The Best Cycling Apps You’ve Never Heard Of

Published September 5, 2018 02:56PM

These apps will help you become a more tech-savvy, adventurous, and social rider.

If you ride frequently, chances are you have a Strava account. Or Training Peaks. Or MapMyRide. If it’s not on an app, it didn’t happen, duh. While all three of the apps mentioned do a great job of combining training, social media, and connectivity, the world of cycling apps has even more to offer. Get your app store loaded because you’re going to be downloading your heart out by the end of this article.

Ikeono

Have you ever wished there was a better way to tell when your bike needed some TLC other than taking it to the bike shop when something breaks down? Ikeono seeks to improve the rider experience by integrating with Strava and Apple Health to pull ride distance data and correlate the metrics with the amount of mileage your bike is shouldering.

When your bike has hit high enough mileage to warrant a trip to the shop, you’ll get a notification. It’s as simple as that. Multiple bikes? No problem. The app can sync with multiple bikes and wheelsets, and it’s easy to toggle between all options.

One of the coolest features of Ikeono is its partnerships with bike shops around the nation. Thanks to Ikeono’s growing list of partner stores, Ikeono users can schedule appointments with local bike shops right through the app. We love the simplicity.

Blackriver

Traveling with your bike is stressful enough. Searching through tons of maps based on others’ training is not a simple task. Blackriver aims to make your life easier by taking the legwork out of searching for safe and enjoyable local routes across the country.

Blackriver crowdsources with local bike shops, bureaus of visitation, and cycling advocates to bring app users only the best local bike routes of varying distances and difficulties. They will be partnering with the non-profit People for Bikes in the next year with the goal of getting more people enjoying bikes on local routes nationwide.

Blackriver rewards both partner bike shops and its app users. The app helps bike shops create and then export “RideCards,” which are print-outs of the best local bike routes. These “RideCards” can be found in-store or downloaded through the app. Blackriver is currently working on a new “challenges” part of the app that allows riders to redeem rewards from partner bike shops for completing a Blackriver route.

Relive

Sometimes, words don’t do our rides justice. We tell our friends about the quad-exploding climb we survived, but they don’t understand the grueling act of heroism it truly was. Relive allows cyclists to recreate their rides through 3D satellite maps.

Simply sync one of your training apps—Strava, Garmin Connect, Polar, MapMyRide—with Relive to begin wowing your friends and family with the endeavors you endure on two wheels. Relive will create a video of the route you took using maps and satellite imaging. You can even include photos to your video to add a personal touch.