Smart phone apps help cyclists explore the world

September 18, 2011 09:01 am | Updated 09:04 am IST - Berlin

A smart phone is shown in San Francisco. Nowadays, cyclists want to log their distance with a smart phone or satellite navigation device that can also help them if they get lost. File photo

A smart phone is shown in San Francisco. Nowadays, cyclists want to log their distance with a smart phone or satellite navigation device that can also help them if they get lost. File photo

Bulky distance gauges on bicycles are history.

Nowadays, cyclists want to log their distance with a smart phone or satellite navigation device that can also help them if they get lost.

Thus, no detail remains unknown. For example, a bike ride from Berlin’s Checkpoint Charlie to Westend takes 30 minutes and 38 seconds, assuming an average speed of 19.7 kilometres for the 10-kilometre stretch. And all that information is registered on a smart phone app.

“Just like with car navigation systems, the trend with cyclists is for smart phone apps as an alternative to special navigation devices,” says Bernd Klusmann, a telematics expert with Bitkom, a German IT industry association.

If it’s just a question of measuring the trip, there’s no need to remove the phone from your pocket and risk running foul of laws about biking with a mobile in hand. If you plan to use it as a navigation device, it’s best to mount it on the handlebar. There is a variety of waterproof, universal holders for most models.

“A navigation app on the smart phone is great for cyclists in a foreign city,” says Bettina Cibulski of the General German Bicycle Club. “You don’t want to get stuck in heavy traffic on the main streets.” They’re also good for longer bike tours. “It’s getting more and more common for people to use a smart phone navigator instead of a map,” she says. “That way you don’t have to get off the path to look for the right way, you just have to follow the arrow on the display.” One option is the MotionX GPS (2.39 euros/3.27 dollars) for the iPhone, which allows users to save information about specific points on a trail and then email that data, or even an entire route map. The B.iCycle app (3.99 euros) has some benefits as well, displaying not just previous tours, but also the entire kilometre count.

Skobbler (1.59 euros) is available for both the iPhone and Android mobiles. It uses map material from the OpenStreetMap project and customizes it for bicycle navigation, although the data is not specialized for such use.

There’s also the free OsmAnd app for Android phones. Also linked to the Open Street Map project, it allows map information to be downloaded. Along with providing navigation services, it makes it possible to install routes stored in a GPX format and follow them. As for the Maverick app (4.95 euros for the full version), it offers hiking tips and orientation for geocoaching fans.

It’s usually possible to plot a course and then save it in GPX format (GPS Exchange) so it can be uploaded onto a smart phone. The BBBike.org project is busy trying to come up with a route planner for cyclists based on the data. Once a start and end point are entered, a route is generated and displayed as a map.

Of course, heading out on an all-day bike tour can push most batteries to their limits, especially for older smart phones, notes Klusmann. That’s why it is advisable to pick up a second battery or a special battery charger.

Environmentally aware cyclists might wonder about some kind of solar power option. Unfortunately, these usually take too long to charge. But there are options to recharge the phone with the energy generated by the act of cycling, using a dynamo.

There’s also a lot of buzz around mobile fuel cells, like the Powertrekk from Swedish company myFC. “To use it, a cyclist would need the charger, a little water and a PowerPukk fuel capsule,” says Kristine Lindholm of myFC. The small package can be placed in a backpack to charge the smart phone during the trip.

According to the manufacturer, the charger should go on sale in January for 199 euros, with PowerPukk capsules costing 1.90 euros.

Once you’ve solved your software and battery problems, the only real problem that remains is reading your smart phone display in bright sunlight. For that, outdoor solutions like the Garmin Edge 800 (399 euros) GPS bicycle computer have their advantages.

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