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I just started getting back into riding my bike. I’m an avid Run Keeper user, but when I started to read about Xtrail – The GPS Fitness Tracker, I was intrigued by all its features. I had the opportunity to review this app during my evening workout yesterday, and I can safely say that I’m impressed.

Xtrail transforms the iPhone into a GPS fitness tracker. It not only records distance and speed but it can also measure time, pace, altitude, climb and calories burned. The coolest feature that sets it apart are the customizable widgets that exercise enthusiasts can place at the top of the screen while they break a sweat.

From the map screen, users can select their desired exercise by tapping on the small stick figure icon in the upper right corner. Users have the option to select from a wide range of activities like running and walking to skiing and rowing. After an activity is selected, the app allows users to then add widgets to the screen by swiping left or right at the top. These widgets include speed, time elapsed, calories burned, climb, altitude, distance, pace, best speed and average speed. It’s neat to fill the screen with widgets to view the live stats while working out, but they do push the map down further so users will need to scroll down while working out if they wish to see it.

Once the workout is complete, Xtrail lets users analyze their performance by looking at at each mile on a detailed map. They can see all their stats, rate how they felt during the ride, input the weather and even look at all the statistics over time on the interactive graph.

Each workout is organized by date or activity and anyone who has iCloud enabled can access their activity on the larger iPad screen. Along with viewing the information on the iPad screen, users can also share a link to their workout via Facebook, Twitter, mail, messages and email via a GPX file.

I only had a couple of gripes when using the app. One is that users can’t record new workouts on the iPad. I know not everyone would want to lug around the device while working out, but it would be nice to throw it in the backpack and use it when hiking because the map is a lot easier to read on the larger screen. The second is that there is no iPod music integration with playlists, which is a feature that other cheaper trackers include.

Overall, Xtrail is an intuitive app that is one of the better fitness trackers available in the App Store. The interface is simple and clean and it has plenty of features to help users keep track of their fitness activities. You won’t be disappointed in purchasing this one.