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BioLogic's BikeBrain app turns iPhone into bike computer - and they make mount too (+ video)

Two versions available - one free, but £1.19 paid-for version has added features

US-based bicycle accessories company BioLogic has released a new version of its BikeBrain iPhone App packed with new features to help you get the most out of your cycling. The original free app is still available as BikeBrain Lite with the new version, BikeBrain Plus, available as an in-app purchase for £1.19.

“We launched BikeBrain at the beginning of April and had over 20,000 downloads
within the first 30 days,” says Joakim Uimonen, BikeBrain Product Manager. “And it
has a 4 1/2 star rating, so we’re on the right track. The great thing is that the success
of the app is leading to more awareness of our BioLogic iPhone-compatible hardware
and other useful cycling accessories.”

Those include handlebar mounts for the iPhone 4 and iPhone 3g/3GS, the latter currently on sale at $39 from the company website. While both apps are said to be iPad compatible, you’d probably be ill-advised trying to attach one to your bars, so an iPad mount is one product the company doesn’t have in its line up.

Other products include dynamo powered rechargers for the Apple iPhone as well as USB-powered devices, CycleTunes Speakers and the Blast Airhorn.

As for the BikeBrain Plus app itself, that includes the features you’d normally expect from an iPhone-based bike computer such as GPS mapping and the ability to export ride data, including publishing it to Google Maps. It also allows logging of interval training, a calorie counter, sharing unlimited routes through Facebook and Twitter and unlimited training duration and distance, both the latter features being restricted in the free version.

The following video takes you through the features of BikeBrain Lite and BikeBrain Plus.

Uimonen says that it was the success of the company’s iPhone cases that inspired the app. “When sales of our bike-mounted iPhone cases took off, we knew a lot of people
were using their iPhone on their bikes,” he explains.

“With the increased capabilities of BikeBrain Plus you really don’t need to buy a separate dedicated cycling computer to keep track of your rides. You can have all of your cycling data right there on your phone, and now you can share that information easily and quickly with your friends and family.”
 

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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6 comments

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PJ McNally | 13 years ago
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Phone battery issues? Flight mode is your friend.

I know it sounds odd, but on (at least some) Android phones, GPS works fine in flight mode. The thing sucking most power is the antenna. Taskiller helps you economize, too.

Some phones, I think, will only do this if you turn GPS on, get a lock, then go into flight mode. Others (Motorola, standard firmware) won't do it at all. Im using modded HTC firmware on Motorola hardware, and it works a treat!

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cat1commuter | 13 years ago
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Will be interesting when they add Ant+ Sport wireless capability, for cadence sensors, heart rate monitors etc...

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dave atkinson | 13 years ago
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I've got an HTC Desire and that records good positional data too. The thing that an Edge 800 (other GPS units are available) has over a phone is the battery life. That and the fact that the backlit LCD screen is legible even when it's not backlit, unlike an OLED phone screen which just goes blank.

Got a 5Ah backup battery for my phone which helps  1

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PJ McNally | 13 years ago
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Maybe iphone GPS is dodgy, but my android phone (Motorola Dext, custom rom) records great data.

Motorola build them like tanks, too - mine's hit the road twice, 3 times if you include a fall when it was in my jersey pocket, and it's still going strong).

The standard firmware is pants, but easy to replace  1

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seanieh66 | 13 years ago
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 26 Still bought it though as that Garmin Edge 800 is still in the post  3

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seanieh66 | 13 years ago
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Never as good as a proper dedicated GPS system. I've tried many such Apps on my iPhone and they've all come back with vague data as you're vunerable to the phone's GPS system, which is lightweight at best. Pretty graphic interface too that really gives you all the data you want.

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