The best cycling YouTube channels show you more than the view from the bars. They show you the speed on the climb, the heart rate at the summit, the elevation profile ticking up in the corner. That live data turns a ride video into something a viewer can feel, not just watch.

Adding GPS overlays used to require complex software like Adobe Premiere with plugins, or dedicated tools like Dashware (discontinued) or Garmin VIRB Edit. Stamptivity's Overlay tool does the same thing in a browser tab — no install, no subscription.

What the Overlay Looks Like

You can add any combination of live gauges that update frame by frame as your video plays:

Speed — current speed in km/h or mph
Heart rate — BPM from your HR monitor
Elevation — current altitude in metres or feet
Cadence — pedalling cadence
Moving map — GPS dot tracking your position on your route
Elevation profile chart — your route's elevation with a moving cursor

Position them anywhere on the video — corner, bottom bar, overlaid on the sky — and drag to adjust.

What You'll Need

Your ride video (MP4, MOV, or WebM) from a GoPro, phone, or other camera
A GPX or FIT file from the same ride
A desktop browser (the tool requires a larger screen)

Step 1: Get Your Ride Video

Transfer the video from your camera to your computer. If you shot with a GoPro, export a full-quality MP4 from GoPro Quik, or use the original file from the SD card.

For best overlay quality:

Use the highest resolution file your machine can handle (1080p or 4K)
Don't re-encode the video before overlaying — work from the original

Step 2: Get Your GPS File

Export from wherever your GPS data lives:

Garmin Connect — How to export GPX from Garmin
Wahoo ELEMNT — How to export GPX from Wahoo
Strava — How to export GPX from Strava
GoPro footage (built-in GPS) — How to extract GoPro telemetry

Step 3: Load Both Into Stamptivity Overlay

Go to Stamptivity Overlay.

Load your video file in the left pane
Drop your GPX or FIT file in the GPS zone
The tool parses your telemetry and draws your route on the mini map

Step 4: Align the GPS to the Video

This is the only step that requires a bit of attention.

Press Play and watch the map dot. Find a moment you can identify precisely — the moment you start moving, a junction, a turn onto a recognisable road. Drag the time offset slider until the map dot is in the right place when that moment plays.

For most rides where you started recording GPS and video at roughly the same time, the offset is under 30 seconds.

Step 5: Add and Position Gauges

Click gauges in the panel to add them to the video canvas. Drag any gauge to reposition it. Common layouts for YouTube:

Bottom bar layout:

Speed and HR on the lower left
Map on the lower right
Elevation chart along the bottom edge

Minimal corner layout:

Just speed + map in the top-right corner
Keeps the main shot clean

Data-heavy layout (climbs, TT efforts):

Speed, HR, cadence, elevation all visible
Works well when the data is the story

Step 6: Export

Click Export to render the video with gauges burned in. Rendering time depends on video length and your machine's performance — typically 2–5 minutes for a 10-minute clip at 1080p.

The output is a standard MP4 ready to upload to YouTube.

Tips for YouTube Specifically

Don't cover faces or key action with gauges — position data in corners or along edges
Speed gauge placement: bottom-left or bottom-right is conventional and viewers expect it there
Heart rate during climbs tells the story better than speed — if you're doing a climb video, make HR prominent
For long rides, consider using just a highlight clip (10–15 minutes) rather than the full ride. Trim the source video first, then overlay — render time is proportional to video length
Thumbnail tip: after exporting, create a stats photo of the same ride using Stamptivity Stamp and use it as the YouTube thumbnail — same data, optimised for 16:9 static image

Workflow vs. Other Tools

	Stamptivity Overlay	Garmin VIRB Edit	Adobe Premiere + plugin
Cost	Free	Free	Subscription
Install required	No (browser)	Yes	Yes
Heart rate support	✓	✓	Depends on plugin
Moving map	✓	✓	Depends on plugin
GoPro GPMF native	No (convert first)	✓	Depends
Mac + Windows	✓	✓	✓

How to Make a Cycling YouTube Video with GPS Stats Overlay