Frequently Asked Questions

Battery life is our top priority. Bike IQ is engineered to be extremely efficient — most riders see only 5-10% battery drain per hour with the screen on. For a typical 3-hour ride, you'll use about 15-30% of your battery.

For longer rides, see our battery life guide for tips on riding all day.

Very accurate. For GPS-based metrics (speed, distance, route), your iPhone uses the same satellite systems as dedicated devices. For power estimation, we use physics-based modeling that accounts for grade, wind, and rider weight — it's surprisingly close to a power meter on most terrain.

That said, if you have a power meter or heart rate strap, Bike IQ supports Bluetooth sensors and will use that data directly.

Bike IQ connects to Bluetooth sensors including: power meters, heart rate straps, cadence sensors, speed sensors, and radar units (like Garmin Varia). If it broadcasts over Bluetooth, we likely support it.

Yes — all ride recording, GPS tracking, sensor data, and navigation work completely offline. You'll never lose a ride due to poor signal.

The one exception: real-time weather data. We use current wind conditions to calculate wind impact and power estimates. Without cell service, those features won't update until you're back online. We're thoughtful about data usage and keep requests minimal.

Syncing rides to Strava or other services happens after your ride when you have connectivity.

We recommend a quality stem or handlebar mount. Popular options include Quad Lock, Peak Design, and SP Connect — all offer secure, vibration-dampened mounts that protect your phone.

You can, but you don't have to. Bike IQ supports voice commands for hands-free control — start a ride, pause, mark a lap, or even ring the bell, all without touching the screen.

Yes — as a companion app. The Apple Watch provides heart rate data to the main app on your iPhone.

However, Bike IQ requires your iPhone to be mounted on your bike. The phone's sensors are essential for accurately measuring bike motion, grade, and ride dynamics. The watch can't replace the phone.

Yes. Connect your Strava account and publish your ride when you finish. Contact us if you'd like us to integrate with other platforms.

Yes, for most riders. The free version includes all features with one limitation: rides longer than 75 minutes are truncated when saving to Strava or viewing your ride analysis.

If you regularly ride longer than 75 minutes, upgrade to Bike IQ Pro for unlimited ride recording.

You'll need to sign in with Apple. This lets us run the backend services that power your ride data — like weather lookups for wind calculations.

Your ride data stays on your phone and is backed up through iCloud. We don't store your rides on our servers.

We occasionally collect anonymous data samples to improve our models, and we collect crash reports to fix issues in the wild. This helps us make Bike IQ better for everyone.

For full details, see our privacy policy.

Your iPhone is more powerful than any bike computer on the market. It has a better screen, better GPS, better processors, and you already own it. Bike IQ unlocks that power with cycling-specific software.

Plus, no extra device to charge, update, or carry. Your phone is always with you — now it's also your bike computer.

Modern iPhones are water resistant and handle rain without issue. For crash protection, mounted between your handlebars is actually one of the safest places on the bike — the hoods and bars protect it in most falls.

Consider the alternative: a phone in your rear jersey pocket can actually injure you in a crash. A quality handlebar mount keeps your phone secure and away from your body.

For most events — gran fondos, gravel races, charity rides, and local group rides — yes, absolutely. Bike computers and GPS devices are standard.

For UCI-sanctioned or USAC-sanctioned road races, rules vary and officials may have specific restrictions. When in doubt, check with the race organizer before your event.