My iPhone is quickly taking over as my outdoor computer of choice. I regularly use it to track my hikes and now with the Bluetooth sensors from Wahoo Fitness, my iPhone doubles as my cycling computer on all of my mountain bike rides. Using the new Wahoo Blue SC speed and cadence sensor together with my Blue HR heart rate strap , the Strava app running on my iPhone captures all my performance data along with the detailed GPS route information without any extra phone attachments.
The Wahoo Blue SC is a Bluetooth Smart (4.0) cycling speed and cadence sensor made for the iPhone 4S. The sensor, combined with an app such as Strava, transforms your iPhone into a regular cycling computer. The Wahoo Blue SC connects wirelessly to the iPhone 4S to track your cycling speed, cadence, and distance.
The Blue SC is extremely easy to set up. Anyone who has ever attached a speed and cadence sensor on their bike before will have no problem. I chose to use the rubber band mount but the package also includes a pair of zip ties if you prefer. If it's your first time attaching a speed and cadence sensor, Wahoo created a video to help you through the process. Operating instructions are not included in the package but you can get them online at the Wahoo Fitness site with a QR Code to help you find the exact web address.
If your sensor seems off after you have ridden for awhile, you can calibrate your wheel size settings either on the sensors pairing page in the Wahoo Fitness App or inside the Wahoo Odometer app. The Wahoo Blue SC's odometer functionality supposedly tracks the lifetime distance you put on your bike and stores the data inside the device. Whether you ride with or without your iPhone, as long as you have your Blue SC you will always know the total mileage of your bike.
Using the free Wahoo Fitness Odometer App, you can sync all your data once in range of your iPhone 4S to see the the lifetime mileage of your bike by week, month, and year. Unfortunately, my Blue SC odometer doesn't appear to be working. I went to sync the data recently and it came up a big fat zero, even though I have been using the sensor on my bike for a good few months now.
On a mountain bike, the magnet for the speed sensor can easily get knocked around and out of alignment when you crash, ride through bushes, or simply rest your bike on the ground. If your speed appears to be off, this might be the first thing to check, though the iPhone app will most likely revert to GPS to record your speed if it can not find the sensor.
One of the main limitations of the Blue SC is that it only works with the iPhone 4S at the moment. I personally own an iPhone 4 but luckily my other half has an iPhone 4S so I use that when heading out on my mountain bike rides. The key is to not forget to log him out of Strava and log myself in so he doesn't get all the credit and Kudos for my rides.
Bottom Line: If you are a performance data junky with an iPhone 4S and haven't already invested in a full ANT+ cycling computer setup, the Wahoo Blue SC / Blue HR combo can't be beat for recording your rides.
The Wahoo Blue SC retails for $59.99 and is available now.
