If it is really DH proof then this might convince me to get an iphone. I've been running Viewranger on a Nokia 5500 sport for few years and it is great for MTB...apart from the tiny screen. Got a dynamo hub on the HT too so this could be just what I need meself

I'd love to see HR belt that's working with iPhone. this would make it almost as good as Garmin Edge series stuff.

Is it waterproof? No use if not. Combine with Trailguru = Happy Days

Fantastic, I can't believe it's taken this long. I use a Garmin GPS and can't believe how poor it is compared to the iphone's.

In the event of an off, or a river excursion, I'd rather be ruining a £150 Garmin than a £800 contract iPhone. That said, I use mine as an analysis tool with 'Trails', phone in rucksack, and it's fairly useful.

Possibly suitable for roadies, but tbh I've not found the GPS to be particularly sensitive anyway. Battery life is also an issue...

Fantastic....if they sort out heart rate it would be even better....

That's what I've heard too mr kat. I can swap batteries on my 5500 which obviously aint an option on the ipphone. Do you think the GPS is not great for forests then?

The battery life on an iPhone (3G at least) really isn't up to it. I have a Garmin Forerunner that I can use for 14 hours. I used a GPS app on my iPhone, put the phone in my saddle bag and rode home from work - an hour journey. It'd gone from a full battery to 25%.

If you had heart rate, and even further cadence (like I have with my Garmin) it'd eat into the battery life even further.

Battery life is poor on the iPhone even when the GPS is on and everything else is turned down to the minimum. Also the GPS is not as sensitive as something like the BlackBerry Curve. Infact I have kept my old Curve and put it in my waterproof jacket pocket to do all of the tracking that I need. It's also easier to control with gloves on. Add to this that its better to be out on the trails with two possible phones (can still emergency call without a SIM) than with one that has just had the battery drained!

It's a shame cause it really has potential. As said above if there was a bluetooth heart rate monitor for it then it would really sell. It would take a munch out of the Garmin market. If you look at the Apple demo for the OS 3.0 that just came out a few months back they have a load of theoritical medical applications. When they put them into practice is anyones guess.

I've been using my Nokia 6120 with TomTom software for about a year now for navigating roadie rides. In offline mode the battery will last a whole day in the saddle, and I have replacement batteries in any case. Tough as nails when I've dropped it too.

Having an iphone on your handlebars would be nerve wracking, given how much they cost if you crash! Never mind the battery issues. Oh and you'd scream 'city boy' out on the trails.

The Garmin Edges may be relatively simple, but they are also relatively bomb-proof. Apart from the all-day battery life, am not sure an Iphone is really going to stand up that well to being sprayed with salt solution and road grime in the winter. Looks like one for short-term use on dry days to me.

And for a few hours there I thought I'd join the masses and go Apple.....one day, one day :)

Oh, it's just about usable under the canopy. Wouldn't want to navigate with it though.

The only way I've been able to get decent battery life is by turning *everything* off - 3G, wifi, push - which isn't a problem, and by turning the screen brightness to the lowest setting - which would be a huge problem for handlebar mounting & riding in the sun!

Thinking about it though, the dynamo option could be really cool for trekking purposes.

Hmm, wonder if the iPhone accelerometers and other components are designed to cope with several hours of mountain biking over rough terrain?

I doubt it.

Cant believe no-one's realised that the current generation of gps smart phones are very useful for cyclists. I use Nokia Sports Tracker on my N95 and would love to have it mounted on the bars. Oh well.

something for all you HTC fans, GPS Cycle Computer v3. try it works really well.

http://code.google.com/p/gccv2/downloads/list..

the app not mine so i take no credit.... enjoy

Ive used my 3G with a waterproof jacket with trails app and it has lasted over two hours with half battery left. Im going out tomorrow and gonna test it with all the 3G and wifi set to off. Will also turn off push notify for mails and see if this makes a big difference as its meant to.

40 quid for a bike mount.... i`ll stick with my edge.

I use motion x paid version and without a doubt the biggest problem with all iPhone apps is that they use google and not os maps. Try finding bridleways on the fly with google maps... Hopeless, so we carry paper is maps as well so it ruins the flow if you are way off the beaten track and need to work out where to go. Also even with a fully charged battery the gps drains an I phone in about 2.5hrs and as we are off road for up to 30 miles at a time it sometimes cuts it close. So we are looking at garmin units but then here's the rub...£300 plus for garmin and £1.79 for my app it would have to be brilliant to cope with the apps price.

A mount for the iPhone would be great, it would certainly be good for checking on satelite conection, as the phone can be dodgy on signal, but £40...are you kidding..it would have to be a fully enclosed titanium case before I would part with that sort of money for a mount.

Hi,

I too have been using a Nokia 5800 XressMusic phone running Viewmaster (and what great customer support they offer to technically inept!) and the 1:25k tiles give a great indication of location and the readout is good..but you can only use it to check position occasionally otherwise the battery just goes...Like most folk I have mine in a case (Krussell) which I carry clipped inside the hip of my bibbed longs...and to date although I've come off a few times its been fine (I have got it insured tho..).

What is more exciting is this talk of being able to charge it from the bike..details please...

Also it would be nice to see a head to head test of the phone based GPS versus a stand alone GPS unit...

Anyone out there used the buddy facility on viewmaster, my partner thinks it might be helpful to keep track of where I am, by linking it to her work PC... :)

When it comes to mounting things on bikes, it's hard to go past Ram mounts. They've had mounts for iPhone and other smartphones, GPS, iPods, cup-holders, fishing-rods, laptops etc. for some time. They also have waterproof cases, and various ruggedised bits and pieces. You can buy the various bits individually and build a custom mount for just about anything. Find a local stockist (often a catering to the 4WD crowd) and check them out.

http://www.ram-mount.com