Digitally equipped
Apps and gadgets for cyclists
With the right apps, you can keep track of the route and your training progress.
© lzf/Shutterstock.com
Anyone who travels a lot by bike can make life a little easier with these apps and gadgets.
Whether you ride your bike to the office every day, go on a day trip or embark on tours lasting several weeks: cyclists get to their destination better with one or the other app. If you combine these with the right gadgets, nothing stands in the way of successful bike tours.
unerring
In particular, people who cover longer distances by bike know the problem: not all routes that are passable or make sense are stored on the standard maps from Google and Apple. Users can find better map material, for example, at “Locus Map Pro” (Android), where every dirt road, no matter how small, is noted. This also applies to “Komoot” (Android/iOS), where you can have a precise breakdown of the road surfaces awaiting you on the tour even before you set off on a journey. After all, who wants to end up on a kilometer-long gravel road with their streamlined racing bike?
training
Those who use the bike not only as a means of transport, but as a piece of sports equipment, may want to compete with others. The app “Strava“, which allows cyclists and runners to compare themselves with others. All performance can be recorded here and then analyzed in detail. “Runtastic Road Bike” or ” have a similar range of functions.MapMyRide“. If you are satisfied with recording a route, you will also be happy with most navigation apps. Professionals buy fitness trackers that measure the heart rate and connect them to their smartphone via the respective product app to track their own training to analyze in more detail.
In case of emergancy
In the event of a broken spoke or flat tire, cyclists have to lend a hand and start repairing themselves. The app “Bike repair” helps out with repair tutorials and explains what can be repaired where. Although the application is only available in English so far, the good illustrations also help those who don’t speak English. Should something worse happen, for example an accident, it is good to have the “First Aid” app from the German Red Cross installed on your smartphone. Here, first aiders can find detailed instructions on correct first aid.
Gadgets
Depending on the individual project, very different items of equipment are recommended for the bicycle. If you are traveling with saddlebags or even trailers, you will quickly have a mobile photovoltaic surface installed on your bike. They are available from the size of a smartphone to foldable models roughly the size of a tablet. They only produce a decent amount of electricity when the sun is right, but it’s always enough to extend the runtime of the smartphone or Bluetooth box. There are also many types of holders for mobile phones – this saves you having to constantly unpack and pack the device again.