Written Android App Review
A well known cycling iPhone app has recently been released as an Android app: Strava Cycling. If you are an avid cyclist, you need the Strava Android app. You can even compete against your friends to see who really is “King of the Mountain”.
Features
Strava Cycling
I cycled through the features of this Android app during my Android app review and found that the Strava interface is surprisingly straight forward and doesn’t require much more than hitting start and stop. But the information it provides is essential for any serious cyclist.
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GPS enabled tracking - with altitude: Like any good tracking app, it wouldn’t be complete without GPS tracking. However, Strava adds an extra dimension by not only calculating speed and distance traveled, but by also calculating altitude! This is largely thanks to Google’s recent Google Maps update which added the ability to track three dimensionally. This feature aligns with one of Strava’s challenges – to see who will be King or Queen of the mountain.
- Calculations: In addition to altitude and distance, as mentioned above, Strava will calculate your average speed, elapsed time, and ride time. Curiously enough, when I used this app, I forgot to shut it off when I got home. I was worried it would skew the data since it sat for about 10 minutes in my phone holder on my bike before I remembered it. Surprisingly, once I stopped the timer and saved the trip, it removed all that dead time and gave me accurate readings for my trip. I compared the data on the phone to that in my bicycle’s computer and it was correct. Color me impressed!
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Map: No cycling app would be complete without a graphical map to display the route. My only complaint with this feature is that it is not visible while recording the trip. For this reason, I am deducting half a star.
- Climb: Recording and comparing elevation gained seems to be a cornerstone of Strava. In fact, there is a separate tab devoted to displaying information specifically relative to increases in elevation. According to their website at Strava.com, this happens anytime the “elevation gain between two measurements is more than 3%.” It will continue recording the climb “as long as [the] average grade is greater than 3%.” Where I live is mostly flat terrain so sadly I will not be doing any climbs most likely. But this would be a great feature for anyone living in a hilly or mountainous area! Users can even find other user-posted climbs in their area using the website.
- Companion Website: Strava started out as a group of former competitive cyclists who, after reminiscing about the “glory days” decided to form a cycling club. Eventually, they created a website and a year later, Strava.com is booming. This is the heart and soul of the Strava app, which is merely a tool for conveniently posting your stats and information to the site to share with other cyclists.
Design
The layout and design, while basic, is functional and precise. You won’t find any extra bells or whistles, but considering the purpose, anything more would be overkill. There are only four primary colors: black, dark gray, orange, and white. Blue and green make an appearance, but only briefly. The menu key only pulls up three options: About, Settings, and Logout. Saved rides have their own tab and allow the user to pull up more detailed information about each individual ride, such as stats, the map, and climbs, as noted earlier. There are a few unobtrusive and classy icons and the backgrounds feature smooth, rounded corners. It is strikingly simple, easy to read, and exactly as it should be. I award five stars for design.
Value
While Strava is designed primarily for competitive cyclists, it is my opinion that anyone could benefit from this app. There is even an option to log your ride as commuting, which is what I do most often. But the real benefit here is the ability to connect with other cyclists who share the passion for cycling just as much as you do. To top it off, the site and app are free and without advertisements. I therefore give it five golden stars.
Android Apps Review Details: Strava Cycling Android app is Free. This app requires Android 2.1 and up. You may download Strava Cycling from the Android Marketplace.
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