Cadence Smartphone App Review

Cycling Weekly

The best bike computers are getting incredibly expensive and the brands making them are packing in features which either seem to be unnecessary or already exist within your smartphone. So, why is it we even buy head units? In this video, Sam Gupta takes a look at Cadence, an app designed to replace your bike tracker and unlock all the functionality that exists within your phone. Cycling GPS computers are incredibly good at navigating us while out on the road, however many of us already use our phones to navigate us while driving, so it makes sense to save your money and instead just buy a robust cycling computer mount for your bike or even replace your cycling computer altogether.

Transcript

00:00The best cycling computers are only going one way in price, and that is up. Sure,

00:06their functionalities are also getting more extensive, but it's almost to the point of

00:11having features for the sake of it. However, we all most likely own a device which is just

00:18as competent as many of the best cycling computers. I am, of course, talking about

00:24your smartphone. These things cost as much as, if not more than, the best cycling computers,

00:32and for good reason. They are packed full of tech, and with it, so much capability.

00:37What you need are the right tools to unlock all of that capability, and happily,

00:43there's an American company called Cadence that has managed to do such a thing. It has created an

00:49interface that will feel familiar while including all of the same tools and features you'd expect to

00:55find on any Garmin or Wahoo device. What may surprise you is just how far that functionality actually

01:03extends. First off, we have to speak about that interface, because you can create as many

01:10customised screen layouts as you like, and then, of course, you can swipe between them while you're

01:16riding. You can have up to 24 data points at the same time, or just choose one to have full screen.

01:24Happily, Cadence does come with multiple pre-made layouts to get you started. However,

01:29be prepared to spend a bit of time getting it just right for you, because there are over 100 different

01:36data points to choose from, and each data field can be customised from text colour to light or dark

01:43background colours and heart rate and power zone colours too. I think you get the idea though.

01:48You really can make the interfaces your own, and since you're using a mobile phone, you get to enjoy

01:53a fast response time when you're interacting with the app. Not to forget, you have a nice bright display

02:00when you're riding during the day. While a fully customisable interface is very cool,

02:06it's somewhat to be expected for an app, but what may surprise you is just how compatible it is

02:13with external devices. For example, if you use a heart rate strap, you compare that to the app,

02:19and the same goes for speed, cadence, and power meter sensors too. It also works for exercise bikes

02:25like the Schwinn IC4 and Bowflex C6, as well as indoor trainers like the Wahoo Kickr and the Tax Neo.

02:34But, once again, it doesn't even stop there, because if you have a radar fitted to your bike,

02:40like a Garmin Varia or a Brighton Guardia, then even those will connect. As soon as a radar is paired

02:48and connected, the main screen will show how many vehicles are behind you and how fast they're

02:53approaching, just as they do on a head unit. You can even set up audio alerts for added awareness.

02:59There's one fundamental tool we need a GPS computer to do, and that is navigate. However,

03:06it's probably quite likely you already use your phone to do a lot of navigating,

03:11be it in the car or just when you're out on foot. So, why not employ it for use during your rides too?

03:18Within Cadence, you can create custom routes with turn-by-turn navigation. It will work for your rides,

03:24your runs and even driving directions. You can save existing activities as routes or import GPX files

03:31from all the usual places like Strava, Komoot, Garmin and of course, plenty of others. However,

03:37if you're already out and you just want to head to a nearby cafe, then you can just enter your

03:42destination into the app and the app will take you there. Lastly, I doubt it will come as any sort of

03:50surprise that with all of this functionality, you can also make use of Strava live segments while

03:56you're out training. Cadence allows you to view all nearby segments and then switch between them

04:01in a very detailed interface. You can view your location in comparison to your segment efforts

04:07on both a big map and an elevation graph. You can see how far ahead or behind you are and how much

04:14further you have to go. And of course, you can fully customise the data points on the live segment

04:20screen for your own personalised view. Let's not forget, once you've completed a ride,

04:25Cadence can automatically sync your activities to Strava.

04:31It's clear that Cadence has found a way to unlock all the potential your phone holds

04:37as an alternative to a head unit. Thanks to mounting systems like the quadlock phone mount or even more

04:43budget friendly options like the ones I have here, it's easy to secure your phone and if you want

04:48to protect it from the weather, then there are plenty of waterproof cases out there too. Of course,

04:53you will go through your phone's battery a little more quickly, so my advice would be to ensure you

04:59either have a way to charge up at your destination or instead carry a small power bank.

05:04Typical battery life when using Cadence is around 10-20% per hour depending on device and settings,

05:11but Cadence does have battery saving features like dark mode and auto screen dimming.

05:18If you are considering buying your first head unit, then I would encourage you to seriously consider

05:24using your phone as an alternative. As technology has developed, the limitations from even just a few

05:31years ago are actually no longer present and by going down this route instead, you could stand to save

05:38hundreds of pounds. Cadence is free to use, however, there are pro and elite versions of the app that

05:46unlock more functionality. You can compare the differences between the membership levels over on

05:51the Cadence website to which I have left a link to down below. I've not been able to touch upon all the

05:57features that Cadence offers such as detailed analytics, live tracking and the standalone Apple Watch

06:02app. There's simply too much to cover in just one video. Let me know your thoughts on this though.

06:08Would you ever consider using your phone rather than a dedicated cycling computer?

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