noglider 

I have a Garmin Edge 200 and it's kinda sorta OK. I kept my iphone 4 for five years, if you can believe it, and it got super slow over its lifetime. Still, as slow as it was, I noticed that using the ridewithgps app on it didn't drain the battery if the ride wasn't too long. Plus the GPS receiver seems quicker to locate me and also records more accurately than the Garmin.

I got a refurbished iphone 5s in January. It was nice while it lasted but it died a premature death. It seemed quite capable of running ridewithgps, and I suspect it was pretty good on battery life while using it.

I got an iphone 6s today, and wow is it fast. I think this should be a heck of a lot nicer than a Garmin.

The challenges with the phone are not with GPS recording. It does a better job than the Garmin. There are two challenges: mounting, and powering it if you want to keep the display on. I got a handlebar mount that might fit the new phone. I'll see how that works. It may make sense to set the phone to keep the display on when ridewithgps is the foreground app, and to power the phone with an external battery. That creates a new challenge of mounting wiring and the battery to the bike, but it still might be worthwhile.

Dedicated GPS units have their advantages, but given that this phone will probably do a whole lot very well, I'm content to have one fewer thing. I always know where my phone is, and I've lost my Garmin several times, sometimes for months at a time.

Looigi

You probably know that if you have an old smart phone it can still be used as bike computer without it having any phone or data service. Download maps and routes to it and upload your ride data via wifi.

dmanthree

What app will you be using for turn by turn directions, if any? I'm trying out a couple now for following GPX routes and was wondering if I was missing anything. Also, if you need more battery life and a weatherproof case, Lifeproof has a nice solution. Not cheap, but top notch.

TimothyH

For an old 4 or 4s, the Wahoo Fitness Pack can't be beat.

https://www.amazon.com/Wahoo-Fitness-.../dp/B004SNPCE4

dr_lha

I think the best smartphone bike solution is having it in your pocket, and using an external display mounted on the handlebars like the Wahoo RFLKT. That way you have an always on display of the metrics you want, and no issues with battery life from having your phone screen on all the time.

noglider 

Yes that Wahoo thing is a good idea, and it sure is novel.

I haven't thought about turn by turn directions but you're right that I should think about it. It will save me a lot of trouble. I've been using that feature in the car for a long time. It's time to start on the bike. I think ridewithgps can do it. I upgraded to the paid version recently.

dr_lha

If you want the Bluetooth only RFLKT there's a 25% off coupon right now.

RideWithGPS will do turn-by-turn directions with the RFLKT. Currently it's the only app that supports this and the RFLKT I believe. I've never tried it.

Seattle Forrest

Whenever I've recorded a track with my phone in a pocket or backpack, the resulting trace looks like I was drunk.

John_V 

MapMyRide also supports turn-by-turn and the RFLKT. As a Cyclemeter Beta Tester, they have told us that turn-by-turn is coming but won't tell us when. Unfortunately, because of my agreement with them, I really can't say much more than that. Like all the other Cyclemeter users, I'm hoping it's soon.

noglider 

I'm interested. Where do I find that?

dr_lha

I had not idea that MapMyRide supported turn-by-turn on the RFLKT. I remember Wahoo made a big deal about it when RideWithGPS added support for it. Good to hear Cyclemeter support is coming, I guess from their updates recently they're mainly focussed on adding Apple Watch support though.

PMed.

canklecat

Semi-digression, but I've asked this a few times and never got a reply...

Does anyone know of a handlebar mount for using the iPhone 4s to record video in correct landscape/horizontal orientation while riding? All the mounts I've seen are for vertical use only with various apps for GPS, fitness, etc., but not for recording video.

I don't record every moment of every ride, but it would be handy to have a mount for the iPhone to use for video as well as apps.

Dave Cutter

I am still using my 4s. I run the Cyclemeter app ($4.99 one time fee). It works great. I keep it in the Ziploc sandwich bag along with a photocopy ID and a few bucks.

I use an old fashion ($10) wired bicycle computer on the handlebars.... which gives me something to look at as well as serves as the bikes odometer (and backup).

01 CAt Man Do

Just a question about the Wahoo RFLKT set-up. I've checked and supposedly it is compatible with the Locus Pro navigation app ( for Android ). There is a secondary ( Android ) app that is suppose to make it compatible with LPro...anyway, does this mean that the Wahoo unit will display the Locus navigation map when prompted? If so that would be nice.

Still, If I were to use such a device it basically means I'm carrying along another device ( more weight ) and another BT sensor. While the Wahoo unit will likely give me a better display for speed and such I already have a small wired computer for speed that takes very little room and is very accurate. Of course if the Wahoo unit has a brighter map display for daytime use that might make the purchase / added weight a more reasonable trade off. My bike is already cluttered with "bike stuff". I keep wondering, "How much more do I really need"? I'm not one of those people who need to record every bike ride or record all the various stats. I just like to know how fast I'm going ( sometimes ) and whether or not I'm lost or not.

Comments?

John_V 

I believe I answered this for you in one of your other posts. I don't know of or have never seen a mount for the phone itself to be used as a video camera. However, it seems the end result here is to have the phone in a horizontal position where the camera lens is not obstructed by anything. While I have not seen anything specific for this functionality, there are a few things that you can use to get the results you are looking for. The cheapest would be to get a set of clamp-on bar end extenders and mount one on your handlebar in the area of the stem. This will give you a vertical bar to mount your phone horizontally with the camera lens unobstructed. If that won't work for you, try some web sites that are geared toward recumbent trike parts. They have mounts for computers and phones that are horizontally orientated but mount to vertical parts of the trike. Here are three sites you can try - Utah Trikes, Hostel Shoppe and Terra Cycle Parts.

dr_lha

I don't know the answer, but I've never seen an application of the RFLKT where it displays anything more than text. Maps I think are beyond it's capabilities. I imagine if such a thing were possible, Wahoo would highlight it.

Right, but does your small wired computer have the capability of displaying your cadence, heart rate, power, your elevation gain, your mileage, your speed, the current grade of the climb... etc?

RFLKT is pretty light BTW.
In that case, you don't need more than your current wired computer, and getting your phone out of your pocket when you get lost.

01 CAt Man Do

Okay, you make some good points. Looks like I might have to go to the Locus Pro website and ask some questions over there. I read the Locus app ads but they don't tell you much about how the app interfaces with the RFLKT. Locus Pro is a purely navigational app. If it's suppose to be compatible with the RFLKT there must be some function of the app that works with the main unit. I just need to know what that function is and if it's worth having. BTW, knowing the grade of a climb while on the bike would be nice to know as would elevation so yeah, owning the RFLKT would give me some more added information I might find useful that I don't already have. ( *anyone know if the RFLKT has a back-lit display that can be left on if riding after dark? )

Still, if I'm going to run a navigation app with a set programmed route I'm likely going to need to view the map screen from time to time if I get confused or momentarily lost. Even if the RFLKT somehow relayed the audio turn by turn instructions ( or written instructions, which would be nice ) I still might need to view the map from time to time. Personally I rather not have to stop to dig the phone out of a bag to do that. Currently I mount the phone to my stem where I have easy access to it while riding. I only do that though if I need the phone for navigation. If I know where I'm going I just put it in the bag I normally use.

canklecat

Thanks, I must have overlooked that earlier reply -- I get so many email updates from Bike Forums, but not always from the threads I'm actually interested in. I'll check out those links.

dksix

It's the display that takes up a lot to most of the battery, as you've pointed out. As far as an external battery, you can get power source kits that use 18650 battery's for cheap.
USB Mobile Power Bank Charger Box External Case for 2X 18650 Battery DIY Use | eBay
18650 Battery Rechargeable 4200mAh 3 7V Li ion Batteries Smart Battery Charger | eBay
The battery on the iPhone 6S shows to be 1715mAh so this DYI power source should near 5X more than the stock battery for about $10 and you can use your normal charge cable. Maybe drop the power source in your saddle bag and some Velcro type wire ties to secure the cable the toptube. One of my stocking stuffers this year at Christmas was a phone mount that clamps to the handle bars. I used it once, just didn't like the phone mounted to the bars (I don't use the display while riding) but the $20 mount was secure and very usable. I would guess it came from Walmart, said Motor Trend on the box.

Jseis 

I use Cyclemeter w/IPhone 6+ and Wahoo Fitness chest strap HRM & foot cadence meter. Because I ride the beach I decided against the RFLKT because I really don't need something to look at and figured the ocean beach environment would eventually nuke it. The 6+ has good battery life and Cyclemeter gives you great data & data summaries. I use the audio info occasionally.

Dahon.Steve

I purchased a cheap used DROID off Ebay. Used quality Android phones are going for a song. I'm going to get a new battery and see how this works by installing the maps on the phone. I like Garmin but they are really falling behind the time and are slow.

OnyxTiger

I liked using my smartphone on my handlebars and used Strava to record my ride. Usually, I'd just press the power button mid-ride to get a display screen of my stats (speed, avg. speed, HR, distance, time elapsed..) For the most part, that was enough for me. I eventually came to hate looking down at the screen while riding. Took away from the enjoyment of the ride at hand, the sights and sounds, and/or just my music and tuning into the moment.