You are hereForums / Preparation / Geek Gear (GPS/Comps/Lights/etc.) / MTB apps for your iPhone/iTouch
MTB apps for your iPhone/iTouch
discovered this on MTBR - may be of use to those with the iPhone/iTouch or similar - or maybe a reason to buy one 
looks like if you upload some of the apps it could do away with the need to buy other biking gadgets eg bike computer, gps trainer, HRM etc (i have not uploaded/tested the apps yet so don't quote me)
- Login to post comments
- Bookmark & share
Looks great - esp to have all that in one device.
Well it does until I OTB (happens far too often) and I smash said $1000 device. Then I can't even call home to get me out of where I can no longer find myself.
Are there mounts and covers that allow an iPhone to still work, and yet protect it from being totalled in MTB-style crashes? There are a whole lot of rocks around out there...
what about this
http://ibikeus.blogspot.com/2009/11/sold-garmon-...
I've been using the Marware Sidewinder for a while now with no issues. Never popped out once on the trail, but I think if you did go OTB it would pop out easily. The good thing is the phone can sit in the cradle face down or up, so you can see it if following a trail on a GPS app, but flip it over in seconds if you want to protect the screen.
http://www.marware.com/products/iPhone-3g-cases_...
If you look at the accessories, you can buy a clip that rotates - this is what I use 90% of the time and attach to my camelbak - that way if I ever need my phone it's by my chest. They also make a handlebar mount that is solid but does struggle with oversize bars, AND they make a gooseneck windscreen mount for the car, so now I use the low profile skin all the time on my phone, the Sidewinder clip as the holder and then just transfer it between car, bike etc in seconds. Hands down best system out there for me.
They ship direct to AUS in about 5 - 7 days.
we have a Garmin etrex vista GPS and although we can mount it to the handlebars we leave it in our camelbacks for protection and it's not hard to access if you need to grab it - you can buy a little pouch to velcro onto the front shoulder straps. we have no issue with coverage.
i'm not a big fan of people riding with their mp3 players on (i had a guy nearly run into me at RNP and have heard of several other riders actually having head ons) and I already have a bike computer but the other apps seem practical and don't require the phone to be mounted to the bike. And for those that maintain their own bikes (or have someone else in the house to do it
) some of the apps can help with servicing the bike.
further comments on the use of the iPhone for MTBing can be found at the below link http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=500124
i'm sure if you did a google search you could find a heap of DIY or purpose built solutions
PS snowkiwi - i hope your phone was covered by insurance so you were not too much out of pocket
The only problem with using the iPhone for these type of actvities (gps etc) is the iPhone has a poor battery life when sing these apps / functions.
I have used sme of the gps apps and the phone regularly dies after about 2 hrs.
Good fir short rides but that's about it.
MTB Action has 10 apps in their Nov issue:
Here they are with a very rough paraphrase (by me)
SpinCycle - gear choice based on cadence - get shouted at by the Drill Sergeant from Full Metal Jacket
Cheater Line - Cheat by taking a short cut at a point where you are least likely to get caught. Apparently the pros do it (?) Plenty of time to familiarise yourself before DW.
Lift Line time - looks at shortest lift line times to avoid excessive queueing. Meh, its Oz, not really applicable for now.
In the bag - Put phone in bag and it tells you what you left at home. Useful for when you arrive at Canberra from Sydney
Perfect shift - gear tuning using the camera
Disaster avoidance - "If you keep riding like this, you will die"
Virtual Joe - BikeSkills specifically for the Staircase at Manly Dam, or the Drop Zone at Red Hill.
Skunk Dunk - "You smell like a dead badger's armpit"
Stuff yo face - "You burned off 3 cheeseburgers. You could replace these calories with 6 James Boags or 3 Sherry Trifles or 18 packets of Snakes or...."
Ride it off - "What? You think that 3 sherry trifles can be negated with one lap of Manly Dam? Pfffft! Best do a quick lap of Lake Eyre pal!!"
Like Chica, I haven't tried these but I like the sound of the last two.
5hr 20 Min ride recorded on Trails for the iPhone
http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=...
Details about the app http://trails.lamouroux.de/
Something else to consider is that I believe the iPhone uses "A-GPS" and is not a full standalone GPS implementation. I believe it needs a data connection to the Internet for the GPS to work ("Assisted-GPS").
(To be confirmed by someone with an iPhone please?)
Most of the tracks we ride have a phone signal and data connection, but not all.
I used a GPS application on my HTC Win Mobile device but gave up in the end and bought a Garmin. Too many problems with poor battery life, slow and innacurate GPS fix, and random times where it would just stop working part way through a ride. The Garmin just works every time without a problem and is waterproof enough to not require extra protection.
(Garmin do however have horrible software for setting up and starting to use the device. However once setup the online Garmin Connect is great.)
I have both a 705 and an iPhone. The GPS is far more sensitive on the garmin than the iPhone. I use both for geocaching and the iPhone is hopeless when you get close to the cache (although the built in compass does help).
Plus the 705 is a lot more robust, water resistant, better battery life, virtual training and has a HRM. Sure it's another toy but worth it if you can afford it.
"Something else to consider is that I believe the iPhone uses "A-GPS" and is not a full standalone GPS implementation. I believe it needs a data connection to the Internet for the GPS to work ("Assisted-GPS").
(To be confirmed by someone with an iPhone please?)"
No, it's a full blown GPS.
Translate this with Google field test v a Garmin.
http://backstage.mtbvd.de/index.php?/archives/35...
It appears the iPhone does use A-GPS, but is also capable of standalone GPS operations.
From: http://gizmodo.com/5015930/giz-explains-what-you...
"So it uses assisted GPS, also known as aGPS or A-GPS, like most phones with "GPS," though it can mean a couple different things.
In the iPhone's case, it means location is determined with a combo of GPS, Wi-Fi and cell towers, depending on what's available—and all that data is crunched by the "assistance server."
and...
" Unlike some phones' A-GPS, Apple implies iPhone's A-GPS will still work without a cell signal (it "finds your location via GPS or by triangulating your position...") in case you're camping or just in the boonies."
Anyone with an iPhone care to try an experiment for us? Turn off the phone/data connection and then see if GPS works. Is it slow to get a fix? Is it accurate?
Some other links to further info:
http://artoftheiphone.com/2008/06/10/iphone-3g-w...
http://journal.zenyee.com/2008/04/19/agps-not-a-...
I have friends that use Nokia's and iPhones and both have had problems with GPS on remote parts of the tracks where there is no phone reception.
However if you already have an iPhone, for the sake of a couple of dollars why not load up the GPS app and use it! Gives you a neat log of your ride, and can also be used to keep you on track for new/unknown trails.
cheers
Loki
Yes I've done this. I usually turn off cellular and wifi on rides for better battery life.
It only uses AGPS when you're indoors etc and cant get a sat. Where you can see the sky, it's a fully functional GPS.
I've recorded all these with it:
http://www.everytrail.com/my_trips.php?user_id=3...
http://www.otterbox.com.au/iphone-cases/index.html