Another making your iPhone into a cycling computer thread
 

Since I am carrying an iPhone all the time, why not turn it into a cycling computer. That way, you don't need to have a separate cycling computer setup. In theory, from what I can find, this is what you need:

- ANT+ adapter
- Mounts
- Some software

But I have yet to see some consensus on the best setup! Any ideas? Pictures would be even better.

BTW, I currently use Garmin 705 with HR strap, cadence sensor, as well as PowerTap. I figure with an iPhone, we should be able to get at least as good as that.

CON:
- water/other crap hitting the phone
- buying accessories for a phone that you will replace soon
- GPS on the phone is crappy if reception is not good (iPhone uses aGPS)
- it is huge
- touch screen very much not ideal for bike computer (wet hands, gloved hands, taking eyes off the road)
- BATTERY LIFE. i bring my phone for music and for making calls

thanks for pointing these out. I think I am on the fence to begin with. Did you try to make this work and found these problems out the hard way?

Battery life really, really sucks (on about a 3 hour ride, my battery went from 100% to 25%) and the GPS sucks - over that same ride, I dropped GPS signal more than half a dozen times. I'm still looking into an Android solution (a few phones have ANT+ antennae built in, only Sony Ericcson currently has them enabled, though) but I'm still waiting on some hardware to become available.

What I was looking at is the Wahoo Fitness Fisica iPhone case: http://www.wahoofitness.com/Fisica/W...ensor-Case.asp

It seems to have everything you need to turn the iPhone into a super cycling computer. At least in theory.

But the feedback from your guys are making this sounds like a terrible idea compare to a Garmin Edge 705, or even an Edge 500.

Comments?

If you already have a dedicated unit, I don't see why you'd want to replace it with (most likely) inferior functionality from a phone. I can see the appeal in having one less thing to bring with you on a ride, but even so, I'd need assurances that battery life, durability and accuracy are sufficient... otherwise, I see it as a stop-gap for someone that's getting serious.

iPhones iAre iNot iBuilt iFor iThis.

well initially the idea was appealing. of course you want fewer devices.
if you're going on short rides around town, maybe. but realistically, no.

but the iPhone wasn't built for this task. what i mean by that is that it's doing too much else - the hardware and operating system are built for lots of other things - constant data connection, calls, *occasional* or *momentary* or *short term* GPS tracking.
it's great that 3rd party accessories *can* be built to make this work, but it's just not the right tool for the job here. i sincerely hope that someday it is.

I have often mentioned my use of the CycleMeter app when these threads come up but I should point out that I DO NOT use the iPhone as my cycle computer. I use it to capture my route and speed data and have it connected to my Daily Mile account to track my progress. On occasion I have used Google Maps when I was lost. I keep the iPhone in my jersey pocket in a ziplock snack back along with my DL, CC and some cash. I don't reference it during the ride. It's just a data logger. I take it with me anyway so why not use it that way?

I've looked at a bunch of the different rigs designed to turn the iPhone into a cycling computer and my consensus was that by the time I buy the mount, case, accessories, etc. that I might as well buy a Garmin 500 on eBay or even the 705 and have a superior dedicated device.

I'm still on the fence on this issue as well, wanting to use more of the phone's capabilities, but frustrated by how difficult it is to convert it into a usable bike computer. The GPS map was helpful last week after I made a wrong turn and needed to reorient myself. I'll have to be satisfied with that for now.

I use my iPhone as my cycle comp but only because I haven't got the ok from the mrs. to pick up the 705... The 705 is a greatly superior unit in all ways... (except it doesn't have pandora :) ... )

If you decide to trade your 705 in, i'll buy it from you. . . :)

Stay with what you have...

the iPhone is pretty but not best suited for the job.

I just went from an iPhone with the mapmyride app (no fancy ant contraptions tho), to a 705 with heartrate strap, and speed/cadence.

With the ant adapter, you'll get comparable data, but the gps is god awful on the phone compared to the garmin. also, you'll get no elevation data with the phone, other than what the map says later.

All in all, the iPhone can serve as a computer, but it's a stop gap/ad hoc solution. The garmin will do the job far better. On rides I use my phone for music, checking my route, getting directions, or making calls. All of the data acquisition is handled by the garmin.

Don't do it.

I use my Android for this. I turn on the audio coach and with my bluetooth headset on I hear the mile makers and time splits. The software also supports a bluetooth heart rate monitor but I have not bought the monitor yet. The software that I use is not cycling specific, rather it is a generic fitness app. I'll look into creating my own app in the fall or winter.

I bought a phone armband holder. I just put my phone on my arm. The holder also helps to keep water out of the phone. It is not 100% water proof but it will shed the vast majority of the rain. I have yet to have my phone short or die due to rain and I have ridden in the rain a number of times.

As far as bettery life, I have found that my phone uses about 10% battery life per hour of riding. I also bought a backup battery pack that I can plug into the phone that have the equivalent of 3 full charges in it. I have not had to use the battery pack yet.

One thing that it does not have the ability to do yet is voice navigation on a set GPS route. I am going to teach myself some Java over the summer and see what I can come up with. It would be nice to just program the route into the phone and just listen to the navigator tell me where to turn rather than glancing down at a route sheet and looking for street signs.

IMO, using the a smart phone as a cycling computer is far superior to a standalone GPS device. Most people carry their phones with them anyway while riding. It is much more flexible and programmable. What is lacking right now is just the proper application support. Just as smart phones have devastated the car GPS market, I expect them to do the same with the cycling GPS market.

I've said before I'll say again... go all the way with this, or go home.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=200202

My current setup:

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m...r/DSC_6862.jpg

:thumb:

respectfully disagree. smart phones work as GPS systems because they are good enough, not necessarily because they are good. if you've ever tried to use one to navigate in your car, and had to re-route yourself because of the slightly laggy gps fix, you know what I'm talking about. if you've ever used a legitimate GPS device to navigate, you probably know that they are far quicker on the draw. if you happen to have a 'co-pilot' with you who can help navigate, then an iphone is perfectly sufficient, but if you're solo, then using the iphone alone can sometimes be an aggravating endeavor.

for casually keeping tabs on your riding habits, the GPS in a phone is fine. but for legit/serious training, I think that the precision of GPS tech in smartphones just isn't there yet.

http://www.ibikesports.com/ibikedash...dashpower.html
http://www.ibikesports.com/ibikedash...ibikedash.html

http://en.pedalbrain.com/home
http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/12/26/pedal-brain/

I don't have an iPhone nor have I ever used one. As I said in my post, I use an Android. I have never missed a turn due to GPS lag in my car nor while riding my bike. If the iPhone lags out then that is just too bad for Apple users.

I understand why people have to defend their purchases. I have Magnepan speakers that most people don't even know exist. I can tell you that they sound better than any other speaker but I know that 99% of the population wouldn't be able to tell the difference nor would they care. :)

I have to respectfully disagree here as well... Not by a long shot

I am officially done exploring this iPhone -> iSuperCyclingComputer idea.

For all the reasons you all pointed out here... and the 705 is doing just fine.

You may want to check out the iBike dash (note: I am affiliated). It's a waterproof, shockproof case that turns your iPhone into a computer or even power meter. It has the Ant+ Chip inside and a spare battery that will keep the iPhone charged. There are some cool training features in there as well.

The link is in Shimagnolo's post a few up