Initial impressions were great. Cyclemeter is packed with nice features. In fact, I can’t think of much that’s missing (Strava support would be really cool, but I’ll get into why it’s not on my features wishlist in a minute). It seems to be geared toward the kind of user who wants as much info in as many ways as possible, which to me is always a good thing in this kind of app. Not only can I tweet my rides for everyone on Facebook to see, but they can follow along as I ride. Useful for coworkers who might start to wonder how much later I’ll be getting in to work – They can actually check the map to see where I am. Not that anyone does, as far as I know. I also have a ride report emailed to me when I finish, and have a folder in my Gmail just for recorded rides. Pretty cool.

There are, however, some drawbacks. For one, the GPS is not as accurate as in a dedicated device. Riding with a bunch of engineers, some of whom work on mobile devices, I’ve gathered that this is a weakness in all GPS-enabled phones. The GPS unit just isn’t as robust as in something like a Garmin, so phones use cell towers to assist  in finding their position. This becomes a major weakness when you have a bad signal, which is especially a problem with the iPhone in San Francisco. Most of the time it’s close enough, but occasionally it’ll lose track of a significant portion of a ride and end up drawing a straight line between points where it had a good signal. That’s fine, if you’re going in a straight line the whole time. Less fine if GPS cuts out for a longer period and misses an important turn or two (see some of Dad’s rides for an example). This is why Strava support isn’t a realistic thing to hope for. Apparently the Strava team has been working on iPhone support for some time, but the accuracy just isn’t there. Having a bike mount for my phone has alleviated some of the GPS problems, compared to when I rode with my phone in my pocket.

I had a lot of problems when I had my corporate email synced with my phone. For security reasons, the phone had to lock itself automatically and require a password to unlock. Turning this off was not an option, and it is not easy to put in a password on a phone while riding. It would have been OK if Cyclemeter could function while the screen was locked, but I never had any real success getting that to work. It’s been working fine since I unsynced my mail.

Maybe the worst thing about the app is that it can be SLOW. Yesterday when I finished my ride, it took about two minutes to “end” the ride and maybe two more to upload it. That’s a long time to stand there holding your phone when there’s bacon and pancakes waiting for you. It’s also a problem when starting after having paused the ride, which is OK if you’re riding alone but less OK if your group decides to leave the water stop suddenly. I don’t know if the iPhone 3GS, being a faster phone, has this problem or not. Maybe when I upgrade to whatever awesome new iPhone comes out next it’ll go away.

Drawbacks and caveats aside, this is still a very cool app and has become my go-to ride tracker. It has a great display screen, easy to read while on the bike:

Battery life seems to be better than on competing apps. (Note that I took the screenshot above after charging my phone, so the 78% after that ride is not accurate.) When I rode Skyline earlier this week, I finished in 3:18:41 and had 15% battery power left. Impressive, especially since the screen and wi-fi were on the entire time. It saves your routes, which makes it really easy to keep track of how this week’s ride compares to last week’s.

The Map feature is nice, not only can you use it mid-ride if you get lost, but it stores rides so you can show off later. I went to a bar last weekend and was showing my friends what this Cyclemeter stuff I’ve been spamming all over Facebook is about. On showing them the map, the common reaction was “You did THAT on a BIKE?”

It also has a nice graphing feature if you want to really geek out about stats. I don’t use this much at all, but it’s still pretty cool.

I’ve found it also works well for tracking runs. I’m not crazy about taking my iPhone running with me, but I’m also not about to go spend a couple hundred dollars on a Garmin watch for the dozen or so miles I run each month. Again, it’s comparable in performance to other apps that I’ve used. Abvio also makes Runmeter and Walkmeter, but I haven’t tried them out since Cyclemeter does everything. I suspect they’re functionally identical and the real deciding factor is which logo you like best.

One more thing to wrap up the review. Dad and I have both been using Cyclemeter to track our rides for a few weeks, and we’ve both had our share of problems. The guys at Abvio have been great about responding to tweets through @Cyclemeter when we’ve had issues. Most of the problems stemmed from inherent weaknesses in the iPhone’s GPS or from having my corporate email synced to the phone, we never took advantage of their tech support, but the fact that they were prompt and willing to help really says a lot about them. I’d definitely buy another Abvio app.

Usually when I plan to ride I bring a change of clothes to work the day before, and leave my laptop there overnight. But I just decided yesterday afternoon to do this ride, so I had to bring everything with me on the bike today. It was a bad day to travel with an extra ten pounds. Very little of the route is flat, and I am not in climbing shape. At all.

The good thing about climbs is, they always pay off. I absolutely love a good descent. Nothing like grabbing the drops and getting some face time with the handlebars. Sawyer Camp Trail (approx. miles 15.6-21.8) is the perfect combination of twisty descents, awesomely fun sharp turns, and gorgeous scenery. It is COLD though. The kind of cold that numbs your face until you can’t make consonants. The kind of cold that forces you to ball up your fists to save your fingers. The kind of cold that turns your nose into a total snotfaucet. Worth it though. Imagine if the forest portion of the Arkansas River Trail were five miles long, mostly downhill, and next to much prettier water.

And now on to the griping portion of this post. I am having a knee problem. It feels like my right patella is seriously bruised. It’s not, obviously, or I would know why it hurts. It was fine for almost the whole ride, but about three miles from Google it started bothering me, and it’s gotten worse throughout the day to the point that when I got up for water a minute ago it was hard to straighten my leg. I can walk just fine, in fact I don’t even limp… but it feels like I kneed The Thing in the crotch.

I also need a new saddle. I thought I just needed to get used to the one I have, but it seems like it’s taking fewer and fewer miles each ride to develop some serious ABS (that’s Angry Balls Syndrome). I picked up a used Fizik Alliante for my CX bike (just completed, pics forthcoming!) so we’ll see how that works out. If it’s good I’ll have to find a white and black one to match my Orbea.

So what about those of us who are aging weekend warriors, trying to ward off the ravages of time, not to mention dissolute living?  An intense workout for us is no less intense because it would be nothing to a younger elite athlete.  Intensity, afterall, is relative.  Lactic acid, fatigue, weaknesses are all amplified in us precisely because we don’t do as much, don’t have the underlying base conditioning, and are getting older.  Follow Lance’s tweets and you’ll get a picture of a guy who realizes he’s not as young as he once was.  Still great;  still competing at the highest level; still a force in his sport.  But, clearly, still on the high side of the age bracket.  Dara is the same way.

I follow their training regimens and try to get tips from what they do.  The two clearest messages seem to me to be: 1) do something every day toward your goals; and, 2) make sure that stretching and massage are always included in your recovery – every day.  The first lesson does not mean that you run every day or cycle every day or swim every day.  Cross-training is hugely important.  Variety isn’t just the spice of life – it seems to be a sure path to better health (and, if you do have a specific activity that you favor) to better performance.  The second lesson has been especially painful to me.  The single most important component to my workouts is now both stretching and massage – afterwards.

If you’ve followed the last couple of days or so, you’ve read how I raved about my pain free workout only to be almost immobile the next day.  Well, here it is 2 days post pain free workout and I’m pain free again.  Why?  If you answered “stretching and massage” go to the head of the class!  Quick re-cap: Sunday – pain free workout; Monday – can’t walk.  Monday afternoon – short, easy 1 hour spin-type ride to loosen things up some.  Then to the gym for a session on the Vibraflex.  OUCH! and WOW!  Then, home for the usual stretching and massage.  And, today?  Pain free again!

In case you’re wondering, we’re not sponsored by any of the products that we mention on here.  We’re not nearly good enough for that!  This is stuff that we use to make our training lives easier or better or happier in some way.  So when we give props to something, it’s because we’ve tried a bunch of stuff and this is something we think merits a mention.  That said, a shout out goes to the Muscle Trigger Points app for iPhone.  I love that little app!  Because of it, I have been able to discover the source of several aches and pains and take actions to alleviate the same.  Beats taking a handful of Alleve every 4 hours (which btw, I’m not necessarily opposed to).

AND I ALMOST FORGOT….eating well is very important for older athletes as well….and I dislike that part about as much as I dislike running in general.

Opening the box, I was dazzled by the packaging. It was the first sign that I’d really made a solid investment that I couldn’t possibly come to regret.

Fortunately, once I had it out of the bag it was clear that the money they saved on packaging was well spent. The individual pieces feel extremely solid.

They even included a pair of Flexible High-Tensile Polymer Fasteners with Built-In Permanent Locking System. Fancy.

Installation was not easy. The mounting bracket and phone holder have zero clearance between them, so the zip ties have to be pulled extremely tight until they’re flush with the bracket. In addition to (or as a result of) having no clearance, the mount and holder are a very tight fit. It took me several minutes to snap them together, and I’m not what you’d call “dainty.”

I had no idea what the rubber strip was for, and honestly if something only comes in two pieces I am not likely to read the instructions. On my first ride I quickly realized that the rubber strip was important. I left it out, and for the entire ride the mount was flopping over to one side of the stem. Getting home, I checked the instructions and confirmed my suspicions: That little piece of rubber is what keeps the bracket in place.

I had to cut the zip ties, which meant a trip to the hardware store for replacements. The hardware store didn’t have any small enough, so I got the closest thing and performed minor surgery on the bracket to make them fit. All this added up to a seriously crappy installation process that I could have avoided had I just read the instructions. Lesson learned, I guess.

The good news is, when this thing is installed properly it works great! The fit and finish is top notch, and the iPhone fits snugly and securely in the holder. Nearly 100 miles of testing over some bumpy roads, and my iPhone was never in danger of falling out. It’s not meant to protect your iPhone in a crash, but honestly it seems like it provides enough protection that even in a serious wreck your iPhone would have a solid chance.

PROS:

• Functions exactly as it should
• Fairly low-profile
• Easy to place/remove iPhone
• Snug fit holds the iPhone securely
• Tough, solid construction and quality materials
• Looks about as good as these things can

CONS:

• Installation is tough. Pulling the zip ties tight enough and snapping the pieces together takes considerable effort.
• Not compatible with iPhone cases, hope you like your iPhone naked
• No wet weather protection at all
• Zip ties have to be cut off, standard bike computer-style rubber bands would be nice

THE VERDICT:

A solid piece of equipment. If you’re tracking your rides with an iPhone, a handlebar mount is a very nice thing to have. This one does the job, is built to last, and won’t drop your iPhone if you hit a pothole. I might even get a second one for my other bike, but I’ll be careful to install it correctly on the first try.

I stopped at the 16 mile mark for a snack and some water, and noticed it’s time to replace my tires. If you don’t know how to tell when your tires are old, I’ve included this handy picture for your reference (click to embiggen):

Here’s the skinny: iSport shows 35.9 miles, avg speed 16.3 mph, top speed 46.7 mph, 2629 calories. Cyclemeter shows 35.78 miles, avg speed 16.16 mph, top speed 47.45 mph, calories 3727.  Close enough for Cyclemeter to get a passing grade today.  Even better, Cyclemeter appears to have mapped the route correctly.

Check out the ride:  http://j.mp/9eF0uO

By the time, I hit the last climb on River Mountain Rd, my legs were toast.  I was hungry.  In short, that was perfect for the next part of the day – shaking on the Vibraflex.  I went straight to LRAC to jump on it for 2x 2 minutes at 26Hz.  Man, that feels good!  Vibraflex seems to be a recovery miracle!  No knee pain!  Better flexibility!  No sore muscles! YAY!

Now, I gave Cyclemeter some pretty good props yesterday and Colin is a fanboy.  I even hit ‘em on Twitter and they gave me a nice response.  I thought today’s route would be simple, but not so.  Not sure why, but it had me climb straight up the side of a hill and then sort of scramble around up top.  And I really just don’t trust the stats yet.  My iSport had me at 1:28 and change.  So did Cyclemeter.  But that’s just a stopwatch function.  Big whoop!  Cyclemeter had the ride at 22.77 miles and iSport at 21.8 miles.  Cyclemeter shows a top speed of 66mph and iSport has it at 45mph (much more likely).  The mph intervals posted on the server map just don’t look right.  Some of them look ok, but others don’t and I can’t explain why.  That 34.5 mph in Mile 2 isn’t possible for me at that point in that ride.

Map accuracy is maybe 80% (very unscientific estimate) on today’s route.  I don’t know enough about any of this to know why it’s inaccurate.  Probably something to do with GPS sensitivity and hillsides, and sunspots, and climate change.

But the ride was fun and felt great, even if it did have 3 relatively nasty climbs in a short time.  That was good though because I then stopped at the LRAC to jump on the Vibraflex 550.  It’s hyped as a sort of super-dee-dooper exercise machine that’s supposed to boost testosterone and HGH while chewing up Cortisol and flushing lactic acid out of your muscles.  I’ve used it a few times in the last couple of weeks and it does help loosen up your muscles.

I wanted to see what it would do for achy, dead, stiff legs after a brisk ride.  I’m told that marathoners and triathletes love it.  So, I did 2x 2-minute sets at 26 Hz, which is what was recommended for me.  I must say that my legs felt super afterwards and I think that thing may become a regular part of my stretching and flexibility routine.  Pretty impressive.

Tomorrow is a day off the bike and back to jumping rope, running, and weight stuff.

The tweeting feature might be what seals the deal for me. Knowing that it’s sending a link to Facebook makes me feel like I’m really accountable for turning in a good run. It might even make me run more often, if I feel like people might start wondering why I haven’t run lately. Is that a little narcissistic and/or self-obsessed of me to say? Probably. I don’t care though (because I’m awesome).

My running has improved a little, in spite of me not really staying on top of my training. My outdoor runs are a mile longer now but averaging the same speed. That’s pretty encouraging, and in combination with the beautiful weather, Daylight Savings Time, and Cyclemeter, I might even start running more than once a week. Of course, we’ll see about that when the time comes to run on a weekday after work.

The pain was nearly debilitating at times.  This “injury” had all the concomitant features – swelling, stiffness, loss of movement.  I could cycle about as much as I wanted without too many ill-effects, but running, swimming, walking were all crossed off my list of activities.  By December, when I couldn’t get over it, I plunged into despair and started considering giving up on the triathlon goal to settle for something more in line with what the elderly do, like a Scrabble tournament.

Sometimes though you just stumble into stuff.  Actually, if experience is any sort of guide, I usually just stumble into stuff.  First, I discovered that unclipping from my bike pedal in a certain way aggravated the problem.  Stopped doing that immediately.  Big help!  Second, I got an app for the iPhone called Muscle Trigger Points.  Massage therapists and physical therapists have taught me a thing or two about how body parts are connected and how a tight muscle here causes a pain over there.  A daily part of any and all of my not-really-routine exercise is to stretch and try to work on tight muscles.  That seems to be ultra-important as I age.

Anyway, about two weeks ago as I was going through my nightly stretching/massage program, I hit a spot in the Vastus Medialis (one of the muscles in the quadraceps group) that literally turned off the pain in the MCL.  It was like flipping a switch. No pain.  Zero.  I almost jumped up and took off running right then and there. Well, not really.

Next day – no pain.  So then, added some activities like jumping rope.  No pain – at least until I had jumped so much that lots of other stuff was hurting also.  Started the massage, hit the spot in Vastus Medialis and Bang!  no pain!  So that’s been going for several days now.

I’m now ready to begin the running conditioning process again.  Yay!  We’ll see if this MCL pain is something that can really be conquered.

More in due course….

Today’s beautiful clear skies, 70 degree temps, and mostly calm winds were a siren song for cyclists and I peeled out of the office about 3:30 to try out my new wonder app.  I like to test stuff out in controlled situations so that I have some basis for comparison purposes.  Like Colin, I’ve tried several iPhone cycling apps and have found them mostly unsatisfactory for one reason or another.  So far, I’ve ditched Fitnio, Bikenik, MotionX GPS, and iMapMyRide.  None of those impressed me as much as my basic Garmin Edge.  I know, a Garmin is really not a basic product and the apps are a fraction of the Garmin’s price.  The Garmin died on me after a couple of years though and I wasn’t ready to ante up another big batch of dollars for another one.

So the search for a good cycling app and a mounting bracket has been on for some time now.  In the meantime, I discovered the virtues of power training and after careful research purchased an iSport power meter.  As power meters go, it is value priced at $199 or so.  Other models top out somewhere around $800 or so, but even then they compare favorably to other power meters that can easily run between $1200 and $2000!  I’m not going to attempt to defend the accuracy of the iSport as that isn’t really the subject of this post.  The iSport is fine for me because it is CONSISTENT, which is the most important quality for me.

I took off on a base ride of 15 miles that is essentially 3x on a 5-mile loop.  I ride this loop so often that I can almost do it in my sleep.  I’ve literally ridden it dozens of times, often for the purpose of testing a piece of equipment.

Here’s the skinny on the Cyclemeter: Top Speed= 63 mph; Distance=7.5 miles; Average Speed=7.5 mph; Elapsed Time=47.52 minutes.  The iSport produced: Top Speed=36 mph; Distance=15 miles; Average Speed= 18 mph; Elapsed Time=49.12 minutes.

Guess which one I believe?  I rode this same exact ride 2 days ago in 52 minutes at an average speed of 17.3 mph (in a mad wind).  Both rides track with what I expect on this particular ride.

The Cyclemeter only picked up half the ride on the GPS.  Now, when I started I had poor GPS signal, but I hoped it would pick up and correct early in the ride.  I also had the “Remote Control” feature turned on and although it appears to work well, I’m not sure I used it properly at the outset.  The Cyclemeter kicked in some music that I really didn’t want, so I need to figure that out.  I also had turned off the Wi-Fi on the iPhone, so only 3G was working.  I did that in an attempt to conserve battery, but it may have had adversely affected Cyclemeter.

The result is that my initial ride was less than I had hoped for after seeing what Colin did.  However, it was only one experimental ride.  I’ll continue to use it and compare it to my iSport especially with different settings.  It’s too early to consider Cyclemeter a fail by a long shot, but it isn’t an automatic pass either.