FAQs

General questions

Supertrail maps are researched by map compilers who have received special training. This ensures a consistent difficulty rating across countries and regions.
Some members of the Supertrail map team have already been riding the singletrack trails of the world for over 25 years. Some of them are specialist writers for magazines/newspapers and books on mountain biking, and have contributed their extensive experience to the compilation of maps. Also we of course continually receive new suggestions from mountain biking friends and from Supertrail map users.
Some trails can only be ridden downhill and so are not given an uphill rating. Even if a trail can also be ridden uphill, but there is a better trail in the immediate vicinity, then the uphill rating is not provided. An uphill rating is also not provided for certain trails with constant downhill traffic from freeriders and downhill bikers, for example in a bike park or in an area served by lift shuttles.
A Supertrail map guarantees consistent difficulty ratings across countries and regions. All map compilers have been given special training for their research and take part in regular refresher courses. Each biking area is looked after by a single map compiler. All the trails in a particular region are biked and rated. The maps have a high degree of completeness and precision. Supertrail maps are only produced for the best biking areas. When a Supertrail map has been produced for an area, that's a sure guarantee that you will find several hundred kilometres of the best singletracks in that area. To make it easier to seek out the best trails, all highlight trails are specially marked.
Supertrail maps are printed on special tear-resistant and waterproof material which is much more expensive than conventional map paper. The maps are based on highly accurate survey maps for which licence fees must be paid. Our map compilers are also paid for biking and researching all the trails. We do not rely on a randomly chosen bunch of writers going around trails each with their own idea of difficulty and somehow throwing together a map.
Supertrail maps are not printed on paper, but on a waterproof and tear-resistant material which is all but indestructible.
We put a high priority on the best possible print quality, because that ensures that details on a scale of 1:50 000 map remain perfectly legible. Our experience with the Tyvek material used by some competitors shows that although the end product is more scratch-resistant, the dullness and texture of the surface mean the map is difficult to read. Ultimately, we put a higher priority on legibility.
The 1:50 000 scale is for us the optimal compromise between detailed accuracy and the need to cover a reasonable-sized area. Detailed information is missing at a scale of 1:100 000 while at 1:25 000 only an insufficient area can be covered. In practice that means: we can cover the Lake Garda region with two maps, but at a scale of 1:25 000 we would need six to eight maps.

Dealer

Yes, the Supertrail maps will be available both at cycle stores and at book shops.
Yes, we are happy to supply specialist retail outlets. We will be happy to provide full information and price lists on request.