Bike IQ 1.3: A Map Built for Cycling, and Shimano Di2
This is our biggest update since 1.2. We rebuilt the map around cycling instead of cars, started serving it ourselves, and built it to keep working when your signal drops. We also added direct support for Shimano Di2 groupsets. And wherever you ride, Bike IQ now speaks your language.
A Map Built for Cycling, Not for Cars
Most map tiles are a compromise. They are drawn to serve everyone at once, drivers, walkers, transit riders, so they are optimized for none of them. As cyclists, we were never happy riding on a map made for cars. So in 1.3, Bike IQ serves its own map, designed with one thing in mind: cycling.
Zoom out on a typical map and the quiet roads vanish first, leaving a skeleton of highways and arterials. Ours does the opposite. As you zoom out, we keep the smaller, lower-traffic roads on the map, the tertiary roads and lanes that rank low for drivers but are exactly the roads you want to ride. The shape of a good route stays readable at a glance.
We also put what you look for mid-ride right on the map: water, restrooms, campgrounds, and more. Finding a refill or a rest stop no longer means switching to another app.
Yours, and Offline
Under the hood, two things changed. First, the map is ours: we serve it directly, rather than renting a generic basemap from someone else. Second, it is built to work offline first, because cyclists ride where the signal is not.
Routing and elevation run on your phone, and map data downloads as you ride into new areas, so the places you actually go are there when you need them. Routes and climbs load faster, and they keep working without a signal. Head out past the last cell tower and the map stays drawn, the route stays calculated, and the road ahead stays visible.
The Elevation of the Road Ahead
Knowing what is coming changes how you pace. Bike IQ used to surface the road ahead only when it detected a climb. In 1.3, it shows the elevation and grade of the road in front of you continuously, climb or no climb, so you can read every riser and descent before you reach it.
It works by anticipating the road you are most likely to take and drawing the terrain along it, with or without a planned route. Even on a free ride with no destination set, roll toward a rise you have never ridden and you can already see how steep it gets and how long it lasts, in time to settle into the right effort. The road-ahead elevation is part of Bike IQ Pro.
Shimano Di2 Support
Bike IQ now connects directly to your Shimano Di2 groupset. Once paired, you get live gear position, battery level, and shift tracking, right alongside your other ride metrics and in your ride report afterward.
Di2 joins the SRAM AXS support we added in 1.2.1, so the two most popular electronic groupsets now both pair with your iPhone, no extra head unit required. Setup lives in your bike's sensor screen.
Shifter Buttons, Your Actions
Your shifters have buttons you barely use. On Pro, Bike IQ turns them into controls. Map a button press to a phone action like marking a lap, all without taking your hands off the hoods.
Want to go further than the built-in actions? Map a button to an Apple Shortcut and automate whatever you like. Shifter button mapping works with both Shimano Di2 and SRAM AXS, and each button can get its own action.
Now Riding in 14 Languages
Bike IQ now speaks your language. The whole app is translated into 14 languages, so menus, settings, metrics, and your ride report all read naturally: English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Turkish, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, and Chinese in both Simplified and Traditional. Bike IQ follows your iPhone's language automatically.
Smaller Improvements and Fixes
- Clearer route loading. When a route in a new area is still pulling in map data, you now see an honest progress indicator instead of an open-ended spinner, so you know exactly what is happening before you roll out.
- TCX export. Every ride can now be exported as a TCX file from the share menu, alongside the existing GPX and FIT options.
- Steadier navigation. Rerouting and arrival are smoother and more reliable when you miss a turn or change your plan mid-ride.
- Safer storage. We hardened how your rides and profile are saved so your history stays put across a wider range of conditions.
- Plus grade and radar refinements and a batch of stability fixes.
What's next
The new engine is the foundation for a lot of what comes next: smarter offline coverage, richer terrain awareness, and more of your ride running on your phone alone. To dig into the new features, see The Road Ahead and the navigation guide.