that 20something year old’s rating is WAY too much for me 😀😅.

So MTB, here is your chance to reach those of us working at getting back to 20something (ok...maybe 30something!) shape and start the next big trend! (But you can’t make the trail rating markers chubby women in spandex...cause I know someone there was thinking it 🤣)

Oh and thanks for the great app too!

I love this app! It’s easy to use. The stats are always accurate. Driving directions are accurate. And love how I can rate and leave comments. And I also read others comments too! My favorite feature is the top rides in your area. Gives great ideas for rides. I even found some rides in my area I didn’t know about. Love it!

One thing I’d like to change is the check in feature. Most of the time right after a ride or the day of ride I don’t leave a rating and review. I like to come back and do that. Can the check in feature have a select a date feature and not just be for that day?

Great information, great concept. I just wish the app was more functional/intuitive...needs some UX/UI help. Finding trails is pretty easy, the detail and information on them is clear and well structured. But within the map interface, knowing when you’re looking at a trail vs a trail system is confusing. Same with which views allow you to see the “trail list” button, which is key for seeing all trails within a particular map view. Sometimes that appears and sometimes it doesn’t. (I wish I could tell you when it does and doesn’t). Overall I like the app. I just find myself wondering FAR too often, “how do I find X” or “what view am I in? How do I get back to what I was looking at before?” With some UI love it would be 5 stars for sure.