- What's up Tariq here
from our SMARTBikeTrainers.com.
If this pandemic wasn't enough to bring your riding indoors,
the cooler weather this fall will bring you inside.
But the good news is a lot has changed,
we have smart trainers, smart bikes, and smart apps
that can interact with your bike trainer
to make training more engaging and a lot more fun.
So in this video, I'm going
to take you through the top 10 indoor cycling apps,
and also just like I did in last year's video,
I'll talk about some
of the free options along the way, so pay attention.
And if you find this video helpful,
it would help the channel a lot
if you hit the like button and also subscribe,
so you do not miss videos like this.
The way it works here,
the apps I'm going to mention here are smart cycling apps,
meaning they support and interact
with smart trainers or smart bikes.
So for example, the Peloton,
even though it is extremely popular,
it did not make the list,
and that's because their app does not interact
with smart trainers other than their own bike.
So 2020 has been an interesting year for indoor cycling.
We got the pandemic, and indoor cycling became a big thing.
Some companies offered their apps for free
for a period of time when the pandemic first hit,
and some dropped their prices.
But also we've seen some apps go out of business,
and we've seen some new apps come into the scene.
I know some apps didn't make this cut this year
for one reason or another, but you can find a full list
of indoor cycling apps on SMARTBikeTrainers.com,
and you can find the link to that list
in the description of this video.
So without further ado, let's get right into it,
and these are the top 10 indoor cycling apps for 2020.
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Kinomap has been around for a long time,
and they have one of the largest library of video routes.
Their outdoor video catalog has around
a hundred thousand videos recorded
in 58 different countries.
Kinomap curated it's library mostly from users,
so you'll find all different types of videos
from all different places, and in different qualities.
Kinomap offer three different categories,
classic interval training, indoor coaching videos similar
to Spin classes geared towards cycling,
and they're on their trainers, and outdoor video rides.
As you browse through each video,
you will see who uploaded the video.
Some information about the ride itself,
such as elevation, profile, distance and length,
two user comments.
You can add videos as your favorite
or you can download the video, or you can also stream it.
Once you are done with an activity,
you can share it to TrainingPeaks,
Strava, RunKeeper, or others.
Kinomap is available on iOS devices, so the iPad and iPhone,
and also Android and is Bluetooth FTMS compatible.
Membership to Kinomap will set you buck $10 per month,
they also have an annual membership for $80,
and they even have a lifetime membership for $229.
Kinomap also offers a 14 day free trial.
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TrainerDay is new to the scene and is a perfect app,
if you are looking for something simple,
support smart trainers functionalities and cheap,
or even free, are you paying attention?
Yes, you can use it for free, completely free.
A TrainerDay app is a simple app that does one thing
and does it well, and that is executing workouts
and controlling your smart trainer
and ERG or resistance mode.
One of the strengths of this app is its simplicity,
and quick start option, you can open the app
and start your workout within few seconds.
You can switch workouts on the fly and even edit workouts.
TrainerDay contains a giant library
of cycling workouts and training plans.
You can create your own workout
by either using their web spreadsheet like Workout Creator
which is very simple and actually pretty powerful.
You can also upload your own workout file
and they accept all the common format
like Zwift file format, MRC or ERG files.
The free version is a slim down version,
you get access to 20 workouts,
however you won't be able to automatically sync
your workouts to Strava or Dropbox,
and you won't have access to their big library of workouts.
However, all the ERG functionalities in the app
will work in the free version as well,
but to get the best out of TrainerDay
and all their workouts, paying a subscription
is probably the way to go,
and their subscription costs $42 per year,
so that's like $4 per month, which is pretty cheap.
TrainerDay is available for iOS, so iPhone and iPad,
and also available for Android as well.
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BigRingVr app is one of the best videos on riding experience
in high-quality high definition videos,
and an easy to use interface with a lot of options.
Their user interface might not look very modern,
but it is straight to the point,
packed with options and easy to use.
They have close to 400 high definition videos
from 11 different countries,
and these rides can be streamed or downloaded.
You can browse through the rides by searching
for a specific ride or user different filter options.
The video quality of the rides are very well done,
and frame rate is comparable
to other applications out there.
The screen has the full elevation profile,
and another one with about two kilometer close-up
of what's coming up ahead of you.
You can bring up the keyboard shortcut menu
by clicking anywhere on the screen.
You can ride these rides in Sim mode,
or you can set a specific target watt and ride an ERG mode.
You can race against other riders that rode this course,
or compete against your own previous effort.
You also have the option to add a workout to your ride.
They have a list of workouts you can pick from,
and you can also use a Zwift Workout file,
and they also accept ERG and MRC workout files.
The workout functionality is pretty decent,
you can increase or decrease your target power
by using the keyboard arrows,
or you can skip a whole interval.
BigRingVr requires you to have a Google account
and only supports ANT plus FE-C,
and can connect to all your ANT plus sensors,
such as heart rate monitors, and Cadence Sensors.
However, unfortunately there is no Bluetooth support
as of yet, out of bump them up a few levels,
if they supported Bluetooth.
It is available for windows and Mac only,
there is no iOS version unfortunately.
BigRingVr costs, $99 for a full year membership
or $10 per month for a month by month membership.
And all membership tiers include a family plan,
and can be used on unlimited devices.
They also offers a free 14 day membership,
so give them a try and let me know anything.
♪ Chigi chigi chigi ♪
FulgGaz is one of the best apps
to use for riding real courses.
They bring the outdoor rides indoor,
and stunning video quality.
They offer 100 of rides from Tour de France stages,
even off-road courses.
FulGaz app has a very clean interface,
you can easily find rides by either doing a search,
if you are looking for a particular course or even a race.
FulGaz is compatible with almost any trainer out there,
and can easily pair with any sensor you have in Bluetooth.
They also offer support
for different trainer functionalities and accessories,
such as the Kickr Climb and Tacx Neo road Feel simulation.
FulGaz also offer the ability to add a workout to a course
or pick a workout from RV workout library they have.
You can also upload your own workout
or auto sync your daily workouts
from TrainingPeaks or today's plan.
They offer some functionality,
so I just work out intensities,
or switch between ERG mode or SIM mode.
You can ride against a virtual rider
and have that virtual rider challenge.
You can customize the Virtual Rider Power setting
on the flats and gradient,
and even how arrow you want the virtual rider to be.
FulGaz is available for Windows 10, iPad or iPhone,
Apple TV, and Android,
they do not have a Mac OS version.
Subscription to FulGaz will cost you a $13 per month,
or you can go with the annual membership $409
with the ability to have an extra family member
at no additional costs.
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RGT is known for its close realistic and sharp graphics,
also the riding physiques are a lot more realistic
with (indistinct), slowing down and leaning into corners.
RGT has eight different virtual worlds
and you can select to ride on any road you want.
You can join or create
your own group rides or races and invite others.
RGT also supports creating
your own routes based on real GPS data.
So if you have a specific route you like to ride,
or let's say you have a GPS file from a racer
you would like to pre ride, you can set it to RGT
and they will create what's called a magic road
that is based on the GPS data or route you send them.
Once your route is created, you can ride it yourself,
or schedule races or group rides on the route.
RGT supports Windows, Mac, Apple TV on iPad.
You also need an iPhone or an Android device
to use as a controller.
RGT dropped their prices to $10 per month,
and they also have a free version with limited access.
The free version gives you access to three worlds,
and you will be able to join events and races,
but you cannot create your own.
You also have limited access to their workout library.
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Rouvy is an indoor cycling application that offers thousands
of virtual high definition video routes, agumented reality,
and the ability to race, group rides, ride with your friends
and create your own route, and video routes
from your own GPS file.
And also structured cycling workouts.
Rouvy split its app into two separate apps,
Rouvy Workouts and Rouvy AR.
And just like the name says Rouvy Workout
is for structured cycling workouts,
that's where you do your interval, and download the workout
of the day from TrainingPeaks.
Rouvy AR is mostly geared toward riding courses
and augmented reality, racing and group riding.
There is no workout option in Rouvy AR,
you'll get both apps under the same subscription.
Rouvy has been partnering and hosting a lot of events,
races, and grand tours on their platform
to keep things fun and interesting and challenging.
Rouvy also offers running, it is embedded right now
and it's free to use,
but all you need is a compatible foot pad,
and you can select one of the available courses to run on.
Rouvy is available for Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android,
and it costs $15 per month,
or $14 per month for a six month subscription,
or $12 per month for an annual membership.
They also have a family sharing.
Two family members can use one subscription,
so that is an additional saving for you,
if you have more than one cyclist in your household.
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Xert is a smart training platform
that helps athletes a coach themselves.
It does this by doing a deep dive
into your data to measure your fitness,
and discover certain patterns that are unique to you,
and use all that information and present you
with certain recommendations based
on your current fitness and goals.
Xert tracks changes
in your fitness without requiring testing.
You just upload your data and Xert runs some algorithm
and tells you when you are improving and by how much
and calculate your FTP automatically,
without having to suffer through an FTP test.
Their smart training recommendation engine determines
the amount, and type of training you to do
to reach your goals.
Xert will recommend workouts for you to do
and guide you through the workout.
Their workout player will monitor your fitness in real time,
and adjust the intensity and duration
of your workout down to each interval.
The Xert Workout Player is also available
for Garmin connect IQ.
You can see your latest fitness signature,
download your selected workout,
and it configures the exact workout interval, intensities
and duration specific to you.
And then plays that workout using
your power meter and/or smart trainer.
Also all their workouts are available to download
as an ERG or ZWO files,
if you want to use Zwift for example,
however smart workouts or smart functionalities
will no longer be smart in Zwift,
all the correct wattage and durations are calculated
when you export the workout file.
But the workup player
in Zwift does not support determined wattage
or duration, like the Xert player itself.
Xert works with ANT plus FE-C
or Bluetooth FTMS compatible trainers or any power meter,
and it costs $10 per month or $100 per year.
And they do have a free 30 day trial.
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The Sufferfest offers a big library
of structure cycling workouts and training plans
for different cycling disciplines.
And their workouts have a different flavor to them,
a lot of their workouts are accompanied with video footage
of real professional racing
from Tour de France, UCI and other.
So as you are playing a video of a professional race,
the plot is that
you are basically part of that race,
representing this mythical country called Sufferlandria.
The workouts for the most part are structured in a way
to match the race footage you are watching.
So for example, if there is an attack in the workout
or a sprint, you will see a sprint in the video,
and you will be instructed to sprint.
If there is a climb, you will be instructed to climb,
and you will see a climb footage from the video.
You'll also see a lot of funny and sarcastic commentaries
that are meant to keep you engaged and motivated.
The Sufferfest is Bluetooth compatible
and ANT Plus if using Windows, PC or Mac OS,
and it's compatible with most smart trainers,
and supports pairing heart rate monitors,
power meters and power match as well.
The Sufferfest also offers a different training plans
for all type of riding, including triathlons and e-racing
and customize your training plan on the fly.
You can also go for a more custom plan,
and for a one-time fee,
you can work with one of their coaches
to build a plan that is specific for you.
They also offer yoga, strength training
and mental toughness.
The Sufferfest is available for Mac, Windows and iOS devices
and costs $15 per month or $129 per year.
A 14 day free trial is available.
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TrainerRoad offers a huge library
of power base cycling workouts.
You can browse through hundreds of workouts
or create your own using TrainerRoad Workouts Creator
or import your workouts of the day
from TrainingPeaks or Final Surge.
They also have a well-designed
and comprehensive structure training plans
for triathletes, off-road cyclists,
road racers, and other disciplines.
Training plans are divided
into high, medium, and low volume.
And you can customize a start and end date of each plan
to fit your schedule.
You can move workouts around to indicate
which day of the week you want
to do certain type of workouts,
and whether you want to do the workouts indoor,
on your smart trainer, or outside using your Garmin Edge
or Wahoo ELEMNT by computer.
TrainerRoad also offers a group workouts
where you can do the same workout
with up to 10 other athletes
while sharing live video, voice, and data.
This is a great way to keep you motivated
and accountable for your workouts.
TrainerRoad also offers a great analytic tool
to analyze your rides and do a power analysis
for each ride and throughout your season.
And one of the unique things about TrainerRoad
is the have a great and busy community
on their forum and Facebook.
They also have a great podcast,
so check that one out as well.
TrainerRoad is $19.95 per month,
or $189.95 per year.
And if you have a good friend
with a TrainerRoad account ask your friend
to send you a free 30 day trial code.
TrainerRoad is available for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android,
and supports Bluetooth and it's ANT plus.
And this is not a surprise, but the number one spot goes
to yes, you guessed it Zwift,
Zwift is social and offers many options
to keep you challenged, entertained
at any one time during the indoor riding season,
you can be on the course
with thousands of other cyclists, all in real time.
Zwift offers a number of virtual worlds.
Some are emerging routes such as Utopia,
that's their biggest animals popular world,
and other worlds design after real places
such as London, Richmond, New York City,
Innsbruck, Paris, Yorkshire and others.
Zwift offers the following,
a free-riding basically pick a world, a route
and just go ride at your own pace.
A group rides, racing, structured workouts and the ability
to import workouts from other third party apps,
such as TrainingPeaks and they also offer group workouts.
They also offer running, group runs,
run races, and running workouts.
Also Zwift offers training plans
for cycling and running as well.
Zwift also offers a number of challenges, events and rewards
to keep you motivated, addicted,
and just coming back for more.
Zwift as of this video costs $15 per month
and is available on Windows, Mac, iOS,
Android, and Apple TV, there, you have it.
These are the top 10 apps for 2020,
if there's a specific cycling app, I did not mention here,
and you would like to nominate it,
put it down in the comments section.
I would love to know what you guys use.
Thank you for watching and happy training
and see you guys in the next video.
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