A Friday Gear Review

From my frequent use of maps on BOTW, you may have noticed that I like them.  I use them every day for work and always refer to them when I'm leading tours or providing information to customers.  Therefore, I like mapping my bike ride routes too.  I appreciate having the visual of where I went so when I head out again I know what works and what doesn't.

In order to find the perfect app for me, I have been playing around with several of them for the iPhone over the last several months.  When I began my research my only requirement was that the app was free.  I also read as many recommendations I could find before I started so I wouldn't waste my time on the rejects.  Here are the three I ended up spending the most time on:

1) MapMyRide
2) AllSport LE
3) BikeBrain

MapMyRide is probably the most popular route tracking app out there.  Its been around longer than most, has in-depth tracking, nutrition, and workout options, and it is part of the MapMyFitness network.  You can track your own progress, participate in challenges, and keep track of your friends as well.  The accompanying website is extremely detailed.  From there, you can log your meals and provide more stats on your workouts. All of these options make MapMyRide extremely helpful.  However, my biggest problem with this app is that it crashed constantly.  As nice as all the other features are, I was mostly interested in the mapping.  And, nine times out of 10, MapMyRide didn't map!  It constantly dropped the GPS during rides and if I went back to manually map them online, it wouldn't save.  Sometimes it would show my rides as giant zig-zags or it would have them heading off over houses like ET.  I'd get home and it would say I only traveled .5 miles, when I'd have done 25.  My husband tried the MapMyRun app and had the same issues.  I know others don't have these problems, but it happened too often to ignore. So, I decided to dump MapMyRide and move on to the next app.

Case in point.  MapMyRide had me pulling an ET on this day.

AllSport LE is used by Bicycling Magazine for their online route mapping tool on their website.  That made it a logical choice for the experiment.  AllSport isn't designed for cyclists alone.  It tracks running routes, hikes, and even car trips.  You can upload your routes to the database and share with Facebook and Twitter if you enjoy bombarding people with workout details.  It tracks multiple stats like pace, elevation, time active, etc.  You can compare your route to all of Google map options (satellite image, hybrid, terrain) or a topo map!  Topo maps are my favorite, by the way, and they're great for MTB rides and hiking.  During tracking you can toggle from the map to the clock.  It is extremely easy to use.  The only trouble I've noticed is that it is a little sluggish when connecting to a satellite, but that may be due to all the cloud cover here in NE Ohio.  Another con is that you have to make sure you cancel a session instead of just exiting the map so it doesn't continue to run in the background.  That will drain your battery.

So, I'd say if you want an app that isn't cyclocentric but handles the basics perfectly, this one is an excellent choice.  The paid version provides more options and stores more routes in the phone than the free one. The app is available for iPhone, Droid, and Blackberry, another plus.  You can also access your music library straight through the app.

AllSport utilizes topographical maps if you're into that sort of thing.

The third app I tried is relatively new and I was informed of its existence by Cycling Right Now.  BikeBrain basically turns your phone into a cyclometer.  BikeBrain was developed by BioLogic, which is coming out with all sorts of cycling products in the next few months (one of which is a phone charging Dynamo kit).  BikeBrain offers a number of display options:

Map

Training Graph

Console

Digital Display

BikeBrain is also completely customizable.  You can choose to show only the date that you are interested in.  You can even save odometers for multiple bicycles.  The paid version allows for more options including unlimited date storage and uploads to Facebook and Twitter.  There are a few downsides that I've discovered.  First, it doesn't save elevation data, it just shows it as you go.  Personally, I like to see the information on the hills I've climbed, so I miss having that feature.  Second, it doesn't upload to an online database; all the data is saved in the app.  Lastly, the GPS tracking was a little jumpy, as you can see from those spikes on the map from last Thursday's ride in downtown:

However, it does track CO2 offset, if you're interested in how "green" your rides are.  You can also log Training Profiles.

So, from the free apps I've tried I recommend going with AllSport LE.  Although it may not be the one for the serious cyclist who wants all the data, this one is reliable and tracks the things you need to know (distance, elevation, pace, time, calories, etc).  It hasn't dropped a single route and it backs up all my information online.  I can also track my hikes on a topo map, a feature I enjoy for backpacking.

While BikeBrain is more cyclocentric and has all sorts of fancy displays, it is missing the things that I want in a route tracking app such as elevation profiles.  Perhaps later versions will offer more features.  MapMyRide for me has been an utter failure.  After using it for almost a year, I am disappointed that the kinks have yet to be worked out.  I don't recommend using this app, especially if you really want accurate data (and who doesn't?).

Ok, everyone, no matter how your track your rides, make sure you get some in this weekend and pedal safe!