Cyclemeter (for iPhone)

The iPhone app Cyclemeter ($4.99) tracks, maps, and records your bicycle rides, then compiles all your data into excellent graphs and other records. And despite its name, Cyclemeter doesn't just record cycling. Other activities, from cross-country skiing to running, come preloaded so at the touch of a button, you can leverage the app for more than one sport?an enormous benefit.

What sets Cyclemeter apart from other bicycle tracking and mapping apps is you can use it without creating an online account or paying a subscription fee. Everything you need for Cyclemeter to work is right in your iPhone, unlike MapMyRide+ ($2.99, 4 stars), which sends you to its website for certain data access and tries to upsell you to a Pro account for additional stats.

Cyclemeter is accurate, rich with features and data, and works well, making it our Editors' Choice app for bicycling. It was, however, designed to be used on a handlebar mount, which could drive up the total cost. The app does function just fine if you ride with it in your bag or pocket, but you'll lose the ability to pause the app during stop times.

Rich With Features
Turn on Cyclemeter for iPhone when you start a bike ride, and it will track your speed, distance, elevation, total ride time, and stop times (so long as the app is mounted where you can easily pause and resume by tapping the screen), as well as plot your route on a map.

Speed, distance, and ride time appear live on screen while you pedal, as well as in detailed graphs when your ride is complete. When I tested the app, the distance calculations and GPS map of my routes were spot on. If you bike a particular route often, such as a home-to-office commute, you can save it to the app and use it to compare future rides. You can also add more detail about whether the route is difficult or easy, for example.

If you're a hardcore athletic type, you can add peripherals to the app, like a Bluetooth connected heart rate monitor to record even more data about your physical fitness and calorie burn. Cyclemeter also lets you connect with competitors, so you can, for example, pull another user's best time to set a new goal for yourself.

One great feature for serious cyclists is that Cyclemeter captures splits, giving you, for example, your average speed during the first five miles as compared to the second five-mile stretch.

The more you use Cyclemeter, the more items it will show in your history list, which lets you see at a snapshot the length of your rides in miles (or km if you change the settings) and time.

One feature I nearly missed is that Cyclemeter can calculate your calorie burn for rides based on your age, weight, and sex. I wish the app had prompted me to enter this tiny amount of personal data after installation. Instead, I missed out on having it for the first few rides. However, if you add your stats later, Cyclemeter does ask if you'd like to use the newly entered information to go back and recalculate calorie burn for the rides that didn't have it.

Maps
Cyclemeter uses maps powered by Google Maps, giving you the ability to switch between three different views: map form, satellite image, and hybrid satellite-map form. Start point and end markers use the familiar Google Map balloons, but Cyclemeter adds in green five-mile markers as well.

While I have no complaints about the mapping feature, one addition I would love to see is more integration with Google Maps, particularly as it adds bicycle routes and trails to its directions services. I'd love to be able to look up a destination and take off in the right direction all from the same screen.

Audio Feedback and Music
Audio feedback is another solid feature in Cyclemeter, and it's highly customizable. You can set the app to announce your progress (distance, remaining distance, speed and pace, for example) as well as your status compared with a competitor.

The app also contains pre-installed training programs for races, although they're only for runners (5K, 10K, half marathon, and marathon). I'd love to see some pre-programmed plans for cycling?above and beyond basic interval training, which is included.

If you refuse to pedal without music, Cyclemeter built a special feature just for you: a pane that you can swipe to from the main window that lets you access your iPhone's music. No need to jump from app to app. You can pause, skip ahead, rewind, and toggle to a different playlist with just a few screen taps.

Cyclemeter Has More
Cyclemeter collects a wealth of data, is very accurate, contains several well thought out features, and appeals to fitness enthusiasts who participate in more than one sport. Cyclemeter is a whiz, and it's our Editors' Choice. There are even more feats this app can do that I haven't even had a chance to catalog here (sharing via social media, exporting data to spreadsheets, and on and on). Cyclists looking for a great app that captures their excitement on the road need not look further.

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