Which Cycling Apps Are Most Useful for E-Bike Riders?

Would you like directions to a coffee shop, a weekend loop to follow, or a record of the miles you've ridden? In that case, we would use Google Maps for short journeys, Komoot for planning loops, Ride with GPS when you want to stick to saved routes, and Strava for keeping a record of your rides.

You don't need all four. If your usual ride is a six-mile trip to work, downloading a pile of training apps probably won't help. But when you take your e-bike somewhere new, check whether your chosen app can give you directions without a signal. Saving a route and downloading it for offline navigation are different steps.

Choose Cycling Apps by the Job

Choose cycling apps for the part of your ride you need help with. You might want to follow a friend's planned loop or simply record your commute. Check whether that feature is free before signing up. An app can be free to download while charging for the directions you expect to use.

 

You can record a ride on a Leoguar Fastron ST e-bike using your phone's GPS without pairing the bike to an app. That's phone-based tracking: don't assume it can read the bike's remaining charge or change its assist settings.

Plan Cycling Loops in Komoot

If we're doing a 15-mile Saturday loop with a stop at a cafe, we'd start by using Komoot. Before saving the route, you can add stops and review the elevation profile and listed surfaces. You should look in more detail at the final few miles, particularly if you don't want to end with a steep gravel climb.

Choose a cycling sport that fits your ride. On Komoot's website planner, the E-bike toggle adjusts estimated duration and difficulty for assisted riding. It doesn't turn the route into a battery-range forecast, and route preferences don't guarantee that every unwanted surface will be avoided.

The free region is worth choosing carefully. Komoot gives you one single region, and you can't change it after claiming it. If you'll use the app mostly at home, claim your home region rather than a vacation spot you may visit once.

Navigation requires the region around your route's starting point to be unlocked. Download the route or maps before leaving if you need offline directions. A route sitting in your saved list isn't proof that you've downloaded it.

If you want greater map coverage, the single regions, region bundles and World Pack available from Komoot are one-off purchases. Komoot Premium, on the other hand, is a separate annual subscription which includes extra features such as multi-day planning and live tracking. If you're only paying to navigate offline, consider buying the map package first; in that case, you might not need the annual extras.

And check access before riding on unfamiliar paths. An e-bike setting isn't permission to ride every trail the app draws. Our guide to checking legal local e-bike routes covers that separate job.

Ride with GPS for Cycling Directions

If you've already chosen a route and are looking for clear turn instructions along the way, then Ride with GPS is a suitable option. On its website, you can create a route before your ride, and the mobile app will follow that route with spoken directions on a paid basis.

The current Ride with GPS plans are Starter, Basic, and Premium. Starter is free and includes website route planning and ride recording in the mobile app. Basic adds turn-by-turn voice navigation and offline maps; Premium adds more editing tools. You don't need Premium just to get the Basic navigation features.

If you want to carry out a journey in an area with poor phone signals, make sure that you have finished downloading your route before you leave home. While you are still in a safe place, switch on airplane mode and check that the route you've downloaded displays properly and that navigation begins. However, if you need to use calls or live location sharing, turn mobile service back on.

We should go for Ride with GPS whenever it's more important to stick to a particular route than to browse through a social feed. For example, a friend could have arranged a route that skips over a busy road, or you may have planned a more peaceful way to get to work. That's the reason we pay to have the route ready, not because of the number of charts available in the app.

Strava Keeps Your Cycling Log

Sometimes you know where you're going. You just want to see how far you rode this week, remember that good lakeside loop, or share the ride with a friend. That's where we'd start with Strava's free recording features.

Select E-Bike Ride rather than ordinary Ride when you're using motor assistance. Strava also supports E-Mountain Bike Ride. If an activity arrives from another service with the wrong sport type, you can correct it after uploading. 

You can record and share activities without paying. A subscription adds route creation and offline route maps, among other features. If you're happy using another app for directions, try the free ride log before buying another subscription.

Strava's Beacon can also share your live location while you record. It's free when used in the Strava phone app; Beacon through compatible external devices requires a subscription. Send the generated link to your contact before starting. Simply switching Beacon on doesn't send the link for you.

Beacon needs cellular service to update your location, and it doesn't automatically alert your contact when you stop. Agree on a check-in time if someone is waiting for you. Don't treat a location link as an emergency-response service. Strava's Beacon guide explains what your contact can see.

When you're posting rides from home, adjust the activity visibility and the map visibility separately. You might choose to hide part or all of the map, but hiding your starting point is not equivalent to making the entire activity private. Whenever you use any other service that you sync with, remember to check its privacy settings since the map hiding settings from Strava do not transfer to those services.

Google Maps Handles Cycling Errands

If you're going to a pharmacy, a friend's house, or to the cafe you've just selected, Google Maps might already have done what you need. Just type in the address and select cycling directions when this option is available. Even though your e-bike has a motor, don't choose driving directions.

We'd still preview the turns. Does the route cross a road you'd rather avoid? Does it include steps? A short line on a screen isn't always the route you'll enjoy riding, and the time estimate isn't a guarantee that you'll arrive at that time on an e-bike.

The big limit is offline use. Downloading an area in Google Maps does not give you offline cycling directions. Google's offline-map help says cycling directions aren't available without an internet connection. For a trip through areas with weak coverage, prepare a route in an app that supports downloaded cycling navigation.

For simple errands from one address to another, we would start with Google Maps; only when we wanted to plan and save a loop would we use Komoot or Ride with GPS.

Test Cycling Apps Before Paying

Test the app you've chosen on a routine trip before using it in a new situation. Although five minutes walking around the neighborhood won't give you all the information, you'll be able to tell whether you can hear the turn notifications, whether the recording goes on when the screen is locked, and whether you can see the map when you've stopped outside.

Begin by using a single app for navigation. If you start up several apps before each journey, you'll have to go through a longer setup procedure, and it will be more difficult to work out which one is providing you with a turn instruction. Include your own ride log only if you actually intend to use it.

Before you start riding, make sure that your phone mount is properly set up for navigation. When you're purchasing a Leoguar phone mount, you should check the phone width that is listed against the width of your handlebar before making the purchase. Remember to keep the mount away from the brake controls and cables. If you need to change your route, pull over first; it's easier to make a wrong turn than to try to type while you're steering.

Keep an eye on phone battery use during your test ride. Don't assume a paid app will use less power, or that your bike can charge your phone. Check the bike's actual charging-port specifications before connecting anything.

Cycling Apps FAQ

Do I need a cycling computer?

If you mostly ride short distances and need directions or a record of your rides, then you should try using your phone. However, if keeping your phone charged for making calls proves to be a regular problem, a dedicated computer might be worth considering, provided that you first check the computer's app compatibility.

Can my bike display show app directions?

The display and bike system must support the app's connection method. Before you pay for this feature, ask Leoguar about your model since a Bluetooth label on its own does not guarantee that navigation will work.

Can I follow a club's GPX file?

To use GPS for riding, GPX imports are allowed, but in order to have turn-by-turn navigation, an imported route must have a cue sheet. Instead of assuming that all GPX files come with spoken directions, you should ask the organizer for a link to a navigation-ready route.

Should I buy an annual subscription?

To compare the annual total with the cost of the months you actually use the service, if you mostly ride during a two-week holiday, start with the free features or the shortest paid plan that covers that period, then check the renewal terms before signing up.

Can cycling apps find a stolen e-bike?

A phone ride tracker follows the phone, not a bike you've left behind. That job needs separate hardware attached to the bike; our e-bike GPS security guide explains the difference.