Map my Ride vs Strava

[Houxty1]

I currently use Map my Ride on my i-phone but it only gives me about two hours before the battery goes.

I like MMR but wonder if something like Strava might work better for the i-phone.

 

[jpr95]

Shut the screen off or get an external battery.

I've used MMR, Endomondo and MotionX as well. I like Strava because of the social media aspect--you can "compete" on road/hill segments and see your friends' activity. It's good encouragement to keep riding.

 

[bknaus]

I agree, shut off the screen and close out of a bunch of other programs. I got one of those task manager apps and was shocked at how many unnecessary things we running in the background using up power. I noticed a big difference closing some of those down. My 1 year old phone will last a whole 100 mile ride on a battery charge (barely) using Strava. Never tried MMR to see if it's more power intensive or not...

 

[Mr645]

I used Strava today and after 45 miles, 2 hours 21 minutes I had 42% left

 

[Houxty1]

Very interesting. I didn't know you could get an i-phone extension battery but I'm not surprised as they have a lifespan slightly shorter than a nanosecond.

I might give Strava a try though, had a look at it over the weekend and there's some decent looking features and like JPR I quite like the social media side.

Thanks guys, very useful.

Ali

 

[jpr95]

Here's the external battery I use:

http://www.amazon.com/Anker-Flashlight-Lightning-Thunderbolt-Incredible/dp/B005K7192G/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1377607563&sr=8-2&keywords=anker+external+battery

For long rides where I use it, I use a top-tube pack, slip the battery in there, then run the USB cable up to the handlebars where the phone is mounted. There are various capacities available from the same manufacturer. The one I linked above will do about 3-4 full charges of my iPhone 5. Plus it has an LED flashlight built in, which can be handy.

 

[Houxty1]

Brilliant! Many thanks Jason I will get myself one and then have no excuses for not doing more than two hours

 

[Wilsone]

That battery is nice!

 

[alienator]

Very interesting. I didn't know you could get an i-phone extension battery but I'm not surprised as they have a lifespan slightly shorter than a nanosecond. I might give Strava a try though, had a look at it over the weekend and there's some decent looking features and like JPR I quite like the social media side. Thanks guys, very useful. Ali

Those programs put a much larger load on your battery than normal phone functions, so it's not surprising at all that they can dramatically shorten battery life. As other mentioned, leaving the screen on will only further drain the battery as will not managing any programs that are running and don't need to be.

 

[old-n-slow]

I use Strava on my Motorola Razr Maxx and after a 4 hour ride I'm only down maybe 10%. It's not the app... it's your phone.

 

[mpre53]

Save your pounds and get a Garmin Edge computer.

However, Strava seems to drain a battery on an android or iPhone less than MMR. Before I had the Garmin, I used an old Samsung android, and using Strava, with the display shut down, I could log a full 100 mile ride and still have about 20% battery life left.

Now I have an Edge 500 and the battery is good for 18 hours when fully charged.

 

[616fun]

Save your pounds and get a Garmin Edge computer.

However, Strava seems to drain a battery on an android or iPhone less than MMR. Before I had the Garmin, I used an old Samsung android, and using Strava, with the display shut down, I could log a full 100 mile ride and still have about 20% battery life left.
Now I have an Edge 500 and the battery is good for 18 hours when fully charged.

I use a Garmin 310xt. Can be had for less than $200. I'd like a 500 or 800, but until my cheaper 310 dies I'll keep using it. If money is an issue its a nice option and considerably less than the Edge products. It's also much nicer to run with than an Edge. Once uploaded to Garmin Connect you can upload your GPX file from your Garmin device (310, 910, and all Edge products are capable of being uploaded) to Strava for all the segment fun and KOM chest pounding.

 

[vspa]

the battery drainer seems to be the GPS function, i was studying two Polar devices having the same main functions but one with GPS and the other not, without the GPS you get 9 months of functionality with a standard watch-like battery, the one with the GPS needs USB recharging every few days, a nice little touch is that you can program the hours, for example midnight till 8:00 AM, for the device to shut down and save battery life,

 

[bknaus]

Quote: Originally Posted by jpr95 .
Here's the external battery I use:

http://www.amazon.com/Anker-Flashlight-Lightning-Thunderbolt-Incredible/dp/B005K7192G/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1377607563&sr=8-2&keywords=anker+external+battery

For long rides where I use it, I use a top-tube pack, slip the battery in there, then run the USB cable up to the handlebars where the phone is mounted. There are various capacities available from the same manufacturer. The one I linked above will do about 3-4 full charges of my iPhone 5. Plus it has an LED flashlight built in, which can be handy.


I just ordered one of these, thanks for the link. It will be good for long rides but also camping trips, hiking, etc. Usually I don't have service camping but the phone is also my camera and clock...

 

[GrimpeurHeureux]

I've used both MapMyRide and Strava on my iPhone. I switched to (and stayed with) Strava because it seemed to be less battery intensive than MMR. MMR sometimes froze the phone and stopped recording the ride (which is somewhat frustrating...). I find Strava cleaner and easier to use. I particularly like that when you start up the app, you just have to hit the big red record button and go.

As discussed above, you're still restricted by the battery on the phone when using GPS. I used a crppy iphone 3GS and found 3-4 hours the absolute limit for ride time on Strava.

I now have an Edge 510 and really recommend it (not least because I now can see it on my handlebar mount, whereas I had to keep my phone screen off in order to save battery).

I just wrote a post on my blog comparing MMR and Strava if anyone is interested: http://grimpeurheureux.com/mapmyride-vs-strava-a-detailed-comparison/

It's an updated version of an old post that got a lot of really detailed comments (some people know a lot about these things!) - if you want to see those comments (which are probably better than my original post) just follow the link through from the new version.

Best,
Andrew

 

[old-n-slow]

I can go out for a 5 hour ride with Strava running and still have 80% battery. The phone is a Motorola Razr Maxx HD. The phone has a huge battery reserve and i've yet to run it down past 50% and that after a lot of use.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

STRAVA yields much more (20% to 50%) more elevation than Cateye Atlas or Map My Ride using the same gpx file. Anyone know which is more accurate?