CycleGo Indoor Cycling App Review

Indoor cycling has come a long way in recent years, and it has added so much value to the sport of cycling. No longer are people putting their bikes away for months at a time because the weather has turned. They now just set them up indoors.

With this big increase in indoor training, we are seeing many applications pop up to help structure cyclists’ indoor workouts and entertain them while they are training.

One application we have heard a lot about is CycleGo. We decided to give it a try, and in this article, we’re going to tell you what we liked, what we didn’t like, and how it compares to other applications, such as Zwift.

What is CycleGo?

CycleGo is an application that has been designed for users to use with either their bike on a turbo trainer or even to be used on an exercise or spinning bike. It is marketed as a budget-friendly / free application that caters to beginners and advanced fitness enthusiasts.

What do you need to use CycleGo?

The first thing we must speak about is what it is you need to run this application. Unlike many other applications like Rouvy or Zwift for cycle go, you don’t require anything but a device to run the application.

All you literally need to do is download the application, select your avatar and then pick your workout, and you can just start. Unlike other applications, you can’t connect a smart trainer or even any sensors. The CycleGo application also doesn’t require an internet connection and can be used offline.

Is it user-friendly?

We found the CycleGo application very user-friendly, and it is one of the clearest and easiest applications to use. The direction is very clear. You start with your avatar, select a workout, and you just press start, and you’re good to go.

When actually using the application, you have the instructor speaking to you, and all the data on the screen you need is displayed clearly. You have your cadence, workout profile, timer, calories, and distance you have covered.

You don’t have to just cycle on the CycleGo application either, you have options for running as well, and it’s perfect if you are someone who likes to mix up their fitness every so often.

What are the graphics and audio like?

The graphics are ok on the CycleGo application. It’s silky smooth to run, and if you use an older device, it offers a reduced graphic mode. We feel they have put a lot of time into making this application look good.

To give you a different visual environment, you can cycle or run in a few different worlds, from mountain ranges to cities. You can also pick different background music from EDM, Pop, and Rock.

Although it looks great, one thing that took us a ride or two to get used to was how the cyclist moves, it doesn’t look as natural as other applications, and I feel the experience would be better if the feel was more natural.

Is it interactive?

As we mentioned above, you don’t need a smart trainer, any sensors, or even an internet connection, and because of this, you don’t get any data on the screen or any data recorded. Unlike a smart trainer with an application like Zwift, because it’s not connected to anything, you don’t get auto resistance, and it can feel like a bit of a guessing game.

It uses five resistance levels, and you have to estimate the resistance with your gearing on your bike or if you are using a spin bike, then work it out with either turns of the handle or ratio of the levels. For example, if you have 100 resistance levels, 20 would be level one, 40 would be level 2, and so on.

What we did enjoy, though, is that you have an instructor talking to you while you work out. They give clear instructions and throw across the odd motivational comment every so often. You also won’t see other users, which for us, did make it feel quite lonely in a strange way.

What are the workouts like?

The workouts are pretty good, and it offers a good variety to choose from. A lot of them are interval based and focused on short sharp sessions.

It also comes with workout plans that group workouts together and helps you structure a plan over eight weeks.

We felt many of the workouts were focused on beginners; without any connectivity, you need to focus on them to follow them properly. This is where the application lets itself down compared to Zwift.

How much is it?

The application isn’t free. You can buy a year for about $40. Per month, it is about $6, and for a lifetime subscription, you’re looking at about $80. It is half the price of other applications on the market, but it is very basic compared.

Overall

Overall we were not overly impressed with CycleGo for experienced cyclists. If you are seasoned to applications like Zwift or Rouvy, we feel you might be disappointed in the experience.

If you are looking for an application to use on a spinning bike, treadmill, or exercise bike and are on a very tight budget, then we can highly recommend CycleGo. We feel it’s much more set up for this kind of thing.

As far as price goes, it is good value for money, and it will really help many people structure their training.

Zwift vs. CycleGo

It is very tough to compare Zwift and CycleGo because they are completely different applications. Zwift is a very advanced application that caters to experienced cyclists with very high-end technology.

Then we have CycleGo, which is very basic and caters for people that might just fancy working out like they would in a spin class. They are a bit too different to compare and aimed at entirely different people.

Robbie Ferri

Robbie Ferri has spent years working in a bike shop, has worked with industry leading brands on product creation, has been a semi pro athlete, and is a fully qualified strength and conditioning coach. He has broken World Records, bikepacked all over the World and raced ultra distance at a top-level.