e-bike range calculator iphone app

[donnoirf]

I was just looking in at the iphone app store looking for a cycle computer and the store search came up with this app for 59p

not quite what I was looking for but I thought it was interesting that there was an e-bike app

Patoing mobile media - Apps fresh for your iPhone

not sure if its any good but i thought it may be worth a mention

 

[Streethawk]

Hmmm, sounds like more of an advert than an app. Wh alone isnt going to give you a remotely accurate range, what about rider weight? A 70kg rider is going to go a lot further than a 120kg rider. What about terrain, hills and how steep they are again are going to have a huge effect. These variables are why manufacturers cant give accurate ranges to their own bikes, so no 3rd party is going to help you. Experience on your own bike is your best indicator.

 

[donnoirf]

i didnt think it was for onwe moment going to help........

it seemd a bit of a gimmick & like you say it does not account for the different terrains

 

[Deleted member 4366]

B.icycle is a brilliant iphone ap. I use it to log all my journeys. It also has maps for the cycle paths like Tomtom does for roads. It costs $9.99, if your phone isn't jailbroken.
B.iCycle BIKING WILL NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN!

 

[Streethawk]

I use B.iCycle too, together with Bike Hub its pretty good. Bike hub give you the same maps but with turn by turn navigation and it shows the location of bike shops... oh and Bike Hub is free, but doesnt do the speedo type stuff, so both apps compliment each other well.

 

[donnoirf]

Many thanks for the tips. i purchsed the b.icycle so far it looks good

cheers

Donna

 

[Phil_P]

I found this.....might be of interest

Bikemate GPS

Regards
Phil

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Thanks Phil. I've just downloaded Bikemate GPS and compared it with B.icycle. It's nearly the same. Possibly a couple of extra features like photographs and extra map functions, but not enough to make a cost difference. B.icycle is $9.99, how much is Bikemate GPS?

 

[Streethawk]

£1.79, but its best to test thoroughly, for example i have Cyclemeter, which is great in all aspects, except the speed reading is about 10 seconds delayed, so when you glance down to see how fast you're going, its how fast you were going. Sounds a small thing, but it completely ruins the app for me.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

I'll try it on my next trip and make a direct comparison. B.icycle works perfectly, so if Bikemate GPS does what it says, it'll be the one to go for at that price.

 

[donnoirf]

I had tried the b-icycle, its great all data seems to be fairly accurate.

now for a reasonalby priced safe & secure mount for the iphone. any tips here anyone?

 

[Biged]

now for a reasonalby priced safe & secure mount for the iphone. any tips here anyone?

You can get this for my phone Bicycle Handlebar Mount with HTC Desire Dedicated: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics
Probably do similar for the Apple stuff.

 

[Streethawk]

I have this one which is fine, so long as you take the phone off if it rains. There are waterproof mounts, but they're expensive and dont work so great with the touch screen.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

I use this mount. It's more or less the same, but a lot cheaper. Works perfectly.
Bike Bicycle Phone Holder Mount for Apple iPhone 4 4G on eBay (end time 06-Feb-11 21:54:00 GMT)

I compared Bikemate GPS to B.icycle today and I can say that I prefer B.icycle. It's a little simpler to use and more intuitive. The variety of maps is better with Bikemate GPS, which can show your route on satellite images, but you lose the total height climbed data, which I find useful. I did find a bit of a lag in the indicated speed - I think a bit worse than B.icycle. The functions to turndown the screen brightness and play music on Bikemate GPS are very useful, although you can still do that using iphone settings on B.icycle. There's not really that much to choose between them. As there's only a couple of pounds between them, I'd choose B.icycle, but it depends what you want. In summary, Bikemate GPS has more functions and map options, but is a little more fiddly to use, and cheaper.

 

[Phil_P]

Hi,

Just to add the light version of bikemate gps is free if you don't need the extra functionality. I have not used the app realtime as I only just got a mount but I left it running whilst the phone was in my pocket and it plotted the route and elevation details ok. Not sure if the speed is delayed will let you know once I have tried it.

The next problem I need to solve is how to power the iPhone as I guess having the screen on All the time will kill the battery. I was thinking I could use a solar powered charger with a battery built in. Does anyone have any alternative suggestions ?

Regards
Phil

 

[Deleted member 4366]

On ebay you can get an iphone car charger for about £2 (if you don't already have one). Then you need a 12v cctv battery for about £14, then an adaptor lead from the battery jack to a cigarette lighter socket. Then you can use the iphone ap for hours and hours.
12V Rechargeable Lithium Battery for CCTV Camera on eBay (end time 11-Feb-11 05:40:40 GMT)
CAR CHARGER FOR APPLE IPOD CLASSIC TOUCH IPHONE 3G 3GS on eBay (end time 05-Mar-11 23:27:17 GMT)
Car Accessory Socket : InCar Power Adaptors : Maplin
I have just bought one of these, which converts 36v to 12v, but have not tried it out yet. I'll report soon. You still need the charger and cigarette lighter socket
LM2596 DC Converter Adjustable Power Module Regulator on eBay (end time 07-Feb-11 15:38:03 GMT)

 

[Streethawk]

My iPhone 4 seems to last long enough for any single ride, but i carry sone of these as a backup:

Solar powered charger

You can charge it via USB or solar, and its got enough power to charge my iPhone 4 from 0 to 70%, good enough for 5 hours GPS i'd estimate.

 

[Tex]

love that charger!

 

[themutiny]

I find Motion-X is pretty good has all sorts of speed and gradient readings..

 

[Streethawk]

Yes, MotionX GPS is pretty good, if only it had the option for OpenCycleMap though.