Using iPhone as cycling equipment?

i don't have one but i do carry a cell phone when riding, its a good safety measure, as long as applications i wouldn't replace a nice dedicated bike computer for them, although i know they look cool on the iphone screen with nice graphic designs and all !

anyway, what you want to measure is speed + average speed + distance + total distance + cadence + real time heart rate + average heart rate among others,

these feeds can be acquired by a bike computer, or a wrist watch computer and in your case/question maybe on an iphone,

I have an iphone but will never use if as a cycling computer. It's too big and I typically ride during the summer months in temps that regularly exceed it's operating temperatures even when in the shade.

Personally, I don't want to see this screen when I ride:

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The iphone gets hot enough by itself when you're using a GPS app, like Navigon, without having to add the burden of the blazing sun. Having the phone tell me it's too hot to work when I need it to help me to get somewhere where I can cool down because I'm too hot to be comfortable seems to be a self defeating spiral of doom. :P

I'm only interested in 1 metric - power. Time and in long events, distance, carry some interest. The little yellow PowerTap cpu handles those function fine in a smallish form factor and the battery doesn't [censored] out after 10 hours either - which would be an issue for me on mountainous double centuries - ie when I need it the most.

I use sports watches. With various time and heart rate measurements.

I received the Wahoo Fitness ANT+ case for the iPhone 4 today and hope to test it out tomorrow. I will try to get a quick review up on my blog following. My main setup is using a Garmin 800 with a Powertap SL+ wheel, but I thought I would give this a test and just see how well it does in comparison to the 800.

I typically carry the phone when I am on a longer course and solo. After opening the package and at a quick glance it is rather large and heavy in comparison to any of the Garmin Edge products.
I will use the free Wahoo Fitness App

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I did a test today with the Wahoo Fitness case with a built in ANT+ dongle, but since I just finished my ride (I am tired) I will just post that it worked well enough. To me it is a bit heavy compared to any of the Garmin Edge products. I did not use the mount and I had it in my middle rear jersey pocket and could feel the weight as if I had a half full bottle of water back there.

As you will see on the links below I did not record the full route on the iPhone because I had trouble initiating the start button as the phone did not sense my touch through the protective screen. The guys were already rolling out so I did not start it until we were at a stop later in the ride. From that point forward the screen touches were a little bit more responsive. I was wearing full finger gloves so that may have a little bit to do with it not responding quite as quickly as the Garmin 800.

I am using the Wahoo Fitness bike app and the upload to Training Peaks and to Garmin Connect was simple. I waited until I was at home in range of the WiFi to upload.

Bottom line for me is that the Garmin Edge products suit my needs. Garmin just added TSS / NP / IF in the latest firmware released this week so that was a nice addition.

Here is a comparison of data between the Garmin 800 and iPhone/Wahoo Fitness case and app (partial route) on a group ride today.

iPhone Data:
Training Peaks - trainingpeaks.comN65GQEWM3LLIONZTXGVHDAU56QOpen ↗
Garmin Connect - connect.garmin.com123487479Open ↗

Garmin Data:
Training Peaks - trainingpeaks.comJ6NT2NGGL7SJKCALQ7ENYFQ554Open ↗
Garmin Connect - connect.garmin.com123490345Open ↗

My probable use of the adapter, since I have the Garmin 800, will be to use when training indoors (larger screen and weight doesn't matter) or if I need a back up if my Garmin is having an issue.

I use the iphone every day. I ride early in the AM so heat is not an issue. I use a holster and clip it to my shorts and put 1 ear bud in to listen to the news or whatever. I am currently using MapMyRide. Seems reasonably accurate. Measures time, distance, and altitude, and by virtue of those parameters calculates pace and speed. And its free. You can upgrade to the ANT stuff if you are interested in those stats.

I looked at all the clamp on iphone things - some very lame and some quite robust and expensive (and heavy). Some clamped onto the bars, some to the steer tube, and one to the frame. I decided to DIY and came up with a very simple solution - the OTTER BOX. Worked like a charm. Some padding and zip ties and I was in business. What I found was the following.

1. the positioning on the steer tube seemed really cool. But who is dicking around with an iphone when they are riding? If you want to crash that's a great way to do it.
2. the steer tube position puts the phone in the sun - heat issues as described by swampy - these things heat up fast when exposed to sun, even when it's cool out.
3. I was suddenly tethered to the bike by the ear bud cord - what a pain when dismounting.

So, I took it off, returned it to the store, and went back to the phone in my holster on my hip. I never know its there and it stays put. I've even landed a couple of times on that side after a spill and no dents yet (I guess my head gets in the way).

Hey Jesse I used to live off Little River near Woodstock - nice area you have for riding. Enjoy!

I've been using a mount made by Rocket Fish. I also have an Otter Box but I use bluetooth headphones so I'm not attached to the bike. I put a couple strips of Velcro on the plastic part of the Otter Box case and on the RF mount; it stays very firm whether on the road or in the dirt. I have yet to experience the iPhone getting too hot; I use an app called BikeBrain.

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Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by Crocosis [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

I've been using a mount made by Rocket Fish. I also have an Otter Box but I use bluetooth headphones so I'm not attached to the bike. I put a couple strips of Velcro on the plastic part of the Otter Box case and on the RF mount; it stays very firm whether on the road or in the dirt. I have yet to experience the iPhone getting too hot; I use an app called BikeBrain.

Your bars look mighty crowded [IMG]/img/vbsmilies/smilies/eek.gif[/IMG] a garmin edge 800 is big enough, you occasionally see them bouncing down the road in a race!

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by rxter [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

Hey Jesse I used to live off Little River near Woodstock - nice area you have for riding. Enjoy!

Thanks! You were within a couple of miles from where I live. I typically go out to the brewery in Cartersville for less traffic, but this Saturday we are going up to north Georgia and cycling into NC, TN and back for a fall colors ride. I typically do not do scenic cycling, but this is a great ride.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by steve [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

Your bars look mighty crowded [IMG]/img/vbsmilies/smilies/eek.gif[/IMG] a garmin edge 800 is big enough, you occasionally see them bouncing down the road in a race!

This past spring my 705 flies off the stem while in a 25 mph paceline with a broken mount and I saw it bounce at least once really hard, but not one scratch. The Edge products seem very durable. The Wahoo case seems very durable, but I wonder if the iPhone can take an impact like that even in a case.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by Felt_Rider [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

This past spring my 705 flies off the stem while in a 25 mph paceline with a broken mount and I saw it bounce at least once really hard, but not one scratch. The Edge products seem very durable. The Wahoo case seems very durable, but I wonder if the iPhone can take an impact like that even in a case.

The nice thing about a bike computer is that if it flies off, you can still have your phone in place in your jersey pocket.

(oooh, ooh, it's my big chance)

iPhones are too heavy: 140g!! That's even heavier than my two steel cans phone, which is only 108g!!

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I guess when you keep riding around the block and never venture far from the house those cans work well...

I'm surprised you have stuck a pair of Apple stickers on the side. 😉

While I carry an Android phone with me and have some bicycling software on it... I find that if I use the GPS mapping bike software for an extended period it will kill the battery.

Yep - the battery on my iphone 4 will not go forever. But I can get a good 4 hrs no problem. The key is making sure that you turn the screen off - many of the GPS apps keep the screen backlit and override the time out. I missed that my first time out on a long ride - battery died after 3 hours.

A few pics of the Otterbox instal. Very, very simple. It was stable and looked like it was there to stay for a while despite the flimsy zip-tie look. The white stuff is foam drawer liner from home depot. The black tape around the stem is splicing tape, not electrical. The splicing tape is better because it is less sticky and has some thickness to it. If you've not used it you should get a roll - loads of application. The black stuff around the steering tube is velcro - just used that to keep the reflector in place - People around here will run you down...

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Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by AlanG [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

While I carry an Android phone with me and have some bicycling software on it... I find that if I use the GPS mapping bike software for an extended period it will kill the battery.

I use Google MyTracks on my Droid (in addition to my Cateye), but it's in my back pocket (not using display) and I've programmed it to provide audio splits every 15 mins (total miles / total time / avg speed). I've had it last as long as 5 hours, but on my last century ride it died before my ride ended. I tried reducing the satellite ping rate to conserve battery life, but it affected the accuracy of the tracking to an unacceptable level.

Quote: Originally Posted by swampy1970 [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG] I guess when you keep riding around the block and never venture far from the house those cans work well...

I'm surprised you have stuck a pair of Apple stickers on the side. 😉

Yep, I like to stay close to home in case I have to drop a load.
And, yeah, I've used all my fake Look KG 361 stickers.

Quote: Originally Posted by swampy1970 [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG] I guess when you keep riding around the block and never venture far from the house those cans work well...

I'm surprised you have stuck a pair of Apple stickers on the side. 😉

Yep, I like to stay close to home in case I have to drop a load.
And, yeah, I've used all my fake Look KG 361 stickers.

Cyclemeter is a fantastic app. I've used it for about a year now with no problems. There are consistent upgrades and the features are great for a $4 app. I highly recommend it. As far as battery life, I'm still using a 3GS and upgrading to the 4S soon, has never been a problem. I do keep the screen off, I seldom am looking back and forth for speed etc. I primarily use the GPS features, so I'm just turning it on occasionally to make sure I'm still on course. There is a cool feature that lets u see yourself from previous runs of the same course, and you can race against yourself.

The race against self thing sounds interesting. Does it do it in real time? The guys that televise the RedBull air races use a virtual program to show 2 racers on the same course at the same time - very cool indeed.