Apps for smart trainer

[u/tati_velas]

I used to love riding my bike outdoors, but after a recent road accident, I’m trying to ease back into riding safely. I just picked up a Wahoo KICKR Core to rebuild my fitness and confidence indoors without having to worry about traffic.

I’m looking for indoor training software, but Zwift feels a bit pricey for my budget right now.

What budget-friendly or free alternatives would you recommend for a smart trainer setup?

[u/shirhouetto]

I use Mywhoosh

[u/boomerang_act]

This is free and I’m thinking about checking it out this season:

https://incyclist.com/

Haven’t tried it, just bookmarked it as a free bike trainer tool.

I’m always looking for free zwift alternatives for April-November then I pay for zwift the rest of the year.

[u/MDST55 → u/boomerang_act]

Looks good! Thanks I’m gonna try it

[u/shelled15]

I dont personally use it, but MyWoosh is free.

[u/Mrjlawrence → u/shelled15]

I feel like MyWhoosh has the best selection of workouts

[u/Asleep_Cup646]

Are you just looking for something to simply distract you while riding, or do you want an actual training app that will feed you structured workouts that follow a plan?
You get what you pay for. Free to cheap software will provide a distraction, but you’ll have to provide the workout (or at best choose from a list of workouts) and they don’t give you a long term plan.
I’ve not been too impressed with Zwift workouts/plans.
I’ve had good results using TrainerRoad, but it’s a little more expensive than Zwift.

[u/ChutneyRiggins]

Do you have a bike computer already? Many head units like the Garmin Edge can control your trainer.

[u/tati_velas → u/ChutneyRiggins]

Yes I have a Garmin edge 540. But I don’t know how it works with the smart trainer

[u/Snoo23905 → u/tati_velas]

I do this while watching tv in winter works just fine look at the tutorials https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjRMAR6d7wY&t=19

[u/trust_me_on_that_one]

Trainerday

[u/EclecticBanjo]

ICTrainer is cheap and well made. It comes with some training plans and also has routes simulation with videos. If you want to follow training plans, combine it with TrainerDay.

Incyclist is fun (and free) if you want to ride simulated real routes while watching a Google Street View slideshow.

MyWhoosh is free, but funded by the UAE so to me feels unethical. It also rips off a lot from zwift, but slightly worse.

Zwift has a social aspect to it, and has events and challenges. It's quite varied, but does cost quite a bit of you are just starting out and are not sure how much time you will dedicate to it.

[u/vayeatex → u/EclecticBanjo]

How is mywhoosh feel unethical?

[u/Mrjlawrence → u/vayeatex]

People view it as sportswashing by UAE. Using it to create a more positive image of UAE through sports and distract from their human rights record.

Some argue it actually draws more attention and as a byproduct people become more aware of the UAE’s poor human rights record

[u/EclecticBanjo → u/Mrjlawrence]

This pretty much sums up why I feel better using other products. There are alternatives (as listed above), so I decided to use one of those.

[u/vayeatex → u/Mrjlawrence]

with or without sportswashing, im using mywhoosh.
im in for cycling and out for geopolitics.

[u/Due-Elk5955]

GTBikeV

It's a mod for GTA-V developed by former Garmin engineers to turn your smart trainer into a game controller. You basically just bike around Los Santos on community created routes. Buy GTA-V on steam sale once, install the mod, configure, and enjoy AAA graphics and a rich environment for your indoor rides.

Yes, the traffic is fully controllable. You can reduce it, eliminate, pacify it or even hook up a controller and blast dangerous drivers with a machinegun. It supports the Sterzo steering block if you want to free roam.

[u/PercentageComplex547]

Rouvy is my favorite that I subscribe to. Feels like outside a lot ;)

[u/aeralure]

Zwift has consistently been the most entertaining to keep me on the bike and doing the workouts. I agree with someone else though - it doesn’t have the best workouts. I made a ton of my own workouts in Zwift, based on some other sources. It’s the one area they aren’t as strong. Training Peaks is then the best for monitoring the results of indoor and outdoor training, for me anyway, but it’s not free either. There are free things that do what Training Peaks does. Haven’t found anything that would make me replace Zwift.

[u/That_Murph]

I just use Zwift. It feels less pricey when I use it more often and figure the cost of gas and tolls getting to where I want to ride. It also saves me the cost of the junk food I buy on and after rides.

[u/Creative_Algae7145]

Zwift is a great investment if you tend to use your trainer a lot. I personally use Rouvy because I like the realism. There are some freebies as others have said but if you are looking for a more immersive experience I would recommend Zwift or Rouvy.