My Favorite Android Weather Apps For Planning a Ride

With the cold and wet Spring we have been having, knowing the weather forecast can be very beneficial for picking the best days and time of day to get in a ride.  There are several apps that I use on my Android phone to help me choose.  I will also visit 2WheelWeather's MORC Weather Blog put out by meteorologist, Kristin Clark who is an avid cyclist and gears her weather forecasting towards cyclists.  But when I need hyper-local up-to-the minute forecasting, I turn to the following apps to find out the temperature, wind speed, precipitation chance and radar images for the area I plan to ride.  This way I can wear the appropriate cycling apparel to be comfortable in adverse weather conditions.

1Weather

1Weather is a very useful app with a beautiful display.  I use it frequently to find the best days and time of day to avoid a rainy ride.  The map feature can be customized to your liking in regards to base layer, weather layer (including weather layer opacity) and a severe weather layer.   Features include:

• Real-time local weather - any location in the world (Current + 48-hour)
• 7-day & hourly forecasts
• Follow my location - Updated weather when you're on the move
• LIVE animated radar and extreme weather warnings (US only) with layers
• Enhanced Cloud Layer for International locations on Radar Screen
• Animated sunrise, sunset, and Lunar phase (Phones only)
• Save multiple locations to access quickly and easily
• Customize with multiple weather theme backgrounds

 
 

 

 

1Weather is available for free on Google Play.

NOAA Weather Free

NOAA Weather Free is one of my favorites because of its detailed hourly graphs that include Temperature, Wind Speed and Probability of Precipitation.  When rain is in the forecast, this app can help me pinpoint when to avoid it.  Store up to 3 locations or it will automatically detect where you are and gives you weather details for your current location.  Features include:

• NOAA point forecasts from your GPS location to get the most localized weather available
• Nearby cell towers and Wi-Fi networks can provide location
• You can also enter a location manually
•  To provided highly localized forecasting, NOAA Weather uses point forecasts from the National Weather Service (NOAA/NWS)
• If there is severe weather you will see a red warning icon in the corner of the current conditions icon, press this icon for more details
• There are differently sized widgets available which can be placed on your homescreen to provide some basic weather information, without the need to open the app
• This is the ad supported free version of NOAA Weather and is limited to 3 saved locations

NOAA Weather Free is available is available for free on Google Play.

Weather Underground

Weather Underground has a beautiful, easy to read display that has all the weather information you need neatly put together on one page.  The layout can be modified to display the current conditions from your selected weather station, map, extended forecast, conditions, daily or hourly graph summary and sunrise/sunset in the order you choose.  The weather radio feature is a big plus with this app, you can select NWS Radio stations for your current area and listen to the current weather, forecast and get details on severe weather in your area.  Features include:

• Status notification: instantly view your current temperature and condition on the notification bar
• Current conditions from your local weather station include temperature, feels like temperatures, wind speed & direction, humidity, dew point, visibility, pressure, gusts and moon phase
• 10-day Forecasts including text summary
• Hourly Forecasts including sunrise and sunset
• Historical data 
• Interactive Map showing all the personal weather stations in your neighborhood with animated radar, satellite, webcams and much more data
• List view of saved Favorite Locations and Recent Searches
• Crowd reporting feature empowers users to verify our data and send their own Sky Reports and Hazard Reports
• Hazard Reports allow users to share dangerous road conditions in their area
• Choose Light or Dark mode
• Customize your experience by sliding the weather information up and down
• Switch between Best Forecast™ & NWS Forecast
• National Weather Service Radio

Weather Underground is available for free on Google Play and for IOS on iTunes.

Weatherbug

Weatherbug is an app that I have been using for a long time on my computer and smartphone.  I can add weather stations from a list of multiple locations for a given area to get hyper-local weather information that is very useful.  The display is laid out nicely and is easy to read and navigate.  The map is highly customizable with many map layer weather overlays to choose from.  The 10 day forecast will help you plan in advance which are the best days to ride or what apparel you'll need to wear for a specific day.  Features include:

• NEW Spark™ Alerts – Unique and beautiful, Spark™ turns your smartphone into a personal lightning detector
• Real-Time Enhanced Pin-Point Forecasts for 2.6 Million Locations Worldwide
• Exclusive DTAs & Severe Weather Alerts 
• Extended 10-Day Forecast 
• Enhanced Interactive Maps 
• Live Weather Cams 
• Lifestyle Forecasts 
• Customizable Home Screen 
• My Location – Automatically updates your weather information based on the closest weather station to you in your neighborhood through GPS 
• Multiple Saved Locations – Save all your locations without any restrictions

Weatherbug is available for free on Google Play and for IOS on iTunes.

Fox 9 Weather

The Fox 9 Weather app has all the weather information you need on the main page and is easy to navigate by simply tapping on the item of your choice.  My favorite feature is the hourly forecast which shows the conditions, precipitation probability, wind speed and temperature on a scrollable page.  I can check the night before a morning ride and determine whether it will be pouring rain or chilly so I can plan accordingly.  Features include:

• Highly responsive interactive map optimized for 3G and WiFi performance
• Vertical and horizontal map display with looping
• NOWrad, the gold standard for radar in the weather industry
• Highest resolution satellite cloud imagery available
• Exclusive patent pending Road Weather Index
• Color coded weather alerts arranged by severity
• Fully integrated GPS for current location awareness
• Integrated compass overlay
• Most accurate 10 day forecasts with both daily and hourly detail
• Ability to easily save your favorite locations
• Storm Track Plotting
• Watch/Warning (Alert) boxes on map
• Ability to acknowledge Alerts from within the app
• Audio, LED, and vibrate for Alert Notifications
• User controllable alerts - Allow the selection of all alerts or just critical alerts
• Future Radar
• Satellite/Radar combined layer

Fox 9 Weather is available for free on Google Play and for IOS on iTunes.

Rainy Days

Rainy days helps me determine the track of a storm for my location.  With an animated radar, it gives me a good idea of whether I can get in a ride before inclement weather arrives or if it's soon moving out of my area.  Features include:

• Shows weather radar doppler images from buienradar, meteox, vaderradar, eumetsat and nws using Google Maps
• Pick animation length: short, normal, long for up to 3 hours of data
• New gestures: double tap and hold, then move up or down to quickly zoom in or out. Swipe from bezel to scrub through the animation
•  Map now follows your location when you are moving
• Tweaks to conserve battery power and increase application performance

Rainy Days is available for free on Google Play.
 
Any of these free apps can be useful weather tools when planning for your next ride.  Get informed before you head out on the bike and avoid being unprepared for the elements.  This will make your ride more enjoyable and when you are wearing the proper clothing for the conditions you'll be able to ride longer, too.

*All images shown are from the Android version of the app.

Gravelmap Launches Interactive User Submitted Gravel Route Database

Gravelmap is a new website that launched on April 1st and comes to us from a web developer/cyclist from southern Oregon.  After first learning of Gravelmap, I saw huge potential for this budding new resource and decided to get in touch with the site's creator to learn more about it and to give a little feedback about its current features.

Theo responded filling me in on all of the details of Gravelmap and even implemented several of my suggestions to make the site better and even more user friendly.  He proceeded to tell me, "Last year, I acquired an interest in "gravel grinding," as many others have done. Here in Oregon we have lots of gravel, but finding it can be a challenge. Though the roads are plentiful (BLM/USFS roads, logging roads, etc.), when planning a route using Google Maps or topographic maps, it's not always clear if a road is accessible, legal to access, traversable by bike -- or if it even exists. As I explored, I found many great roads, not to mention a few dead ends here and there. But, more than that, I began to contemplate the idea of a resource to help other cyclists find the roads I was enjoying. As more and more people acquired cross bikes and began searching for gravel, I began to hear the same question from friends on Facebook and elsewhere: 'Does anyone know where the gravel roads are?'"

"While out on a ride about a month ago, I had the idea to build a site that would allow users to "draw" and save routes over a live map. Google Maps offers a very powerful interface for extending and adding to its functionality, and the fact that I had worked with it before made it an easy choice to use as the basis for the tool. I spent a series of late nights and a weekend or two building the route mapping engine (the components that make it possible to click, drag, and delete points on the map to create a route), followed by the pieces surrounding it -- the database on the back end, site pages, user login/registration functions, and so on. Eventually I had something that was bare-bones but functional, and I leased a hosting account and launched the site on April 1." 

Because Gravelmap is so new the route database is very limited, but that's where you come in.  Your added gravel routes will be extremely beneficial to the growth and usefulness of this great new resource.

"Most people who find the site simply want to know where the gravel is in their area, and new routes will help make that happen.  My sole intent in building the site is to help share the passion that I have for gravel and backroads cycling. I check the stats and the route database multiple times per day and I get genuinely excited when I see new signups or new routes added -- it feels great to know that people are participating."  

I am always looking for new gravel roads to ride and Gravelmap now allows me to find other user's routes in my area and I can share mine.  Getting started is easy, simply click "Log in" on the top navbar and sign up instantly using Facebook or create a user name and enter an email address with a password.  That's it, you're ready to start sharing your routes, voting on routes and leaving comments on routes you've tried.

Using Gravelmap is easy, visit the Gravelmap Help page for an overview of how to browse the map, add your first route and to see what the guidelines are for adding routes.  Once you have added a route to the Gravelmap database or found a route you would like to try, click anywhere on the route to display more details including:

• Description 
• Overlapping routes
• Elevation profile (including reverse direction, if desired) 
• Export a GPX file for the route
• Vote on the route
• Leave a comment
• Embeddable route profile (copy and paste a HTML snippet to display a route on a webpage or blog)

Future plans for Gravelmap include user profile pages (click on a user's name to see the other routes they've created) and route editing.  Gravelmap is also compatible with Android devices and is iPhone friendly.  Images below are from an Android phone.

Sign up today to be a part of this fledgling resource and help with the growth of its interactive database of gravel/dirt roads and paths.  After getting to know Gravelmap you may find a bug or have an idea to make the site even better, feedback is welcomed from the developer.  Visit the Feedback page to voice your ideas or problems.  For more information, news, terms & conditions and privacy policy, visit the About Gravelmap page.  Follow Gravelmap on Twitter (@Gravelmap) or "Like" on Facebook.

Product Review: All Mountain Style Frame Guard

The All Mountain Style Frame Guard is a product I came across last fall that offers protection for a bike's frame and paint.  It is made from high impact and rub resistance honeycomb 380 microns semi-rigid PVC and stays in place with an automotive-grade adhesive.  Its simple design and ease of installation peaked my curiosity and I wanted to put it to the test on a fatbike during a harsh Minnesota winter and spring.  This would give me an idea of its frame protection performance and how it stands up to the elements year round.  The AMS Frame Guard would be put through some extreme riding conditions including sub-zero temperatures, ice, snow, mud and wet gravel.  Would it stay put without peeling off and would it protect the bike's frame and paint job?  Only time would tell.

Installation of the AMS Frame Guard was very easy and didn't take long.  I cleaned and prepped the application areas with alcohol proceeded to apply the appropriate pieces.  Each piece conformed nicely to the curvature of the bike frame and the adhesive allowed repositioning if needed.  The down tube extension pieces make for a custom fit on many different frame sizes.  Bottle cage bolts were easily trimmed around with a sharp knife.  Firmly pressing and rubbing on the installed pieces worked all of the air bubbles out providing full contact and the clear frame guards almost disappeared except for their honeycomb pattern.  From a distance, you wouldn't even notice them on the bike.

I also installed the pieces designed to go on the drive side chainstay and trimmed pieces to be placed on brake and shifter cable rubbing points.

After a long, cold winter and quite a few messy spring gravel rides, the AMS Frame Guards did the job at protecting the paint and frame.  There were no impact marks, chips, scratches or rub marks on the covered areas.  Throughout all of the wet conditions experienced, the AMS Frame Guards stayed securely adhered to the frame without any peeling or signs of coming loose along their edges.

If you want to protect your mountain bike or fatbike, then the All Mountain Style Frame Guard is what you are looking for to do the job.  They come in regular or XL for larger diameter frame tubes in clear, black or XLFluor/Neon colors with 10 parts for a custom fit.  AMS Frame Guards can be purchased from the All Mountain Style website and include free shipping.

Disclosure:  All Mountain Style provided the review sample for this article, but offered no other form of compensation for this review.

Minnesota Gravel Grinders You Can Still Get In On

If you missed early registration deadlines or rider caps were reached before you could sign up, here are some gravel rides and races that are still taking registrations.

The 2014 Mammoth Gravel Classic is Saturday, April 19th in St. Croix Falls, WI.  Registration opens at 7am at the new Cyclova XC location the morning of the ride.  There are three route options to choose from, the 100 mile route rolls out at 8am, the 70 and 35 mile routes roll out at 9am.  This ride is free but the 70 & 35 mile routes will require the purchase of a $5 Gandy Dancer Bike Trail Day Pass.  Updates can also be found on the Mammoth Gravel Classic 2014 Facebook event page.

Image Credit:  Drew Wilson

The Dickie Scramble takes place on Saturday, April 26th in Elgin, MN.  Registration is free and there are three ways to sign up.  In order of preference from the ride organizer, they are as follows:

• Join the "Dickie Scramble 2014" Facebook event page
• State that you want in by sending an email to cyclocarbon@gmail.com
• Show up race day and sign up

This race is going to be "75 miles of incredible roads, potluck checkpoint, great food/drinks/gathering place at the finish line."

 

The Dirty Lemming Gravel Grinder is going down Saturday, July 26th in Watertown, MN.  I spoke with race organizer Jim Smith and he informed me that there are still some spots available before they reach their race cap of 80.  Postcard registrations are currently being accepted until the cap is reached and this one is free.  The Dirty Lemming has two route options this year, 100 miles or 100 km and are stated to include "at least three of the following:  water crossing, cornice, cliff, rockband, outcrop, malt shop, church, or small town bar."  Get those postcards in soon as this one is bound to reach its cap shortly.

Head down to La Crosse Labor Day Weekend to get in on the Skullsplitter Ride/Race taking place on Sunday, August 31st as part of the La Crosse Area Bicycle Festival.  This half gravel half pavement ride is a challenging 56 mile tour through SE Minnesota with some big climbs and great scenery.  Registration/packet pick up starts at 7am and the ride/race rolls out at 8am at Cameron Park in downtown La Crosse.  Visit the Bicycle Festival Registration page to register for the Festival in advance.

Image Credit:  Derek Chinn

The Inspiration 100 is a free gravel race that starts and finishes in Garfield, MN on Saturday, September 6th.  This is a challenging race with a mix of terrain as the course travels through the Leaf Mountain area around Inspiration Peak providing some great scenery along the way.  Postcard registration opens July 1st and closes July 31st.  This one has a cap, so the first 135 entries are in the race.

Image Credit: Heck of the North

Heck of the North is a 100+ mile gravel race that takes place Saturday, October 4th in Two Harbors, MN.  This race has become a fall gravel classic here in Minnesota and the course takes racers through some spectacular northwoods scenery.  Registration opened March 1st and will remain open until September 15th or when a 400 rider cap is reached.  This one does require a fee and a percentage will be donated to a Minnesota cycling advocacy organization.  To register, visit the Heck of the North online registration page.

Image Credit:  Drew Wilson

The Tour of Filmore is a 65 mile Fall classic from the gravel enthusiast that brought you the Dickie Scramble.  This event showcases the beauty and challenge of gravel roads in the Root River Valley around Lanesboro and takes place on Sunday, October 5th.  Registration is informal and can be done by sending an email to drew@cyclocarbon.com or by visiting the Tour of Filmore Facebook event page and select "Going".  Registration will run until 8:30 day-of the event unless more than 150 people have registered prior to that date.  Assuming 150 riders has not been hit before the day of, all riders who show up will be allowed to ride.

The Filthy 50 takes place on Sunday, October 12th in Sterwartville, MN as it enters its second year after a very successful inaugural race last fall.  The racer cap for 2014 was doubled to 600 and over 450 people signed up in the first eight days of registration.  The race is free and space is becoming limited, so sign up quickly if you haven't already.  Online registration is easy and only takes a minute.  I raced this one last year and it was a blast.  It was very well organized, challenging and the scenery along the course was amazing.  Don't miss this one.  Visit my post The Filthy 50 Returns for Second Year & Announces “This Filthy World” Series for all the details from my original announcement.

Penn Cycle Thursday Night Mountain Bike Racing Returns to Buck Hill

Image Credit:  Griff Wigley

Penn Cycle announces the return of "Thursday Night at the Races" at Buck Hill in Burnsville.  This long-standing Thursday night summertime tradition brings together beginner, intermediate and advanced mountain bikers for some great racing and good times.  It is also a chance to get the little ones into mountain biking with a free kid's race after the adult races, so bring the whole family.

Image Credit:  Griff Wigley

If you've never raced before, this is your chance to give it a try.  The Beginner class race (approximately 20 minute race) starts at 7:15 pm and only costs $5.  For the intermediate and advanced racers, $10 will gain you entry into the Recreational (40 minute race) or the Advanced (1 hour race) class races that start at 6:30 pm.  Registration for the races runs from 5:00-6:15 pm.

*New this year, a Fatbike class has been added.

Image Credit:  Griff Wigley

2014 Buck Hill Race Schedule

Series 1:  May 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th, June 5th and 12th
Series 2; June 19th, 26th, (No race July 3rd), July 10th, 17th, 24th, 31st. Make up race date Aug. 7th.

This is a great opportunity to test yourself in a race setting on a challenging wooded course at Buck Hill.  For Minnesota High School Cycling League racers, here's a chance to get in some early practice for the upcoming season.  After the races there will be loads of door prizes and food and drink is available all evening long.  For additional details you can visit the Penn Cycle Thursday Night at the Races page or call the Bloomington store at 952-888-1427.   A little rain may not always cancel the races, so give them a call if weather becomes an issue.

For more photos, visit Griff Wigley's photo set Penn Cycle Thursday night MTB Race, Buck Hill. 

Andy Stermer returns to Minnesota from Uruguay music exchange

We were delighted to learn that Andy Stermer has returned to Minnesota after an extended stay in Uruguay, where he was learning the candombe music style and sharing his talents with counterpart musicians there. Andy plans to present (and we hope perform) his trip at our annual meeting next December, and we may even see him sooner at Fiesta Days activities in Montevideo, Minn. in mid June (mark your calendars!).

The Cottage Grove Bike Park is a Finalist for a Bell Built Grant and Needs Your Vote

The Cottage Grove Bike Park is one of the twelve finalists eligible for a portion of the $100,000 grant from IMBA and Bell Helmets and needs your help.  Competition is fierce as the Cottage Grove Bike Park goes up against two other bike parks and a flow trail in the Central Region.  Voting begins April 21st will continue through May 4th with the winner being determined by popular vote and announced on May 5th.  Spread the word to friends and family and use social media to help the Cottage Grove Bike Park make this dream a reality.

Image Credit:  Cottage Grove Bike Park Facebook page

MORC Press Release:

Bell Helmets is giving away $100,000 in a trailbuilding contest, and we’re a finalist! Vote for us to make this dream a reality.

Do you support healthy active recreational opportunities for Minnesota youth? Of course you do and that’s why we’re seeking your support! The Cottage Grove Bike Park is among 4 finalists in the region, competing for a third of the $100,000 grant offered by Bell Helmets in conjunction with the International Mountain Bicycling Association. The winner will be determined by popular vote occurring between April 21 - May 4.

Cottage Grove Bike Park, located within West Draw Park (7050 Meadow Grass Avenue), has already received great community support and has been constructed by volunteers via partnership of Minnesota Off-Road Cyclists & the City of Cottage Grove. The final vision of the park will contain a 4X race track, two pump tracks, a tot track, slope-style course, mountain bike skills course and dirt jumps.

Supporting this great project is easy, simply visit the below website between April 21st and May 4th to cast your vote!

www.bellhelmets.com/BELLBUILT

“Young people of today need more venues that encourage fitness and exercise.” David Bole, owner of The Bicycle Chain

“Cottage Grove currently has one of the best publicly supported parks and has the opportunity to be an example of what other cities should be doing to support their local BMX bikers.” Glen Dussl, BMX Sales Manager, Quality Bicycle Products

“This project is important for our community as it offers a venue that is free while providing a physically dynamic environment to be enjoyed by all.” Kevin Zimmerman, Cottage Grove Lions Club member

“This project is a great asset, not only for Cottage Grove residents, but for the entire Minnesota cycling community as well.” Jason Lardy, President MN Cycling Center

“As a parent, I was excited (my children) were getting exercise while making many new friends. I would visit the park frequently and felt my boys were very safe and enjoying the activity the park had to offer.” Candi Pierre, local resident and parent to Blake (14), Brock (12), and Kate (8)

Minnesota Off-Road Cyclists is a volunteer driven 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
MORC – Gaining and Maintaining Trails

The grant funds will cover the design and construction of a World Class Dirt Jump Plaza.  To learn more about the Cottage Grove Bike Park, watch video above.  Download and print a Cottage Grove Bike Park "Vote for Us" informative poster or download the first image in this post for use on Facebook or Twitter to help spread the word.  Remember, the voting begins April 21st.