The Articles for Bike Commuters keep coming from the Atlanta Bike To Work Challenge. Here is the newest one…
The Top 5 Apps Every Bike Commuter Needs
When you are getting ready to go for a ride, you should always make sure you have the essentials with you – helmet, energy bar, water and your smartphone. Your phone can do more than what meets the eye. Here are the top 5 apps every bike commuter needs:
- iMapMyRIDE: This is available as both a free and paid app ($4.99). With both versions, you can track all your vital cycling data such as time, speed, distance, calories, and elevation, as well as view cycling routes. Save the data and the map of your route, then post your rides and records to Facebook or Twitter for bragging rights.
- Bike Repair HD: Includes over 270 detailed photo step-by-step repair guides and 79 problems explained, such as simple ways to get rid of knee pain on the bike. The instruction manuals are perfect for both casual and serious riders and show most of the repairs without using any special tools. It is available for $3.99 in the app store.
- RunKeeper: Not only can you use this free app for your commute, this app is also useful for mountain biking, hiking, downhill skiing and rowing. Using your GPS, your current pace, average pace, time, distance, etc. is calculated and stored. You can also set goals for yourself such as your target pace, intervals and fitness classes. The app will even talk to you during your trip to see how you’re doing.
- LiveStrong: To help take better care of yourself both during and after the Bike to Work Challenge, this no cost app helps keep track of your food portions, telling you how many calories you consume for virtually any food imaginable. It then allows you to enter in your cycling activities so you know how many calories you’ve burned that day. Putting those two together lets you track and measure your daily calorie consumption.
- BikeWrapper Bike Light: While this app helps you track your burned calories and plays music, the key function is turning your phone into a blinking red or white light. Just turn on the app, throw it in a backpack pouch or to your arm and you’ve just made yourself more visible to nighttime motorists. Oh yeah, and it’s free!