Bikes and the outdoors go together like peanut butter and jelly, but all riders, at some point, are forced to contemplate the unthinkable: Riding their bikes inside.
That’s just what happened to Dave Ambrose, a New York City venture capitalist whose friends suggested he try indoor training when his busy work schedule kept him away from his long rides. He quickly said no. “I thought it was boring,” Ambrose says. “I wanted to meet people and be outdoors.” The problem was that Ambrose didn’t realize he could create an indoor cycling training routine that would perfectly mimic his ideal outdoor cycling scenario.
Fortunately, his friends persisted, and Ambrose tried out Zwift (a cycling app) on a Wahoo Kickr (an indoor trainer). “I did 45 minutes for the first ride and thought, ‘This is amazing.’ You actually feel like you’re riding outside,” Ambrose says. “The resistance is changing with the terrain. There are other riders everywhere. It’s competitive. It changed everything I thought about indoor cycling.”
Hooked, Ambrose got his own Kickr and Zwift subscription. He began riding 100 miles a week—twice as much as he ever did outdoors. Inspired, he begin to cook more and eat out less.
“I had a ton more energy and I wanted to get even fitter and stronger,” Ambrose says. “I didn’t want to go to a gym. I figured—like with cycling—there must be something I could do at home.”
His fiancée was into Peloton, so Ambrose discovered the platform’s strength classes and started consistently tacking on core workouts to his Zwift routine. He has created his own at-home cross-training routine.
Ambrose trains indoors with TrainerRoad, competes in Zwift races, and does core workouts via Peloton. The subscriptions (sans equipment) add up to about $55 a month, which is more affordable than the average gym membership in New York City. Ambrose says they are totally worth it. “I feel like a new person," he says. “It’s an incredible time for a cyclist to get fit and stay fit no matter the season or how busy they are.”
So, whatever your outdoor cycling habits and goals, here are the gear and apps you can choose from to help create your indoor cycling set-up.
Indoor Cycling Set-Ups
Today’s indoor cycling experience is interactive, immersive, and honestly enjoyable. Like outdoor riding, it can also serve specific goals such as building a base, losing weight, winning a race, or just having a good time on two wheels. As Ambrose’s story shows, you just need to choose the right indoor training system (or systems) to get it done. Here are some of the most popular indoor cycling options to help you accomplish any goal.
Zwift
Best for: Riders who want to bring all the fun of cycling inside
How it works: Zwift aspires to mimic riding outdoors right in your very own living room. So if rolling from the coffee shop with 15 of your friends while chitchatting as you spin down new roads is your dream ride, Zwift is the perfect place for you. You create a personalized avatar, input your height and weight, and zip down the road at speeds based on your power output.
There are tons of options for cycling fun: join group rides, line up for a race, meet up with a friend and just ride, or do some of the pre-programmed Zwift workouts. You can also take an in-app FTP test and follow one of their training plans to get ready for a century or other goal. But the real gold is in the game: earning new wheels, unlocking new courses, “chatting” with fellow riders via the app. It’s all the trappings and socially competitive stuff you love about outdoor cycling, brought indoors.
Details: $14.99/month; available for iOS, Apple TV, Android, Mac, and Windows/PC; requires a smart trainer for the best experience, but non-smart trainers and rollers are compatible with the use of an ANT+ or bluetooth speed sensor or a power meter.
TrainerRoad
Best for: Riders who want progressive, structured training—no games necessary.
How it works: TrainerRoad, unlike its competitors, is for the cyclist who doesn’t need dazzling animation, virtual hangouts, or trophies. The whole system is geared around your FTP, which you establish via an in-app baseline test. Then choose from one of the professionally-created plan to reach your specific goal. The guided workouts include on-screen motivational text, but you determine any other entertainment. The app lets you watch whatever you want while the workout streams on the bottom of the screen. The workouts can also be optimized to take outdoors on the road via Garmin Edge and Forerunner devices, as well as Wahoo head units when nice weather beckons.
Details: $19.95/month or $189/year, available for iOS, Android, Mac, and PC; requires a power meter and smart trainer to have automatic resistance control. VirtualPower requires only a speed sensor.
Wahoo X
Best for: HIIT fanatics who are hunting for solid power-based training and complete fitness coaching.
How it works: With workouts called “Violator” and “The Hunted,” Wahoo X is a membership program that offers training plans that adjust to help you achieve your goals. If you geek out on HIIT training, you’ll love it. It’s also one of the best apps for multi-sport and all-around athletes, as they have running, cycling, and triathlon videos, as well as mental training programs, strength training, and cycling-centric yoga workouts.
Details: $14.99/month or $149/year, available for iOS, Mac, and Windows; requires an indoor or smart trainer, such as the Wahoo Kickr.
Peloton
Best for: Spin class lovers and riders who just want to get or stay fit
How it works: Peloton offers an array of classes you can do right in your living room. The interactive fitness platform is work with the Peloton bike, complete with a built-in digital screen streams live and on-demand instructor-led classes along with relevant metrics. However, you can also get in on the fun by pairing the Peloton digital app with your regular indoor training bike.
You can also use Peloton for cross-training. The brand offers running, walking, bootcamp, strength, stretching, cardio, yoga and meditation, so you also can use it for general strength and fitness training instead of going to the gym.
Details: Peloton has new and refurbished bikes available at various prices and payment plans. The Peloton Digital app alone is $12.99 and available for iOS, Android, and web. It’s $24 a month for the Peloton App+.
A Smart Indoor Stationary Bike
Best for: Serious, all-season cyclists who want to simulate the outdoor riding experience indoors on a moment’s notice.
How it works: The high-tech, smart stationary bikes business is booming and unlike in the past, cyclists have options way beyond the basic indoor cycling Spin bikes. These specialized bikes are designed to more closely mirror your outdoor bike, from the geometry and fit to real shifting and accurate gear ratios—the Wahoo Kickr can even match your 11-speed drivetrain groupset. These smart cycles can cost as much as a second bike, but there are more affordable options out there. So, if you want to bring the outdoors into your house and are tired of dragging your bike through the house and wrestling it on and off the trainer, they could be worth the investment.
