Wahoo Fitness turns your iPhone into a full featured bicycle computer that incorporates GPS, telemetry, power and more with an app that puts many bike computers to shame.
Using their Bike Pack, which includes a water and shock resistant bar mount case with a built-in ANT+ transceiver and separate speed/cadence sensor, their free app records everything about your ride. And, because it’s built around ANT+, it can pick up signals from compatible speed/cadence sensors, power measurement cranks and hubs and more, then display the info on one of several screens. The package retails for $149.99 and includes rubber liners for both the iPhone 3 and 4. There’s also an add-on battery pack for $59.99 that slides onto the back of the case and adds six hours extra ride time. On a full charge running the screen, GPS and telemetry, you should be able to get about 3 – 3.5 hours on just your phone’s battery.
If you’re not keen on mounting your precious iPhone on your handlebar or stem, you can use the Run/Gym Pack that includes a small ANT+ dongle and heart rate strap.
There’s much more going on behind the scenes…
Chip Hawkins, founder and engineer, is continually tweaking and updating the app. As it stands, the data can be uploaded to 50+ apps, including Teaining Peaks, Strava, Garmin Connect and MapMyRide. Conversely, some of those sites also have apps that work within Wahoo’s Bike Pack case. That said, the Wahoo App is heavily featured and keeps getting better, making it likely you’ll want to just run theirs.
One of the key upcoming features in their app is live mapping telemetry, which will let you see when your friends are “live” and riding and show where they are on the map in real time. (it uses Google Maps).
If you’re just looking to see where you are and how fast you’re going, it’ll do that, too. It’ll also go super deep, showing live wattage, mean max power, fastest mile, audio feedback using a Bluetooth or wired headphones (there’s a headphone port), power over intervals and time in HR zones, among many others.
It can even import data directly from Garmin devices, should you want to do that.
So, the real question is, are you ready to ditch the computer and use your iPhone for one more thing?
Oh, and they’re working on an Android version, too.
