Cycling Apps That Make Your Rides Better

Cycling Apps That Actually Earn Screen Time

Cycling apps have gotten absurdly crowded with all the options flying around in the app store. As someone who has installed and deleted probably thirty different ones over the years, I learned which apps actually improve my riding versus which ones just drain my phone battery. Today I will share the apps that survived the cull.

The One Almost Everyone Should Have

Strava. Yes, the obvious choice. But it is obvious for a reason – it does the core stuff well. Tracks your rides, shows you where you went, records how fast you were going. The segments feature adds a competitive element without requiring actual race entries.

I am apparently one of those people who gets genuinely motivated by seeing my times on local segments, and knowing I cracked the top 50 on that one hill makes the suffering feel worthwhile. Your experience might be completely different – some folks find segments stressful. Turn off notifications if that is you.

For Navigation Without The Hassle

Komoot wins for route planning in my experience. Drop a start point and endpoint, tell it you are on a road bike or gravel bike, and it generates sensible routes. The surface-type info is usually accurate, which matters when you are trying to avoid accidentally ending up on a muddy hiking trail with 23mm tires.

Ride with GPS is the other solid option. More detailed turn-by-turn cues. Better for following someone else’s pre-made route. Probably should have led with this if you are planning a multi-day tour since the route library is excellent.

When Training Gets Serious

That is what makes TrainerRoad endearing to us winter indoor-trainer sufferers – it actually prescribes workouts that make sense. The AI builds training plans based on your available time and goals. Following the structured intervals beats randomly spinning on the trainer while watching TV.

If you want the video game version, Zwift turns indoor riding into something almost enjoyable. Virtual courses, little avatar races, other people to ride with from their own garages. It gets expensive if you want all the features, but the motivation factor is real.

The Device Sync Situation

Most apps now talk to most devices – Garmin, Wahoo, power meters, heart rate straps. The connection happens over Bluetooth or ANT+ and usually works without drama. Usually.

When syncing breaks, and it will occasionally, restart everything. Phone, bike computer, sensor. Works ninety percent of the time. The other ten percent involves swearing and riding without data for that one session.

Safety Features That Actually Matter

Live tracking sounds paranoid until you crash on an empty road forty miles from anywhere. Most apps can share your location with designated contacts. My partner gets a link when I start a ride, can see where I am in real time. Peace of mind for everyone.

Strava Beacon does this. Road ID works well. Garmin devices have incident detection that texts your emergency contact if you crash hard enough. Worth setting up even if you never use it.

The Community Angle

Following friends, giving kudos on rides, seeing who else rode that route you like. Social features are optional but surprisingly motivating once you start using them. Knowing someone will see your ride stats makes you more likely to actually go out.

Join challenges too. Monthly distance goals, climbing competitions, whatever gets you moving. They work on me even though I know they are just marketing psychology.

Free vs Paid Reality

Basic tracking is free on most apps. Route planning beyond simple stuff usually requires subscription. Detailed analytics almost always do. I pay for Strava Summit and Komoot maps because I use both enough to justify it. But you can definitely ride happily using only free tiers.

Decide what you actually use before subscribing. Download a few apps, ride for a month, see what sticks. Then pay for the one that becomes part of your routine.

My Current Setup

Strava for tracking everything automatically. Komoot for planning routes when I want to explore. Apple Weather app for quick forecast checks. That is it. Used to have seven cycling apps on my phone. Now three cover everything.