Here’s our selection of the best free Android GPS apps for cycling. What is the best Android app for a bike or ATV? What app should you download to use your Android as a GPS?
GPS for cycling is a navigation system for cyclists. Just like a car GPS, a GPS bike gives route instructions. In addition to the standard map features, the GPS bike records distance, speed, slope, and more. A GPS for cycling is a very advanced speedometer for cyclists. An alternative to GPS for cycling is a simple GPS app for cyclists. This kind of application uses the smartphone’s GPS to record your bike trips. The best free Android GPS apps for cycling use the built-in GPS and turn your Android into an onboard computer. It provides live and historical GPS tracking of your cycling performance—calories, distance, time, speed, altitude, and pace.
In this article, we will let you know the best available, all downloadable for free (some have in-app purchases) and full of features.
The best free GPS apps on Android for cycling and mountain biking
In this article, we describe the seven best GPS cycling apps for Android that, once installed, allow you to turn your mobile into a computer. These applications connect all through an integrated GPS signal by tracking paths, timing, distance traveled over the days, and speeds, and will daily report all the reports and progress made.
BikeComputer
BikeComputer accompanies you on your bike ride or any activity using GPS with offline maps, available all over the world. You can download offline maps directly from your app and surf without an Internet connection. Follow your route on the map and see distance, speed, and all other relevant data. You don’t need to register or log in to use the app.
Plan a route by setting its points on the map, and BikeComputer will calculate the route and its distance. For example, set your home on the map, and you will always know how far your home is. You can also share your cycling sessions on Facebook or upload them to Strava or other sites dedicated to managing your workouts.
Also, see the 10 best road bikes for beginners.
Google Maps
Google Maps could not be missing from this list. The truth is that the Google Maps function has evolved a lot over the years and continues to do so. A tool that has made life easier for many of us to travel the world, not just by bicycle.
Precisely, the option of creating a bicycle route was not incorporated from the beginning, but now it has been available for a long time and it works better and better. The bicycle boom has also played its role at Google.
Although it may not be the most precise application to create a bicycle route, it is the perfect complement. We could define it as the “safety network” that we can always resort to if we are lost somewhere, but it is also the one that allows us to check specific points on the route that we have planned thanks to the Street View function. That is, one that allows us to see the exact point of the place thanks to a 360º camera.
Strava GPS Running and Cycling
Looking for a digital personal coach when cycling or running? Do not look any further. Strava Running and Cycling will accompany you in your workouts and outings, keeping track of your bike tours and the statistics of each route.
Strava gives you insight into the time, distance, and route you take. It also provides detailed information about things like your heart rate and overall condition. The app allows you to track your personal records. Also, you can compare times compared to those of friends and neighbors. In order to keep you all the way, Strava is bombarded with challenges. The application can be used in many languages. Try it; you will like it.
Download Strava GPS Running and Cycling
Also, see the best free cycling apps on Android for cyclists.
ViewRanger GPS & Maps
Anyone who likes outdoor activities will find ViewRanger GPS the perfect adventure companion. It is a service for maps, guided tours, and navigation without the need for an Internet connection. Completed with the web application, it can be used to plan an outing on foot, by bicycle, or by ski.
Discover thousands of trails and paths, download more detailed topographic maps, and choose your adventure with the GPS navigation system. Share your itineraries and publish your paths with photos and descriptions. ViewRanger is perfect for all outdoor activities such as cycling, hiking in the mountains, horseback riding, or a simple out-of-the-way trip.
Download ViewRanger GPS & Maps
Also, see the best folding bikes that you should consider buying.
Map My Ride GPS Cycling Riding
Are you the type that takes cycling seriously? Or do you just want to bike with the family on Sunday? In both cases, MapMyRide is the application you need to plan your routes and record all your cycling activities.
MapMyRide GPS Cycling Riding is an application specially designed for people who pedal constantly and look for a complete utility to measure their performance. The app works like a personal trainer, monitoring data such as distance traveled, average speed, and calories burned; everything is calculated through the device’s GPS. What’s more, you can also easily register your routes and share them with others, as the app ensures integration with Facebook through the “Sign up with Facebook” function.
Download Map My Ride GPS Cycling Riding
FollowMee GPS Tracker
It is not a purely cycling app, but we don’t care, because Follow Me Sports can save your life. Literally. It is a red button. Press it, and the world will start working to locate you and get you out of trouble.
FollowMee is free and, after downloading, requires you to provide some basic information. Not only access to your GPS position, but also to your speaker to talk to you without even pressing a button in case you need it. You can select emergency contacts so that the app can call them if necessary. Now it also allows you to download the cartography of your busy area, so that even without coverage, it can locate you. FollowMee is about security in case something unwanted happens. It is widely used for issues unrelated to sports, such as tracking work vehicles or family phones of minors. But it also has applications in sports.
Download FollowMee GPS Tracker
Runtastic Mountain Bike
Bring your bike passion to a higher level with Runtastic Mountain Bike, the best app for MTBs! Runtastic Mountain Bike is the perfect app for MTB enthusiasts and turns your smartphone into a multi-function off-road computer with more than 50 engaging features and compatible accessories. For your favorite excursions or while exploring new trails in nature, Runtastic Mountain Bike is the perfect ally for your MTB tours.
This app has been created specifically for the needs of mountain bikers and offers everything an amateur or professional rider may want. Thanks to offline maps, you can even take advantage of maps where there is no internet connection available and enjoy the most lost and untouched paths.
Download Runtastic Mountain Bike
Accessories for cyclists
To use GPS apps for cyclists, you need to fix your phone on the bike. Fortunately, there is a bike holder for smartphones that can fix the phone on the bike.
If you want to fix the smartphone on your handlebars, you have to choose quality support that really protects your smartphone. The best bike mount for your smartphone is the Quad Lock Bike Support Kit. It is a light and resistant support that exists in a universal version and also in a special version for the iPhone and Android devices.
On this site, you will find comparative accessories for cyclists:
- Cardio belt
- Bike lock
- Bike LED lighting
- Mini bike pump
- Bicycle foot pump
Conclusion
As you can see, all the apps are available free of charge, but if you want “more,” I recommend paying close attention to the priced versions of the available pro or extra versions. That said, there is nothing left to do but hope for a good download and good use.
All the advantages and disadvantages of the bike GPS apps are explained in our article, along with tips for using a smartphone like a GPS bike.
Do you know of any other similar applications? You can let us know the name in a comment. We will review the app as soon as we can.