Free apps for smart trainer ?

sibike

Im probably going to buy a tacx vortex but not sure what apps you can use with it . Im new to smart trainers so don't know much about them . Do free apps even exist that I can run on my tablet , something like zwift but without the expense . Can you also get an app that simulates a road ride that you you see on your tablet screen ?
Thanks in advance .

Typical Analytical

All you need is whatever comes with your trainer. Just do interval repeats. Forget the software. It's all just hype.

EBEB

You can get an app that simulates a cycle ride on a tablet. I did it using a free trial period. None free though.

Best free option I’m aware of is to use the free open source software on a laptop (Golden Cheetah). I haven’t tried it for a while and they improve it mostly. I wouldn’t be surprised if you could import rides and recreate them. It used to use google street view, but I think they removed that feature when the person coding it left. Don’t know if it has returned yet.

If you get a Tacx the free part of the Tacx software is okay and allows control of gradient or power. The videos cost money though. I personally only buy ones rarely before they appear in a grand tour. It adds to the enjoyment of the stages knowing how hard they are. The Zoncolan stage in the Giro was brutal and I didn’t realise how flat the tunnels bit was before.

N0bodyOfTheGoat

I finally got around to trying Road Grand Tours yesterday afternoon with my Direto turbo, tackling the full Stelvio Pass climb in ~1hr10mins using one gear (34/18). I didn't change the default settings for the turbo it gave me after sensing the Direto, whatever they may do, but the gradient changes on the climb up to and beyond 14% used the full range of my Direto's slope resistance.

I signed up for the beta back in April, I don't know if it's still open to newcomers.

Between RGT, Virtugo and OneLap, I have no intention currently of returning to a paid Zwift subscription this winter.

mrb123

You can get through a few months just on free trials of the various apps.

singleton

A friend uses some GCN stuff on youtube while on his turbo.
I just stump up and pay the £75 annual fee for Sufferfest.

Huntingforcake

@sibike - you need to find the software that works for you...sitting on a trainer is quite dull. Zwift / trainer road / suffer fest do free trials.

@nitrousoxide - an hour and ten up the stelvio - you should go pro now!

N0bodyOfTheGoat

Huntingforcake wrote:

@sibike - you need to find the software that works for you...sitting on a trainer is quite dull. Zwift / trainer road / suffer fest do free trials.

@nitrousoxide - an hour and ten up the stelvio - you should go pro now!

It was my first effort up there, staying in 34/18 gear all ride, was pacing my power and I hope to improve the time. Lol at turning pro, I'm nearly 45 and only been fitness cycling for ~22 months, I like pushing myself up hill climbs but there are far more talented riders than me around!

https://www.strava.com/activities/1939939001

Did Cap Formentor before dinner last night, ~45mins from route start including losing a minute or so trying to turn around after descending the cat3, before then continuing to the route end, again sticking in 34/18 until the warm down in 34/32.
https://www.strava.com/activities/1941741668

Huntingforcake

@nitrousoxide...don’t give up the day job just yet you started a third of the way up

I have used veloviewer in the past...quite good fun to train for trips to the mountains. It’s a lot easier on a turbo though, I guess as you have the option to get off and make yourself a cup of tea if it gets too much. You can never replicate the lack air as you cycle up through the clouds.

pblakeney

Try a Zwift trial period. I got one months ago.
Every time I log on I have another 25km allowance. That is sufficient for a quick blast.

N0bodyOfTheGoat

Huntingforcake wrote:

@nitrousoxide...don’t give up the day job just yet you started a third of the way up

I can only ride the whole route that is in the app, Road Grand Tours have replicated ~8.7 miles and ~3651 feet of climbing.

But RGT gives you several preset starting point options for the big climbing routes, plus it looks like you can continue a ride from where you finished last time, I must remember to try this feature next time as I did 2.84 miles of Stelvio yesterday afternoon after doing 13.8 miles around the Tuscany undulating lap https://www.strava.com/activities/1943714023

I've yet to climb anything bigger than a cat3 in the real world, so these virtual HC monsters feel very alien, not only from their climb length but also from the energy zapping effect of a static, rather warm ambient room temperature of ~24C these last few days. When you have a modest 20min 95% FTP of ~271W (my best full 60mins of power on undulating terrain is ~255W), pacing these big virtual climbs is a whole different ball game to my best real world categorised climb power of 344W https://www.strava.com/activities/17589 ... /4583/4865 for a whole 4mins42secs... Not quite pro level yet!