Cycling is a sport that never stops producing innovation. Our list of apps that you absolutely must have is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of what's out there to improve performance.
Bought a new bike and want to track your progress? Slammed a pothole and punctured but too embarrassed to call a friend for a lift home?
Suffering lower back pain from an incorrect bike position? We’ve got you sorted.
There’s an app for just about anything these days and cycling certainly isn’t short of them.
He's a quick guide to five of the best to help you get the most out of your bike; they'll get you started.
1. Strava
Compatible with; iOS and Android
What you need to know
In short, Strava is the bee’s knees and until you have it installed on your phone you can’t call yourself a cyclist.
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It basically plots your ride on a Google-like map which is really cool to look back on afterwards as it’ll feed you the relevant information like how far you travelled, how fast you went and how high you climbed.
It can also tell you how many calories you burned and what power output – based on your weight – you produced.
Anything else?
What’s even better is that Strava is almost like a social networking site too for cyclists and after you’ve tracked your ride you’ll be able to see how you performed compared to other Strava users who rode a particular segment.
For example, you could come home from your ride and realise you set the fourth fastest time for a particular climb.
This is a great little motivating tool.
When you’re done you can upload your workout to Facebook, Twitter and so on. Importing and exporting routes is easy.
2. Map my ride
Compatible with; iOS/Android
What you need to know
This is the know-it-all app and as well as mapping your rides, it can also track your nutrition and weight.
As with most apps – and Strava included - it will connect to a heart rate monitor and power meter if you want those readings.
Similar to Strava, it monitors your speed, distance and elevation and there’s a premium function (which costs more) that gives you very handy information like route recommendations - very useful if you arrive in a place for the first time.
Anything else?
Yes. The coolest feature of all is the live tracking where family and friends can see where you are and there’s a huge library of stats and graphs you can sift through after your rider.
The one annoying little thing are the pop-ups that flash up now and again at the bottom of the screen trying to get you to upgrade to a premium option.
Again, when you’re done, you can upload your workout onto social media and you can import and export routes easily.
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3. Google maps
Compatible with; iOS/Android
What you need to know
Google maps is arguably the best app for mapping and it also provides great pre-ride information.
A new feature allows cyclists to view any elevation changes for suggested routes so you will be able to choose the flattest – or hilliest – route you wish to take.
Perhaps best of all though is that one can now talk to the phone and ask for directions and request time one can expect to arrive at.
Anything else?
The app isn’t like the previous two in that it won’t record where you’ve been or how fast you went, though the turn by turn navigation is handy if you want to try a new route.
4. Bike Repair
Compatible with; iOS/Android
What you need to know
At some point, your bike will break down and it could be the simplest thing in the world but if you can’t fix it, you’ll end up paying out money needlessly.
But this little tool is a real gem and it’s hard to see how it wasn’t introduced sooner.
It’s like having a mechanic with you with interactive photos and guides to help you fix a puncture, tune your brakes or tighten your headset.
5. Size my bike
Compatible with; iOS/Android
What you need to know
The single most important thing you can do when you buy a bike is to get it fitted to you properly.
This will prevent you developing problems in you back, neck, shoulders and knees and will allow you ride longer and faster.
You can go and pay €100 for a bike fit, which is around the going rate these days, but before you resort to that, check this app out which gives you step by step instructions to fitting you to your bike yourself.
Anything else?
You take six body measurements and the app will compute the optimal geometry of whatever bike you have.
Simples.
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