Using Your Phone as a Bike Computer: What You Need

You want to ride tours but don't want to buy a dedicated bike computer? Your smartphone can do the job. We'll show you what you need, what a bike computer app should be able to do and where a phone reaches its limits.

1. Phone or bike computer?

A bike computer shows you values like distance, duration and speed while you ride, records your ride and, depending on the device, guides you along a route. Your smartphone, which you carry anyway, can do most of that too. You don't need a new device, but you do need a few things around it.

Whether your phone is enough or you'd rather buy a dedicated device depends on how and how long you ride. For day rides and cycling holidays, the smartphone is a good start for many riders. What to keep in mind is covered further down under "Where a phone reaches its limits".

2. A mount that holds

If you want to see your values or the map while riding, your phone belongs on the handlebar, not in your pocket. There are three types:

• Systems with an adapter on the phone: A matching case, or an adapter you stick onto your case, locks into a mount on the handlebar (e.g. SP Connect or Quad Lock).
• Universal mounts: They hold the phone with a clamp or rubber straps, with no special case needed.
• Handlebar bags with a clear window: The phone sits in the bag and you use it through the window.

What to look for:

• The phone stays put, even on gravel and cobblestones.
• You can read the screen while riding without leaning far forward.
• The charging port stays reachable in case you connect a power bank on the way.
• If your phone isn't waterproof, you'll need a waterproof case or a handlebar bag for rain. Check beforehand that you can still use the screen through it.

3. Power for longer rides

How long the battery lasts depends a lot on your phone, the screen brightness and your settings. So for longer rides, take a power bank and a matching cable. We show you which settings oratrek offers for this in Battery Tips for Long Activities.

The screen usually uses the most power. If you don't need to look at your phone all the time, it can stay off most of the time. That's what turn-by-turn hints as a sound or notification are for (see section 4).

4. A bike computer app

The app turns your smartphone into a bike computer. For tours, these features matter:

• Recording with the screen locked: Your ride keeps recording even when the screen is off.
• Navigation along a route: The app guides you along a GPX route that you import beforehand.
• Offline maps: Map data you download before your ride so you don't need a mobile network on the way.
• Turn-by-turn hints: Hints before every turn on your route, so you don't have to keep looking at the screen.
• Data screens: The screens you see while riding, showing your values.

How oratrek does it: Recording continues with the screen locked. You import your GPX route and download the maps before your ride, and on the way you don't need a mobile network. You get turn-by-turn hints as a display, sound or notification, including on your smartwatch. You decide what's on the data screens, and auto-pause stops the recording when you're standing still. You don't need an account, and oratrek is free, with no subscriptions and no premium features.

Good to know: oratrek navigates along your imported GPX route. The app doesn't plan routes or find a way from A to B.

5. A route as a GPX file

A GPX file is a route file you download from a tour portal, a cycle route website or your club, for example. Many long-distance cycle routes and club rides offer their routes as a GPX download.

In oratrek, the file comes in via "Import route". You can also open it directly with oratrek from Komoot and other tour portals, an email, the browser or a file app. We show you how in Open a GPX file and import it as a route in oratrek.

The import needs a short internet connection. So do it at home, together with downloading the offline map: in the "Tracking" tab, tap the gear icon, open "Tracking Settings" and then "Manage Map Data".

6. Optional: sensors and smartwatch

If you want to see more values, you can pair Bluetooth sensors. oratrek supports heart rate monitors (such as a heart rate strap), speed/cadence sensors and power meters.

A smartwatch is handy when your phone is in a handlebar bag: turn-by-turn hints appear as a notification on your watch. You don't need a separate app on the watch; it shows your phone's notification. For this, oratrek needs permission to send notifications.

7. Where a phone reaches its limits

A smartphone isn't a dedicated cycling device. Keep these points in mind:

• Readability: In bright sunlight, the screen can be hard to read, depending on the phone. Turn-by-turn hints as a sound or notification help because you need to look at the screen less often.
• Battery: See section 3. On longer rides, pack a power bank.
• Rain and gloves: The touchscreen is harder to use in the rain and with gloves.
• You need your phone for other things too: If you need it for calls or photos on the way, you take it out of the mount.

If you often ride very long distances or in any weather, a dedicated device may still be worth it. For getting started and for day rides and cycling holidays, a smartphone is enough for many riders.

8. Checklist before you ride

For a step-by-step guide to preparing and riding the route, see How to Ride a GPX Route with oratrek.

oratrek is currently only available for Android. Expanding to iOS will be evaluated in the future.