Cycling Weekly — February 08, 2018

Smartphone

versus

computer

With phones and apps getting ever smarter,

has the cycling computer had its day?

Tech

Chip Hawkins
Wahoo CEO
“Of course it always depends
on the type of phone and what applications
are running, but bike computers are designed
specifically for cycling whereas using cycling
apps as your data-recording device does use
up your phone’s battery.
“For anything more than a two to three-
hour ride I would want a dedicated bike
computer because most bike computers
have 10+ hours of ride time with GPS running.

“Wahoo bike computers are designed

to withstand the elements and crash

scenarios that I would be scared to put my

phone through. Smartphones in a case are

not designed for cycling specifically, so as

well as being more vulnerable there are no

aerodynamic advantages.

“For anyone doing more than two to three

hour rides once a week, or who wants to

utilise cycling data beyond speed, distance

and time, I highly recommend a GPS bike

computer. They are designed specifically

for cycling and to record all of your data.”

Michelle Arthurs-Brennan

hereas once the vast majority
of cyclists recorded their rides
using dedicated computers,
phones running GPS apps are becoming
ever more popular. So is there still a need
for a dedicated cycling computer?
Never mind its computing power —
first and foremost, does a phone actually
have the battery power to supplant a
cycling computer?
The Wahoo Elemnt has a stated life of
up to 17 hours, while the Garmin Edge
520 lists a 15-hour span. The iPhone 8
has a claimed battery life of 26 hours
compared to 14 hours for the iPhone

7. However, these stated hours are not
   set in stone and will vary according
   to the number of apps and functions
   used as well as factors such as screen
   brightness. Using a GPS app significantly
   decreases a phone’s battery life, while
   the cycling computer is designed solely
   with this purpose in mind. In addition,

if your phone dies, you’ve cut off your

emergency helpline, whereas your

computer running out of juice is just a

mild annoyance.

Aero advantage

The Wahoo Elemnt Bolt was designed

with one clear USP — aerodynamics.

Indeed, combined with an aero out-front

mount, the brand claims it saves 12.6

seconds over a 40km time trial compared

with the “leading competitor”.

Assuming the leading competitor is

also a cycling computer, it’s fair to say

both have the ‘edge’ over a phone.

Accuracy

It’s not uncommon to notice differences

in average speed and even distance over

the same ride when it’s recorded by both

a GPS-enabled cycling computer and a

phone that uses GPS in conjunction with

an app.

The differences usually come down to

the quality of the GPS data.

Computers tend to calculate average

speed and elevation within the unit

itself, using a barometric altimeter, while

Strava analyses the info independently

once the file is uploaded using its own

basemap, looking up the elevation for

each point you record. This basemap

was created using data from uploads

made by users, so accuracy is affected

by the reliability of the data for the region

where you’re riding.

ANT+ and Bluetooth

Historically cycling computers and

fitness devices — power meters,

cadence sensors and heart-rate monitors

— have used ANT+ to communicate

A dedicated computer still wins

out over a phone plus app

30 | February 8, 2018 | Cycling Weekly