Best Alternative to Zwift

I just want to get on my turbo, thrash myself to a set training plan, feel like I’m going to throw up a bit then carry on with my life.

Trainer road

I’ve always find trainer road a bit “dry”. It’s just watching a long painful graph, would definitely agree it’s the best training tool though. I need the gimmick of Sufferfest or the racing element of Zwift.
Personally I’d I was purely focused on training I’d just go Sufferfest, the videos help break the monotony for me.....But the training plans are ridiculously hard, without really giving thought for age and the recovery I need, I always end up doing a 12 week plan over 15 weeks.
I’ve used Rouvy and RGT cycling over the last couple of months and keep going back to the Zwift gamification, purely for the races on here. Rouvy was quite nice graphically but not enough to make me sign up.

Yes, you sound very trainer road. After a couple of years I had to admit to myself that I hated Zwift and returned to trainer road. Suspeded membership in the summer and so far have found the great outdoors too lovely to come back in. But if I do it will be to trainer road.

TR does also have training plans with outdoor sessions you can sub in for the indoor one. Zwift is for play, TR is a bit more serious.

There's a massive rundown of apps on the DCrainmaker website

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.dcrainmaker.com/2020/03/cycling-indoor-trainer-app-guide.html/amp

I've recently bought a kickr and got a years sub to sufferfest along with it. I'm happy to report that sufferfest is now smart and there are loads more workouts to use than when I last used it, a couple of years ago. The first workout I loaded up was 'do as you're told' - the mix of humour, music and footage of the Strade Bianche almost made it a pleasure.

There's a calendar function built in now so you can apply various training plans which means that when you login the home screen tells you what workout you're doing today and you just click on that and you're away.

FWIW, the Tour of Sufferlandria starts in Feb, if you're interested in that sort of thing.

Another vote for trainer road. I have a free month code if you want to give it a try

Trainer Road and either Red Bull TV or the Eurosport Player app.

I'd rather do that than Zwift. I find the whole Zwift racing thing a bit irritating.

The Sufferfest is pretty good now, and IME more friendly to use than zwift. The calendar is OK and there seem to be a good few plans now. I actually think their best feature is the strength training and yoga videos.

I still prefer TrainerRoad for actual turbo training though. The plans are really flexible and the calendar works brilliantly. I also like choosing my own entertainment on the turbo.

I use Rouvy as I prefer this format to the gamified Zwift.
There are some great routes on Rouvy and you can also make your own training programmes.
I enjoy cycling the routes that i have actually done for real. I think you get a free month trial so worth a look.

I find Zwift to be irritating in the extreme, YMMV of course. Never tried Sufferfest so can't comment on it.

TrainerRoad for me for actual training. If you want "entertainment" then fire up a suitable video - I've used the cyclocross series races for example, in my head at least I'm giving Matthieu Van der Poel a run for his money!

The TR plans thrash you just enough 😉 their raison d'etre/mission statement/whatever is to make you faster. Coming from a well trained, decent aerobic fitness, start point I gained 13% in my FTP in a year - I'm sat doing threshold workouts at what used to be hard VO2max levels.

Thread resurrection

What are my options beside Zwift, Ill absolutely not be following a training programme (well, not a cycling one) and am looking for something to grab an hour here and there as 'filler/cant actually get out the door' for what is predominantly running.

Ive always mostly got on with Zwift but have been using it for years.

Theres no need for software with big climbs/routes as it will just be short 1hr sessions.

Itd be handy if there was still a healthy list of events available as that would mean I have a fair chance of finding something at very short notice to hop onto.

Rouvy, 14 day free trial, pick routes or hills from around the world, with or without fancy videos.

I got a years Wahoo SYSTM which includes the old Sufferfest free with trainer, once set up i tried Zwift as well, but i found Zwift to "game-y" for me, i felt like i was constantly in an episode of Tron..plus the training programs were less easy to follow

I really like SYSTM, no racing, just great interesting videos from humour of Sufferfest, lots of GCN videos, a lot of documentaries and films etc, with the training programs.

You can out in the aim of the program and an end date and it will come up with a program, pus you can also add in strength training, yoga and mental training too, i thought i'd hate it, but really enjoy the strength (Bodyweight workouts) and yoga, and they have done as much to help get fitter as the turbo trainer work. WOrked well, FTP up from 208 to 247 since January..

Plus you also get RGT included now, which is riding around in a virtual world like Zwift (not as refined) if you miss that aspect.

I have moved from
Zwift to FulGaz this year and much prefer it. You get a ton of ride route options along with training programs. Only complaint from me is that sometimes it glitches, never lost a ride, but have to revisit it to add it to Strava.

I think ill try both Rouvy and FulGaz, although I did try Fulgaz years ago and didn't get on with it. No idea why.

Worst case scenario is 4 weeks of free trials.

Laptop us pretty decent and runs Zwift in "ultra" or whatev its called. Does that make much of a difference in Rouvy/Fulgaz.

System is looking a bit more programme based for what im after unless im getting that wrong?

Probably TrainerRoad...tried FulGaz and RGT but didn't find them as engaging as Zwift.

FWIW I don't use Zwift for racing (have done in the past) and rarely bother with any of the group rides except in the depths of winter when it's snowing on a Sunday morning and I need to get my 3 hours in!

I write all my workouts in TrainingPeaks and ride them in Zwift, for all it's faults I find it the most engaging environment to switch off from following a graph but getting the work done.

Trainerroad is a no go for me, theres not going to be any structure involved with what little cycling Ill do, it seems to be something that works best with a plan, even if that plan is only 5hrs a week.

Its supplementary, not a core feature. So is just going to fill in some gaps when I cant run and as often as not ill only know the day before at best.

I have used it before, last year was the latest, not sure theres been any dramatic changes since then.

I use Training Peaks for my workouts and then use my Garmin Edge 530 for the trainer.

So just free ride with no structure I'd probably give FulGaz another shot...

@Haze

Thats basically the deal.

It really id about topping up running and making use of short windows of opportunity. There isnt going to be enough consistency to worry too much about it beyond, this needa to be recovery/moderate/hard type efforts at the time.

I mean, I may pick a structured individual workouts, but no plans, its more important that the experience is immersive/engaging that the technically best way to spend that time for fitness gains.

I take it riding bike outside isn't an option?

I'm a big fan of SYSTM/Sufferfest, tried Zwift but I'm not sociable enough for indoor group rides and don't really appreciate the gamification side of things. Through the winter I will use SYSTM for most of my training and will follow a plan quite closely. Through the spring/summer though I ride outside more often that not so tend to set up a plan and just drop in and out of it.

Currently I'm doing a lot of running too so perhaps similar to you piemonster. I've got a 12 week plan on the go but only riding about 10-20% of the sessions as I am running 5-6 days a week and riding road/MTB 3-4 times a week. If for some reason I can't run/ride I jump on the indoor bike and do whatever session is in the plan for that day.

If you really want to maximise indoor training time then SYSTM has some really good HIIT type workouts. You can basically batter yourself senseless for however long you need. I find a good 45 minute HIIT session feels the same as a fastish 2 hour road ride.

I use TodaysPlan which intergrates with Zwift, so I get to do workouts a la trainerroad but with Zwift for added realised / something to look at.

I take it riding bike outside isn’t an option?

Not on the occasions id use the Turbo.

I am nearly always outside, there are just some opportunities to train where thats not an option.

Dumb trainer or rollers, GCN videos off Youtube and some good tunes has always been enough for me.

You definitely need structure for the workout, if not for your training, as you'll just spin aimlessly and get bored very quickly.

Taking time to figure out what power you can maintain (using speed as a surrogate which is probably accurate enough for 95% of us!) means you can make the workouts fairly repeatable.

Sweetspot workouts are handy if you only train intermittently as they're not so hard that they'll destroy you for the next day's riding, but they're hard enough to be worthwhile. They're pretty much all I use when I'm not taking my training seriously but still want to get a sweat on/burn some calories.

I could never be bothered with all the tech faff of any of the more immersive systems, I want a setup I can neglect in the corner of the garage and then occasionally use for a decent workout then put away again.

Get some cheap rollers and throw in some free skills training also! 😎

Well that was unexpected, in my head I had one of the complaints about Zwift being the "cartoonish" nature of the graphics. But ive actually found the Rouvy to be less of an engaging platform as far as immersive/engagement goes.

Maybe thats as much down to not considering any option to be realistic and just being annoyed with something trying to be, and still being nowhere close.

RGT for me....so realistic, love the mountains....not surehow long I'll stay using it tho now wahoo have brought it...I can see a massive monthly price hike the same way as zwift which went from £8 to 12.99...
Who knows I hope not

Wahoo RGT is already £13.99 pcm for new signups, but still offers unlimited free use of two routes and a good handful of workouts.

No way....I just cancelled my subs because of knee problems and was only paying a reasonable £6.99 a month.

Don't know why they think it's going to be worth £13.99 a month, it's quiet as on there...which is what I prefer

Well, this seems to be between Zwift and RGT.

Zwift seems better for interaction as theres so much stuff on

RGT is, to me, a fresh option in terms of ride options and ive used Zwift quite a lot over the years.

Im ruling out anything with real world footage, not sure exactly why but just dont get on with it. Maybe its hidden trauma from Gym treadmills. There seemed to be a few niggles that annoyed me about them, but think thatd just set up/lack of familiarity with the UI.

Between RGT and Zwift the graphis seemed better on Zwift unless im missing a setting somewhere?

I like Rouvy

Well, ended up back on Zwift.

I actually found that added "realism" was a con, not a pro.

A couple of long straights on RGT sealed the deal.

Did you try virtual races in Rouvy ?

To be fair there are not always enough people taking part to make it good for all standard of rider but it is good imo

Yeh, but if you're looking at events then Zwift definitely wins for me as I need short notice availability and a reasonable shot at find riders in that event fairly close to my fitness level

Short notice as in less than 30 minutes, I dont really plan ahead further than that on the Turbo.

I prefer RGT over Zwift but the lack of events and participants puts me off. So always end up back at Zwift.

And now having seen the price increase for RGT I'll be staying on Zwift for the forseeable future