Tag: app

quick escape and a few miles down


motion-X map

Quick ride at 4pm as Jolene and the girls were coming back from swimming – Ruby (now 6yo) was doing only her 2nd ride to the West End (glasgow) which is just over 5km each way. in between was a 40 min swimming class which always wipes her out so thought I would meet them on their way home to give Ruby a moral boost and also to make sure she was safe on the road

10km happy yawn

Took a bit of coaching at the end – but she was insisting on doing it – we were going to strap the bike on the side of the Yuba if she was tired … but she wouldnt give up despite complaining.

electric yuba and the second of the norwegian firefighting team

Went to meet them on the Brompton – getting used to the slightly small wheels and noticing the bumps – but a solid well-made bike and I am loving it.

Brompton - S6L brooks and schwalbe marathon upgrade
Name: Track 023
Date: 3 Oct 2010 5:19 pm
Map:
(valid until Nov 2, 2010)
Distance: 7.84 kilometers
Elapsed Time: 35:34.6
Avg Speed: 13.2 km/h
Max Speed: 35.0 km/h
Avg Pace: 04′ 32″ per km
Min Altitude: 81 m
Max Altitude: 107 m
Start Time: 2010-10-03T16:19:53Z
Start Location:
Latitude: 55.860547º N
Longitude: 4.223120º W
End Location:
Latitude: 55.860423º N
Longitude: 4.222976º W

HAPPY TO SHARE


Anyone out there with an interest in ‘rambling’ (in the sense of kite,bike,tour,camera, surf) and who want to contribute then get in touch. I only started this blog as a ramble into the ether and now it turns out that people read it so – if you fancy writing about your tour on a surly big dummy, fell-running, bike maintenance or even reviews of things or places then I want to hear from you.

RunMonster bike app – running app


Using RunMonster on the iPhone – quick trial taking the girls to school on the bike. Tracks very well and simple to use – has a feature where you can email the route to someone after completion … an example is below. It attaches a gpx file so they can upload the route to their GPS or app …. although wordpress drops this attachment off. Sportypal has a good viewer for gpx files.

Greetings!

You have been sent a bike ride from RunMonster for iPhone.

Activity: Bike Ride
Route: Cranworth St – Speirs Wharf
Date: Aug 17, 2010 11:42 AM
Distance: 3.91 kilometers
Duration: 25:07
Calories: 42
Avg Pace: 6:25 min/km
Avg Speed: 15.0 km/h
Max Altitude: 115 meters
Min Altitude: 80.0 meters

Splits:
Kilometer 1: 4:39/km
Kilometer 2: 5:18/km
Kilometer 3: 3:23/km
Last 0.93 Kilometers: 12:30/km

The file attached to this message is in GPX format. To display the route: Any Platform: Google Earth (http://earth.google.com/)
Windows: TopoFusion (http://www.topofusion.com/)
Mac: TrailRunner (http://trailrunnerx.com/)

A full list of applications that support GPX files can be found here: http://www.topografix.com/gpx_resources.asp

If you have any questions or comments, please email support@runmonster.com.

Cheers!
The RunMonster Team

A trip to Arran


Arran Jolly on a bike

With an imminent work trip to the Middle East trip scheduled, I said goodbye to the lovely lady and the kids who were headed north to Shetland for a holiday. Mmmm a few days before I go so I could either work on the showreel, go kitesurfing with Ed or go for a bike ride or two.
Jolene was on the ferry already when she texted to say that Tom was going walking and camping on Arran for a few days. His wife and kid were also on the ferry so it was a case of 2 dads banishing the boredom.

So a plan was hatched catch the 8:40am train from Glasgow to ardossan, get the ferry to Arran and then head north to try and find Tom. Now the thing about Tom is that he is low maintenance – happy to rough it, happy to exercise, happy to change plans. Now there is the rub that he might change his mind and campsite and he doesn’t use a mobile phone so the chances of tracking him down are slim.

Well he is planning to climb Goatfell and the only campsite is in the north of arran at lochranza right opposite the Arran malt distillery…. The distillery was the last bit of temptation I needed and hastily packed. I thought that I didn’t find him I could catch the last ferry home at 8pm after a nice 100km cycle, but if I did find him there was the matter of camping … He had a small tent so should I carry a sleeping bag and try squeeze in to his tent. ‘Mmmm no’ so plan b was hatched that if I found him I would also try get a room nearby and just go out for a drink or two. Arran is also home to the Arran brewery with some very fine ales but more on that later.

Bike on the Train

So up and packing I realised the time was going past a bit quickly – no time to change the flats over to clipless pedals. I sped out the house down to the station and bought a ticket with just 40 secs to spare .. Whew a bit close that was a bit stupid as the next train was an hour away. This train is great gets you to the harbour (ardrossan) with enough time to wander over to ferry terminal and buy ticket (subsequently found out you can actually buy a joint rail ferry ticket at the train station)

On the Ferry and the sun is out

The ferry was fine – loads of French schoolkids and more than a few day-trippers and road cyclists.
Headed north on the road to Lochranza and it was mighty fine. I was on my Klein singlespeed geared 32:14 cruising nicely at 22-25km/h with a camelbak HAWG stuffed to the gills mainly with raincoat and spares for the morning. After 25ish min the road suddenly goes uphill which is all fair but on the singlespeed it felt a bit brutal at times.

the hill for a heart rate hike

Had to stand and stomp pushing so hard that I saw the handlebar flexing. One roadie passed me spinning happily as I neared the top. Over the top the descent back 200m to sea level. Great to blast down this but road surface pretty crappy so glad now not to be on roadbike bu rather my schwalbe big apples (I think they are 1.5 or 1.75).

Got down to Lochranza looked at the castle and the little keelboats marooned at low tide…

Lochranza castle

Then carried on to find the campsite. ‘you’ve already passed it mate… ‘ so spun back to try locate Tom. ‘yes there is a tall blond chap here .. And yes he does look Norwegian’ so penned a note which the site manager promised to give him then hopeful for accomodation went to the Lochranza hotel. £55 they wanted from me as only a family room left – that was taking the piss so took a number and decided to try my luck further along.
2 miles on came to catacol hotel ….

not the key to paradise

– basic but clean and let’s face it I would be wearing the same cycling shorts tomorrow.

Left the heavier items from the bag (great I packed a shock pump for an adventure on a rigid bike) then carried on down the west coast of Arran. No midges to worry about and cycled on the road as some paddle boat steamed up the coast.

Dead quiet spot for lunch

Stopped for a bite then headed back to hotel for shower but was in such a daze I cycled straight back into Lochranza – divine providence and ended up at the distillery having a mosey and buying a small bottle of malt didn’t want to carry a litre bottle with me back to the ferry.

Whisky Galore

Got back to hotel had a shower (no en-suite here) then read for a while before heading back to campsite in Lochranza to hunt down Tom.
Was having a bite to eat when ‘woops there he goes’. Heckled him from the door and he seemed hugely surprised. He quickly dropped his kit bit on discovering the crap choice of beer at the local bar/ hotel we proceeded around the corner to my hotel where we had 2,3,4,5,6 err 7 pints of Arran brewery (can’t even remember which one – not Arran blond, dark or witch on) played a few rounds of pool – Tom is even worse at pool than me which is pretty funny.
‘meet you at 7:15am’ for that was when we would meet to cycle back over that hill and to the ferry.

geared up ready to go

The next morning it was howling and pissing down.

Cant see howling wind and rain in the photo

Met up at campsite then headed off to ferry – the Lochranza hill from the north wasn’t so bad – the misery of the rain and wind was quite funny. Over the top and Tom was a few hundred metres behind so decided to wait at the bottom where there was some tree cover .. Tried to coast but the wind was bringing me to a halt (on a downhill) but once on the steep bit I tucked down and tried to get a good speed.
Once down and Tom had caught up came up with a plan to slipstream north… I told him to call speed he was happy with and I would do it and take the wind … He was dealing with panniers, a tent all on a heavy kona smoke bike.
Pretty coast road then ferry and train back to Glasgow …

Tom looking tired

Tom was looking a bit tired after his Munro climb (or corbett) double bike adventures and said he was going home to sleep. I had football that night but that’s another painful tale to tell……..

RunMonster App Review


Tried out the free version of this software the other day and I must admit I like it
Shows a map of where you are running although in UK this was a bit slow to load (in comparison to maps from google etc) but not slow enough to be a problem for running.
mapping page

What is interesting about the data it feedbacks is that you can swipe the map left or right – which doesnt change the map but rather the stats shown. There are 3 stat screens which overlay ….. here is one showing elapsed time calories and elevation.

showing calories burnt
Or you can skip the map completely
table stat view
Think this may be better than Runkeeper for me but every runner has their pet likes and dislikes.
THEIR   BLURB
RunMonster Pro is the premiere app for recording your workouts using your iPhone’s GPS. RunMonster shows your time, pace, distance, and calories burned as you exercise, all overlaid on a beautiful custom map. The Pro version adds audio feedback, seamless music integration, and interactive visualizations to provide the best exercise experience for iPhone.

RunMonster Pro features:

✭ Hear your workout statistics read aloud during your workouts
✭ Customize the announcement interval and select which stats you would like to hear
✭ See gorgeous, interactive visualizations of your workout data
✭ Control your music library without leaving RunMonster
✭ Use gestures to easily switch between songs as you exercise
✭ See your pace for each song you listened to during your workout

You also get all these great features available in the free version of RunMonster:

✭ Record your runs, walks, and bike rides using your iPhone’s built-in GPS
✭ Check your stats, including distance, pace, time, and calories burned, at any point during your workout
✭ See a live Google Terrain View map of your route
✭ Let RunMonster intelligently name your workouts based on nearby street names
✭ Watch as RunMonster automatically groups together similar workouts
✭ Let RunMonster automatically detect whether you ran, biked, or walked
✭ Examine your splits and other detailed statistics after you’ve finished a workout
✭ View your full workout history on your phone, grouped by week or route
✭ Relax as your workouts are backed up automatically to RunMonster.com
✭ Export your workouts via email

Bike and Running App for iPhone update May 2010


* see also RUNMONSTER HERE

* Recap November 2010 HERE

or click on the app / application tag on the right.

For GPS tracking I would go with the free version of RunKeeper think about MotionX (although a more rounded gps all sport app) or use some money and get  CycleMeter.

CYCLEMETER

CycleMeter app

Track

Cyclemeter continually records your time, location, distance, elevation, and speed – years of rides only take up the space of a few songs. Stop and start recording on-screen or with your earphone remote.

Visualize

See your results on maps, graphs, and a calendar, and organized by routes and activities. Know how much distance you’ve rideed by day, week, month, year, and overall.

Hear

Monitor your progress with up to 20 configurable announcements including distance, time, speed, elevation, climb, and more. Announcements may be heard automatically at time or distance intervals, or on-demand with your earphone remote.

Share

Use Facebook, Twitter, and email to share Google Maps of your rides, automatically updated every 5 minutes. Hear replies from family, coaches, and friends spoken using text-to-speech technology. Have emails automatically sent as you ride to keep family and friends notified of your progress and location.

Cyclemeter screen grabs

Another option if you have a garmin or Polar Heart Rate Monitor is the Cychosis App for the iPhone. £1.29 on iTunes

SPEC

  • Charting
    • See colorful high resolution charts of your training and riding progress for Weekly, Monthly, Yearly, and All time.
    • Chart your distance, average speed, and time.
good graphs
  • Twitter
    • Optional automatic tweet (twitter) of each ride after you enter it lets your friends and family follow you on your bike!
    • Export ride data to CSV — private access to last 5 exports via Cychosis exports server.
  • Bikes:
    • Keeps track of the mileage and number of rides on any number of bikes.
  • Goals:
    • Set any number of distance goals and track progress against them.
  • Routes:
    • Keeps track of common routes, distance, elevation, notes, etc.
    • Automatically keeps stats for each route.

  • Rides:
    • Quickly record rides as soon as you’re finished.
    • Filter rides to current week, month, or year
    • Optional summary totals for current filtered period
    • Shows stats for each ride.
    • Pre-fill a new ride with one of your pre-defined routes, or enter a new name quickly.

Law Week 5km Run


‘morning’ he said at 5:45am, ‘I got to bed at 2am’

He’ll be good to run I thought. Drove over to staging and then all assembled ready to race: and then we were off.

19:56


22:06

25:06

25:45

26:06

28:05

29:14

The course was around Z-lake and the temp at 7am was probably just nudging 20 degrees C – nice to break 20min again and roughly similar position 14th out of 500+ runners.

Running app for iPhone (another one) Sportypal


Came across this today Sportypal app for iPhone (and the rest as well) seems to address some of the shortcoming I see with RunKeeper …. but and it’s a big BUT – I haven’t tried it. Just downloaded it and will try it out tomorrow. Also used for cycling snowboarding etc and their website (which it syncs to) has a good 3D view and tech breakdown of your exercise.

Their blurb:

Application description:
SportyPal is a FREE application that helps you improve your running, cycling, rollerblading or any other outdoor workout activities performance by using your iPhone. When you are done with your workout, upload your tracks on the web and share them with your friends. SportyPal logs your position, shows it on map, logs your movement, distance, tempo and calories burned while working out.

You activate SportyPal when you start your workout. When you finish exercising, the collected performance information will be stored on your iPhone. SportyPal will present each exercise in a map view, draw elegant graphics charts of your performance or present summarized information.
SportyPal provides clean and neat design, simplicity of use, satisfactory functionalities and you can embrace its benefits by using both the mobile and the web clients.

Features:
iPhone application features:

Standard measurements: stopwatch, distance, speed, average speed, calories.
View your current position and the track during your whole workout
Listen music or perform calls without disturbing your workout.
Upload workouts on the web
Organize different types of workouts

Web application features:

Show the workout on map with details
Track your past activities and view results on graph
Set goals
See your progress day by day
Compare workouts
Add tags and location
View of your best achievements
Community view your friends and everybody elses workouts
Facebook and Twitter integrations share and brag with your results with your friends and followers
Race it to be in the Top 10 users in the community

More to come:
Upload photos from your workout
Flicker integration
Create a tour that is consisted of several workouts and measure your performance.
Integration with heart rate monitor
and much more

Runkeeper iPhone app review


This hugely informative review is based on a one time use (6.7km run into work carrying crappy backpack) so although not in depth it gave me the opinion on whether to use this again or not.

Their site HERE

PRO’s

It’s free.

CON’s

Screen display – think they are missing a trick

  • they should have a third screen which shows pace (based on 10sec average for accuracy) and average pace (for whole run) and a last lap pace (see note below)
  • An autolap feature that makes a lap according to distance (nominally 1km or 1mile)
  • Elevation display / elevation gained

A lot of their features – like photos enroute I never would use – this is more of a crossover app whereas I want something that is more pure running aid.

I wrote – did feedback on the Runkeeper site and had this response

‘We do show mile/km splits, both on the web and in RunKeeper Pro, both on the splits screen and in audio cues.  A delayed start option is coming in the next app release. Auto stop we can keep in mind for the future.’

Nearly the end of the week


Knackered after a few days. Verbier has had no snow and today was 15 degrees C so baking. Conditions not great for boarding thinly groomed slopes over sheet ice. Can’t complain as being forced to improve technique and really commit to the rails.

Also tried out the GPSies app for the iPhone as well as the MotionX app.

The GPSies automatically syncs with online site ……

MotionX works differently – afterwards you can email yourself the file which comes as gpx or kml format. The gpx format will go straight into Garmin Calender and KML is the google earth format … very nifty.

Handy app for travel (off topic)


Using Tripcase for a month now and it is great. Syncs with iCal and iPhone and lets people know when flights are delayed. Most importanantly sucks all that info from agent reference number so you dont even have to type anything. Works great in UK and Middle East and I am sure in the US too.

(blurb) TripCase allows you to organize information about your upcoming trips. We can automatically import trip details from our connected travel partners. We’re connected to thousands already and adding more all the time.

TripCase’s 1-click access to your most important trip details helps reduce those painful travel experiences. Useful messages and alerts are provided when you need them most.

  • Security wait times and baggage claim info
  • Airplane mode
  • Manually add flights, hotels and rental cars
  • Car rental information
  • Hotel description and photos
  • Flight status, delays, cancellations and gate changes

Our TripLog is the sharing service that keeps you and others up to date while you’re traveling by streaming information to and from your trip.

  • Flight status
  • Post photos
  • Send your Connections a note
  • Leave yourself notes with trip details

iPhone GPS running and bike apps tried, hated, liked but none loved


*UPDATE Endomondo is a very good option Bluetooth HRM belt will also give you heart rate and online it is like a facebook of exercise – in a good way*

I know the iphone is not a dedicated gps unit and won’t replace something like the Garmin Edge …. but i have one and apps are relatively cheap ince you have the phone. But so far I have to find one that I actually love.

What I want on my bike Screen is:

SPEED / MAX SPEED
Distance / Time
HR / Calories (or elevation/slope/Direction)

These are screen grabs from the garmin Edge 305 (with a smaller screen than the iPhone)


But then the iPhone must have an app as good or as versatile ….. No such luck – here is a run through

Better:

1. BikeMate

This looks promising although I haven’t tried it yet.

(BLURB)

– Trip –

This is the speedometer function.
Current speed, maximum speed, average speed, travel distance, travel time, altitude, and calorie information are displayed. You can save your riding progress using the save button.

– Route –

Current location and travel path are shown using Google Maps.
You can read the saved route and photos using ‘Load’ function, and you can ride along the loaded route.
When you take a photograph, the location where the photograph is taken is displayed.

– History –

With calendar function you can check saved rout

e information organized on daily bases.

You can check total distance, total riding time, and total consumed calories for all previous rides (only with the saved route data) to get an idea about the amount of total exercise.

– Taking Photographs –

You can take photographs with an iPhone camera, and the location where the photo is taken is saved with the photo image so that they can be checked against the photographs from the route data.

– DATA Management –

You can check/delete/edit the riding paths and photographs, and you can send them by email and MashUp.

You can modify the functions related to BikeMateGPS to your preference.

1. MotionX

(their blurb) MotionX-GPS is for your outdoor life:
That’s Walking, Hiking, Running, Cycling, Biking, Sailing, Skiing, Flying, Racing, Geocaching.

MotionX is committed to constant improvement. We listen to our millions of MotionX users and continuously add the most requested features. Recently added user-requested features include:

Map Storage Interface: Downloading and storing maps is faster and easier than ever.
MotionX Terrain and Road maps can be stored for worldwide use and no data fees.
High contrast skin style for easy daytime viewing.

Support for GPX file import enables wirelessly importing of GPS tracks and waypoints from any source, anywhere.

2. TRAILBLAZER

criticised in comments now tried and very swiftly deleted Not a great app for mtb’ing

(blurb) Monitor your speed, review your path, and share your travels. TrailBlazer lets you monitor and record where you are and how fast you’re going:

– see the route you’re taking on a map and monitor graphs of your speed and altitude

– review and share your paths.

Create colour-coded paths according to speed so you’ll know how fast you were going at any point along your track.
Create animating Google Earth files so you can watch your journey unfold in Google Earth and know exactly where you were as time progressed.
You can wirelessly download your track information from your iPhone directly to your Mac or PC using just a web browser!

3. The BIKE

Having a bicycle computer is one of the most fun (And geeky!) gadgets you can have on a bike. This one is similar but larger than a standard bike computer. None the less, this is a great little free app to have and I recommend it to all cyclists as long as you don’t want altitude and HRM functions.

4 GPSies

(blurb)

GPSies is the most easy to use iPhone Application that allows you to geo track your sports and leisure activities. Recorded tracks can be stored locally for later reference or uploaded to GPSies.com with one tap.

GPSies.com is the leading platform and community for GPS recorded tracks and is used by thousands of outdoor enthusiasts around the world.

Features

  • Record tracks. Pause and resume any time.
  • View elapsed time, current and average speed and pace.
  • View covered path and altitude profile.
  • One-tap upload to GPSies.com.
  • Export to all major formats and applications through GPSies.com.
  • Store tracks in the iPhone for later reference.
  • US and metric system support.
  • Recording interval adjustable to suit activity type.
  • Pocket mode for optimized battery life.
  • Edit tracks with map on GPSies.com.

This is pretty close to what I want apart from HRM functions

5. Trailguru

More of a cross sport web based app – for trails and paths.

(blurb) Use your iPhone 3G to do more than just listen to music while you run, bike, or hike. Download Trailguru and capture your outdoor activities using the iPhone 3G’s integrated GPS.

6. RUNKEEPER

Although more of a running app it could be used for mtb’ing. Basic functions and displays though

7. B.icycle

I have not tried this as spending £6 to try something out that could be a bit pants is a lot …. their blurb promises a lot …..

BIKE LIKE A PRO

B.iCycle is a next generation cyclometer for your iPhone!

It provides all the information you need on the bike. Our stylish user interface combined with maximum ease of use create a new experience on the bike.

FEATURES

  1. – Accurate values for current speed, average speed, maximum speed, total distance, trip distance, current altitude, climbed altitude, burned calories as well as trip time
  2. – Watch your bike automatically move on the map and zoom in on your trail
  3. – Receive your trips via email (KML und GPX) and review them at home (e.g. with Google Earth) or share them with other bikers
  4. – Suspend, pause and resume for trips allows you to receive calls or take a break
  5. – iPod function can be used together with B.iCycle

Based on countless test drives and refinement we calculate all values with maximum precision of the built in GPS. In contrast to standard cyclometers you do not have to calibrate B.iCycle to your bike. It just works – out of the box.

For the full experience we recommend to use a bike mount.

“Bicycle Mount Pedestal with Swivel-head” from semsons.com provides solid mounting as well as fair pricing.

BUT THERE IS ONE MORE THING!

A MAP! Including bike trails! Even offroad you will not get lost while biking:  Somebody from the huge OpenStreetMap community has already been there and mapped the trail for you! A community of more than 70.000 people is constantly mapping bike trails around the globe!

This really brings biking to the next level! B.iCycle makes perfect use of what the iPhone can do with GPS, connectivity and the amazing screen resolution.
And watching your tracks at home is more fun then ever, especially after a hard workout!

.

8. Misc BIKE QUIVER

Why you need this and why you would pay for it beats me – A free download like Evernote makes much more sense

(blurb)

TRIED A FEW MORE OUT HERE

Cycling Computer Geekdom


PEDAL BRAIN WEBSITE HERE

This looks like a nifty if slightly expensive bike computer but a great idea for roadies and for training …. Pedal Brain is a new APP a bit of software for your iPhone that turns it into a coaching tool.

Pedal Brain is three integrated cycling products. First, it’s an iPod and iPhone ANT+ accessory. Second, it’s a complete training log. Third, it’s a coaching platform. Each of these products has been design together and as such integrate perfectly well together.

Thereʼs no distinction between workouts on the web and workouts on the iPhone or iPod. Simply go for a ride or workout and all your performance data is uploaded in realtime to the web where coaches, teammates and friends can see it via pedalbrain.com, Twitter or Facebook. Thereʼs no post workout data upload step as with other cycling computers. Similarly there’s no need to copy your workouts onto paper and stuff in your jersey before heading out. It’s already there on the iPhone or iPod.

Pedal Brain is an Apple approved accessory. It works with an iPod Touch, iPhone, iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS. It will retail online and in local bike stores in the Spring of 2010. The online portion of Pedal Brain will launch a month prior and offer multiple subscription plans for cyclist and coaches including a free version.

Power through data is our motto. We believe better data leads to better workouts which leads to better results. Pedal Brain makes acquiring, processing and analyzing data simple. With a completely synced training log, you can focus doing the workouts and drills rather than trying to remember how long the interval break is suppose to be. Finally, Pedal Brain provides coaches unparalleled access to your training or racing data – in realtime even. Imagine doing a workout, not having it flow, messaging your coach and instantly have a new workout on your iPhone – all while riding.

With Pedal Brain you just focus on doing the workout, not on remembering it.

Pedal Brain provides a complete coaching platform as well. If you’re a cyclist in need of a coach, you can find one through Pedal Brain. They’ll see the same information about your workouts as you do. If you’re a coach, you can sell your training plans through Pedal Brain. You can also have coaching assistants and or larger coaching groups you can have multiple coaches working together.

NOTE * UPDATE

The final price for this hasn’t been finalized but it’s expected to be within $130 and $200 USD for the plastic version. The carbon fiber version will be more. The second cost associated with Pedal Brain is the subscription plan as shown below. Note that, they offer a basic plan which is free.