Hello Friends. I am a newbie to riding and this forum. I just purchased a TreK FX 7.4 Hybrid and I have the riding bug. I have seen all of the phone apps and GPS systems for riding. I did read that the phones loose their battery quickly during a ride if using one of the apps......Strava or Map My Ride. I suppose I'm trying to figure out from those of you with experience, why buy a GPS when I can just use a phone app? Thank you!!

Running the phone GPS isn't bad. The power drain is more of a problem if you want to have the display on to see the data as you ride, plus the phone screen isn't that great to see out in the sun. Also, by comparison, some friends using phones stashed away in their packs had bad readings for things like max speed (eg 47mph when they maybe hit 21mph), but the averages were fine.

Durability and life in the elements, and want to look at it and use it any time? Get a GPS

Only want one device...going to leave it in your pocket as a data recorder and not a live bike computer...Phone app.

Thank you Don...

I use Runkeeper on my iPhone 5s. Great app. However, on a 4 hr ride, it will drain 50% of the phone battery. I also use it for walks in the winter when I'm not riding.

Using a phone app : Battery charge gets down quickly , for some countries , the use of gps depends on the 3g quality !
using a Gps : Directly connected to Satellite , noo bugs i think , instant replies ...

Are people able to keep ride info on Strava private? So that only you can see the data and use it for one's own personal use? I heard people complain that the competitive nature of other riders makes sharing info on workouts very irritating and may not have a positive effect for someone out of shape and a novice rider (me).

Old fashioned paper maps (city/county/state/country) work great; beendoing that for over 300,000 miles.

I have both an Edge 1000 from Garmin and an Cyclemeter/iPhone 6/RFLKT+ combo. Honestly, I prefer the iPhone based solution. I can tailor the displays as I wish - including font size and panel size and it's a smaller package.

For connectivity for things like ride progress, the GPS still needs the phone anyhow.

I have a Wahoo Fitness speed and cadence sensor that puts out both BT and ANT+ simultaneously. I rode with both the Edge 1000 and the iPhone getting the same sensor data from the same sensor. There was virtually no difference - so there is no benefit in the data recorded.

With the RFLKT+, the phone battery issue is gone and it only comes out to about 7-10% of the battery per hour.

I carry my phone with me either way. If I'm worried about weather, there's either weatherproof cases or (best) a ziplock bag.

At this point, I find few advantages for a standalone GPS over an iPhone app.

J.

Yes, you can make each event private.

If you have a smartphone, Strava app is free as is the use of strava. Seeing data in realtime using the phone isn't too realistic. Perhaps you could start out using the strava app on the phone. If you want realtime data to look at while you ride, consider a $30 Cateye computer. The least expensive Garmin is the 200 which costs $100, less if you can pick one up on sale.

Try it with the phone, since you already have it. Lots of people use them.

One problem with phones is buying the case and holder that let you put it on the bike (for seeing it while you ride).

You can get around the battery lifetime issue by using an external battery charger.

They work and it's fine if people prefer them. But that doesn't mean a GPS unit can't work better (especially, on a timed course and at night).

Anyway, I find it much more convenient to have maps loaded on my smartphone over having to faff with paper maps.

This isn't quite right.

The phones work fine as "standalone" GPS (you don't need cell service at all).

The phones can use cell-towers (and wifi) to determine approximate location very quickly. GPS is faster and more accurate but can take longer to start without a good approximate location.

If you are using your phone as a GPS, you probably want to use maps that are stored on the device. Things like Google Maps download maps as-needed, which requires cell-service.

I use my iphone 5 and MapMyRide (I use mapmyfitness and mapmyrun too). I have an armband that I put the phone in during the ride. The nice thing about mapmyride is that it will talk to you as you ride, telling your your average speed, miles, time, etc. It also lets you keep track of all your rides and see compiled data on your computer later on. I'm new to cycling this season (been at it about 1.5 months and loving it) so I have not tried tracking cadence or heart rate but for me this works well so far. I may upgrade next season but for now I am happy. Oh, I also have an old Garmin Forerunner 305 that I strap on the handlebars and that shows me my speed (MPH) during the ride.

1. Buy an old Android smart phone for $50 to $90 on craiglist
2. Install tracking/gps/fitness app of choice
3. Delete all programs on the phone except the GPS program.
4. The phone has a built in GPS that doesn't need cell service or wifi to run from. Battery life in this scenario is 12-16 hours
5. Purchase phone mount of use these straps(make sure to buy 2) and use one on top of the other (Bike Bicycle Holder Mount Silicone Rubber Elastic Tie Strap Bandage Black T1K | eBay)
6. Enjoy your new GPS with full bright screen and long battery life
7. When getting home connect to wifi and upload your data to your app/website of choice.

Thank you all for some great info and ideas. There is SOOOOOO much gear and things to research in this sport.

Don't do this, you can get a brand new Android smart phone for $80.

I have used 4 different Android phones (Droid 1, Droid 4, HTC Rhyme, and Nexus 5). I used Mytracks to make a spreadsheet for mileage and time. Then I decided I wanted more information and added Ant+ (Garmin) sensors for heart rate, cadence, and speed. I used an Ant+ USB stick with the 2 Droid models, the HTC Rhyme has a built in Ant+ radio, and the Nexus 5 can be hacked to turn on the Ant+ radio. Using an external battery I could have the screen on as long as I wanted. But I recently moved to a Garmin unit for a few reasons, the screen on the phone was not bright enough in full sun, the phone isn't weatherproof, and I wanted to get back some of the real estate on my handlebars.

I prefer GPS watch or cyclo computer that are dedicate to perform that task. It usually the more expensive option but offer a tons more functionality/data without having to subscribe to premium services.

The screen is by far the biggest consumer of power from the phone. You can help this with 2 devices: A pebble watch + phone. My phone can last me most all day running like this.

+1
Just make sure the Android phone has GPS hardware built in!

The only thing I don't like from this setup is that none of these phones are waterproof or use AA batteries. Otherwise, it's really a good plan and I can see the writing on the wall for companies like Garmin.

I left my Garmin GPS home and just used my Android phone only revewing my position every 2 or 3 miles. It worked! It would have been better to have instant access 100% of the time but I didn't get lost.

A phone is for phoning.
A GPS is for navigating.
You start mixing them up, guess what happens...

And a handheld, internet-connected computer with GPS sensors is for lots of things as you prefer.

I use an old smart phone for GPS and maps, just download the map at home where it uses the wireless internet and your set.

Mark

That stopped being true a long time ago.

Most people these days have a device in their pocket with instant access to almost all the world's accumulated knowledge. And use it to watch cat videos.