Do Spin Bike Apps Control The Bike?

wahoo fitness app 1 best cycling and biking apps for android

There is a slew of fitness apps available for runners, hikers, and general fitness enthusiasts out there. Some cover the basics you'd expect, but not all provide cyclists and bikers the specialized tools they need. Be it route planning, ride navigation, or post-ride analysis, some apps are just better suited for use with two wheels. In this roundup, we take a look at the best cycling and biking apps for Android you can download right now.

The best cycling apps and best biking apps

Komoot

Price: Free / in-app purchases / $59.99 per year

Komoot is an excellent app for hikers, mountain bikers, road cyclists, and other similar outdoor activities. It's a navigation app at its core. You download a region, plan a route, and then bike, walk or run that route. You can download various regions for various prices, hence the in-app purchases. However, the app is otherwise quite easy to use. You can download maps for offline use with single purchases or get constant access with the yearly subscription. You can use the app for free in a limited capacity as well.

Price: Free / $5.99 per month / $29.99 per year

Map My Ride does what the name says. The app lets you map out your cycling routes and keep track of where you've been. The app also works for walkers, runners, and hikers as well. It's easy enough to use. You track your various biking runs, see your stats, and adjust your workouts or routes accordingly. Plus, the app has a ton of support for third-party gadgets such as Under Armour's connected shoes, Wear OS, Garmin gadgets, Fitbit trackers, and more. Those who subscribe should consider the yearly subscription because it is a vastly better bargain than the monthly one.

MyWindsock

Price: Free / $3.99 per month / $29.99 per year

MyWindsock isn't an app but a smart website that works pretty well on mobile. Its primary function is to provide cyclists with an updating weather forecast that refreshes as they move. It's handy when covering a longer route when real-time forecasts are more instrumental to performance. MyWindsock plugs into Strava data, too, allowing riders to map historical weather data over their existing Strava recordings. This adds weather context to performances. Other nifty features include segment time predictions, CdA tracking, and other intuitive analysis. As MyWindsock isn't an app, you'll need to add it as a PWA using a mobile browser.

Peloton

Joe Hindy / Android Authority

Price: from $12.99 per month

Peloton is an expansive fitness app with digital classes for a variety of fitness activities. From feel-good rides to more intense spinning sessions, users can effectively train with a focus on their specific requirements. The app also logs basic metrics, hosts live or prerecorded studio classes of varying lengths chaired by a selection of instructors and can be used in conjunction with Peloton's own hardware, too. When mated with the Peloton Bike, users can gain access to live leaderboards. This demand isn't necessary to take advantage of the app's fitness benefits, but it's an adequate replacement for those who miss the social aspect of the gym or outdoor rides.

Ride with GPS

Price: Free / in-app purchases

Ride with GPS is a feature-laden app for cyclists planning a route. The app also packs a navigation tool, features to keep track of gear, and a corner for analyzing past rides. Users can plot their planned rides while taking elevation and other metrics into account. Users can also share this route with other members of the group. On the route itself, Ride with GPS turns into a turn-by-turn guide. Users can also download offline maps if the route is a little further away from civilization.

Strava

Joe Hindy / Android Authority

Price: Free / $5.99 per month / $59.99 per year

Strava is an excellent app for both runners and bikers. It works a lot like Map My Ride. You record and track your routes, see stats about your various routes, and set challenges for yourself. The app tracks things like distance, cycle speed, elevation gained, and calories burned (estimated). There are also some social features, including a Clubs feature where you can motivate your fellow fitness enthusiasts. We especially like the support for indoor cycling since not everybody actually leaves their house to bike. The subscription service is relatively reasonable as well.

TrainerRoad

Price: Free / $19.95 per month / $189 per year

TrainerRoad is an up-and-coming cycling and biking app. This one focuses purely on cycling without any other types of workouts getting in the way. It features a library of over 1,000 structured workouts, each one calibrated to your fitness level. Plus, you get over 100 cycling and triathlon training plans, support for outdoor cycling, and many other features. Of course, all those features come at a price, and TrainerRoad is one of the most expensive cycling apps on the list. We only recommend this one to people who are very serious about cycling fitness. Otherwise, we recommend one of the cheaper options.

TrailForks

Price: Free / In-app purchases / $2.99 per month

If you're an avid mountain biker, TrailForks is a worthwhile companion. The app plays host to a database of over 350,000 trails across the world. Users can download these maps for offline use too. TrailForks doesn't just offer the map route, though. The app also packs a navigation tool, highlighted trail labels, several additional info layers, and images of the trails themselves. TrailForks does offer a week-long trial, but a subscription is required to access all the features thereafter. Non-Pro users can only gain access to a city-sized area's emergency routes.

Price: Free / $19.95 per month / $119 per year

TrainingPeaks is another excellent cycling log app, and it includes a bunch of neat features. You get the ability to log your rides, keep track of daily stats, and even record post-workout comments to keep track of various things like tiredness level. The app also tracks power, speed, distance, and other metrics. Some more hardcore features like heart rate monitor support, GPS location support, and the ability to plan your workouts over a longer period of time. The free version of this app works fine for some basic stuff. However, this one is also right up there, with TrainerRoad as one of the most expensive options on the list.

Wahoo

Price: Free / Varies

Wahoo is a general fitness training app covering several workouts, but cyclists can also benefit from it. You needn't venture out on the road, either. The app uses your phone's GPS to track cycling data. The app also plugs into various hardware like the Kickr Power Trainer and other Wahoo wearables to yield more detailed and specific metrics. These metrics include stride rate data, cycling power, speed, and cadence. Wahoo also lets users gloss through cycling session history and can be customized to suit the user better.

Zwift

Price: Free / Varies

Zwift is kind of our diamond in the rough pick. It works a lot like Zombies, Run but for cyclists. It basically turns the act of indoor cycling into a video game to make it more engaging. The app has many programs to bike through, and it honestly adds a bit of extra depth. The online shop includes a bunch of merch and even approved trainers from established brands like Wahoo. The main app is a little sloppy for how much this costs. However, Zwift's companion app is actually excellent.