When I first got into cycling a couple years ago, I used my phone as a bike computer. As I advanced as a cyclist and started going on longer and longer rides, battery life became an occasional issue, and overheating became a frequent concern. If you're just starting out, sure, it's a great, affordable option, but phones are not designed to operate with the screen on in fully sunlight for extended periods of time.
What app were you using? And also phone? Check out my strava I do 50-80 mile rides all the time. Cadence allows you to slower the screen brightness within app, and road in Miami heat with no overheating problems. I have had newer iPhone so wondering if older ones have this problem.
@@cyclewithdavid I was using SuperCycle on a Galaxy S9 using the phone's GPS and connecting to a power meter. Yes, it's an older phone, but at the time I was using it as a bike computer, it was still in great working condition (never crashed, battery easily lasted all day with typical use, etc.). Battery consumption using the app was about 15% per hour. Not bad if you're only going for 2-3 hours, but longer rides required making sure the phone had enough charge. Ran out of battery once on a ride, and got home with under 20% multiple times. But dealing with battery life is just an annoyance. Heat was the main concern. My phone frequently felt hot to the touch riding in the summer sun ( live in Utah), and I had heat warnings pop up a few times. I've lost a phone to heat damage before, so for me, it's not a reasonable risk. Bike computers are expensive, but phone replacements are even more expensive.
Yeah, that... Besides, when I was cycling with my phone (locus maps app), even with a good powerbank, once my usb-c cable suddenly stopped working.... It's simply better to have options, especially for navigation, especially when your own sense of direction is as shitty as mine.
Using my iphone 13 with quadlock. Works like a charm. Crashed once and the qualock case protected my phone without a scratch. I get everything i need and dont see the need to spend another 400 eur min on a computer that does same without a touch screen
It just blows my mind that in 2024 people aren't talking about using your phone as a dedicated cycling computer. Again not a replacement but an option between the two.
Good overview and comparison. I used to use a cycling computer and now use my iPhone 14 as my cycling computer. I ride a lot with some long days in the saddle with no issue. I've also used Cadence and really liked it but with the latest improvements to RWGPS i'm using it exclusively. Anyhow, was on a bikepacking trip this week and spent a day riding in the rain, part of the aftermath of Helene and riding a backcountry route where I needed the turn-by-turn directions. No problem, using the app, downloaded the track, phone in airplane mode, all good. 10 hours later, still on the bike, lots of re-routes due to road flooding and bridges overflowing and my phone is running low on battery. No problem i have a battery bank and I go to charge it out of the rain and....there's water in the charging port. Of course the phone is waterproof, but the charging port is the weak link. I was lucky that I was riding with a buddy who also had our route but my phone didn't dry out until the next day so I had it powered off. I was frustrated and am now reconsidering going back to a cycling computer for longer, multi-day rides, especially if the forecast is for rain. Only sharing this info trying to provide another perspective that there probably isn't a single perfect tool that meets all needs. I'm pro iPhone but my experience this week in the rain has me reconsidering using my phone as my primary navigation device on longer trips. Thanks again for the video.
I have been using iPhone 14 as a bike computer with mous IntraLock case because I am a minimalist but I think I need dedicated bike computer because three main factors: 1. Poor visibility in daylight especially in direct sunlight - this is really big disadvantage. Bike computers generally have displays which have good visibility in direct sunlight. 2. Touch screen doesn't work in gloves, during rain, when you have dirty or wet hands - everything can happen quite often during bike trips. Physical buttons to operate bike computer are very useful in this case 3. All the time switch on display can drain phone battery really quickly, specially together with GPS, but dedicated bike computers are optimized for particular tasks Two main factors are connected with displays. Maybe some new LTPO OLED and antiglare shield (or maybe some new transreflective technology for OLED for example) could change it in near future but now it's really inconvenient
I want to see your results about battery life when using navigation. And you can't see anything of the display when the sun shines on the display, because of the reflection.
I hear that often that you can't see the display? I'm in Miami two weeks out of the year with crazy son pouring down and have never had trouble seeing the display. You're looking at large numbers not an Instagram post.
Many bike computers, for some odd reason, have the same problem. Wahoo is best in class when it comes to visibility. They are very clear even in direct sunlight.
I use the iPhone 13 mini with the cadence app. Navigating with offline maps saves a bit of battery. The big win for me is no more syncing the ride to my computer. No more syncing at the end of the ride
I'm cool with baking my wahoo in the sun and exposing it to harsh elements while mounted to my bar... Not so interested in cooking the battery and screen of my new iPhone as much...
Yeah, you're right if it was one of the older iPhones, but the newer ones are made out of titanium or stainless steel or aluminum with glass that takes like 200°F to melt. Play the last three years I've put it through everything and it's still kicking and screaming
@@JamesSmith-qs4hx Old phones are bulky and heavy on the handlebar whereas bike computers are small and compact and their batteries can last longer than many cell phones. Also, my old cell phone has fallen off my handlebar and took serious beatings regardless of mounts I've used (minus a top tube bag.) due to its size and weight while my bike computer has no issues.
I use my Samsung Galaxy S10+ with a quad lock as my bike computer and it's perfect. Battery is a non-issue as I don't ride for 3+ hours at a time. The Cadence app is amazing as well as it connects to all of my sensors (cadence, speed, heart rate, Garmin Varia). This combination is more then adequate.
I used my phone with a quad lock and ended up buying a wahoo roam. The iphone screen is hard to see with glare. When paired with apple watch the battery would run down quick on race routes. Using maps was a ball ache and drained battery. The phone would get too much ice on it during January rides. Only thing i miss is answering calls on my stem and chatting on speaker
I think maybe people misunderstands this a little bit. As an example, you already have an iPhone and an Apple Watch. This is a sunken cost. This is something you will always have anyways. If you buy a bike phone mount it will cost you 50 - 100 dollars. So a little extra. This solution is good enough as most don't ride more than 4-5 hours a day and it also gives you most of the data you need (now even cadence and watt). You charge your phone and watch every day anyway. A dedicated bike computer is objectively a better solution and product. It has climb pro, turn-by-turn navigation and a lot of other added features like much battery life and so on. This is a better option, but also a pricey one compared to using what you already own. A bike computer is usually 300 - 1000 dollars. So it comes down to how much you are willing or able to pay.
Not necessarily objectively true that computer is better. Some people value visibility and looks of a smartphone more. And perhaps display quality and screen size. Also interface of smartphone apps is better than most wonky tuck in early 2000's look of most bike computers. cadence app for phones has navigation too i believe. But yeah, computer is likely a bit better for most
I bought a used iPhone for $80 that I'm using as a dedicated bike computer, for me the biggest thing is to be able to navigate on the fly with google maps, using it for commutes or for finding a cafe or restaurant after a ride. This app is really nice but way too expensive for what it is.
I've been thinking about this for quite some time and wondered if I was the only one. I went through a bunch of apps but didn't like any of them, so I ended up buying a Magene bike computer. It's decent for the price. Does everything I need without worrying about overheating, battery life, or crashes.
Damn that's a high tech bike. I still have my dad's SR Pro am Vintage 82. All original aside from new tires and handlebar wraps. Things sure have changed. What's a bike like yours cost?
I purchased the Cadence app today because I like the idea of using my phone and the app looked great. It worked perfectly with all my devices and I was able to see it clearly in direct sunlight. The problem was battery. It drained my iphone 12 on a 2 hour ride this morning. How are you getting such long battery life?
I can't post a direct link here but there's a page with battery tips on the Cadence support page. Typical usage is 10-20% battery drain per hour, but that can vary a lot depending on device, settings, and screen brightness. Not sure which version you were on, but there was also a bug that was fixed in 2.4.7 related to excessive CPU use.
Thanks for sharing the app, looks very interesting and its worth to explore, however, IMHO, Phones are not simply designed as a cycling computer, it can be good for beginner cyclist and here are my thoughts, 1) in the road and climatic condition i live, phones wont last the heat (over 100F) and not to say the vibrations from road bumps. 2) Phones are expensive to replace during a crash, 3)phones are just too big for a screen and its difficult to get a proper mount and set it up properly.4) Cycling computers screens are crisp during day time against phones which requires screen brightness to be adjusted to save battery, not a big deal, but it wont be as appealing as a cycling computer.
It seems to be an ad, a bike computer is targeted for the purpose and is better in most cases than a phone. I had so many issues using a phone (battery, overheating, rain / touchscreen with gloves, cannot answer call / take photo / record video while riding). And then there are other training metrics recorded with Garmin or the real temperature which is helpful to learn how to dress for what temperature. The list can go on. It's not only the hardware, it's also the software (training status /readiness, vo2max etc). Before buying my first Edge 130 I was trying to use an old phone, but I wanted to give the Garmin a try. Next year I upgraded to 830. It's a huge difference to using a phone. I would rather pay 150$ for an used Edge 830 with *actionable* data than 40$/year for Cadence. Raw data doesn't mean much for training, Cadence should at least have a plugin for Intervals.ICU.
I dunno, man. I tried to use Strava in the past as a sort of moral bike computer (before I got my Garmin) and it drained my iPhone battery a LOT. Like alarmingly alot for the length of rides I was doing. I don't think I could've done a 20+ mile ride (granted, I'm a slow rider) doing that. It was a non-trivial part of why I bought the Garmin. I'm not super confident that's better now. I'm not worried about having to charge every night. I'm worried about getting 10 miles from my house, having a flat, and having a dead phone.
Neat option, but one issue I have here in FL with the phone mounted on the bike is overheating. The sun beating down on it for an hour or more makes it so hot that it overheats and locks up. I'd rather put a $400 cycle computer through that than a $1200 phone.
@@vfclists Sure you can put your phone in a top tube bag with a plastic screen protector which defeats the purpose of being able to access your phone and the cover is tough to swipe your phone when it's raining or you wearing gloves because it's cold out.
On bumpy roads you will ruin your camera if your smartphone has optical stabilizers (OIS). Most mid- to highend smartphones have them nowadays, so I wouldn´t use them as bike computer. Using a smartphone without OIS is a good starting point, but a proper bike computer is just better in every way.
I know this is a frequently cited reason, but Apple itself is promoting iPhone's as simple bike computers now via Apple Watch, and their support document on the possible damage only references motorcycles. It's not impossible, but unlikely.
Man, I’m a content creator, with roughly 30,000,000 views this month alone between all platforms so trust me my iPhone camera means everything to me. Three years later, I don’t have a problem with the camera.
Just have to say that after a few test rides using the App and the quad lock bike mount system, I would have to say this has real potential to replacing your bike computer unless you are doing excessive hours of riding every day. The only thing I’d have to say is to maybe look at the design a bit, apps like strava make it feel like a better user experience.
Ohh I see, this was an ad. My iphone goes to 20% in three hours, and not even with data activated, and if it rains the screen goes crazy. Big deal is battery life in my opinion and the elements.
@cyclewithdavid I think battery life is an issue for a lot of phone users. I use and iPhone mini and a garmin 520. Hands down my garmin destroys my iPhone for basic computer functionality, its battery goes on and on, the screen is easily visible, and it feels very secure on my bars. I only use my iPhone for gps(because the 520 is garbage when maps are concerned), but when I do need to use gps nav on the phone it crushes my battery. Not saying ur review is wrong, just that people with older or smaller phones might not benefit as much. Also, I like the redundancy of the phone as an emergency or back up device.
This is an excellent video and one I have been wanting to see! Thank you for creating this awesome content! The only question I have is that some UA-camrs use a 'video overlay' on their biking footage. Where it shows things like speed, altitude, the map of the current trail. Does the Cadence app have that capability?
A smartphone can, in theory, do everything the same as a cycling computer. But I already managed to change two phones, but not the bike computer. Nowadays, an expensive phone can work for several years without problems, if not for a dying battery. It is wasteful to use an expensive phone when you can use a cheap cycling computer and it will have buttons. Using a phone with gloves is a pain.
I don't understand how it's wasteful if you already have the device and if it's a relatively new one, the quality of its build is superior to those of old. Again, three years using it exclusively for roughly 10,000 miles and no problems as far as the phone goes.
I doubt an iPhone would last an entire day with the display in 'always-on' mode at full brightness for a long (4hrs+) ride (and GPS and cell service turned on), but I'd be curious to know what that threshold is.
most simply, just connect your sensors to your Apple Watch and just use that. This is for getting away from staring at your metrics by looking down to your phone/bike computer mount, and instead enjoying the scenery around you. Great for casual riding while also tracking distance, heart rate, speed, cadence, and power if you want. But, if you are tracking power, you will want more than the Apple Watch. :)
Best Smartphone as a bike computer, an old Galaxy S20. ANT+ support, more free homebrew apps, better multitasking support and greater customization/hardware support of Android OS make it a much better choice than a normal iPhone for cycling.
Hi David, thanks for sharing that with us. I want try my phone on my bike, but, first, i looking for some case with a good grip. U can tellus what case u use for your iphone, to mount in your bike suport? thanks
I highly recommend quad lock. They have a variety of cases for different phones and they're mounting system is extremely secure. Also look at SP connect, Mous, peakdesign and Rokform
I've bought a Spigen case for my phone with a flat back and sticked a quater-turn Garmin adapter to it. So you can twist that into your outfront mount. You have to sacrifice that case but it's like 20-30 bucks, no big deal. Hold it firmly, does not wiggle, does not rattle. Basically any brand will do just make sure the back is not rugged or frosted as the 3M will not stick to it well.
I came here thinking that I could use my iPhone. But now that I've seen this, I worry about overheating and visibility in bright light. Both of which I've experienced in the past while trying to use it as a car navigation tool.
I'm currently thinking about buying the cell phone Tank mini 8849, 4.2 inches and 5800 mAh battery. There should be 10 hours of navigation or more with this app.
Great thanks. I am now really considering to try this setup out using the tank as a bike computer. Did you purchase it and have tested it yourself now?
@@doozieart No, I didn't buy it. The problem is I installed a Garmin mount on all of my bikes. I would have to put an adhesive pad on the phone or the case but the light is in the way.
Top video man thanks. Anyone know what battery life is on iPhone 15 with gear, speed and cadence sensor? I would Way prefer the phone option as it just one less device but Im 4-7hrs in saddle at a time
Ant+ does have advantages:i have lost connection to my sensors with bluetooth so many times, its incredibly annoying. Ant+ just reconnects without issues. Literally the only reason I bought a computer
Wild how one user like yourself says you lose Bluetooth connectivity so many times and then someone like me in the last three years hasn't even experienced it once. Kind of tells me that Garmin and wahoo computers don't have the same Bluetooth capabilities as a phone
You need to start the workout so the watch enters its "workout" mode, which allows the heart rate monitor to continue sending data. Until the watch is in workout mode, it'll stop sending heart rate values any time your wrist is lowered or the screen is dimmed.
And I talk about that in this video you're going to charge your phone anyways. So battery isn't necessarily an issue. Again, I've used it on 80 mile bike rides with still 20% to spare.
Most new lights will have the ablity to either charge or to charge via USB-C. I wish I could send a picture here I'd show you my setup. Might mention this in a follow up video.
That's an interesting situation. I have an experienced yet, but technically all you would have to do is slide to unlock click lap and then tap and hold to enable again.
Hey, David! Great tip! Does Cadence have the ClimpPro-like feature? So when on a climb, does it show how much is left? That is pretty much the coolest advantage of having a Garmin Edge or a Karoo 2. I have managed mounting my phone to bike just perfect, so a phone is the ideal thing here. I have nothing against a Garmin Edge it's just slow, clumsy and maps are not as colorful either, oh and the screen is small.
There's an option towards the top of the Settings screen, "Keep Screen On While Recording". It'll keep the screen on after you hit "Start" on the Computer screen.
You cant compare todays mobile phone to a cycling computer. Todays phones have more compute power than laptops even powering satellites. With an appropriate power bank its a better choice, why? Your bringing your mobile anyway. Youll just need the proper holder, power bank and enclosure. Apps have taken over. Its like asking do you still need a watch? Many do and its not for time keepiing. For many a cycling computer completes the look.
@@cyclewithdavidIt was a phone with frontal access, meaning the display went on last during assembly. No idea what you're trying to say with this sentence "You do realize phones don't just melt anymore right?"
@@davidodemchukidk what you mean by modern day. This was 2015 on an xperia z3c. Adhesive doesn't need to be that hot to get soft. Sun on a black phone heats up pretty nice.
The free version of Cadence is ad supported, but Cadence doesn't track you in any way and knows nothing about you. The ads are all served through Google which honors the "Do Not Track" settings. You can also remove ads and unlock more features with the paid subscriptions.
Samsung Galaxy S phones had ANT+ built-in for years, I still use an S10 and sync with my older garmin watch which doesn't use bluetooth. I think they stopped after S20 which is a shame. As someone who likes to look after stuff and only upgrade when I need to, battery capacity depletion over time would be an issue for me. Don't get me wrong, I have a phone mount on my bike as I occasionally want easy access to maps or even navigation software - but those are now & again usages. I wouldn't routinely use my phone screen for so many extra hours. Yes it will last the distance of the ride, but it needs recharging afterwards and lithium batteries only last so many recharge cycles. Fine if you change your phone every couple of years, or when I could swap out a $30 battery myself in seconds, but now we have the ridiculous situation with non-replaceable batteries in $1200 phones.
Downloaded the app, went through setup, there’s no way to tell it NOT to track your browsing activity across all other apps so it’s basically farming your data. Deleted it straight away.
Point is, you shouldn’t have to go and block it from apples side, there should be an option to prevent it tracking on that page. Any app that doesn’t have that option is an automatic no from me. I won’t even get as far as testing it, it gets immediately deleted because it doesn’t tell me exactly what it’s tracking, just that by installing it you give it the right to track EVERYTHING you do on your phone with no way to turn that off.
Developer of Cadence here: I don't like tracking either but this is entirely related only to Google's ad network for the free version of Cadence. That's just how Google ads work in any app with ads. On iPhone, during the initial launch, it presents Apple's standard "Allow to track" or not alert. If you tap don't track, Google ads is supposed to honor that. It's also possible to update that setting in the main Settings app on your phone. The paid version of Cadence doesn't contain ads so there's no possibility for tracking.
If my phone can get the heart rate data from my Apple Watch that’d be pretty compelling, and post the whole ride to Strava. My Garmin can’t get the heart rate from my Apple Watch.
The cadence app using your phone can 100% use your Apple Watch and at the end of every ride automatically push the ride to Strava. Give it a download link in description
@@Brantastic07 sport and smart watches are fine for emergency nagivation. Idk about apple, but some of garmin watches have the functionality. Just for emergency, because the screen is simply too small. Bike computers usually have 3 inches of screen size and that's about the comfortable minimum I would use long-term.
That will work if you’re doing easy 100 mile rides with zero climbing. Let’s see how your phone holds up on a 200mile ride with over 10K ft of climbing.
This is probably the only comment I'm seeing so far where I'm like yeah go for a dedicated cycling computer then. If you're doing 200 mile rides you definitely need a dedicated cycling computer or a nice solid battery bank. The grand Fondo mentioned in the video was 8000 feet of climbing 80 miles with a 20% battery life left after ride
@@PatTheCat there’s so many variables with screen brightness, phone model, age of battery, etc. that you kind of have to just see what your personal device does.
Yes , you can use your phone , iPad or your laptop as a bike computer....but .... 1. Size and wight iPhone 15 pro max during bike racing ,no thanks 2. battery life- I do 12-16 h rides on my backpacking tours Australia , Scandinavia Asia osv.... sometimes 3 days no access to electricitys .... so ekstra 2 powerbanks in limited luggage??? No Thanks. 3. my Garmin varia radar works only with RideGPS app on my Iphone or Varia app but no maps than . My iPhone would not be Good As a Bike Computer in my use.
There's just one glaring issue with using a smartphone as a bike computer. Thief. 😂 You had no idea how many smartphones have been stolen on cyclist. It doesn't matter if it's on your handle bar or it's on your pocket. As long as it's visible, it's at risk. 😂 I'm fine with just a 50 usd cycle computer, some money and ID when I ride.
When I first got into cycling a couple years ago, I used my phone as a bike computer. As I advanced as a cyclist and started going on longer and longer rides, battery life became an occasional issue, and overheating became a frequent concern.
If you're just starting out, sure, it's a great, affordable option, but phones are not designed to operate with the screen on in fully sunlight for extended periods of time.
What app were you using? And also phone? Check out my strava I do 50-80 mile rides all the time. Cadence allows you to slower the screen brightness within app, and road in Miami heat with no overheating problems. I have had newer iPhone so wondering if older ones have this problem.
@@cyclewithdavid I was using SuperCycle on a Galaxy S9 using the phone's GPS and connecting to a power meter. Yes, it's an older phone, but at the time I was using it as a bike computer, it was still in great working condition (never crashed, battery easily lasted all day with typical use, etc.). Battery consumption using the app was about 15% per hour. Not bad if you're only going for 2-3 hours, but longer rides required making sure the phone had enough charge. Ran out of battery once on a ride, and got home with under 20% multiple times.
But dealing with battery life is just an annoyance. Heat was the main concern. My phone frequently felt hot to the touch riding in the summer sun ( live in Utah), and I had heat warnings pop up a few times. I've lost a phone to heat damage before, so for me, it's not a reasonable risk. Bike computers are expensive, but phone replacements are even more expensive.
Yeah, that... Besides, when I was cycling with my phone (locus maps app), even with a good powerbank, once my usb-c cable suddenly stopped working.... It's simply better to have options, especially for navigation, especially when your own sense of direction is as shitty as mine.
Cell phones also have battery issues during Winter months as well when battery life is abyssmal. No issues with my bike computer hot or cold.
I've also noticed since my previous comment that my phone screen has some burn-in from that app.
Using my iphone 13 with quadlock. Works like a charm. Crashed once and the qualock case protected my phone without a scratch. I get everything i need and dont see the need to spend another 400 eur min on a computer that does same without a touch screen
Hard to tell if this is an ad for the cadence app or an argument against the Garmin X wahoo duopoly or for the phone!
It just blows my mind that in 2024 people aren't talking about using your phone as a dedicated cycling computer. Again not a replacement but an option between the two.
Definitely an option. I usually only ride outside during races and I like the bigger screen.
Good overview and comparison. I used to use a cycling computer and now use my iPhone 14 as my cycling computer. I ride a lot with some long days in the saddle with no issue. I've also used Cadence and really liked it but with the latest improvements to RWGPS i'm using it exclusively. Anyhow, was on a bikepacking trip this week and spent a day riding in the rain, part of the aftermath of Helene and riding a backcountry route where I needed the turn-by-turn directions. No problem, using the app, downloaded the track, phone in airplane mode, all good. 10 hours later, still on the bike, lots of re-routes due to road flooding and bridges overflowing and my phone is running low on battery. No problem i have a battery bank and I go to charge it out of the rain and....there's water in the charging port. Of course the phone is waterproof, but the charging port is the weak link. I was lucky that I was riding with a buddy who also had our route but my phone didn't dry out until the next day so I had it powered off. I was frustrated and am now reconsidering going back to a cycling computer for longer, multi-day rides, especially if the forecast is for rain. Only sharing this info trying to provide another perspective that there probably isn't a single perfect tool that meets all needs. I'm pro iPhone but my experience this week in the rain has me reconsidering using my phone as my primary navigation device on longer trips. Thanks again for the video.
tape the port or get a more waterproof case, don't think is a deal breaker
I have been using iPhone 14 as a bike computer with mous IntraLock case because I am a minimalist but I think I need dedicated bike computer because three main factors:
1. Poor visibility in daylight especially in direct sunlight - this is really big disadvantage. Bike computers generally have displays which have good visibility in direct sunlight.
2. Touch screen doesn't work in gloves, during rain, when you have dirty or wet hands - everything can happen quite often during bike trips. Physical buttons to operate bike computer are very useful in this case
3. All the time switch on display can drain phone battery really quickly, specially together with GPS, but dedicated bike computers are optimized for particular tasks
Two main factors are connected with displays. Maybe some new LTPO OLED and antiglare shield (or maybe some new transreflective technology for OLED for example) could change it in near future but now it's really inconvenient
I want to see your results about battery life when using navigation. And you can't see anything of the display when the sun shines on the display, because of the reflection.
I hear that often that you can't see the display? I'm in Miami two weeks out of the year with crazy son pouring down and have never had trouble seeing the display. You're looking at large numbers not an Instagram post.
Also my 80 mile ride I had GPS plugged in. Ended the ride with 20% left at 4pm. I do that ride once a year.
Many bike computers, for some odd reason, have the same problem. Wahoo is best in class when it comes to visibility. They are very clear even in direct sunlight.
I use the iPhone 13 mini with the cadence app. Navigating with offline maps saves a bit of battery. The big win for me is no more syncing the ride to my computer. No more syncing at the end of the ride
13 mini! love to hear that!! And yeah auto sync to Strava everytime.
What navigation app do you use? Google maps or cadence or something else?
States he just discovered it, then proceeds to say he's used it for 3 years...
True. It has been released in 2021, so must have been using it since day 1 :)
I'm cool with baking my wahoo in the sun and exposing it to harsh elements while mounted to my bar... Not so interested in cooking the battery and screen of my new iPhone as much...
Yeah, you're right if it was one of the older iPhones, but the newer ones are made out of titanium or stainless steel or aluminum with glass that takes like 200°F to melt. Play the last three years I've put it through everything and it's still kicking and screaming
Why not get a cheap phone to run it on?😐
@@JamesSmith-qs4hx why not just get a dedicated cycling computer then?
@@StreetGuy49 Most people have a spare old phone knocking about 😐
@@JamesSmith-qs4hx Old phones are bulky and heavy on the handlebar whereas bike computers are small and compact and their batteries can last longer than many cell phones. Also, my old cell phone has fallen off my handlebar and took serious beatings regardless of mounts I've used (minus a top tube bag.) due to its size and weight while my bike computer has no issues.
I use my Samsung Galaxy S10+ with a quad lock as my bike computer and it's perfect. Battery is a non-issue as I don't ride for 3+ hours at a time. The Cadence app is amazing as well as it connects to all of my sensors (cadence, speed, heart rate, Garmin Varia). This combination is more then adequate.
I used my phone with a quad lock and ended up buying a wahoo roam. The iphone screen is hard to see with glare. When paired with apple watch the battery would run down quick on race routes. Using maps was a ball ache and drained battery. The phone would get too much ice on it during January rides. Only thing i miss is answering calls on my stem and chatting on speaker
I think maybe people misunderstands this a little bit. As an example, you already have an iPhone and an Apple Watch. This is a sunken cost. This is something you will always have anyways. If you buy a bike phone mount it will cost you 50 - 100 dollars. So a little extra. This solution is good enough as most don't ride more than 4-5 hours a day and it also gives you most of the data you need (now even cadence and watt). You charge your phone and watch every day anyway.
A dedicated bike computer is objectively a better solution and product. It has climb pro, turn-by-turn navigation and a lot of other added features like much battery life and so on. This is a better option, but also a pricey one compared to using what you already own. A bike computer is usually 300 - 1000 dollars. So it comes down to how much you are willing or able to pay.
Not necessarily objectively true that computer is better. Some people value visibility and looks of a smartphone more. And perhaps display quality and screen size. Also interface of smartphone apps is better than most wonky tuck in early 2000's look of most bike computers. cadence app for phones has navigation too i believe. But yeah, computer is likely a bit better for most
I bought a used iPhone for $80 that I'm using as a dedicated bike computer, for me the biggest thing is to be able to navigate on the fly with google maps, using it for commutes or for finding a cafe or restaurant after a ride.
This app is really nice but way too expensive for what it is.
I've been thinking about this for quite some time and wondered if I was the only one. I went through a bunch of apps but didn't like any of them, so I ended up buying a Magene bike computer. It's decent for the price. Does everything I need without worrying about overheating, battery life, or crashes.
Damn that's a high tech bike. I still have my dad's SR Pro am Vintage 82. All original aside from new tires and handlebar wraps. Things sure have changed. What's a bike like yours cost?
I purchased the Cadence app today because I like the idea of using my phone and the app looked great. It worked perfectly with all my devices and I was able to see it clearly in direct sunlight. The problem was battery. It drained my iphone 12 on a 2 hour ride this morning. How are you getting such long battery life?
I can't post a direct link here but there's a page with battery tips on the Cadence support page. Typical usage is 10-20% battery drain per hour, but that can vary a lot depending on device, settings, and screen brightness. Not sure which version you were on, but there was also a bug that was fixed in 2.4.7 related to excessive CPU use.
Thanks for sharing the app, looks very interesting and its worth to explore, however, IMHO, Phones are not simply designed as a cycling computer, it can be good for beginner cyclist and here are my thoughts, 1) in the road and climatic condition i live, phones wont last the heat (over 100F) and not to say the vibrations from road bumps. 2) Phones are expensive to replace during a crash, 3)phones are just too big for a screen and its difficult to get a proper mount and set it up properly.4) Cycling computers screens are crisp during day time against phones which requires screen brightness to be adjusted to save battery, not a big deal, but it wont be as appealing as a cycling computer.
It seems to be an ad, a bike computer is targeted for the purpose and is better in most cases than a phone. I had so many issues using a phone (battery, overheating, rain / touchscreen with gloves, cannot answer call / take photo / record video while riding). And then there are other training metrics recorded with Garmin or the real temperature which is helpful to learn how to dress for what temperature. The list can go on. It's not only the hardware, it's also the software (training status /readiness, vo2max etc). Before buying my first Edge 130 I was trying to use an old phone, but I wanted to give the Garmin a try. Next year I upgraded to 830. It's a huge difference to using a phone. I would rather pay 150$ for an used Edge 830 with *actionable* data than 40$/year for Cadence. Raw data doesn't mean much for training, Cadence should at least have a plugin for Intervals.ICU.
Good call on the 830. I upgraded from the 130 Edge to the 840 and it's like night and day. Definitely money well spent for an avid cyclist.
I dunno, man. I tried to use Strava in the past as a sort of moral bike computer (before I got my Garmin) and it drained my iPhone battery a LOT. Like alarmingly alot for the length of rides I was doing. I don't think I could've done a 20+ mile ride (granted, I'm a slow rider) doing that. It was a non-trivial part of why I bought the Garmin. I'm not super confident that's better now. I'm not worried about having to charge every night. I'm worried about getting 10 miles from my house, having a flat, and having a dead phone.
Neat option, but one issue I have here in FL with the phone mounted on the bike is overheating. The sun beating down on it for an hour or more makes it so hot that it overheats and locks up. I'd rather put a $400 cycle computer through that than a $1200 phone.
Put it under some shade. I'm sure you can protect it with some reducing filter which allow you to see the screen.
@@vfclists Sure you can put your phone in a top tube bag with a plastic screen protector which defeats the purpose of being able to access your phone and the cover is tough to swipe your phone when it's raining or you wearing gloves because it's cold out.
On bumpy roads you will ruin your camera if your smartphone has optical stabilizers (OIS). Most mid- to highend smartphones have them nowadays, so I wouldn´t use them as bike computer.
Using a smartphone without OIS is a good starting point, but a proper bike computer is just better in every way.
I know this is a frequently cited reason, but Apple itself is promoting iPhone's as simple bike computers now via Apple Watch, and their support document on the possible damage only references motorcycles. It's not impossible, but unlikely.
Man, I’m a content creator, with roughly 30,000,000 views this month alone between all platforms so trust me my iPhone camera means everything to me. Three years later, I don’t have a problem with the camera.
Hello, can you connect your Apple Watch to it for heart rate thanks
Yes
Just have to say that after a few test rides using the App and the quad lock bike mount system, I would have to say this has real potential to replacing your bike computer unless you are doing excessive hours of riding every day.
The only thing I’d have to say is to maybe look at the design a bit, apps like strava make it feel like a better user experience.
Thank You Sir for your so convincing video. I will definitely be using my iPhone as my bike computer.
Ohh I see, this was an ad. My iphone goes to 20% in three hours, and not even with data activated, and if it rains the screen goes crazy. Big deal is battery life in my opinion and the elements.
Which phone do you have? I only use the cadence app when cycling and after the ride I'm at like 40-50%
@cyclewithdavid I think battery life is an issue for a lot of phone users. I use and iPhone mini and a garmin 520. Hands down my garmin destroys my iPhone for basic computer functionality, its battery goes on and on, the screen is easily visible, and it feels very secure on my bars. I only use my iPhone for gps(because the 520 is garbage when maps are concerned), but when I do need to use gps nav on the phone it crushes my battery. Not saying ur review is wrong, just that people with older or smaller phones might not benefit as much. Also, I like the redundancy of the phone as an emergency or back up device.
This is an excellent video and one I have been wanting to see! Thank you for creating this awesome content! The only question I have is that some UA-camrs use a 'video overlay' on their biking footage. Where it shows things like speed, altitude, the map of the current trail. Does the Cadence app have that capability?
A smartphone can, in theory, do everything the same as a cycling computer. But I already managed to change two phones, but not the bike computer. Nowadays, an expensive phone can work for several years without problems, if not for a dying battery. It is wasteful to use an expensive phone when you can use a cheap cycling computer and it will have buttons. Using a phone with gloves is a pain.
I don't understand how it's wasteful if you already have the device and if it's a relatively new one, the quality of its build is superior to those of old. Again, three years using it exclusively for roughly 10,000 miles and no problems as far as the phone goes.
@@cyclewithdavidHow is it in heavy rain 🌧️?
@@ketle369 Or when temps are in the 20's or 0 degrees. My bike computer can handle either hot or cold temps.
I doubt an iPhone would last an entire day with the display in 'always-on' mode at full brightness for a long (4hrs+) ride (and GPS and cell service turned on), but I'd be curious to know what that threshold is.
Battery drain is typically 10-20% per hour, but you can make it longer if you use the auto-dim feature and have the screen really dark.
What cadence sensor do you recommend?
most simply, just connect your sensors to your Apple Watch and just use that. This is for getting away from staring at your metrics by looking down to your phone/bike computer mount, and instead enjoying the scenery around you. Great for casual riding while also tracking distance, heart rate, speed, cadence, and power if you want. But, if you are tracking power, you will want more than the Apple Watch. :)
Best Smartphone as a bike computer, an old Galaxy S20. ANT+ support, more free homebrew apps, better multitasking support and greater customization/hardware support of Android OS make it a much better choice than a normal iPhone for cycling.
Does it have a predictive climb feature?
Iphone 12, watch, quadlock. Accurate, never a problem and no problem with battery. Large clear display. I only use HR unless indoors
Battery in summer holds uo 2 hours for me and it is overheating
Hi David, thanks for sharing that with us. I want try my phone on my bike, but, first, i looking for some case with a good grip. U can tellus what case u use for your iphone, to mount in your bike suport? thanks
I highly recommend quad lock. They have a variety of cases for different phones and they're mounting system is extremely secure. Also look at SP connect, Mous, peakdesign and Rokform
I can recommend SP+. Use it for 2 years now on a mountain bike.
Mous and Peak Design also offers cases and mounts for biking.
I've bought a Spigen case for my phone with a flat back and sticked a quater-turn Garmin adapter to it. So you can twist that into your outfront mount. You have to sacrifice that case but it's like 20-30 bucks, no big deal. Hold it firmly, does not wiggle, does not rattle. Basically any brand will do just make sure the back is not rugged or frosted as the 3M will not stick to it well.
What app or site are you using to import rides to the cadence app?
I came here thinking that I could use my iPhone. But now that I've seen this, I worry about overheating and visibility in bright light. Both of which I've experienced in the past while trying to use it as a car navigation tool.
SRAM AXS battery status and gear selection is Ant+ only, no Bluetooth
But are you tempted to watch youtube or surfing the net, when you ride?
haha anwser text yes but watch youtube is a solid no
I'm currently thinking about buying the cell phone Tank mini 8849, 4.2 inches and 5800 mAh battery. There should be 10 hours of navigation or more with this app.
@matthias-L How much more battery does it have compared to a iPhone 13 or 14? 🤔
@@doozieart iPhone 14: 3,279 milliamp hours. Diagonal of 6.06" (15.40 cm).
Great thanks. I am now really considering to try this setup out using the tank as a bike computer. Did you purchase it and have tested it yourself now?
@@doozieart No, I didn't buy it. The problem is I installed a Garmin mount on all of my bikes. I would have to put an adhesive pad on the phone or the case but the light is in the way.
Top video man thanks. Anyone know what battery life is on iPhone 15 with gear, speed and cadence sensor? I would
Way prefer the phone option as it just one less device but Im 4-7hrs in saddle at a time
Battery drain is typically 10-20% per hour, but you can make it longer if you use the auto-dim feature and have the screen really dark.
What mount do you use?
It's just when it's hot, the iPhone overheats in the sun while riding..
When charging, especially in the Sun, my phone has a tendency to overheat.Have you come across that problem?
Ant+ does have advantages:i have lost connection to my sensors with bluetooth so many times, its incredibly annoying. Ant+ just reconnects without issues. Literally the only reason I bought a computer
Wild how one user like yourself says you lose Bluetooth connectivity so many times and then someone like me in the last three years hasn't even experienced it once. Kind of tells me that Garmin and wahoo computers don't have the same Bluetooth capabilities as a phone
Until someone passes by at a traffic stop and takes your iPhone. Then it is a LOT more expensive to replace.
You realize it's attached with a quad lock meaning you have to pull the lever in order to pull it off unlike a Garmin or wahoo or you just twist it 😁
@@cyclewithdavid Oh, nice!
Move somewhere else then. 😅
Thank you, certainly worth a try...
What about using not your own phone but cheap android as a bike computer?
I wonder how Cadence compares to Cyclemeter. 🧐
Wayyyyyyyy better in very way, somebody please prove me wrong?
The phone requests to open the app on my watch in order to view HR on the phone, it works until my watch screen goes off… any advice
You need to start the workout so the watch enters its "workout" mode, which allows the heart rate monitor to continue sending data. Until the watch is in workout mode, it'll stop sending heart rate values any time your wrist is lowered or the screen is dimmed.
no no and no again I charge my 1040 solar once a week I charge my iphone 15 daily when doing various stuff on it.
And I talk about that in this video you're going to charge your phone anyways. So battery isn't necessarily an issue. Again, I've used it on 80 mile bike rides with still 20% to spare.
@@cyclewithdavid I've used my bike computer on century rides and still have 70% left.
Powerbank in toptube and you’re all good
I've actually used my lights power to charge my phone on a super long hundred mile ride before 😅
@@cyclewithdavid how did you do that? Does the light have a dedicated function to charge other units??
Most new lights will have the ablity to either charge or to charge via USB-C. I wish I could send a picture here I'd show you my setup. Might mention this in a follow up video.
@@cyclewithdavid cool! Did not know 👍🏻
@@cyclewithdavidWhat light is it you use for that ?
Can i use the 2 garmin sensors(cadence and distance)to connect via bluetooth to my iphone?
Yes you can
Solution: older iphone... external battery case (that doubles your battery life).. and garmin/wahoo/quadlock that sticks on the back. Done :)
Not a bad idea.....
Miss me with that touch screen when it's raining or i'm dripping with sweat.
There is a feature to disable the touch screen within the app.
@@cyclewithdavid Then how do I change screens and have a lap button?
That's an interesting situation. I have an experienced yet, but technically all you would have to do is slide to unlock click lap and then tap and hold to enable again.
@@cyclewithdavid Or I could just press a button on my Wahoo...
Hey, David! Great tip! Does Cadence have the ClimpPro-like feature? So when on a climb, does it show how much is left? That is pretty much the coolest advantage of having a Garmin Edge or a Karoo 2.
I have managed mounting my phone to bike just perfect, so a phone is the ideal thing here. I have nothing against a Garmin Edge it's just slow, clumsy and maps are not as colorful either, oh and the screen is small.
If you load a route Cadence will show the elevation profile with gradients and your current location on it, but it doesn't auto-detect climbs yet.
The Apple iPhone riding app doesn’t support a bike radar.
Yes it does as I have the Garmin one. Which one do you have?
@@cyclewithdavid I’m talking about the Apple Watch exercise app and not a third party app.
Does anyone know how to keep the phone from going to sleep when using the app or will it stay awake as long as you are moving? Thanks
There's an option towards the top of the Settings screen, "Keep Screen On While Recording". It'll keep the screen on after you hit "Start" on the Computer screen.
@@ryansommers35 Awesome, thank you. Just found it.
He must be really fast because there’s no way my phone is lasting for a century. I do like the software. Not sure what to do about battery life.
You cant compare todays mobile phone to a cycling computer. Todays phones have more compute power than laptops even powering satellites. With an appropriate power bank its a better choice, why? Your bringing your mobile anyway. Youll just need the proper holder, power bank and enclosure. Apps have taken over. Its like asking do you still need a watch? Many do and its not for time keepiing. For many a cycling computer completes the look.
can i see the power meter stat (watts output) in the strava screen?
Yes, the Strava Live Segment screen has customizable metrics to choose from.
everything is fun and games until 42°C French summer melts the screen adhesive off your phone. I bought my first cycling computer right after.
You do realize phones don't just melt anymore right? I lived in Miami for three years so I understand what sheet and humidity is.
@@cyclewithdavidIt was a phone with frontal access, meaning the display went on last during assembly. No idea what you're trying to say with this sentence "You do realize phones don't just melt anymore right?"
What I meant by that statement is the temperatures, regardless of how hot it is don’t interfere with the adhesive on modern day phones.
@@davidodemchukidk what you mean by modern day. This was 2015 on an xperia z3c. Adhesive doesn't need to be that hot to get soft. Sun on a black phone heats up pretty nice.
When something is free, you are often the product!
The free version of Cadence is ad supported, but Cadence doesn't track you in any way and knows nothing about you. The ads are all served through Google which honors the "Do Not Track" settings. You can also remove ads and unlock more features with the paid subscriptions.
Thanks you for this video..
Samsung Galaxy S phones had ANT+ built-in for years, I still use an S10 and sync with my older garmin watch which doesn't use bluetooth. I think they stopped after S20 which is a shame. As someone who likes to look after stuff and only upgrade when I need to, battery capacity depletion over time would be an issue for me. Don't get me wrong, I have a phone mount on my bike as I occasionally want easy access to maps or even navigation software - but those are now & again usages. I wouldn't routinely use my phone screen for so many extra hours. Yes it will last the distance of the ride, but it needs recharging afterwards and lithium batteries only last so many recharge cycles. Fine if you change your phone every couple of years, or when I could swap out a $30 battery myself in seconds, but now we have the ridiculous situation with non-replaceable batteries in $1200 phones.
Yeah I change my phone once over 2-3 years so I've never had the battery problem. I actually didn't know Andriods had ANT+
Downloaded the app, went through setup, there’s no way to tell it NOT to track your browsing activity across all other apps so it’s basically farming your data. Deleted it straight away.
coded and designed by a US guy that I've personally met. Anywho I believe you can block it from apples side.
Point is, you shouldn’t have to go and block it from apples side, there should be an option to prevent it tracking on that page. Any app that doesn’t have that option is an automatic no from me. I won’t even get as far as testing it, it gets immediately deleted because it doesn’t tell me exactly what it’s tracking, just that by installing it you give it the right to track EVERYTHING you do on your phone with no way to turn that off.
Developer of Cadence here: I don't like tracking either but this is entirely related only to Google's ad network for the free version of Cadence. That's just how Google ads work in any app with ads. On iPhone, during the initial launch, it presents Apple's standard "Allow to track" or not alert. If you tap don't track, Google ads is supposed to honor that. It's also possible to update that setting in the main Settings app on your phone. The paid version of Cadence doesn't contain ads so there's no possibility for tracking.
Thanks for explaining.
If my phone can get the heart rate data from my Apple Watch that’d be pretty compelling, and post the whole ride to Strava. My Garmin can’t get the heart rate from my Apple Watch.
The cadence app using your phone can 100% use your Apple Watch and at the end of every ride automatically push the ride to Strava. Give it a download link in description
Is this an advertisement?
This app does not work with Sram. I tried to connect and it doesn't work.
Sram doesn't currently support any of their component data over Bluetooth outside of their own app, so no smartphone app will work yet.
I wonder if anyone would use an iPad for a bike computer. Probably not a full size iPad but a Mini?
Are you kidding? Even mini would look like a full-sized tv on a bicycle. Nobody needs a screen THAT big while cycling
@@piterplichta677
Ok maybe an IPad would be overboard, but what about a Watch?
@@Brantastic07 sport and smart watches are fine for emergency nagivation. Idk about apple, but some of garmin watches have the functionality. Just for emergency, because the screen is simply too small. Bike computers usually have 3 inches of screen size and that's about the comfortable minimum I would use long-term.
I use my iPhone as a phone and I find it works really well
That will work if you’re doing easy 100 mile rides with zero climbing. Let’s see how your phone holds up on a 200mile ride with over 10K ft of climbing.
This is probably the only comment I'm seeing so far where I'm like yeah go for a dedicated cycling computer then. If you're doing 200 mile rides you definitely need a dedicated cycling computer or a nice solid battery bank. The grand Fondo mentioned in the video was 8000 feet of climbing 80 miles with a 20% battery life left after ride
Or if your phone loses carrier like mine does where I ride. So now it’s useless.
Use an old phone as a dedicated option for the bike
totally doing this once I upgrade
@@cyclewithdavid nice work 👏
Nope. It dies after 3.5 hours in GPS mode.
Which phone do you have? I see about 10-15% an hour battery drain which puts it around 6.5hrs with GPS on. That's with an iPhone 14 pro
My phone lasts quite a bit longer but even if it didn’t most people aren’t riding for more than 3.5 hours
3 hours & then dead with wahoo app. Tracking heart rate & power meter. I just bought a wahoo Bolt 2
@@cyclewithdavidbut is with the display always on?! Showing your data?
@@PatTheCat there’s so many variables with screen brightness, phone model, age of battery, etc. that you kind of have to just see what your personal device does.
Buy 2 phone cases with an integrated battery pack and you won’t be able to out bike the battery life
You made a very nice sponsored content, but you should inform your viewers about that.
Apple could make a great cycling computer if they wanted to but it’s probably not a big enough market for them?
No way, they just announced cycling computer like features in the fitness app
to see the watts, you. need a Premium account. feeek that
Was this an ad? Felt like an ad.
Yes , you can use your phone , iPad or your laptop as a bike computer....but ....
1. Size and wight iPhone 15 pro max during bike racing ,no thanks
2. battery life- I do 12-16 h rides on my backpacking tours Australia , Scandinavia Asia osv.... sometimes 3 days no access to electricitys .... so ekstra 2 powerbanks in limited luggage??? No Thanks.
3. my Garmin varia radar works only with RideGPS app on my Iphone or Varia app but no maps than .
My iPhone would not be Good As a Bike Computer in my use.
can a fiat 500 do everything a MAN truck can do? for most people yes... do they have the same capabilities,..no
Yeah, but if you will have an accident you would be thankful to brake 200 bucks computher rather than 1000+ smartphone.
I had a cycling accident with my phone in my back pocket in a case and it's still ended up cracking.
Notice he never mentions the cadence sensor. No way that little sensor is made in bluetooth.
There's just one glaring issue with using a smartphone as a bike computer.
Thief. 😂 You had no idea how many smartphones have been stolen on cyclist. It doesn't matter if it's on your handle bar or it's on your pocket.
As long as it's visible, it's at risk.
😂 I'm fine with just a 50 usd cycle computer, some money and ID when I ride.
Don't have workouts
Buy cheap android phone for bike computer :)
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
how accurate is the GPS? say from an IPHONE, or any Android flagship? what about speed accuracy? how fast is it?
GPS is accurate, as is speed. You could also connect a Bluetooth speed sensor.