BikePro review

Richard Goodwin

We review BikePRO, an app that allows you to record, store and comment on your cycling sessions.

Rating:

Verdict: Possibly one of the ugliest apps we’ve ever seen, but one that works surprisingly well all the same - a definite must for anyone seeking a reliable method for charting and monitoring their cycling regime.

Platform: iPhone

Pros: Reliable, accurate, and easy to use.

Cons: It’s not a pretty app, and it won’t work properly on the iPod Touch as it requires GPS and therefore 3G connectivity

Version reviewed: 1.2

Publisher: Gary Miller

Price: Free

More info: Clever Bulldog website or visit the Apple Apps Store.

If you hate the soulless drudgery of the gym, or the monotony of running, then maybe cycling is the sport for you? After all, you get to see the countryside, ride down hills, and dodge in and out of rush hour traffic while getting your regular injection of exercise - plus, it’s a lot more exciting than a boring spinning class.

Nevertheless, once you’re out and about on your bicycle you’ll need some way of measuring your progress, keeping a record of the petrol heads you’ve irritated along the way, and charting how quickly you are improving from week to week. BikePRO is both a monitoring and data storage application that aims to help with all of the above.

Poor look and feel

On first impressions, BikePRO looks a little remedial, which is mainly down to its clunky appearance and less than adequate graphics - the terms cheap, nasty, amateurish, and ugly spring to mind.

Nevertheless, once you get past the frankly hideous appearance of the app you’ll find that it actually works surprising well - speeds are tracked accurately, distances are recorded precisely and a note of your max speed is made.

However, running BikePRO will require a 3G connection - and therefore a sound data package - as it needs both GPS and your iPhone’s locator to be turned on to track your progress, which is certainly unfortunate for iPod Touch-using bike enthusiasts.

Daily records

Additionally, BikePRO allows you to build up a day by day record of your excursions, like distance travelled, duration, and average speed - this function is reached by selecting ‘Search’ on the app’s main or ‘Trip’ window.

Once you have a few saved journeys you can begin to add notes to them, such as what the weather was like, where the journey took place, and whether anything interesting happened along the way - we saw an elderly lady climbing a fence and felt it was definitely worth a note.

In short, BikePRO is one seriously ugly application - and this is definitely something the developers need to remedy. However, as in life, looks aren’t always everything, and this app is a prime example of that sentiment.

BikePro is a sure choice for anyone who is seeking a reliable, free and easy to use app for monitoring their cycling exploits.