Unless you’ve still got the old Nokia 5110, chances are you’ve got plenty of apps on your phone or tablet that help rule your life, from organising your social calendar, to writing your emails and documenting your barista’s latte art via Instagram. Apps are well and truly established as an essential part of almost any aspect of our lives – including our cycling.
Cycling Apps are starting to pop up on the smartphones of riding enthusiasts everywhere, and they’re continually becoming even smarter and more useful when it comes to tracking performance, finding trails and building fitness.
If you’re yet to jump on the cycling apps, we’ve put together a list of a few of our favourite apps that are out there at the moment.
Strava is one of the world’s most popular GPS tracking apps for cycling and running. It works on a number of devices including iPhone, Android and Garmin products, and tracks your ride, sending all the data to your online account for your review.
Strava was created to help you achieve your goals. It allows you to achieve ‘social fitness’, creating a unique community of challenge and motivation where you can compare results with friends.
Download from iTunes or Google Play.
Map my Ride is a multifaceted app which allows you to track your routes, activities and even your food to help you achieve your fitness goals. Plus it gives you the option to share your routes and results with friends for extra encouragement or a little friendly competition.
Map my Ride also lets you connect with other riders and riding groups in your area, complete with a bank of popular rides all over the world where you can read reviews and learn about the difficulty of each track. Map my Ride has over 70 million routes for riders to choose from, so no matter where you are, riding enthusiasts will be able to head on a great, unique ride.
Map my Ride’s unique social network will allow you to connect with new riding buddies all over the world.
Download from iTunes or Google Play.
Unfortunately My Tracks works for Android only, which is a bit of a shame as it is a simple-to-use fitness app that’s great for cycling. It tracks pretty much every little detail about your workout. The app also works as your own in-pocket personal trainer with periodic voice commands telling you how you’re progressing.
My Tracks records your routes, and you can choose your favourites to share with friends via social media. It also works with some Bluetooth heart rate monitors for even more data on your performance.
Download My Tracks from Google Play.
Endomondo is all about freeing your endorphins with the help of your friends. At first, it seems to be just a simple fitness tracker with audio feedback. But once you’ve invited members of your family and friends to join along, it becomes your own in-pocket cheer squad.
Once connected with friends on the app, you can share audio motivational messages (yes, you can listen to your missus or your best mates cheering you on as you ride) and compare each other’s performances.
Download from iTunes or Google Play.
Ride with GPS (free with in-app purchases)
Ride with GPS has a number of great features to help you along your ride. The app lets you search and select a number of pre-planned rides to follow around the world, or to create your own custom ride with a simple drag and draw mechanism.
The app’s most unique feature, however, is its maintenance log, which will act a bit like your car’s on-board computer, and will help you with DIY repairs and provide instructions in emergency situations. This is a great app for those who are heading out on long rides and may need a bit of mechanical help along the way!
Download from iTunes or Google Play.
Apps are an essential part of modern life, and that’s no different when it comes to your riding. With these apps you’ll be able to track performance, find trails and riding buddies and improve your overall riding experience. We already can’t wait to see what cool new things you can do with apps that haven’t even been released yet!