Top 9 Best Cycling Apps in 2022!

Summary

This video highlights some of the best cycling apps to enhance your riding experience, starting with the popular Strava, which offers features like segments, social aspects, route mapping, and training analytics. It also covers apps like VeloViewer for visualizing data, Komoot for route planning, MyWindsock for weather tracking, TrainingPeaks for structured training, and Zwift for indoor virtual rides. The video discusses other indoor training platforms like RGT and TrainerRoad, each offering unique features for different cyclists' needs. Viewers are encouraged to share their favorite apps in the comments.

Takeaways

• 🚴 Strava is a popular cycling app known for segments, leaderboards, and social features where you can track your performance and connect with other cyclists.
• 📊 Strava offers mapping functionality and training analytics that allow cyclists to build routes and analyze their ride data, especially with sensors like heart rate monitors or power meters.
• 📈 VeloViewer enhances Strava's data by offering detailed visualizations such as 3D graphs for elevation and the unique 'tile bagging' feature, where cyclists try to cover square miles during rides.
• 🗺️ Komoot is a powerful route planning tool, ideal for exploring new terrain. It provides detailed base maps and lets users see collections of routes from others for inspiration.
• 🌬️ MyWindsock helps cyclists by analyzing weather, specifically wind conditions, along their routes. It offers color-coded maps to show tailwinds and headwinds for precise planning.
• 🏋️ TrainingPeaks is a platform geared towards athletes focused on structured training. It allows users to plan future sessions, track progress, and prevent burnout with detailed training templates.
• 📉 Golden Cheetah is a free app for deep analysis of ride data, offering granular details like heart rate, power distribution, and peak performance over set periods.
• 🖥️ Zwift is a virtual indoor cycling platform with a large community. It allows riders to train, race, and ride with friends on virtual roads, incorporating training sessions and plans.
• 🌍 RGT Cycling offers 'Magic Roads,' where users can upload any GPX route and ride it virtually. It also provides realistic drafting and cornering speeds, along with customizable data fields.
• 📆 TrainerRoad is an indoor training app with a simple interface and detailed stats, focused on executing structured workouts. It integrates outdoor ride data from Strava and Garmin Connect for a full fitness overview.

Q & A

What are segments in Strava, and how do they work?

Segments in Strava are specific sections of a road or trail that users can time themselves on. Each segment has a leaderboard, allowing riders to compare their performance against others who have ridden the same section.

How does Strava incorporate social features?

Strava allows users to follow their friends and view their activities. If friends ride together, the app groups their rides into one shared memory, making it easy to track joint experiences.

What is the purpose of the mapping functionality in Strava?

Strava’s mapping feature allows users to create routes, overlay heat maps, and find popular roads or trails in a given area, which helps with route planning and discovery.

How does Velo Viewer differ from Strava, and what unique features does it offer?

Velo Viewer works with Strava’s data but offers unique features like detailed 3D graphs for segment elevation and a feature called tile bagging, where users collect square miles of the world during their rides.

What is tile bagging in Velo Viewer, and why is it popular?

Tile bagging in Velo Viewer breaks the world into square mile tiles, which are 'collected' when a rider passes through them. It's popular with cyclists who enjoy the challenge of covering as many unique areas as possible.

What makes Komoot a great route-planning app?

Komoot is praised for its detailed base maps, terrain information, and organizational tools that make it easy to plan routes. It also allows users to explore collections of routes from others for inspiration.

How does MyWindsock assist with weather prediction during rides?

MyWindsock provides visual wind data by showing the route on a map and color-coding sections based on wind conditions. It also uses hyper-local weather forecasts to predict conditions at specific points along the route.

What sets TrainingPeaks apart from other apps in terms of training?

TrainingPeaks is designed for athletes who want to plan their training sessions in detail. It helps users balance their workload to ensure they progress without burning out and offers tools to review historical ride data.

Why might someone choose Golden Cheetah for their cycling data analysis?

Golden Cheetah is a free, customizable platform that offers detailed data analysis, such as power distribution, heart rate, and training load. It is particularly useful for serious cyclists looking for granular insights.

What makes Zwift popular for indoor training, and how does it enhance the experience?

Zwift gained popularity for its virtual world that allows users to ride indoors with real-time riders from around the world. It offers group rides, races, and training plans, creating a strong community aspect that enhances indoor cycling.

What are Magic Roads in RGT, and how do they work?

Magic Roads in RGT allow users to upload a GPX file of a real-world route, which the platform then converts into a virtual route. This feature gives users the chance to ride their favorite outdoor routes indoors on RGT.

What are the advantages of TrainerRoad for cyclists focused on structured training?

TrainerRoad is a simple and effective app for cyclists who want to execute structured training sessions. It provides detailed metrics like fitness, freshness, and fatigue, and includes curated training plans from professional coaches.