Apps for smart trainer

i have no problem with Edge, Firefox, Crome :man_shrugging:

Iā€™ll give it a try.

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@app4g , the app looks good and I plan to start testing today.

I noticed even after I set the connection to intervals I still had to manually set the ftp. Does/will this auto sync in the future?

I love the connection to icu, and the library looks great and easy. If the ftp can be updated by the intervals eftp it would be a good replacement for Xert for me!

Is there a way to donate?

TQ for considering the app. let me know if there are bugs or features you would like and weā€™ll see what can be done. Newest BETA also has these new stuffs

  1. VoiceOver support added (added based on request from visually challenged user)
  2. Ability to blacklist connected sensors
  3. Other existing features Indoor training app summary - #6 by app4g

(Iā€™m currently just playing around w/ using an Apple Watch as replacement for a Chest Strap - Apple Watch app request - #29 by app4g - Feature Requests - TrainerDay Forums)

Workouts pulled / synced directly from intervals will pull the corresponding FTP directly from intervals as well. App will honor that FTP. (This does not apply to bundled workouts tho)

The App is using FTP and not eFTP from (workouts pulled/synced from) intervals. Iā€™m not sure I want to change it to pull from eFTP tho. As I understand it, eFTP depends on the PDC curve and if the user has adequate efforts at the various time intervals, otherwise the eFTP may not be entirely accurate. (Then again, FTP, if you do not test, (like me) then will also be wrong.)

I do not have anything like that setup honestly. You could just do the in-app-purchase for medals (in lieu of watching ads if you wish even if you do not need the medals)

Thanks for responding! @app4g
One thing Iā€™d like to see is a numerical preview of the workouts along with graph. Ie each step would tell you time/wattage.

Good to know about ftp from intervals. I guess I need to learn how to push workouts from there.

Do you know if thereā€™s the ability to set eftp as your actual ftp in intervals so that it updates automatically there?

Thatā€™s quite a lot of Text especially for interesting types of workouts.

Itā€™s a requested feature.

Itā€™s the simplest thing once you have your intervals.icu calendar set up.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/fXuaCjb4DWo

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Is there any free android app that will show how much power I should get at a given moment? I have a stationary bike that shows power but has no ant+ connection, etc.

Bumping this thread. Iā€™m both desperately needing to cut monthly costs, and really in love w intervals. Ready to step fully into it as my sole training planner [self designed] & analysis software.

Just need an app to run the .icu intervals on my Smart Trainer. Iā€™m currently paying full price for Trainer Roadā€¦ basically just to run the trainerā€¦ makes no sense.

Can any users comment on their recent experiences w Trainer Day, BreakAway, or other zero or low-cost option?

Hoping to avoid having to go through the entire sign up, download, drill down, download workouts, sync w .icu, wait ok no, try the other one, etc.

[Totally happy to pay $4 for TD, etc, doesnā€™t need to be zero. Once settled & TR cancelled & that monthly money recovered, Iā€™m also going to be significantly bumping up my monthly $ to .icu to support the site. Itā€™s solid gold. I hope others are also sending what they comfortably can / think is fair, not just the min. :heart: ]

TIA !!!

Thereā€™s No Sign Ups w/ BreakAway.
Let me know if you have questions.

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@app4g hey man, very cool to speak to you direct!

Donā€™t want to take much of your time, but any super short comment on

1 - Trainer Calibration

2 - Accuracy / ā€œrobustnessā€ / ā€œdepthā€ [sorry, unsure of proper terms] of the power communication / data recording

3 - Ease / speed of use / whatever to DL the WOs from .icu and execute

in BreakAway vs TD ?

[No worries, I will just trust that your comments are 100% honest. While you obvi have a bias, this is an open community, and not rly any motivation for you to be dishonest! :slight_smile: ]

BreakAway all cool w a Saris M2 ?

[Ha ha, very funnyā€¦ yes, M2, asking about accuracy. Itā€™s +/- 2- 3% for $400 vs +/- 1-2% for $ 1000 - 3000. Def good enough for me! :slight_smile: ]

EDIT: Ok, yes, now after installing and 90% of the way through setup & integration w .icu , I do have two more questions:

1 - Where can we find the searchable help / support online? I canā€™t find any website other than wordpress. Or a forum, maybe?

2 - How can I just freeride on the trainer for 60 min in BreakAway in resistance mode, no specific power targets? I love doing my long threshold WOs this way.

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I definitely can recommend Vinapp, itĀ“s free and you may find it in Google Play. There are different language to use it without problem with lot of plans and nice and informative training interface. I have been using it since 2021.

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do you have a cycle computer? just use that, especially now it works with wahoo

otherwise flux mentioned above is great, no sign up or download required.

zwift offline if youā€™re a bit more tech savvy is great too and could use dropbox to sync workouts

@Ben thanks for the comment! No, no bike computer; run it on iPhone.

Sorry, what do you mean ā€œflux mentioned aboveā€ ? I didnā€™t see flux.

This is flux. Web based.

Trainer Calibration

  • Thereā€™s no built in calibration in the app. While itā€™s not difficult to implement, given that a lot of trainers donā€™t follow the specs to dot, this is better left to the official app. (Besides, on my own trainer, I hardly if ever do calibration. I live in a hot country if that matters)
  1. Accuracy/robustness/depth
  • Iā€™m not entirely sure what you mean. BreakAway, like other apps will get the data as itā€™s output by the trainer/powermeter/sensors. Every second, it updates into the screen and writes to the FIT file
  1. intervals.icu integration

If you do edits within BreakAway, some changes (name / RPE / Desc / Feel) gets syncā€™ed back to Garmin & Strava as well. So 1 edit will populate to 3 sites.

You mentioned you donā€™t have a Bike computer, Next release will add outdoor workout support for BreakAway.

Saris M2 - TBH, I have no idea. YOuā€™ve got to test it out. Since BreakAway donā€™t require login/signups, I really donā€™t have consolidated data on these sort of things.

Help/Support - The website is the only available online presence currently. Iā€™m actively here and thereā€™s loads of threads on specific features here

FreeRide in Resistance Mode - Unfortunately for FreeRide, you have to KILL the app each time to get it to Reset back to FreeRide. So eg: Start App, sensors gets connected automatically, swipe the START button UP, switch to RESIST, it will default to 2% IIRC then press start. Change the Resistance/Slope using +/- buttons.

BreakAway also supports Slope Based Structured workouts, so itā€™s hands free. ERG ā†’ RESIST or even HR, is all supported.

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@app4g Thanks for your reply!

2 - Ya, sorry I donā€™t know enough about programming to ask what I want to properly.

What I am getting at is: After calibration, if during a ride, Trainer Road says Iā€™m putting out 200 W, I know it is pretty damn accurate. Like thereā€™s little to zero chance the software is reading off, and I am actually only putting out 183 W.

Know what I mean? Any comment?

On the M2, you said I will have to ā€œtest it outā€. But without a secondary crank power meter, how can I test it out to know BreakAway and the trainer are working accurately together?

Or is that not what you meant, or there is some way to check within BreakAway if it is communicating correctly w the trainer?

Did you have a bad experience with any other app that leads you to ask these questions?

Or are you using both a crank/pedal power and a trainer and thus need power matching? Power matching is more complicated and it tries to match (either increase or decrease) the trainer power target to be sure itā€™s the same as your power pedal.

Eg:
Target power 200w.
Trainer Power 200w
Pedal Power 210w

PowerMatch will send (new) target power as 190w.

Calibration is not about trainer to app/headunit. Itā€™s actually the internal trainer settings. Sort of like a ā€œfactory resetā€.

Having said that, what your trainer outputs is what the app/head unit will report. Itā€™s actually up to your trainerā€™s accuracy.

If your trainer says itā€™s outputting 200w, this will be the same data read by any head unit/app.

What i can tell you is that all apps will send the target power to the Trainer and itā€™s up to the trainer to hold that power.

Also, without a secondary power meter, you wonā€™t be be able to verify that TR is doing what it says as well. GPLama actually recommends 3 power sources for verification.

The comment about M2 is with regards to whether it uses any of the established bluetooth protocols (FTMS/FEC/wahooā€™s FEC). Some Older trainers uses proprietary connections.

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@Nik_Om_Cinderella_Ri thanks for explaining that. No, donā€™t need power matching. Just accuracy.

I thought that if the trainer was saying 200 W, that it was possible for an app to get the incorrect value. (Is it truly impossible ? I meanā€¦.itā€™s all codeā€¦not possible for it to be off?? :slightly_smiling_face:)

@app4g thanks for your time, and I am leaning heavily towards your app and am happy to buy the medals, contribute, etc. I would not be rudely wasting your time if I was just gonna go w another app! :slightly_smiling_face:

I just want to clarify one thing: I never ride in ā€œERGā€ / whatever, where I have the trainer set the resistance at 150 W, and I just have to pedal away. In Trainer Road, they my ride mode ā€œStandard Modeā€ ; mimics the exponential resistance of a fluid trainer and just reads the power I am outputting. I have to hit the power targets by adjusting gearing and cadence.

What would that mode / setting be in your app?

And so free riding, if just want to do a 60 min open threshold ride w no targets, am I understanding you right that you open the app, donā€™t load any WO, just put it in the setting you tell me, and click start, and just rip, and it will record everything and feed it back to .icu?

Wellā€¦ Anythings is possible right? Thatā€™s the ironman tagline after all. :stuck_out_tongue: Having said that, I myself am using Trainer and Pedal PMs and others has not feedback to me that theyā€™re seeing the numbers being incorrect.

But youā€™re saying youā€™re wanting to do SLOPE/RESIST mode, in that case, none of what youā€™re concerned about should actually really matter as there isnā€™t a target wattage to be sent to the trainer. The trainer will do itā€™s own internal thing to set it at X% Resistance/Slope and your power output is the power output. Do note that some trainers can be inconsistent as theyā€™re not using strain gauges but some optical sensor/translations etc.

For your Use case, you can Use SLOPE / Resist Mode.

SLOPE in Free Ride mode, you can set it at X% SLOPE and then you control your effort and targets via cadence and gearing and do what you described.