The smartphone is the single most ubiquitous piece of technology today. These days, everyone from your 80-year-old grandma on down to your 12-year-old nephew is walking around with their head down, tapping away on their iPhone. While some have decried the smartphone as a distraction from real life and the natural world around us, these ever-present electronic devices can actually help enhance our mountain biking experience and subsequently, our love of nature.
To help you get the most out of your smartphone mountain biking experience, the Singletracks team has compiled a list of the best MTB apps that we’re using before, during, and after our rides. Whether you’re using an iPhone or an Android device, or even a Windows phone, there are apps on this list for you.
We originally published this list over two years ago in early 2014, and even since that time the world of mobile technology has transformed. So, we knew this list was due for an update. Of the 10 apps you see here, only four remain from our original selections, and even those have changed dramatically. The rest are all new—check them out!
Avenza PDF Maps
OS: iOS, Android, Windows
Cost: Free
Avenza PDF Maps allows you to download geospatial PDF files, know as GeoPDFs, and then navigate using those GeoPDFs out on the trail. Some of the available maps cost money, while others are free. Some local mountain bike clubs are looking to PDF Maps as an easy way to distribute their trail maps and allow users to navigate their trail systems with their smartphones, without those clubs having to create their own standalone app.
-Greg Heil
