Biking. There’s an app for that.

With RAGBRAI finishing up, and summer weather making it easy for riders to get out on the road, many smartphone users are taking to their devices to assist their rides.

According to AmericaBikes.org, more than four billion bikers took trips on their cycles in 2009. With more and more bikers trying to decrease their carbon footprint, cyclists are using apps to have more efficient rides.

Chad Ross, a cyclist from South Beloit, Illi., said he uses most of the mainstream apps, especially the RAGBRAI app, teaching him the history of the annual ride as well as some minor stops along the way.

“I use Map My Run to track distance and how fast I was going,” Ross said. “I compare and contrast and play the numbers game.”

Many bikers, such as Ross, use the apps not just for mapping out routes, but learning to repair their bikes as well.

One app on the market called BikeDoctor, teaches a novice biker more than 40 of the most common bike breakdowns, and gives step-by-step directions on how to fix them.

The RAGBRAI app for smartphones has seen its annual increase in downloads, seeing as bikers are checking out stops and routes of this year’s ride. Ross said he picks some of the newest and hottest biking apps on the market.

“Most times, I go by rating. I’ll choose the four or five star apps,” Ross said.

Paul Ulreich, a public relations specialist for Verizon Wireless, said the feedback he gets most often, comes in one specific category.

“They find themselves sharing apps,” Ulreich said. “Showing them off to each other, saying, ‘I like this one for this reason’ or ‘I like this one for that reason.’ But the feedback is always positive.”

Bikers, and exercisers in general, are looking at the smartphone assistant apps as a money saver. The unique context of the BikeDoctor app combines many apps, into one.

Ulreich said being able to combine these kinds of tools into an app saves the user money, just by how low cost some apps are.

With continuous usage of smartphone users taking to the streets during their everyday activities, the question of safety is always a concern. 

“We always want to preach responsible cellphone usage, whether they’re driving or on a bike,” Ulreich said. “You definitely want to keep your eyes on the road and not be distracted.”