Just picked up a shiny new iPhone 4 and need an app that can record the routes I’m riding. It’s not going to be on a handlebar mount so not fussed about a usable-whilst-riding UI, just the ability to record routes with distance, speed, etc.

Ideally something that doesn’t use too much battery, works in the background (so I can play music as well) and works out in the countryside proper. Any recommendations?

I use cyclemeter – does all the things you describe (plus if you use headphones, and repeat routes you can race yourself which is cool)

everytrail.

tried a few of the others, this one is less of a battery eater.
you can upload gpx files too.

btw – if you are using your phone to track a longer route I always switch off wifi and network data before I set off

doing this I can do several hours worth of riding and listening to music without runnning the battery down too much

dont have iphone but use sportypal on my htc desire,its a great free app also for iphone or edmondo

I use RunKeeper

there are loads,

motion x is my favourite, it cost about £2. they also do a lite version which is free, and there are a lot of other free apps around.
The thing I like best about motion x is that you can download a section of the map so that they are still available when you have no signal. click on the link for a list of features

I use Endomondo on my Android phone but it’s available for Iphone too. Been very pleased with it so far and it’s free.
Endomondo

MotionX. Only one I’ve tried so far

Cyclemeter has the added bonus of telling friends and family where your at to either rub it on or to make the wife has the tea ready on your return. Remember to disable it when doing a pub stop.

Have tried EveryTrail, SportyPal and TrailHead on iPhone 4, but they all lose GPS for several miles (even on normal roads) at a time. Really annoying because SportyPal on Android was excellent and very stable.

Anyone else having this problem?

Will try some of the others mentioned above.

Cyclemeter posts a map and tracks you plus does a twitter feed so people can talk to you while you are riding. Very disconcerting the first time it happens.

I tried most of the available ones a couple of months ago and went for everytrail – main reasons being that it’s nice to use, works in background, allows capture of photos and video, uploads to their own website (not just facebook/twitter like many others), you can link to the pics (as below) and finally, particularly useful if you go abroad or want to use it for reference, you can download maps to it so that you don’t need a connection. Oh and you can also download GPX files to it or just select those that other people have uploaded.

spacemonkey – not a problem I’ve had with everytrail. Sounds more likely to be your phone or the signal getting blocked (in a camelbak under a load of other stuff?) since you’ve had the problem with several apps.

I’ve downloaded all the recommended apps so will spend a week trying them out and see which I prefer. Thanks for the input everyone 🙂

I use Motion-X but even with the comms switched off it’s about 2-hours tops for battery life.

does sports tracker work on iphone?

been using it for a couple of years on Nokia and it’s been aces. it does heart rate too if you are a complete anorak.

no, “Nokia sports tracker” isn’t available on the iPhone 🙂
Epicsteve – odd. I get 5-6 hrs from everytrail on my 3GS with wifi and 3G on though I do run it in background.

|tried SportyPal and Endomondo and thought they lost signal too easily, also eat up the battery. Cyclemeter seems better so far although only been using it for about a week

No one else use outfront then?

I’ve been happy with motionX, though i do have an additional battery cover for my 3gs, so never noticed any particular problems. I think you can alter the sample rate to easy battery use

Clubber, I’ve figured that must be the problem too – however, both Google Maps and Co-Pilot work perfectly in terms of sat positioning. I even trialled all three in the car when driving around, but got home and checked the route to find bits had still been chopped off – weird. Have no idea why GM and CP work fine, but the others don’t. PITA.

I-map my ride. Only had one signal dropout in 4 months of daily use. You can also upload all routes and make them public, intergrates with Facebook and does all other kinds of crap I’ll never need.

I got it free and it works just as it should.

A bit more complex and expensive an option…..

I use the memory map app, downloaded with the 1:25,000 or 1:50,000 of the area I’m in from what I already have on my pc. I don’t have it on all the time but it is nice to have it in my pocket & to turn on every now and again to check the route.

Using the internal GPS on my 3g it’s rubbish – inaccurate and drains the battery in no time at all. However as mine is jailbroken I have the BT gpsstack app from cydia so it is possible to use a separate bluetooth gps. Now the accuracy is much better and a 6hr ride uses less than 20% of battery life so would be fine for a whole weekend of riding without a charge (bivvy trip etc).

there are a few of the above which I have not tried and am going to have a look at though. Anything for me that requires a data connection is a waste of time though as I don’t have a phone signal (and certainly no 3g) for much of my riding.

Another run keeper user here. It’s free. Works like a charm on my iPhone 4. Pre-iPhone 4 GPS is quite sluggish though, so bear that in mind with any GPS app. If you have a 4 though, then no problems. Here’s a map generated by runkeeper.

http://runkeeper.com/user/75856432/activity/16519450

Just giving run keeper a go.