Indoor cycling apps?
Discussion
Harpoon said:
What are you after?
Group rides / racing a la Zwift? There's Rouvy and RGT (recently acquired by Wahoo, so now part of Wahoo X)
Or solo, structured training? Trainer Road and Wahoo X (aka Wahoo Systm and before that Sufferfest)
I used Zwift for racing and training but wondered has the game moved on?Group rides / racing a la Zwift? There's Rouvy and RGT (recently acquired by Wahoo, so now part of Wahoo X)
Or solo, structured training? Trainer Road and Wahoo X (aka Wahoo Systm and before that Sufferfest)
The teacher said:
Check out MyWhoosh. I like it as it's free. It's being improved all the time.
I used to Zwift but found myself getting annoyed when I didn't use it much as was still paying for it.
Bother. 1st app that won't run on my cheapo but excellent Lenovo tablet. Min android spec is 5Mb ram. Tablet has 4Mb. I used to Zwift but found myself getting annoyed when I didn't use it much as was still paying for it.
https://mywhoosh.com/docs/what-devices-are-compati...
I've got both Zwift and TrainerRoad.
There's some in the cycling community that say if you want best results in FTP gain and fitness than TrainerRoad is for you. I have to agree with that too.
My best results has been with TR. They have a better selection of programs and workouts. Plus many also work in parts of your ride which you don't think about - at least I never did.
Zwift I've kept for the academy, group rides and events.
There's some in the cycling community that say if you want best results in FTP gain and fitness than TrainerRoad is for you. I have to agree with that too.
My best results has been with TR. They have a better selection of programs and workouts. Plus many also work in parts of your ride which you don't think about - at least I never did.
Zwift I've kept for the academy, group rides and events.
In 2020 completed trials of Rouvy, Zwift, RGT, Bkool, Trainerroad and Sufferfest. YMMV but I felt the best balance was using RGT for "rides" and Sufferfest for "training". Then Wahoo bought them both, which worked nicely as they combined them both for only 1 subscription.
I only use the RGT app occasionally (e.g. in crap winter weather). But I'll jump onto SUF a couple of times a week all year round (e.g. for a 30-60 minute sesh before work).
The others were OK and perfectly usable, but not my cup of tea.
ETA: specifically re not choosing Zwift: I found it too gamey and gimmicky. RGT also feels more like a simulator than a game controller, so it's more like actually riding your bike. Zwift does have a more populated world, which is better for the social side if that's your thing.
I only use the RGT app occasionally (e.g. in crap winter weather). But I'll jump onto SUF a couple of times a week all year round (e.g. for a 30-60 minute sesh before work).
The others were OK and perfectly usable, but not my cup of tea.
ETA: specifically re not choosing Zwift: I found it too gamey and gimmicky. RGT also feels more like a simulator than a game controller, so it's more like actually riding your bike. Zwift does have a more populated world, which is better for the social side if that's your thing.
Edited by Jacobyte on Thursday 29th December 17:18
I’ve tried them all and Zwift is the only one that I’m happy to pay for. There are bits of the others that are better but as an overall package, Zwift is miles ahead in most areas.
And for anyone worried about paying for it in the summer months when you’re riding outside, you can pause a Zwift subscription any time.
And for anyone worried about paying for it in the summer months when you’re riding outside, you can pause a Zwift subscription any time.
I started using a smart trainer about a year ago following an off that had me off the bike for a few months and after trying a few with free trials etc, I settled on Rouvy.
Not sure why but it's just the one i gelled with and the one I found myself gravitating towards every time I wanted to have a pedal. Think it's the augmented reality and the fact your're pedalling to the playback of a video which puts you in the actual area you're riding. There's also so much on there that you can always find something new or something to fit exactly the kind of session you want. I can even go for a pedal round my local area!
I'm now a full on convert to indoor training and love it, especially this time of year. I'm a mountain biker not a roadie so spent about a grand buying a cheap road bike, the trainer itself and some roadie shoes. Big initial outlay (for me at least) but it's had and will continue to get some hammer so it's more than pad for itself in my eyes.
Not sure why but it's just the one i gelled with and the one I found myself gravitating towards every time I wanted to have a pedal. Think it's the augmented reality and the fact your're pedalling to the playback of a video which puts you in the actual area you're riding. There's also so much on there that you can always find something new or something to fit exactly the kind of session you want. I can even go for a pedal round my local area!
I'm now a full on convert to indoor training and love it, especially this time of year. I'm a mountain biker not a roadie so spent about a grand buying a cheap road bike, the trainer itself and some roadie shoes. Big initial outlay (for me at least) but it's had and will continue to get some hammer so it's more than pad for itself in my eyes.
I seem to be in the minority of people who don't get/understand Zwift. I don't need or want to interact with anyone when I'm on a workout ... if its an interval session, chances are I can't talk or think anyway. 
I appreciate that it keeps a lot of people motivated to ride indoors which is a good thing.
I appreciate that it keeps a lot of people motivated to ride indoors which is a good thing. O/P have you looked at BigringVR? I like the look of it, but don't have a suitable Windows machine to run it on.
https://www.bigringvr.com/
https://www.bigringvr.com/
I've tried them all and keep coming back to fulgaz.
It can be a bit hit and miss in connectivity, but once connected its much more realistic than rouvy, as the rides are mostly recorded on a bike, rather than a car/motorhome, so work better at slower speed, it's also not got that cartoon avatar rouvy insist on.
I've done alps d'huez, stelvio, and mont ventoux on it, and it's the only app that's kept my attention long enough to finish them. Even if I had to lie on the floor afterwards.
Its biggest downside is the creator/ previous owner is a knob, hates criticism and frequently blocks users from the Facebook page if they are critical in any way
It can be a bit hit and miss in connectivity, but once connected its much more realistic than rouvy, as the rides are mostly recorded on a bike, rather than a car/motorhome, so work better at slower speed, it's also not got that cartoon avatar rouvy insist on.
I've done alps d'huez, stelvio, and mont ventoux on it, and it's the only app that's kept my attention long enough to finish them. Even if I had to lie on the floor afterwards.
Its biggest downside is the creator/ previous owner is a knob, hates criticism and frequently blocks users from the Facebook page if they are critical in any way
I'm in the market for a new smart trainer. The last ironman I did was about 6 years ago and I used sufferfest a lot which I can see is now part of wahoo but as my experience is so dated I wondered if I'd benefit from fresh opinions on my trainer app. Does zwift offer similar or would I be better off just getting wahoo and using sufferfest? I'm not completely sure I'd benefit from the social rides as I like the quick get on and get smashed efforts sufferfest offered. Is zwift only about the social element?
Zwift has structured training workouts and programmes, so might cover everything.
I subscribe both to Zwift & Wahoo X. I do the odd structured workout on Zwift but have tried and tested favourites in Wahoo (Sufferfest) that I enjoy taking a kicking from. I also use the Yoga session Wahoo includes for off-bike work. Zwift for me is more group rides or racing.
Hit the free trials and decide from there. My Saris H3 came with a 30 day Zwift trial and you can get 14 days Wahoo free.
I subscribe both to Zwift & Wahoo X. I do the odd structured workout on Zwift but have tried and tested favourites in Wahoo (Sufferfest) that I enjoy taking a kicking from. I also use the Yoga session Wahoo includes for off-bike work. Zwift for me is more group rides or racing.
Hit the free trials and decide from there. My Saris H3 came with a 30 day Zwift trial and you can get 14 days Wahoo free.
Zwift has a large library of workouts and workout programmes too. You don't have to do group rides, pace partner rides or races.
Another vote for FulGaz here - great way to see different parts of the world. Does leave me a little cold compared with the 'living' worlds of Zwift with thousands of others cycling around though.
Another vote for FulGaz here - great way to see different parts of the world. Does leave me a little cold compared with the 'living' worlds of Zwift with thousands of others cycling around though.
Scolmore said:
Another vote for FulGaz here - great way to see different parts of the world. Does leave me a little cold compared with the 'living' worlds of Zwift with thousands of others cycling around though.
I'm even more intrigued now as I've no interest in the social aspect of it, i just want to get my head down and crank away to some music, not bothered about the 'social' aspect of it. Gassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff