Hi all, I'm a volunteer coach with a kids MTB club in New Zealand. We're trialling a free app I've built for timing riders on trails, and I'm looking for feedback from a wider range of people.
It needs two people to time riders, and could work for coaches/groups, casual races or timed runs with friends, and potentially small club events. Here's our scenario so you get a sense of whether it might be useful to you.
We ride in groups of 6-12 kids and 2-4 adults. On some rides it's fun for the kids and useful for us coaches to individually time the kids on a trail or a section. These are typically down-focused trails where the start and finish are different points, so a stopwatch won't work. We can't afford specialist timing hardware, and don't want to use Strava or whatever as we can't expect all the kids to have a phone (or want to install something). And we generally have very patchy cellular internet.
With the app we have one person at the start, and one at the end. Using the app the starter logs each rider's start, and the finisher logs when they finish. Then they regroup, the apps sync the data, and calculates times and results.
If anyone's interested, it's called Raceline and is available for iOS and Android.
Thanks folks!
nice simple idea. back in the day we used to do it at my local woods with a couple of synced stopwatches, paper and radios. cake for prizes.Â
this looks way easier..
Downloading now...this could be ideal for some seasons we do with our junior riders as well. Thanks.
How do you want feedback to be sent?
That sounds ace!
I'll download it and tell the other coaches about it too.
We've got a little section of singletrack that the kids like to ride - would be good fun for them to 'race there mates'.
@anthonysidwell does it matter if the person at the top starts a timer and rides down?
Thinking I could use it with my Daughter to time her DH runs when there's just the 2 of us.
just downloaded. looks good, although obviously I need a friend (or a second phone) to actually see if it works.
can more than 2 people be using it? ie if you have 3 people with the app, some fit volunteer rides back to the start after their run so that they can start the start timing guy's run for him?Â
though I guess, if you do that, they could just hand over the phone...
@anthonysidwell does it matter if the person at the top starts a timer and rides down?
Thinking I could use it with my Daughter to time her DH runs when there's just the 2 of us.
Yep that's totally doable. The rider can use the countdown timer to get a 'start beeps' sequence which gives them time to put the phone in their pocket then start on the final beep.
can more than 2 people be using it? ie if you have 3 people with the app, some fit volunteer rides back to the start after their run so that they can start the start timing guy's run for him?Â
though I guess, if you do that, they could just hand over the phone...
Easiest way is for the starter / last rider to use the countdown timer to get a 'start beeps' sequence, which gives them time to put the phone in their pocket then start on the final beep.
Sounds idea for timing road time trials.
Yes would definitely work, exactly the same principle.
Dunno if the lack of real-time results would be a downside for road, but I am considering adding real-time sync via internet. Probably would have to be a paid add-on as it adds cost at my end...
I'll share this with some coaches in Australia. Looks good.
Add in a run rating that's about feel or fun, not about time or speed.
Let kids give their run a fun factor mark out of ten or something like that. It's good to show that fun does not always relate to speed - style and flow can feel better and be more fun, and turns into speed later.Â
Speed and fun can be related but making riding about time or speed can kill what riding is about to many kids.Â
I've not got as far as downloading but could you use these for tracking multilap mass start? Reason for asking is our club is going to run some entry level kids cx races over the summer. Current plan is the classic multiple volunteers on the start/finish line shouting numbers (which are then recorded). Would be cool if that could be done into an app as then there would also be basic timing in place.
I've not got as far as downloading but could you use these for tracking multilap mass start? Reason for asking is our club is going to run some entry level kids cx races over the summer. Current plan is the classic multiple volunteers on the start/finish line shouting numbers (which are then recorded). Would be cool if that could be done into an app as then there would also be basic timing in place.
That would be a good addition - select multiple riders, press start and off they go - Just need to be fast on the buttons the other end lol.
I've not got as far as downloading but could you use these for tracking multilap mass start? Reason for asking is our club is going to run some entry level kids cx races over the summer. Current plan is the classic multiple volunteers on the start/finish line shouting numbers (which are then recorded). Would be cool if that could be done into an app as then there would also be basic timing in place.
How does the mass start work, is it _every_ rider starts together or specific groups start together in waves?
At the finish, the finish timer screen is designed to handle multiple riders crossing the finish line in quick succession. There's one big Finish button, that you tap as each rider crosses the line. In the app those finish times go into a queue, and then when there's a gap in finishers you assign the actual riders to the times. No problem to queue up a bunch of times if there are many riders.
It helps if you can have someone keeping riders in their finish order after they've crossed the line. Easier to then work through and assign each to the appropriate finish slot.
That would be a good addition - select multiple riders, press start and off they go - Just need to be fast on the buttons the other end lol.
See above, with the way the Finish screen is designed it should be fairly straightforward (hopefully!)
That would be a good addition - select multiple riders, press start and off they go - Just need to be fast on the buttons the other end lol.
See above, with the way the Finish screen is designed it should be fairly straightforward (hopefully!)
Thanks - finish isn't an issue I don't think.
But being able to select multiple riders and ajust press start would be a good feature, as currently (unless I missed it) you have to start each rider individually.
It helps if you can have someone keeping riders in their finish order after they've crossed the line. Easier to then work through and assign each to the appropriate finish slot.
Sounds similiar-ish to how park run works, finish and stay in order and get a barcode, then scan barcode to you Id to get our time, just no barcodes.
It helps if you can have someone keeping riders in their finish order after they've crossed the line. Easier to then work through and assign each to the appropriate finish slot.
Sounds similiar-ish to how park run works, finish and stay in order and get a barcode, then scan barcode to you Id to get our time, just no barcodes.
I'm also a Parkrunner so can confirm, yes very similar!
Thanks - finish isn't an issue I don't think.
But being able to select multiple riders and ajust press start would be a good feature, as currently (unless I missed it) you have to start each rider individually.
Correct, only supports single-rider starts at present.
interestng ... how does it sync? i assume your system clocks need to be set very precisely before you start?
Sync is via one device scanning a QR code from the other device.
No, device clock accuracy isn't particularly important. The times are only meaningful relative to each other, i.e. whether a rider's second run was quicker than their first, and what the order was of riders' times overall. So in that sense, if one device's clock was a little fast, that gets applied to all riders and hence has no real effect.
