You might be able to change a flat tire. But do you know how to clean your rear cassette? Bike Repair App for the iPhone ($2.99), and Android ($3.07) from Atomic Softwares gives you a pre-ride checklist plus step-by-step maintenance instructions to keep your ride on the road without running to the shop every time you hear a clicking sound.
Photos with instructions help walk you through basic repairs for bike components such as wheels, rear derailleur, front derailleur, chain, handlebar/headset, crankset/pedals, brakes, disk brakes, shifter, suspension, helmet and even your body with an “aches and pains” category.
Atomic organized the app well, including a section for problems and another for parts. The app includes messages, sort of a Q&A where the developer posts answers to user emails. Throughout the app typos appear. Maybe it’s just my editor instinct. However if you’re publishing an app — especially if you’re charging for it — you should probably have someone read through the copy before putting it up there. I’d rather concentrate on identifying why my pedals click than become distracted by miss-worded instructions.
Bike Repair doesn’t replace a visit to the shop for a tune-up or major repair, but it does help you fine-tune your bike. The bike inspection information is helpful. It walks you through what to do before every ride, and a second section gives you a checklist of things to check your bike for monthly. The monthly checklist tells you to look for structural damage, looseness, and gives you tips on cleaning and other simple maintenance issues.
You probably need some knowledge of bikes to make use of the app. If you don’t know what a derailleur is you might be able to identify it from the picture, but it helps to know your way around the bike since the pictures are confined to the size of a phone or tablet. It’s a lot of instruction if you don’t know a tube from a tire.
Bike Repair App on iTunes
Bike Repair App on Android
So you’re looking to capture some footage during your snowboard runs down the slope or bike ride through the city, but performing these activities while holding a camera is difficult, if not impossible. The folks at Contour have developed hands-free camcorders to help you achieve just that, in high definition. Their ContourGPS Camera adds location tracking as well as speed and altitude info. And just announced today at CES, they’re adding Bluetooth support that lets you turn your iPhone or Android-based smartphone into a wireless viewfinder (current owners also benefit, as all ContourGPS models has always had Bluetooth support; it’s now being activated through a firmware upgrade). It also lets you control the camera settings and view recorded footage on the smartphone, and Contour is working on other applications that can take advantage of the Bluetooth feature. The ContourGPS sells for $350, and the apps for iPhone and Android are coming soon. See below for the full release.
