Locate new trails and track your ride. Load your phone with these apps before hitting the singletrack on a bike.
Adam Nubern, GearJunkie’s Mobile Office editor, finds new rides every day. A full-time nomad traveling the U.S. by campervan, he uses these five apps to find new trail systems, track his rides, and stay in touch with friends back home.
1. MTB Project
Use: Find new trails. Free for iOS and Android devices
MTB Project houses info on over 86,000 miles of mountain bike trails worldwide. It works online and offline with maps, ratings, pictures, and comments from riders.
Nubern uses the app to find trail systems. He checks out the latest trip reports for trail conditions and looks at reviews from other riders.
Once he picks a ride, the apps gives him directions to the trail. When lost, he uses the app to figure out where he is on the map to navigate home.
MTB Project is his go-to app, except when he’s in the Northeastern U.S. There, he uses Trail Forks.
2. Trail Forks
Use: Find new trails. Free for iOS and Android devices
Trail Forks has info on over 100,000 miles of trails in 77 countries with maps, trail info and features comparable to MTB Project. The app can be used online and offline.
He uses the app to find new trails when in the Northeastern U.S.
3. Strava
Use: Track your ride and connect with friends. Free for iOS and Android devices
Strava is simple and easy to use to track your rides. You get data on your mileage, time, and you see how your ride ranks against others riders.
Nubern likes Strava because it tracks his progress when he’s working toward distance or time goals.
The app lets you follow friends, so he uses it to stay competitive with friends back home.
4. Road ID
Use: Safety features. Free for iOS and Android devices
Road ID’s app compliments its bracelets. The app has safety features and gives your family peace of mind when you’re on the trail.
Family members can track your ride in real time.
The app has two other features. One, you can customize a lock screen showing your name, where you’re from, emergency contacts, and important medical information in case of emergency.
Two, it can send your family a text if you’ve been stationary for a certain amount of time.
5. Shutt App
Use: Save battery power. Free for Android devices
Running all of these apps drains your phone’s battery. To preserve his battery, he uses Shutt App.
The app stops all unwanted background apps from running.
He also carries a portable power bank — the Enerplex Jumpr Slate 10K — to ensure he has enough juice on his ride. It’s super slim and only weighs .77 pounds.
Use apps to explore new rides. It’s an awesome excuse to travel and you’ll add surprise back to your riding!
–This article is sponsored by EnerPlex. See the company’s line of solar and power products here.
Lindsey Nubern is a GearJunkie contributor and freelance writer currently exploring the USA by campervan with her husband Adam. Follow their journey at Nuventuretravels.com.
