Android bike computer apps

[SamP]

So what are you using?

I'm currently using IpBike, a featureful app not tied to any online services, so your ride data is accessible on your device. It can upload to a number of services including Strava. It is a somewhat ugly and the user interface can be nonobvious--reading the documentation is almost a requirement. It is not free though you can try it/use it free for a million revolutions (or equivalent distance). A feature that was a requirement for me was that it supports ANT+, for my heart rate monitor strap and cadence/speed sensor. The display is highly configurable and it supports a wide range of hardware: ANT+ and Bluetooth devices, barometric pressure (used for tracking elevation gain), temperature, various Android watches can be used as controllers. Routes can be preloaded and offline maps are supported. The developer is very responsive to users on his forum.

I've previously used MapMyRide (http://www.mapmyride.com/) and Strava, (http://www.strava.com/) both of which are tied to their websites. Both apps and websites are free but with some features disabled. You can pay to get access to premium features. Both websites have route discovery features and performance comparisons against other riders along routes or parts of routes.

MapMyRide is one of a family of exercise tracking apps. MapMyRide's bike computer only shows ride duration, distance covered, current speed, and optionally pace (the reciprical of speed) or a map with smaller versions of the above statistics. Post-ride you can see minimum, maximum, average speed, estimates of calories burned and graphos of elevation and heart rate. However, I don't recall seeing where you can set your bike's weight so either you add that to the setting of your weight or the calorie estimate just assumes some weight. MapMyRide's basic bike computer shows that their emphasis is on the social features. After a ride is complete the app uploads the ride data to their website. Your ride data can not be usefully extracted from their website, however their site API is fairly extensive and there's a website which uses the API to extract usable TCX files. MapMyRide has some support for ANT+, I don't remember the details.

Strava's bike computer is less useful than MapMyRide's. Strava doesn't have a screenshot of the bike computer screen on the Google Play store. Their bike computer shows time, distance, and average speed during the ride. Strava, on the website, at least allows you to have multiple bike profiles which include the bike weight. After the ride is complete the app uploads the ride data to their website. You can get your data back out as gpx files from their website.

 

[Shahmatt]

I use mapmyride with GPS

I use mapmyride with GPS tracking to work out speed and distance.

I don't use the phone as a console on my bike as the real-time numbers are not very important to me. The road speed limits are too high for me to reach so that's not a concern, and my philosophy is to go as fast as I am safely able to. Also my wife feels that if I used the phone as a console I'd just get distracted by the numbers and do something unsafe. She's probably right, so the phone is in my bag when commuting. I look at the numbers online after I am done.

I think the most relevant feature for me is that the app can detect motion and automatically pause recording if stopped for more 60 seconds (IIRC). This is great for correcting average speed for traffic light stops - of which there are far too many on my commute. Switching it off makes me slower by about 3kmph.

I also like the social features where you are able to compare your performance and compete (not in real time of course) with other riders who take the same route. And so I've earned records like "Sprint king", "King of the hill", and can keep track of "personal best" times. If you are regular on a route you can even gain the "Guru" award. It's just fun! Sort of a social network for cyclists.

Anyway I'll take a look at IpBike. I've tried Strava. It's a good app but the inability to pause at traffic stops lowered my average speed quite a bit. A bit demoralizing so I gave it up.

 

[timt]

Strava, endomondo, rwgps

I used strava last year with my android. I like strava because there are a lot of premade segments on my standard routes and can watch my performance improve or slip against my own previous segment times.

In December, I bought a zephyr HXM BT heart monitor because it's one of the few that will work with strava and android.
But strava will not record an HR trace unless you are moving (or buy a certain trainer that talks to strava).

I started using endomondo to record my basement rides. I have not used endo outdoors, just as a recorder in the basement. My impression is that endomondo is a little battery hungry. And I THINK it communicates with the internet during use, unlike some of the other programs that just log gps data for post-processing.

A few weeks ago, Ride with GPS released an android app (beta). I have not yet been able to get the rwgps app to display and record HR data (phone is connected to the hrm, but app isn't using the data). I like the way rwgps displays the data and the extra analysis options. So far I only have one ride recorded with rwgps so I haven't built a database and I have not created segments on my routes yet.

So strava is my standby, but I'm trying out rwgps.
During rides, the phone resides in a pannier or seat bag. I'm not checking numbers on the road.

I'm using the free version of each software.

 

[Charles.Plager]

Here are a couple relevant

Here are a couple relevant BikeForum posts:

http://www.bikeforums.net/electronics-lighting-gadgets/935937-android-app-supporting-btle-cadence-hrm-future-power-head-unit-alterna.html

and

http://www.bikeforums.net/electronics-lighting-gadgets/933607-still-looking-my-dream-android-application.html.

 

[Eric Winn]

I can't comment about Android

I can't comment about Android apps other than to recommend Ride With GPS (RWGPS) and their new Android app. I've found Cullen King of RWGPS very responsive to a few issues I've found and he has fixed with RWGPS.

I think Wahoo may be working on an Android version of the Wahoo Fitness App, not sure. If so, it uploads data easily to pretty much all of the relevant tracking sites. I don't use my iPhone as a console but instead, I use the Wahoo RFLKT+ (also iPhone only - sorry) as a remote console with my iPhone tucked away attached to an external battery for the really long stuff.

Cyclemeter (iOS only) is what I use and they are entirely self contained without requiring a web site to upload to but they support uploading to pretty much all of them. If I were an Android user I would be lobbying Abvio to create an Android version. Here is an example of how their stuff works. This is my 2014 Bike Sebring 24 hour:

http://cyclemeter.com/a410b492c9780ff7/Cycle-20140215-0624?r=x

I'm a premium member of RWGPS and I think it is the best site out there for working with routes and your bike data. I like the way RWGPS does segments a lot better than Strava but if your motivation is comparing yourself to others, you probably want Strava but only because of the popularity of Strava which gives you a lot more opportunities to compare to others. If you want to compare your performance between your own rides I think RWGPS is way better.

When I first started looking at segments some of the initial thrill was working up the leaderboard but then I found I really enjoyed seeing my own progress against myself as I improved.

-Eric