With a renewed focus on indoor training across the globe, many trainer apps are fast-forwarding features they had planned for later, offering promos, or doing various unique events to help folks pass the time.
As required by internet law, Friday posts need to be quick and efficient. And being Friday, I’ve got sorting and organizing to do. So this post is just a quick round-up of all the indoor trainer app events and worthwhile announcements that you might not be aware of.
To which, you’re asking- what about a complete indoor trainer app round-up! Yup – that’s coming. For realz this time. It’ll be out early next week, covering in-depth ten leading indoor training apps. It resurrects what I had started last fall, but I’m putting in time on all the apps again, just to catch anything that’s changed since then.
Trainer App Announcements:
Here’s the round-up. I’m not going to dig into the analysis too much in any of these, I’ll save the app analysis for next week’s massive app guide. Mostly because I’ve already written about half of those analysis pieces, and we can’t have any word-hoarding going on around here. It’s hard enough to find bread, veggies, and Speculoos cookies at the store without me using up all the words too.
FulGaz: They’re running a Tour of Europe schedule the next 16 days or so, which has a highlighted epic ride/route each day, taking roughly an hour. These are from different countries across Europe – including rides like the Cap Formentor (probably one of my top 2-3 favorite rides in the world, to Alpe d’Huez). For those not familiar, FulGaz shoots high-quality videos outdoors and then allows you to re-ride them indoors on a variety of platforms, in conjunction with your smart trainer. Also, they’ve got the best and most nuanced implementation of Wahoo KICKR Climb support, which adds to the realism. Oh, and you can get a free 30-day trial using code 58cofg.
RGT Cycling (Road Grand Tours): They’re offering free premium access to everyone, as of earlier this week. That’s normally $15/month. Road Grand Tours is roughly like Zwift in concept, except all their routes are available all the time (versus only two worlds in Zwift). Of course, Zwift has boatloads more users. RGT can connect to your smart trainer and control the resistance according to terrain. They also have races and structured workouts. This video from SmartBikeTrainers yesterday recaps the differences well, but, there’s no better time to try out RGT now that they’ve made it available to everyone. Again, I’ll dive into it in more detail next week. I’ve been using a combo of Apple TV + my iPhone, but there’s a variety of ways you can do it.
Zwift: They’re not running any promos, but they’ve kicked up into high gear the number of events. The most prominent one (aside from Tour of Watopia, where you get double XP right now) is they’re running a Where the World Rides series with Team Mitchelton-SCOTT. It’s super cool, really cool. There’s been pro workouts that you can join in on Zwift-live, plus live streaming on their Facebook page. There’s only a few more days left, but it’s even worthwhile going back and watching some of the previous stuff. And who knows, maybe they’ll add more.
Peloton: The company is offering a free 90-day trial of their digital app, which enables you to try out the entire Peloton platform free during that duration (normally $12/month). There’s no difference in the classes you get when you have a full Peloton bike versus just the app, and you can use tons of devices – even a web browser, to play back the content (live or pre-recorded). For those of you that prefer structured workouts, I’d recommend trying out the power zone workouts, and in particular I enjoy the Christian Vande Velde classes (former pro cyclist). If you’ve never tried Peloton before, and are a bit skeptical, doing the free trial and taking one of his classes might change your mind a bit. Or, at the very least, you’ll have suffered immensely by the end of it. The only downside to the digital app compared to the bike though is that you can only connect HR and cadence sensors, not wattage. So you’ll have to track that on your own.
Rouvy: The company is donating 1EUR to an Italian fund for every person who completes a challenge featuring rides from around Italy. Also, they’ve got a free 30-day trial atop that. Rouvy as an app is largely focused on re-riding outdoor routes from around the world indoors. They’ve got thousands and thousands of videos recorded from all corners of this globe. They’ve also got structured training options too, as well as races and augmented reality type functionality where they overlay avatars on real-world courses.
In addition, Rouvy is also launching a Spring Classics race against real-world pros each day at 17:00 UTC. You can log in- and race against them in real-time, as well as then have the entire thing livestreamed and commented on over on YouTube daily.
BKool: The company is running a ‘Stay Home Cup’, which is featuring stages from events that would normally be occurring right now. So this includes re-riding courses from things like Paris-Nice and Strade Bianche. The platform works with any smart trainer and has apps on most device types. They’re running a 30-day trial right now as well, so you can give it a whirl before having to pay anything.
BigRingVR: The company is running a free 30-day challenge with access to the app and highlighted rides from around the world. There are 11 rides in 11 countries highlighting some of the best content within BigRingVR. The company focuses on re-riding outdoor rides using your smart trainer with either a Windows PC or a Mac. Normally access is $10/month.
Veloviewer: The analytics company that’s popular with Strava users for deep dives into your data, has made their virtual leaderboards for segments on Zwift and RGT. They’re working to get ones for FulGaz and Wattbike soon too. If you haven’t checked out Veloviewer in general, you definitely should. You’ll also find their app running inside virtually every UCI WorldTour Pro team…well, when they’re actually racing. :-/
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CVRcade: The free indoor training app (which connects to your smart trainer) is doing group rides that anyone can join in, and it’s also streamed in Mixer as well. There’s one on Sunday Mar 21st at 10 AM US Pacific – 5 PM GMT – 4 AM AEDT (Sunday), and then also group rides that can be joined every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.
The Sufferfest: The company that has both cycling focused and strength/yoga workouts as part of their popular online training suite, has made a few of their beginning strength training videos available on YouTube. These are all bodyweight workouts, so they can be done without any extra equipment in your isolated living room today.
TrainRight/Carmichael Training System: They’ve made their entire indoor workout collection set of videos totally free to download or play direct from YouTube. Pretty crazy! Hit up the linkage here.
Tacx Training Suite: The company is offering an extended free 30-day trial of their multifaceted training app (includes structured workouts, real courses, and virtual courses), plus launching a spring classics series and additionally added more real course rides this week.
Ok – if you’ve got other trainer app deals or special events related to keeping people indoors, then feel to let me know down below. I’ll curate those back up here into the list as they happen.
Trainer/Cycling Deals:
Finally, again, keeping things quick – we’re seeing a renewal of indoor trainer deals. In talking with numerous trainer companies, sales are (unsurprisingly) mind-bogglingly strong for them right now. This at a time of year where things normally start to thin out. I suspect at some point that’ll shift from the reality of amazing trainer deals, to the inability to actually get products out of retailers/warehouses and to consumers as more and more businesses shut down.
Oh – and don’t forget about the full indoor smart trainer buyers guide available here! It’s up to date and accurate!
But for now – go forth and splurge on that new trainer. Or, sit inside and enjoy ice cream. Or do both. That’s my choice.
Note: Generally speaking on the REI 20% off deals, historically with trainers we don’t tend to see them re-order once they go out of stock mid-sale. In other words, turn to your approval department across the couch now, versus waiting. Also, in talking with multiple trainer companies and retailers, inventory is starting to dry up a bit here. Nobody planned for this, and some companies are posting record trainer sales these last few weeks. With production in some cases stopped entirely, expect smart trainer inventory shortages to likely start occurring. Said differently, get it while you can.
The 20% deals for both Clever Training & REI require you do a one-time join of their VIP program. In the case of REI that’s $20, whereas Clever Training is $5. Clever Training donates that to the Girls On the Run Charity. Either retailer supports the site.
| Product | Sale Price | Amazon | Other site | Sale Notes |
 | Garmin Edge 1040 Cycling GPS - $100 off! | $499 | Amazon | | This is a good deal, especially since it's gotten virtually all of the Edge 1050 updates, and then a boatload more. That said, it wouldn't surprise me to see this drop further to $449, as it did this past summer. |
 | Garmin Edge 540 - $100 off | $249 | Amazon | REI | ⚡⚡This is the lowest price we've seen on the Garmin Edge 540 to date, which has gained virtually all of the new Garmin Edge 1050 features as well. This is kinda an insane deal for this unit. |
 | Garmin Edge 540 Solar - $100 off | $349 | Amazon | REI | This is the lowest price we've seen on the Garmin Edge 540 Solar to date, which has gained virtually all of the new Garmin Edge 1050 features as well. |
 | Garmin Edge 840 - $100 off | $349 | Amazon | REI | ⚡⚡This is the lowest price we've seen on the Garmin Edge 840 to date, which has gained virtually all of the new Garmin Edge 1050 features as well. This is one of my main units I use daily. |
 | Garmin Edge 840 Solar - $100 off | $449 | Amazon | REI | This is the lowest price we've seen on the Garmin Edge 840 Solar to date, which has gained virtually all of the new Garmin Edge 1050 features as well. |
 | Garmin Edge Explore 2 - $40 off
$299 | $269 | Amazon | Competitive Cyclist | This is a great little unit, though, with the sales on the Edge 540 and 840 series, you might want to look at those instead. |
(There’s not really a good way for me to remove the non-trainer cycling deals in here, so I just let them be.)
Oh, and finally, Clever Training is running a 20% off most sports tech things (one-time VIP sale), minus Garmin/GoPro/Fitbit/SRAM stuff. But stuff included is many power meters, watches from Suunto and Polar (including the Suunto 7), and plenty more. Dive in here:
With that – stay safe, and have as good a weekend as you can…within the confines of our collective situation. Perhaps I’ll do/schedule a livestream trainer ride where we can jump on? If there’s any interest in that, let me know in the comments below.
Thanks again!
anxiously awaiting some canadian trainer deals… :)
A G R E E – have reached out to Kinetic by Kurt, Wahoo and Taxc and they all say to contact your local store / distributor, but all Canadian store prices (including sales) are at least 20% – 40% more than these (after exchange).
Kurt Kinetic is offering 30% off + free FedEx international shipping (to Canada)
fyi: you can add a wahoo cadence sensor to the peleton ipad app.. setup my wife last night on it
Did the same thing for my wife with a wahoo cadence sensor.
Oh that’s right – but I think it actually requires the Wahoo sensor specifically, right? I’ll double-check it sometime this weekend.
A live stream would be nice, even maybe with you and Shane (timezone allowing)
Tomorrow on CVRcade there will be group ride activities lasting two hours and streamed on Mixer. As always the game is free-to-play and downloadable at http://www.cvrcade.com:
10 AM PDT – 5 PM GMT – 4 AM AEDT (Sunday)
Group rides can be joined every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.
Thanks, added in!
Thanks for including Peloton in this list. Let me share my experience here…
I’ve had a Tacx trainer for a couple of years, used it first with TrainerRoad then Zwift. Frankly, it was a pain in the ass. Putting my bike on and off. Calibrating and re-calibrating. Setting up my laptop. Pairing the sensors. It took so long that often I’d just lose the motivation to workout. Plus I found TrainerRoad a drag, and the novelty of Zwift soon wore off. In the meantime, my wife (a spin addict) bought herself a Peloton. Snobbishly, I stuck to my trainer – Peloton is just for soccer moms right? But then I tried it – and I LOVED it!! It is ridiculously easy to use and totally addictive. I’m working out at least 3x more than I ever did on my trainer and have seen fantastic gains in my FTP. Yes, it’s a bit more expensive (although you can save a ton by buying a secondhand bike) but if you’re serious about becoming a better cyclist, it’s worth it. Just my $0.02…!
Why didn’t you build our buy a bike to sit permanently on a direct drive trainer? Putting a bike on and off is a faff!
At The Sufferfest, we have made our Beginner Level 1 Strength Training videos available for free on YouTube, Perfect for those who are stuck-in and want to keep their fitness up. Do both episodes weekly for four weeks with at least two days rest in-between. link to youtu.be
We also have quite a few other things coming next week which we’ll let you know about as soon as they launch, Ray.
Thanks David – just added in!
I see what you mean about REI items on sale. Seems like they were out of stock of the Neo even before the sale began. I checked first thing this morning and it was marked “in stock soon”….
Yup, but good news, Clever Training has just matched the sale, and actually have NEO 2T’s in stock. Linkage up above!
The 2018 Wahoo Kickr Smrt reconditioned is $749.99 on the US site too
Thanks for the awesome summary of tools to try while we are all hostages to COVID-19. And, in the Peloton section: while the VdV might change your ‘might’ a bit, I *think* that you meant ‘mind’…
Thanks!
I’m just getting into smart trainers. I have been using an old cycle ops wheel on trainer that I found in a dumpster.
I’ve been between Elite Suito and Kickr Core for a long time (and now Elite Directo X) and was wondering what people would choose at the following price points
– Elite Suito $800
– Kickr Core $900 ($720 after 20% at REI)
– Elite Directo X $800 ($640 after 20% off at REI)
I have long like the Elite Suito coming with a cassette, being already assembled, and folding flat (I live in a small place). However it comes with 11 speed cassette and I have 10 speed cassettes on my bikes and since it is not on sale that I have seen it is now more expensive than the other two. Anyone with more experience have any thoughts that could help me make a decision?
According to Ray’s reviews the Direto X was the best release, i.e. fewest issues and “just worked” of the three. That said I think the other two have have been updated and are working. I know it is REI but if you can get a new serial number (I have no idea how to check) then you should be good.
That said…I have my eye out for a good deal on the Saris (Cyclops) H2 or H3 (original Hammer if you can stand the noise). I would even get a used H2 or H3 over the your list.
I’d likely narrow it down to CORE or Direto X.
The Direto X is definitely the the one you’re least likely to have any issues with (because nobody has issues with it). Still, I think most people are pretty safe on a CORE. From a pure ‘which trainer is better’ standpoint, I’d generally take a CORE over a Direto X. Just my two cents.
Note that Clever Training has matched the 20% off sale, so everything trainer-wise is now 20% off.
Regarding the Suito coming with an 11 speed cassette and your bike having a 10 speed derailleur: if you don’t shift you could just use the 11 speed cassette until it’s worn out and get a 10 speed cassette and spacer later. There will be some gears that run fine. I only do ERG workouts (on Xert) on my Direto (11sp cassette and 11sp bike), the only times I shift are when I’m starting a ride, just to select a gear somewhere in the middle. I bought my Direto second hand and it came with an 11-25 cassette that wasn’t a match for my medium length derailleur, but it worked fine in the right gears and after a year I put my semi-used road cassette on my trainer because I bought new wheels. Anyway a 105 cassette costs €40 so I wouldn’t base my choice of trainer on something that’s 5% of the total cost, but it’s neat that you can just pull a Suito from the box and start riding it without getting your hands dirty.
So it depends on the kind of workouts you’re going to be doing and on what platform, if you’re only doing ERG it really doesn’t matter that you can’t shift.
It’s true that the Suito folding flat is handy, the Direto X has folding legs but it’s not really easy to carry because the legs flap out, the Kickr Core is the worst to store, doesn’t fold at all. But it’s probably the better trainer, my Direto is lacking a bit when doing ERG micro intervals, I suspect the Suito won’t be much better.
Got an email from CTS who have made their entire indoor workout video collection free. The link the gave was this:
link to trainright.com
Thanks – just added it in. Pretty impressive.
I am trying to decide on my first smart trainer. I think I have it narrowed down to three.
Tacx Neo 2 – $900
Wahoo Kickr Core – $900
Wahoo Kickr 2018 Reconditioned – $750
Any advice?
First, note that with the KICKR CORE at 20% off, that gets you down to $720. Which, honestly makes your situation even more difficult.
They’re all good trainers, you won’t be unhappy with any of them. I tend to use the NEO series as my go-to most days when not testing something, simply because I never have to deal with calibration and kinda like the road feel bits.
Hey Ray, last time the 20% sale came on Clever Training, the Assioma pedals were included in that sale. Any clue if that may happen again?
Any deals in mainland Europe? Is 4iiii fliiiight available somewhere in Europe now? Found in UK, however it’s not deliverable to rest of the EU.
Nuttin much that I know of.
I am looking for a trainer which I will mostly use with my mountain bike. I am trying to decide between a kickr, kickr core, or Neo 2. They are all in the same ball park regarding price given current sales so that is less of a concern. What i am most concerned about is if it will stay quiet over the life of the product and if it will accommodate a mountain bike training style, slower cadence and steep climbs. Would the “wheel slip” on a NEO 2 be a problem for me?
For reference I weight 155lbs and my i max out on a spin bike at around 370watts. (Is the spin bike measuring wattage differently than on these machines?) I am usually in the bottom third of strava times at my local trails but finished second in a spin class against the 30-40 other participants. Not super strong but not unfit.
Which trainer should I get?
Thanks
For some reason, the 4iiii Fliiiight doesn’t seem to be working with the MARCH20 code on Clever Training. I reached out to their support to see what’s up.
Just sent over a note to try and get it all sorted/fixed. Hang tight!
Worked for me just now! Thanks for your help, Ray!
Overwhelming list of apps for the trainers. Do you have a favorite or highly recommended one ? I’d love to go out from zwift and ride real scenery. I cannot download and test them all but I am kind of sure you already did it …. For Apple TV the top choice would be Rouvy or Fulgaz, but are the others as good when screen mirroring from iPhone to Apple TV ?
For Apple TV and more curated outdoor rides/real sceneary, I’d probably aim for FulGaz. And honestly, the same on iOS.
However, Rouvy and Kinomap have a larger selection (some equal equality, some less so). But definitely far larger. Also, another to consider is the Tacx training app which has a huge selection of high quality outdoor rides.
I’m looking to publish a big guide this week with the Top 10ish (might slide to 11) apps.
Thanks for posting this!
I wasn’t able to get the 20% off the Wahoo Kickr Snap from REI (they appear to be out of stock or closed right now) but I took their deal to my local bike shop (Who was still open and had 5 in stock) and they were willing to get pretty close on price.
The female companion and I are trying out all of the different apps now, looks like this is going to be the new norm given the current pandemic situation. It’s our first trainer, and so far I like it a lot! It’s nice and easy to change between our two bikes. I can’t figure out how to get the HR sensor from my Garmin Vivoactive 3 watch talking to it, but it’s supposed to be doable. I’ll troubleshoot further over the next week or two.
Anyway, just wanted to say thanks for the info- I’ll probably be a regular reader as I get deeper into the cycling world.
Vivoactive 3 can only broadcast ANT+ so your app and device (phone/tablet/settop box/pc/laptop) will have to support that, or you need a dongle.
Good idea to get your partner on the trainer as well, I’ll hook up my partner’s bike on my Direto as well sometime this week. She isn’t as sporty as me, and she’s 4,5 months pregnant now so not going to be doing any intense workouts, but she also can’t really leave the house unless absolutely necessary so it would get her some movement.
Bit the bullet and ordered the Kickr Snap from CleverTraining. Backordered until early May– we’ll see what that means in the current circumstances.
Just ordered a Tacx Flux S from REI online. They are on back order but shipping within 30 days. Still honored the 20% coupon. Add that to the dividend and it was a not to pass up deal. Thanks for the tip.
This morning I got an email the trainer has shipped. So it was just about 2 week delay from order to get new shipment. I am sure the wait is longer now. Now to watch UPS till it arrives.
Hi Ray
Would you kindly add our software to your list as well. Veloreality is running free subscription to all of our cycling videos now.
Hello, i have create vip member in clevertraining and try order elite suito with copoun March20 and it didnt work. What i need to do to get 20% off?
Has it already worked? Would also like to order, but I’m hesitant to sign up after reading some complaints about codes not working…
Great sales now. But I’m off work until we’re allowed back on site. So I might need the money to live. I better hold off on buying things.
Hi Ray and the community,
Because of the confinement I’ve taken out my old old trainer (not smart at all) and I have a Wahoo Ant1+/Bluetooth smart speed and cadence captor.
Out of Zwift (I’ve already done the max KM for the free trial) which app on Laptop (Win 10) would suggest me to make my training ride more funny (if possible with some people on it to compete with) ?
Sportivement,
Lionel
Are you aware of this incredible deal? Bike + Elite Suito, plus a 500EUR donation to a hospital in Bergamo.
link to blog.3t.bike
FulGaz has this on their site:
“Lost your job due to COVID-19?
If you’re an existing FulGaz subscriber and you need to cancel because you’ve lost your job, get in touch. Tell us a bit about what’s happened and we’ll help”
That’s really nice.
And we really mean it. If you’ve not got in touch already, please do by emailing enquiries@fulgaz.com Let us know what happened. We can’t give everyone a free subscription because that’s our sole source of income (no investors or parent company), but we’re happy to help.
Why I have to install an app in my computer and another one in my phone/tablet to use RGT Cycling? In Zwift, I only need a mobile/tablet app.
But the biggest problem is that you need a smart trainer or powermeter. It isn’t compatible with speed/cadence sensor. What a shame!
I’m not sure if it is the case for other apps., but at least for Rouvy, if you had ever tried the app before and already had an account, you don’t get another 30-days for free (i.e., they are not doing anything new here, it looks like they are using COVID-19 as a marketing hook to highlight their 30-day trial). You can get a coupon code to do the #RideForItaly here: link to charity.rouvy.com , but it only applies 14 days for existing accounts.
These are great deals…… if you live in the US. Living in Canada you’ve got to account for the Exchange rate, shipping costs, additional Sales Tax at the Border. In the end, not worth it. Too bad there are no great deals in Canada, if there are, they’re not advertised as much.