Cycling Apps for iPhone?

[David Kirk]

I recently bought an iPhone 7 and for the first time decided to try a cycling app so I downloaded the free version of Strava. I tested it on a ride around the neighborhood and all was well. I then took it on a "real" ride and when I got home and looked at it to see how awesome I was I found that it had stopped tracking the ride about 10 miles from home. In the middle of nowhere it stopped tracking and didn't pick it up again. I had not stopped when it did. When I checked it after the ride it was asking if I wanted to "resume" the ride.

I checked some stuff (all seemed well) and tried it again the next day and it did the same thing.

Frustrated I went online and found this is a common complaint with Strava but didn't see anyone sharing a fix.

So I downloaded Map My Ride and after a ride around the block where I worked as it should I took it out for a "real" ride and it worked. It did just what it was supposed to do. And there was much rejoicing.

But...you just knew there would be a "but"...I took it out again and this time it lost track of me at one point but found me later and then connected the dots with a straight line. The map was funny - it had me riding through fields and over houses in a perfectly straight line to connect the two dots. Not so good.

I checked settings and took it out again and last night it acted like Strava and ended my ride in a seemingly random spot but did not pick it back up again.

So...I'm two for two on this. I wonder if I'm doing something wrong? Is this par for the course for these apps? Is this a ham-fisted way to get me to buy the fancy version (it's not working)? Is there something wrong with my new phone?

Has anyone else experienced this? If so does anyone know how to sort it out so that I don't average 40 mph over houses and rivers?

Dave

[jtbadge]

I'd probably blame it on spotty wireless data network coverage in a less than urban market. Once you get out of LTE range it will be hard to maintain a consistent connection.

You'd probably get a lot more accurate results with a GPS-based cycling computer, and as a side benefit, that won't kill your phone battery while out on a ride. There's probably a Garmin or Wahoo in the classifieds for less than $200 that would give you great ride tracking results.


https://www.comparecellular.com/images/assets/coverage-maps/vrizon-coverage-map.jpg

[Mzilliox]

what he aid, if you want to track stuff, get a wahoo or garmin. the phone apps are way off too, folks who have it and ride with me get wonky climb numbers, weird ave speeds, all kinds of odd data. with a computer you dont have cutouts unless the battery dies. plus you can leave your phone at home!

[rnhood]

Some outfits require an on-line connection (via phone data) to track and function properly. RideWithGps can send the route to your phone and you can ride it with, or without the data connection. It still receives satellite info...I think. But this is a feature of their “Basic” plan which cost $60 per year.

MapMyRide normally functions well but, it too needs a constant connection.

Strava is too quirky to use. But it’s good as a ride storage and social tool.

[kramnnim]

Strava doesn't need a data connection to record the ride. Not sure why it didn't record properly, though. But yeah, a Garmin would work much better.

[4Rings6Stars]

Strava doesn't need a data connection to record the ride. Not sure why it didn't record properly, though. But yeah, a Garmin would work much better.

Yeah I thought strava used GPS. I have the strava app on my phone and apple watch and it has worked fine tracking my rides in northern VT where I had zero cell phone reception. I wonder if there is a setting on the phone to allow strava to use GPS functionality?

[Clean39T]

I believe iPhone has internal GPS, but it's usually augmented with cell service data points. There may be a setting for that - I know there is on my Pixel 2... So, I'd start there. Cell phone GPS is rarely as accurate as a head unit. Check out DC Rainmaker for more info there.

As for apps, Strava is great for competitive endeavors, but I think RideWithGPS is far superior for mapping and creating routes. Their monthly fee is reasonable for the service provided. And they are a Made in Portland venture you can feel good about supporting.

.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

[David Kirk]

So....please excuse my obvious ignorance....if I understand it right the phone knows where it is either with GPS or by referencing cell towers. Is that right?

If so what do these apps use? GPS or cell location?

dave

[NHAero]

When I use RidewithGPS the first thing appearing on the screen when I select Go Ride is Acquiring GPS Signal, which shows for a few seconds then it shows me it has acquired the signal. I haven't had the issue you describe on the other two products but I'm on Martha's Vineyard and perhaps the GPS signals are more reliable (you can tell I'm at the limit of my knowledge).
I did recently have a case where it told me I had hit 45 mph and that was obviously not correct.

[rnhood]

So....please excuse my obvious ignorance....if I understand it right the phone knows where it is either with GPS or by referencing cell towers. Is that right?

If so what do these apps use? GPS or cell location?

dave

That is correct however, a Garmin GPS receiver is superior to a phone. When you start climbing mountains the phone GPS will incur dropouts more than the Garmin. Probably true when it's cloudy too, although to a lesser extent.

I think the comment about augmenting GPS with cell data on an iPhone is correct. Not sure how Android phones operate.

If you email support at RideWithGPS (from their website), and ask for a "Basic" trial, they will immediately give you a week to try it. Maybe two weeks. Downloading the map to the phone and then riding offline, it does a better job connecting dots (so to speak) when your phone is not getting any signal. Also, I don't think it is affected by the GPS/ cell data augmentation. It just takes the GPS signals. Having said this, if you do email RWG then ask about this, because I'm not totally sure. In any event, as mentioned above RWG is the best tool for this, and with other routing features too.

[sitzmark]

Where are you stowing the phone while riding? GPS needs line of sight to sats. Thick tree canopy, heavy fabrics, and other pocketed objects can interfere with reception.

If you've been pocketing, might try a quad-lock mount or similar to see if it helps reception.

[joosttx]

So....please excuse my obvious ignorance....if I understand it right the phone knows where it is either with GPS or by referencing cell towers. Is that right?

If so what do these apps use? GPS or cell location?

dave

Both as well as wifi. I am no expert so I keeping my explanation vague. Cell phones use all means possible to pinpoint a location accurately.

[David Kirk]

Interesting stuff.

I was thinking I might be able to tweak something in my settings to have either app work better but that doesn't seem to be the case.

While the whole thing is an interesting distraction I can't justify spending money on a different and better app. I've been riding for the past 15ish years without a clue of how fast I'm going or how far I've gone and that frankly is just fine by me. I mostly tried the apps because all the cool kids are doing it.

I'll go back to using my phone for photos and emergency contact.

Thanks all - you guys rock.

dave

[Dave B]

I have had this problem as well, BUT I put the strava app on my iwatch and even though it is “connected” to the phone, it doesn’t stop tracking when my phone has. Just another bee to put in your proverbial bonnet.

[Mikej]

Yeah, I'm too paranoid for strava...

[FlashUNC]

Its all the GPS receiver in your phone losing that GPS connection overhead.

Even for little stuff is can be frustrating. My phone for any ride-share app routinely places my "location" as much as half a block away from where I currently am.

As others noted, if you want to do it right, a head unit with a better GPS receiver is your best bet. The phone apps, at least in my experience, work great in populated, more urban areas with little overhead cover.

Once you're out in the sticks, all bets are off.

[PQJ]

What's your objective? If you are just looking to track a ride and then download and review data (to an app you can get on your iphone) after the fact, I suggest a dedicated GPS unit (like my Garman Fenix, which I love). I haven't used a phone-based app in a long time. My recollection is that it wasn't all that accurate, but the bigger issue was battery drainage. No such problems with a dedicated unit.

[schwa86]

I don't really use to navigate, just to record rides. Not a believer in distracting myself staring at metrics while riding, so in my jersey pocket with screen off, no battery issues. I like ridewithgps as the general platform. Integration between phone and desktop really good. I use the free version, so no cost to Dave. But I have had the occaisional drop as he describes. so I often have cyclemeter going at the same time. I got that years ago because it works well with my fluid trainer in the winter.

[HenryA]

For anyone interested, look at Galileo iPhone app. It uses offline maps that you download to your phone and does not require a cell connection as it runs from the gps receiver built into your phone.

GPS does suck battery power but you can ride most of a day without worry. The app builds a track of your route that you can save and download if so desired. The latest version also includes turn by turn navigation but I have not tried that yet.

I don’t use a phone on my bike but do sometimes on the motorcycle. Its handy when riding in a place I’ve never been and sometimes especially off-road where trails split off in ways that might confuse route finding.

In open territory (like on most roads) my iPhone GPS works very well. In thick wooded single track not so much and not so well in the summer months where sat visibility is blocked by tree canopy. Out west, where sky visibility is generally better it works very well.

[spinarelli]

Make sure the iphone has background app refresh turned ON for strava/RWGPS while using the app.
Also, turn OFF background app refresh on ALL other apps that don't need it. Every app has it turned on by default and it kills battery life.
Location services is another one that kills battery life and uses gps or tower triangulation. Most apps don't need to know where I am or refresh themselves while they are in the background. I always kill all apps that I am not using, not just minimize them.

I don't use my strava RWGPS while riding but I sync my garmin when I get to WIFI. This is just so I can keep track of routes and annual kms. If you want to see how spotty and different garmin/wahoo collected data is from the phone collected data DC Rainmaker made an app that compares them. You can dl from him.

[Ozz]

I have 3 apps on my phone that all pretty much do the same thing:


Road Bike / Runtastic - first one I tried, free version has adds, upgraded to pay version - one time $5 or such. Can add Cadence and HeartRate with sensors. Probably has other stuff I have not tried out. Pretty cheap...and seems to work.

Polar Beat - Pretty much an HR monitor on your phone rather than wrist. Lets you choose from about 100 or different sports, some have GPS tracking. Maps rides, shows speed, elevation gain, all the usual fancy HR monitor graphing stuff. It is free so the price is right.

Strava - just started using this a couple months ago. Company health plan give insurance rebate if you are "active" and this is how they track. Still on the free version. $8 per month seems kinda pricey....this group seems familiar with features...it does motivate me to get my butt out of bed since I know there are a couple buddies watching my workouts. One kink is that if I run the Polar Beat at same time as Strava, it's ride gets loaded with the Strava ride, so it looks like I did two at the same time...same route. I am sure there is a data sharing permission I need to turn off....It also only has Bike, Run, Swim options for exercises.

[sitzmark]

...

Strava - just started using this a couple months ago. Company health plan give insurance rebate if you are "active" and this is how they track. Still on the free version. $8 per month seems kinda pricey....this group seems familiar with features...it does motivate me to get my butt out of bed since I know there are a couple buddies watching my workouts. One kink is that if I run the Polar Beat at same time as Strava, it's ride gets loaded with the Strava ride, so it looks like I did two at the same time...same route. I am sure there is a data sharing permission I need to turn off....It also only has Bike, Run, Swim options for exercises.

FYI - Strava actually has 35+ "sport" designations that can be manually selected using the edit function (app or web) after an activity is logged. Once the sport classification is changed you can track activities by type.

[Ozz]

FYI - Strava actually has 35+ "sport" designations that can be manually selected using the edit function (app or web) after an activity is logged. Once the sport classification is changed you can track activities by type.

Found 'em...thanks!

Although, I am not sure "E Bike Ride" should really count as an activity;)

[cachagua]

I got an interesting result when I did MapMyRide -- I tested it on my neighborhood loop and found that my ending point was 150 feet higher elevation than my starting point. Go me! Woo hoo, I'm a grimpeur now!

Only trouble is the starting point and ending point are exactly the same place.

[Avispa]

Dave,

These are good articles to start:

http://tewha.net/2011/10/how-the-iphone-gps-differs-from-a-standalone-navigation-gps/
https://www.imore.com/best-biking-and-cycling-apps-iphone-strava-cyclemeter-velopal-and-more

I am sort of a gadget geek when it comes to bike stuff... But I do it a little different than DC Rainmaker and others. I actually ride the stuff for long periods of time and do real workouts with them before I form my opinion or pass the information to others...

I think the make or break deal with these apps is the kind that you get and how you combine it with other devices (cycle computers, power meters, etc). Most "free" apps do not have all their features enabled as they want you to pay for the full service/access.

As of today I think the best solutions out there come from Wahoo and SRM. Wahoo begin more of a "keep up with the Joneses" all encompassing ecosystem, while SRM begin more of a serious training tool for bike training.

if you guys have tech questions, please send them over. I'll do my best to help out!

[cash05458]

I would recommend this Dave...actually, I think I have one still in package I would be glad to send on to you for free...


https://www.walmart.com/ip/Bell-Sports-Dashboard-150-14-Function-Cyclocomputer-Speedometer-Odometer-Black/49706845