…and why I will be resubscribing to Wahoo despite the apparent Sufferfest decline.
My needs:
structured cycling training plans with a calendar so that I can organise for myself and for my family for the upcoming weeks
yoga
some kind of strength plan
I value:
simplicity, ease and speed of use, as little manual computer work as possible
flexibility to cope with ever changing family schedule and the corresponding sleep deprivation
well thought out UI
Wahoo
Ticks all the above boxes
Gradual destruction of Sufferfest makes my heart ache, but I can switch the audio/video off and do them no-vid
Despite the occasional quirk, I like the UI and it’s much better than most of the competition
The competition… please note that this is just based on the training interface, I didn’t connect my trainer to any of these as I can’t be bothered if they don’t have the basic features I need.
Zwift
No training calendar, no yoga etc
My favourite UI, and if it had the above points, I would switch
Can select a Welsh flag for my profile (trivial, but warms my heart)
Rouvy
No training calender (they recently added a calendar for past activities in the web interface, not the app)
No yoga etc
Ok UI
Fulgaz
No training calendar, no yoga, etc
Can connect to TrainingPeaks calendar, but two apps too faffy for me
First video they show me starts with a dangerously close overtake by a massive lorry, no thanks
MyWoosh
Ugh
TrainerRoad
Structured training plans with a calendar - yay!
No yoga etc
Excellent UI
I would go with TR, but… I get a structured no-vid training plan from Wahoo, plus yoga, plus strength, plus the remaining fun stuff like the Prorides, all for less money than TR, so why would I choose TR?
Xert
Horrible, confusing UI
Actively discourages the use of a training calendar
So there you go. The competition isn’t up to scratch, will stick with Wahoo until the competition catches up. If Sufferfest was improving instead of declining that would keep me at Wahoo even if the competition had feature parity.
I’m off to cancel a pile of trial subscriptions. Happy to hear your comments, or other wonder apps I haven’t tried.
I remember on some workouts (and these may have even been SYSTM, I just don’t remember) that I’ve been so immersed in the video that I made some silly physical moves on my KICKR Bike that only made sense if I were really on a moving bike outdoors. Like grabbing the brakes when something was too close in front of me (virtually, of course) or leaning over sideways as if that would help me swerve to miss something.
I laughed out loud at myself when I did those things. Pretty good testimony to the potential sense of reality that is possible. (I’ll say this, though, I’ve never had anything close to that feeling on Zwift!)
As to your review of the competition, well done! Lots of good points about the differences. Of them all, I think ROUVY would be my most likely choice OTHER THAN SYSTM. (But SYSTM is still my favorite, and I may return when cold enough weather is here to stay awhile.)
An added point in ROUVY favor is how friendly the app is about letting you at least import all your other rides into the calendar, whether outdoor rides or rides on other apps. THAT SHOULD BE A BASIC FEATURE IN SYSTM!
Although I don’t believe it includes free weight training and yoga workouts, you could create or purchase workout plans for those and schedule them in your calendar.
I am still with Sufferfest because at the moment, even with the decline, there is nothing like it.
I use Rouvy because it complements Sufferfest. I use Training Peaks because it is more than a calendar, it also can record metrics, I can look at historical patterns, etc. I would not expect any training program to have more than a rudimentary calendar to schedule future training because it is not worth spending their scarce resources on it.
Comparing Xert to the other programs is comparing apples and oranges. It corresponds to an entirely different use case. It does have a training calendar, but you have to accept their paradigm to use it.
Training Peaks Virtual getting close to releasing their own version of Magic Roads called “Real Roads”. Phase two will be uploading GPX files to create your own!
Training Peaks has been one of the top training platforms for scheduling and analysis and for working with coaches. TP used to have an agreement with Sufferfest (before the SUF app) with access to the SUF workouts. Now TP has TP-Virtual.
I still use SYSTM for my training plans and the SUF workouts, and SYSTM has a link to automatically share all my workouts with TP. And if I had to leave SYSTM, TP/TPV would be where I would go as it seems to have everything except for the SUF videos, and soon to have Real Roads.
Took a look, thanks for the suggestion, and didn’t see any major advantages compared to SYSTM, for my own priorities. I get that many folks would prefer the TP metrics and level of detail. Having said that, TPP+TPV looks good, I like the interface and would probably be the strongest alternative if systm keeps going to the cistern.
That’s a decent summary. I’ve been on SYSTM for years (currently not subscribed). So, missing the Yoga, Strength etc which is the one of the things that would bring me back this winter. However you might consider the AI included with Xert or Trainer Road. You can skip days or do extra workouts and your plan automatically adapts. Or do I go with SYSTM and manually adjust my plan as required? Note with XERT I send my workouts to Wahoo head unit for outdoors or send to MyWhoosh (free of course) for indoors. Also tried TPv (looks good) but tech issues prevent me using it again.
It doesn’t have yoga or strength, but I’ve been using Join for the better part of the year and I think it’s the best app when it comes to having a busy/unpredictable schedule.
You basically tell it how much (or little) time you have each day and it automatically adapts the training program to keep you on track. So if something comes up today, you can simply tell it you have no time and it will adjust tomorrow’s training to compensate. Or you can tell it you have a big ride/race coming on Sunday and it will adapt the days before so that you don’t end up being too tired.
This is an interesting concept, so I might just have to check this out.
Systm (and many other) plans are constructed to build you up to be ready for specific date. However, I struggle with how to train while I’m in-season performing recurring races and events, for example cx races 8 weeks in a row. I need to continue to maintain/grow my fitness while managing to stay fresh for the races. I haven’t found a good plan that addresses this.
Has anyone found a strength/mobility/Yoga program with follow along videos that is as good as the Wahoo ones.
I’ve tried the free ones from Dynamic cyclist on Youtube and was not very impressed, are the paid ones any better and do they offer progression in the same way as the Wahoo ones do?
I had a months free trial of Runna, and while I loved the audio cue running workouts, I found the videos overly running focused, whereas the Wahoo ones seem to be more full body focused.
I’d resubscribe to WahooX in an instant if the freezing/stuttering playback of downloaded videos was fixed.
Yes agreed, that’s exactly what’s holding me back from resubscribing. Although it’s more manageable for me in winter with fewer events. Using Xert currently the workouts adapt, so hill climb TT just this week and it didn’t recommend anything tough next day. SYSTM would not have adapted to that and I’d have to manually adjust it…. but I’m not a coach so wouldn’t know how best to adjust it.
I have a different need for scheduling my cycling around family life and the SYSTM calendar (or TR/TP calendar) works best for me and in practice once a training plan is set I rarely need to manually move activities around. For me, this is one of SYSTM’s strengths and if it changed to something more dynamic I would need to jump ship.
Of course, Wahoo could add an optional adaptation feature like @Ian_Jackson mentioned, I’m sure it would be heavily used.
Been on Trainer Road for a few weeks and will stick with it for the foreseeable future…
AI FTP with regular adjustments to the current training plan
Excellent alternative workout feature
Ok it’s not as fun as the Sufferfest videos but no tone-deaf hooligan labels, TR company seems to be going in a positive direction with a strong focus on the science behind the training plans
Im a long suffering Sufferlandrian (still twitch at being referred to as a Wahooligan) and follow this thread with interest. Effective, time considering, data led sessions are key to any improvements.
The thing that keeps bringing me back (if and when i wander) is the storytelling. Sounds pathetic, but when Im bought into a race situation, TT, breakaway or being barked orders by DoS I am super motivated to not only start it, but finish it. The videos just keep me “on it” and some are just funny!
Yoga has become enjoyable, albeit somewhat repetitive, but thats just yoga i think.
As for strength training, im trying MTBFit - a fabulous app with a great UI for bike specific weight training. Will let you know. (So you know, I am not a keen gym goer)
Still Suffering in SYSTM for now until theres a seismic shift in others.
