Much like Facebook, you can follow friends and see where and how hard they’re riding, leave comments and give kudos on their rides, as well as post photos of your own rides. Strava’s special sauce, which separates it from its competitors, is the slick social component. The real-time feature, which tells you how fast you are tracking on a selected segment, such as the local hard climb, works on smartphones but also newer Garmin Edge and Wahoo computers, too.

While you can use Strava like a cycle computer on your phone, most riders use a separate GPS computer to record and upload their rides and then use the app to see what their friends are up to.Īll rides uploaded to Strava deliver automatic rankings of your times over popular stretches of road and trail – known as ‘segments’ in Strava-speak – along with a GPS map of where you rode. Many riders use a GPS computer for recording and uploading rides to Strava – and then use the app for checking out what their friends are up to. Strava’s ace in the hole is its social component. These are probably the most popular cycling apps out there, with Strava leading the field (and offering a host of other features, including segments, leaderboards and route planning). The best cycling apps for tracking will record your ride and show your speed, distance, route and other metrics, such as elevation. Best cycling apps for routes and navigationīest cycling apps for tracking your rides.Best cycling apps for tracking your rides.Use the links below to jump to the section you need: To make the list more digestible, we’ve grouped our favourite cycling apps into ride recording, navigation and route planning, fitness, mountain biking and miscellaneous categories. The best bike computers will last much longer.Īnd remember, these are our recommendations, so make sure to add your own in the comments. The best indoor training apps cost just over £12 a month and the best smart trainers will get the most out of your subscription.įair warning: any GPS cycling app will tax your phone’s battery, so these are generally better suited to shorter rides unless you’re able to charge on the go. Some of the apps featured here are free, some are not, and some are free up front with an option to buy or subscribe for more bells and whistles. What’s more, with Bluetooth accessories such as heart-rate monitors, speed sensors and power meters becoming more common, you can get your smartphone’s Bluetooth connection and processor to do the work that used to require a separate computer and, not so long ago, wires. For others, such as Strava, you can just hit start, put your phone in your jersey pocket or in a bike phone mount and go. For some apps – Google Maps, for instance – you need to have your device on the handlebar to take full advantage.

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