Probable dumb question on biking distance tracking
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Probable dumb question on biking distance tracking
hey guys,
so first off i am not in any shape way or form going for some racing type training and to be honest am not serious enough to track watts, heart rate etc etc.
That said i enjoy the background tracking of distance that google maps gives me on my timeline, and have noticed it tends to be a bit unreliable on numbers. ( have seen chunks of 3 to 5 miles not being accounted for, mostly when doing a round or 2 on a small island in the middle of river here).
So I was wondering if there is any phone app that might give me somewhat better tracking of distance, and if possible average speed, bonus points for max speed) used to have an app like that for longboarding but it was iffy at startups.
so first off i am not in any shape way or form going for some racing type training and to be honest am not serious enough to track watts, heart rate etc etc.
That said i enjoy the background tracking of distance that google maps gives me on my timeline, and have noticed it tends to be a bit unreliable on numbers. ( have seen chunks of 3 to 5 miles not being accounted for, mostly when doing a round or 2 on a small island in the middle of river here).
So I was wondering if there is any phone app that might give me somewhat better tracking of distance, and if possible average speed, bonus points for max speed) used to have an app like that for longboarding but it was iffy at startups.
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Eugene, Oregon, USA
Posts: 27,600
Mentioned: 217 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18319 Post(s)
Liked 4,487 Times
in
3,337 Posts
There are several apps.
The big 3 are:
Strava, RideWithGPS, and MapMyRide.
Strava is really oriented around virtual social networking. You can create, or utilize challenge segments, and etc, but you don't need to do that. Strava maps and routes are free features. It has good post ride analysis.
RideWithGPS has a bunch of selectable real-time data fields which are nice. It is also popular with government sites here in the USA. Mapping features are not free.
I hacen't used MapMyRide.
The big 3 are:
Strava, RideWithGPS, and MapMyRide.
Strava is really oriented around virtual social networking. You can create, or utilize challenge segments, and etc, but you don't need to do that. Strava maps and routes are free features. It has good post ride analysis.
RideWithGPS has a bunch of selectable real-time data fields which are nice. It is also popular with government sites here in the USA. Mapping features are not free.
I hacen't used MapMyRide.
#3
In Real Life
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Down under down under
Posts: 52,152
Bikes: Lots
Mentioned: 141 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3203 Post(s)
Liked 595 Times
in
329 Posts
I use Strava.
__________________
Rowan
My fave photo threads on BF
Century A Month Facebook Group
Machka's Website
Photo Gallery
Rowan
My fave photo threads on BF
Century A Month Facebook Group
Machka's Website
Photo Gallery
#4
Senior Member
Thread Starter
will strava keep my phone screen on or iwill it work in background while phone screen is off. main point i enjoy about the background google maps tracking is the low intrusiveness
#5
In Real Life
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Down under down under
Posts: 52,152
Bikes: Lots
Mentioned: 141 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3203 Post(s)
Liked 595 Times
in
329 Posts
Yes, it will work when your phone screen is off.
__________________
Rowan
My fave photo threads on BF
Century A Month Facebook Group
Machka's Website
Photo Gallery
Rowan
My fave photo threads on BF
Century A Month Facebook Group
Machka's Website
Photo Gallery
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Eugene, Oregon, USA
Posts: 27,600
Mentioned: 217 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18319 Post(s)
Liked 4,487 Times
in
3,337 Posts
Both RideWithGPS and Strava can be backgrounded, and still work. Both have live maps that you can see where you are (best with phone/net service).
RideWithGPS has a mode called "Handlebar Mode" which if you enable it, you can see the app by simply turning on the screen.
Strava needs the screen swipe (or RWGPS without the Handlebar mode also takes the swipe).
RideWithGPS has a mode called "Handlebar Mode" which if you enable it, you can see the app by simply turning on the screen.
Strava needs the screen swipe (or RWGPS without the Handlebar mode also takes the swipe).
#7
Senior Member
CliffordK has covered all the main points. Just to add my 2p worth, although I have a Garmin and therefore don't use these apps on a phone, I do automagically download the data to both Strava and RideWithGPS. I use Strava because all my friends do. Although I don't compete with anyone else I do quite enjoy seeing myself get new personal records which is one of the features of Strava. And I like RideWithGPS because it's very easy to see summaries by week, month, year, etc. I've really enjoyed, for example, seeing that I've ridden much further so far this year than I did in the first quarter of last year. I daresay Strava has that information but RideWithGPS makes it easy to find.
#8
Tragically Ignorant
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: New England
Posts: 15,613
Bikes: Serotta Atlanta; 1994 Specialized Allez Pro; Giant OCR A1; SOMA Double Cross Disc; 2022 Allez Elite mit der SRAM
Mentioned: 62 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8186 Post(s)
Liked 9,094 Times
in
5,053 Posts
I use komoot. I like it because I can split screen with google maps and it gives me a nice display of current speed, avg speed, time traveled and distance traveled. It can also operate with the screen off or in the background. I've had problems with the directions, so I don't use it for that.
It doesn't auto-pause at stops, so that's a drawback, and it doesn't tell you your max speed, but it's a good no-nonsense reliable recorder.
It doesn't auto-pause at stops, so that's a drawback, and it doesn't tell you your max speed, but it's a good no-nonsense reliable recorder.
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 39,049
Mentioned: 210 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18318 Post(s)
Liked 15,261 Times
in
7,219 Posts
Or a decent bike computer properly calibrated. Measured against road mile markers, I had my CatEye accurate to 2/100th of a mile. That was good enough for me so I didn't bother trying to get it any more accurate. Recorded distance, Avg. speed and Max. speed.
#10
Senior Member
I've switched to using a Wahoo Elemnt GPS device, but had been using RideWithGPS. The free version is fine for tracking rides. The free version of Strava gives you more data to compare against others and if you use a Heart Rate Monitor you can see that as well.
#11
Sr Member on Sr bikes
In fact, I purposely lock the screen before I put the phone back in my pocket. I use Strava so I don't know about the other apps....but there have been a couple of instances when I didn't lock the screen and I inadvertantly touched it when putting it in my pocket...which causes the app to pause/stop the workout...only to discover my error at my next stop and thereby losing many miles of my ride.
Dan
Dan
#12
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: N. Kentucky
Posts: 105
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 36 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 26 Times
in
12 Posts
I've been using Caynax Sports Tracker for about a year now and I'm pretty happy with it. It's a freebie https://play.google.com/store/apps/d....sportstracker
Like you I just want the basics. Caynax tracks speed, distance traveled, calories burned, ride time and shows a map of where you're at (and where you've been). If you stop riding, say for a short rest, it also pauses automatically. I have mine set, of course, for bicycling but it can easily be setup for other things (skiing, hiking, kayaking, etc.). I do keep a downloaded map section of my area (within 150 miles) from google maps on my smartphone which Caynax uses... or if you have wifi or data available it can use that too. The other thing is it's pretty intuitive so not a big hassle to use or set up.
Edited to say I have had zero problems with the app tracking where I'm at but that probably has more to do with the GPS tracking ability of my phone than with the app itself. I'm not often under the canopy of trees so my phone usually has a clear line of sight to the sky.
Les
Like you I just want the basics. Caynax tracks speed, distance traveled, calories burned, ride time and shows a map of where you're at (and where you've been). If you stop riding, say for a short rest, it also pauses automatically. I have mine set, of course, for bicycling but it can easily be setup for other things (skiing, hiking, kayaking, etc.). I do keep a downloaded map section of my area (within 150 miles) from google maps on my smartphone which Caynax uses... or if you have wifi or data available it can use that too. The other thing is it's pretty intuitive so not a big hassle to use or set up.
Edited to say I have had zero problems with the app tracking where I'm at but that probably has more to do with the GPS tracking ability of my phone than with the app itself. I'm not often under the canopy of trees so my phone usually has a clear line of sight to the sky.
Les
Last edited by LesG; 04-03-19 at 09:37 AM.
#13
Senior Member
Thread Starter
so i tried strava yesterday and this morning. I told myself yesterday i wouldn't go for KOM but i couldn't stop myself today on various segments on my way to work. not sure what to think about that lol
#14
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Salt Lake City, UT (Formerly Los Angeles, CA)
Posts: 1,145
Bikes: 2008 Cannondale Synapse -- 2014 Cannondale Quick CX
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 212 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 83 Times
in
54 Posts
A cheap cycling computer (even ones under $15) will provide trip and odometer distance, as well as speed, and trip time.
I used one for years before going to a dedicated cycling GPS. My CatEye wireless lasted well over a decade. If I were buying one today I would go with a wired one because the wireless cycling computers can suffer from interference from HID lights.
I used one for years before going to a dedicated cycling GPS. My CatEye wireless lasted well over a decade. If I were buying one today I would go with a wired one because the wireless cycling computers can suffer from interference from HID lights.
#15
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Sacramento, California, USA
Posts: 40,865
Bikes: Specialized Tarmac, Canyon Exceed, Specialized Transition, Ellsworth Roots, Ridley Excalibur
Mentioned: 68 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2952 Post(s)
Liked 3,106 Times
in
1,417 Posts
#16
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: 25 miles northwest of Boston
Posts: 29,520
Bikes: Bottecchia Sprint, GT Timberline 29r, Marin Muirwoods 29er, Trek FX Alpha 7.0
Mentioned: 112 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5218 Post(s)
Liked 3,564 Times
in
2,331 Posts
or get a cheap bike computer mounted to the bars
#17
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Eugene, Oregon, USA
Posts: 27,600
Mentioned: 217 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18319 Post(s)
Liked 4,487 Times
in
3,337 Posts
I pounded quite a few segments pretty hard the first year I had Strava. Now, I'm a little more relaxed, mostly ride tracking.
Hopefully this Spring/Summer I'll try to take back a couple of local KOMs that were taken away. 2 flat miles, and one hill.
#18
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Eugene, Oregon, USA
Posts: 27,600
Mentioned: 217 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18319 Post(s)
Liked 4,487 Times
in
3,337 Posts
CliffordK has covered all the main points. Just to add my 2p worth, although I have a Garmin and therefore don't use these apps on a phone, I do automagically download the data to both Strava and RideWithGPS. I use Strava because all my friends do. Although I don't compete with anyone else I do quite enjoy seeing myself get new personal records which is one of the features of Strava. And I like RideWithGPS because it's very easy to see summaries by week, month, year, etc. I've really enjoyed, for example, seeing that I've ridden much further so far this year than I did in the first quarter of last year. I daresay Strava has that information but RideWithGPS makes it easy to find.
This page shows you your annual miles, and little graphs for each month.
https://www.strava.com/athlete/calendar
You can go back and forth to different years. Click on a month to see that month's data. Odd, they're not a little better with tracking YTD data.
The individual ride analysis page is pretty good.
I can pick out "interesting rides" pretty quickly using the Training Log page.
https://www.strava.com/athlete/training/log
Oh, and the challenges can be fun. I haven't signed up for many of the rewards, in part because research indicated there wasn't much I wanted to buy with the reward amounts, and a bit wary of giving out my E-Mail.
https://www.strava.com/challenges
Nonetheless, fun goals.
#19
Senior Member
I have a wireless Cateye (~$40) on my flatbar bike. It shows speed, time and distance on the main screen. It also records the maximum speed for a ride. Combined with Strava on your phone, it's a pretty good dataset for tracking rides and progress.
#20
Senior Member
None of these gadgets existed when I was younger, and I don't see any need for them. A nice bike ride is a nice ride, so just enjoy the ride. Fitness will come if you ride enough.
#22
Old fart
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Appleton WI
Posts: 24,934
Bikes: Several, mostly not name brands.
Mentioned: 153 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3571 Post(s)
Liked 3,366 Times
in
1,915 Posts
I don't know how its accuracy compares with others, but the Samsung "Health" app that came with my Galaxy smart phone tracks all that.
#23
Senior Member
I second (third, fourth?) the idea of cheap bike computer. Install it, calibrate it, and forget it. A single button-style battery might last you for years. Record your rides on paper for really cheap. All the features provided by Strava and RWGPS are nice, but it sounds like you don't need them. And adding an app to your phone will eat your battery charge.
#24
cowboy, steel horse, etc
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: The hot spot.
Posts: 44,799
Bikes: everywhere
Mentioned: 71 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 12634 Post(s)
Liked 7,528 Times
in
3,989 Posts
#25
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Guys im using strava so far no complaints. To those saying bike computer , i want to avoid adding things to handlebars and stem. Hence my specific app request.