London Cyclist Blog » bike computer

Turn your mobile phone into the perfect cycling computer and save around £300

Andreas — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 13:08:37 +0000

Most people already have the perfect device for tracking their cycling and following great cycling routes. Their mobile phone. The only problem is the majority of the time they just leave it in their pockets and don’t think about it until they get a call reminding them to pickup some milk on the way home. If you are an iPhone or Android user then you can easily duplicate the functionality of a £300 – £400 device for the price of a bike mount and perhaps a mobile charger. In the video below I take a look at the Mobile Power Station from Mobile Fun.

I’ve covered all the things you need to turn your mobile phone into the perfect cycling computer before:

The great thing is that compared to spending £300+ on a Garmin GPS you get most of the functionality (minus heart rate monitor) for around £40. Which is the cost of a good bike mount. I know I mostly talk about the iPhone as that is the only device I have but you can replicate most of these techniques on any phone. Unfortunately Nokia devices and so forth have been a little slow to catch on to the application market so your best bet if you don’t have an iPhone is an Android.

If you are interested in some kind of iPhone cover or the iPhone charger shown in the video it costs just under £40 and is available from Mobile Fun.

Have you thought about doing this? Is there anything holding you back? Or do you just not really not care about tracking your cycling!? Leave a comment…

Cycling apps for the Android

Andreas — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 11:51:48 +0000

I’ve shown the iPhone a lot of love previously here on London Cyclist for the simple reason that it is the phone I use. However, when I released my Bike Doctor application, there was a ton of emails asking me about if there would be an Android version. So I figure it’s about time I spread the love to the Android mobile users out there. After all they are 200,000 Androids activated everyday according to recent news. Here is a list of applications for cyclists with an Android phone. Oh, and yes, Bike Doctor will be making its way over soon too.

Bike Doctor

Bike Doctor for the Android looks after your bike by providing instructions to the 24 most common bike repairs. Using it helps you save money by avoiding expensive trips to the bike shop. Each repair comes with a colour picture and a short, clear description of what you need to do to get your bike fixed.

Find out more in this post: Bike repair on your Android

Cycling GPS trackers for the Android

SportsTracker

SportsTracker which is integrated with Facebook and Twitter allows you to track your cycling and monitor your performance. It shows you what speed you are moving at, a map, the distance you’ve covered and plenty of other similar stats. The free version holds a total of 5 tracks. The application can also be hooked up to a heart rate and cadence sensor to give you even more information. It generally comes well recommended from its users. This comes in a free and a paid version. The paid version costs £5.99.

My Tracks

My Tracks is a free Android application by Google allowing you to GPS track your cycling and export it to view on Google My Maps. It is pretty well refined and well trusted. Great for keeping track of your routes. It also has plenty of statistics such as speed, distance and elevation.

BreadCrumbz

BreadCrumbz is an app I came across by mistake and I’m so glad I did. It is a really innovative way of sharing routes with friends. You can add photos of way pointers and tag points of interest. You can then share the routes online and discover routes other people have added.

SportyPal

SportyPal similarly to all the other apps shows speed, distance, tempo, pace, altitude and calories burnt. It will graph your performance and also display your route on a map. The app provides voice feedback and also links in with the social networks. The app is free to download.

RunTastic

RunTastic links in with the online community to allow you to upload your training data. The app comes in both a lite version with adverts and a professional paid version. It allows you to track all the classic things and has a nice clean design that is easy to use.

AboveRoad

AboveRoad is a free app for the Android that tracks your GPS movements. It includes speed, distance, start, stop time and calories burnt. Unfortunately it doesn’t show the distance in miles for UK users.

RunKeeper

RunKeeper tracks all the classic things and is a fairly well designed app although could do with a little added functionality. It also links in with a good online community which is where this app becomes useful.

EveryTrail

EveryTrail allows you to capture your route on a map using the GPS and also includes functionality to add any pictures you take. It links in with their online community.

CardioTrainer

CardioTrainer is an excellent workout trainer. It integrates with your music player and has clever features such as an autopause when you are stopped at traffic lights. The premium version for $2.99 also has weight loss and race against yourself functionality. A great, refined cycling and running app for the Android.

Gear Calculator

FixedGears allows you to calculate gearing ratios.

Cycle Hire Scheme on Android

The various cycle hire schemes throughout the world are well catered for on the Android. In London there are applications such as London Cycle Hire Live which costs 50p and Cycle Hire Widget which is available from the Android Market for free.

Please feel free to leave any app recommendations for cyclists you have in the comments.

See also:

Bike computer guide

Andreas — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 10:30:00 +0000

Bike computers add an interesting extra dimension to cycling. In their simplest form they tell you your speed and the distance you have travelled. The more complicated ones will give you much more information such as your pedal revolutions. They can be useful for improving performance or simply for curiosity sake to see how many miles you have covered this week or whether one route is shorter than another.

Plus it’s a lot of fun to keep beating your highest speed!

As with all our other guides I’ll take you through what things to look for in a good bike computer and then I’ll pick out some of the latest and greatest bike computers that are well regarded.

What to look for

Ease of use – many come with just one button but often that can make it tougher to use. Other things to look for include well sized and designed buttons so you can quickly tap them while you are cycling. Keep in mind that if you are wearing cycling gloves the buttons will be harder to press.

Setup process – Often where bike computers stumble is in the setup process when you need to input your wheel size for accurate calculations.

Wired vs. wireless – a lot of the newer bike computers are now wireless. This makes them slightly more expensive but is usually worth it for simplicity. Avoid the cheapest wireless ones as the accuracy is likely to not be very good.

Mount – It should be possible to very quickly remove the bike computer when you reach your destination. Also the mount should be easy to fit and not wobble whilst cycling.

Display – You want a clear display so you can check stats without taking your eyes off the road for too long. The larger screens usually mean you can fit in more statistics which is a bonus.

Functions – Checkout the list of functions to see if it provides you with the statistics you need. Ask yourself which ones you are genuinely interested in.

Well recommended bike computers

Sigma BC 906 (Under £20)

At the entry level there is a lot of competition but the Sigma BC wins out thanks to its clear display, accuracy and good range of basic functions. It is wired so you will need to securely strap down the wire so it doesn’t cause problems. On the plus side this means there isn’t any interference with other similar devices. The only problem that really plagues this device is the difficult instructions that make the initial programming tough. Once you manage to battle through that though this is a reliable little device that will serve you well.

Click here to check it out

Cateye Strada Wireless Cycle Computer (£40)

Towards the higher end of the bike computer scales is the CatEye Strada. You’ll fall in love with the nice slim design, the ease of use and the big clear screen. Rather than fiddly buttons you simply press the body of the computer towards the base of it. This ends up working really well, even with cycling gloves on. The setup process has been well thought out and is easy to do. On the downside the lack of backlight means in the dark it is tough to read the display. Whilst the list of functions will be perfect for most, more advanced riders may be looking for more.

Click here to check it out

Knog N.E.R.D 12 function wireless (£45)

This is likely to be the easiest bike computer you will ever use. The simplicity begins at the installation stage. Thanks to the silicon casing it takes no time whatsoever to attach to the handlebars. Setting the computer up involves a quick input of your wheel size and you are good to go. In terms of operation you simply press down on the entire unit to change to the next screen. There is a clear display and you even get a graph comparing your current and average speed. The Knog is a little on the pricey side but no doubt its simplicity will appeal to many.

Click here to check it out

Bike apps for the iPhone

Andreas — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 11:41:26 +0000

I finally took the plunge and purchased an iPhone. The main reason why? All the great cycling related apps that are available. In this post I will take you through the all the bike applications so that you can compare them and choose the best apps for you. If you really want to get the most out of your iPhone for cycling then I’ve written an eBook called the iPhone Cyclist that covers over 65 applications.

Bike maintenance on the iPhone

Bike Doctor

When you are out cycling the chances are you don’t carry big heavy bike maintenance books with you just in case something goes wrong. Technology or more specifically the iPhone comes to the rescue. The Bike Doctor App has 20 repairs that you can easily follow step-by-step. The repairs are written in such a way that even a complete bike maintenance beginner can understand them. There are big plans for this App with version 2 promising more emergency style repairs and bike safety check functionality.

Bike Doctor Website

London Bike Rides

If on the lookout for great places to cycle in London then the London Bike Rides iPhone app will appeal. It contains 30 routes through the capital and out into the surrounding area. From easy 6 mile routes that help you discover new parts of London to longer 25-30 mile routes that road cyclists look for. It’s a great little app for London cyclists.

Bike route tracking on the iPhone

The below comparison table gives an overview of the functionality of the route tracking apps:

The limitation you need to be aware of with most of these apps is that they will rapidly run down the battery and are heavily dependent on GPS signal quality.

EveryTrail

The EveryTrail app comes in both free and paid flavours. I paid for the full version which meant I could track an unlimited number of trips. In the free version you are limited to three. The best use of the Everytrail bike app is for following cycling routes as you can import any rides listed on the EveryTrail website. You can also track your route and tag any pictures along the way. One of the most useful functions is the ability to download offline Open Cycle Maps which is great for saving battery or for using the app abroad when you don’t have access to a 3G network.

Trails

Trails allows you to record, import and export your bike routes. Of all the apps I reviewed this is the one that does this best. When importing routes you simply search on popular croute tracking sites or you import a GPX file. When exporting, you can either export to EveryTrail or to an email address. This makes it perfect for sharing with others.

When tracking your cycling the iPhone screen is locked so that no buttons are pressed by mistake. Also, battery life is conserved as the map is not being constantly loaded unless you ask it to. There is also functionality to edit waypoints and listen to music/receive call whenever. Trails is very well designed and is the bike app I use most often. There is also a lite version available with more limited functionality.

Cycle Meter

This is my new favourite bike app for tracking my cycling and it’s the same for lots of people out there as it consistently performs highly in the iPhone app store (plenty of 5 star ratings). Cycle Meter for the iPhone by Abvio is a complete solution that works very simply. When you are at the beginning of your bike ride you tap the start button, the timer begins and you get a load of stats such as Ride Time, Distance, Speed and Average. At the end all your rides are stored on your iPhone and can be viewed again.

MotionX

There are two versions of MotionX available - I took a look at the lite version. Tracking your bike route is simple. You simply tap the start button and set off then tap the stop button to stop. Thankfully there is a lock button on the bottom left that stops you tapping buttons when the iPhone is in your pocket. Similarly to the Trails app there is a variety of map formats to choose from. In MotionX you can also control your iPod at the same time from within the app.

iMapMyRide

iMapMyRide is an okay app, the problem lies with iMapMyRide.com. It is so full of adverts it is impossible to use. The GPS signal quality was also a little variable. It is a useful bike app for anyone that uses iMapMyRide.com frequently.

Cychosis

Cychosis works in a different way to the rest of the iPhone bike applications. You manually enter your ride details into the application. Therefore you need a separate bike computer. The app then keeps a history of all your rides. This works well for those that don’t want their route tracked by GPS which can be a heavy burden on battery life.

More iPhone bike apps!

Bike GPS

Drivers have their Tom Tom and the UK’s cyclists have their Bike Hub. Great bike app for the iPhone where you pick your starting point and destination and follow a bike friendly route. Oh, and it’s completely free!

London Bike Shop

London Bike Shop shows you the nearest bike shop if you are in London. It also includes listings of bike cafe’s and mobile bike repair services.

The Bike Computer

Having a bicycle computer is one of the most fun (And geeky!) gadgets you can have on a bike. I’m always spending way too long looking at my bike computer trying to break my speed record.

The problem with porting this great gadget over to the iPhone is that the GPS function can work with varying success which can obviously skew your results heavily. None the less, this is a great little free app to have and I recommend it to all cyclists.

Bicycle Gear Calculator

Great application to have on your iPhone though you can just as easily use Sheldon Brown’s Tool. It allows you to calculate gear ratio and gain ratio. It costs $4.99 (£2.99).

Brake Lights

Hook it up to the back of your bag and you get a bicycle brake light for $1 (£0.59). Novel idea but it is probably ten times more useful to buy an actual bike light!

Using your iPhone for cycling: Taking it to the next level!

The applications listed here are just skimming the surface of all of the capabilities of the iPhone. If you wish to get the most out of it then I recommend taking a look at the iPhone Cyclist eBook.

Related to bike apps for the iPhone:

3 new cycling iPhone apps
Mount your iPhone to your bike
Review of Bicio GoRide iPhone bike mount
Using GPS coordinates for cycling (including on iPhone)