Online group rides

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4 years 1 week ago #31985 by BarryR
Online group rides was created by BarryR
Looking around at online platforms supporting group rides, Zwift doesn't take my fancy for various reasons. Rouvy looks interesting - does anyone here use that? Would you recommend it?

Any other alternatives you'd recommend?

I'm looking for a system that will support private or closed group rides, with a good choice of routes/courses and preferably real places.

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4 years 1 week ago #31987 by Louise Keane
Replied by Louise Keane on topic Online group rides
Have a look at this..

www.cyclingweekly.com/fitness/indoor-cycling-apps-364282

and if you find something let us all know!

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4 years 1 week ago - 4 years 1 week ago #31989 by BarryR
Replied by BarryR on topic Online group rides
I've decided to broaden this out a bit, and look at whether it might be possible to set up a club-wide online group cycling system. This is where you and other Orwell members ride your trainers in your own homes, and each log in to a service such as Zwift or Rouvy or Sufferfest, and then you can see each other's cycling avatar on-screen as you share the virtual ride experience.

Step 1 is to find out how many members are already using what systems, so I'm inviting all Orwell members to do a very short survey.

(Survey now closed) The survey is on SurveyMonkey at
Part of the message is hidden for the guests. Please log in or register to see it.

Please complete the survey whether you're interested in online cycling systems or not, and whether you're already using them or not.

The survey will only be open for a couple of days, so do it now while you're here. It's very short and will only take a minute or so. Just click on the link above.

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Last edit: 4 years 1 week ago by BarryR. Reason: Survey closed

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4 years 1 week ago - 4 years 1 week ago #31991 by BarryR
Replied by BarryR on topic Online group rides - SURVEY
Thanks to those who've already completed the survey, but we need lots more Orwell members to do it. Whether you're interested or you don't know anything about it, please complete the survey. It only takes 60 seconds and it's extremely simple. No personal or identifying information is requested.

(Survey now closed) Click on the link below (only visible when you're logged in to this forum).


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Last edit: 4 years 1 week ago by BarryR. Reason: Survey closed

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4 years 1 week ago - 4 years 1 week ago #31998 by BarryR
Replied by BarryR on topic Online group rides - SURVEY
We've had a very good response to the survey invitation, thank you all. A few more responses would help us get an accurate picture of indoor cycling usage and attitudes across the club, so if you haven't done so already please complete the survey now to make sure your opinion is represented. It will only take you 60 seconds.

I'm going to close the survey later this evening so don't delay. Here's the survey link again:

(Survey now closed)
Part of the message is hidden for the guests. Please log in or register to see it.


I'll post a summary of the survey results here tomorrow, and then we'll think about making a plan.

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Last edit: 4 years 1 week ago by BarryR. Reason: Survey closed

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4 years 1 week ago #31999 by BarryR
Replied by BarryR on topic Online group rides
Below is a brief summary of the survey results. Club members interested in smart trainers and indoor group rides were probably more likely to complete the survey than members with no interest, so the results are probably not representative of the club as a whole. However, they do give us a good indication of the attitudes among members who are interested in trainers and indoor rides.

94 completed surveys.

Ownership of trainers:
44 have smart trainers
24 have traditional trainers
15 are thinking of getting a trainer
11 have no trainer and no plans to get one

50 use training software (some use multiple systems):
36 Zwift
16 TrainerRoad (not a social ride platform)
7 Sufferfest
3 Rouvy
5 (Other)

Interest in online group rides:
61 Yes
22 Not sure
11 No

Most important online ride features:
  • The average scores for each of these were very close to each other (except video quality, which was low on almost everyone's list).
  • Cost of subscription was very noticeably split into two equal camps - those who thought it was most important and those who thought it was least important.
  • The top 3 most popular important features were:
    1. Large number of riders
    2. Real routes
    3. Large selection of routes
One question I should have asked but didn't is what Orwell ride category (colour) you are in. So we don't know how the smart trainer users are distributed across the categories.

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4 years 1 week ago #32000 by BarryR
Replied by BarryR on topic Online group rides
If you're one of those thinking about getting an indoor trainer do it now. I think it's likely that trainers will become hard to get quite quickly, as cyclists all over the world realise they won't be able to get outside for weeks.

If you want a comparison of all the major smart trainers read dcrainmaker's 2019-2020 trainer recommendation guide . This is without question the most comprehensive and independent comparison available. Scroll down through the article for comparison tables and FAQs.

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4 years 1 week ago - 4 years 1 week ago #32005 by BarryR
Replied by BarryR on topic Online group rides
I think maybe we need to divide this into two parts: (1) bringing together all the members already on Zwift, and anyone who wants to dive in and join them and (2) providing a platform, guidance and ride organisation for newcomers to the online cycling world.

(1) could go ahead immediately, it just needs an existing Zwift user to stand up and lead it.

(2) needs more thought. I'm exploring some of the online systems, to see what might be the easiest and most attractive for club members who have no experience of the online and tech stuff. The main objective here is to try to replace the social aspect of cycling spins as best we can.

Initial thoughts for (2) are below. I need some more experienced input to this, so if you've used any of these please read and comment.

Zwift - Free 7-day trial, then €15/month. By far the highest number of users. Maybe a little intimidating to use at first. Other riders visible in-game. Virtual worlds (no real locations). Looping routes, with lots of variations. Highly game-like. Huge download & install time. Very demanding of computer performance, and can need computer restarts (that may be because there were Zwift server problems during my tests). Group rides seem a bit clunky to organise?

Rouvy - Free 14-day trial, then €8/month. Looks easier to install and use than Zwift. Real route videos. Fixed point-point routes only. Very limited set of routes. Other riders visible in-game in only a small subset of the routes. Group rides can be organised but they're a bit meaningless for routes where other riders can't be seen.

RGT - Free premium level during pandemic, normally $15/month. Quite easy to install and use. Phone & computer both required. Computer generated videos of real routes. Fixed point-point routes only. Very limited set of routes. Possibility of creating own routes from gpx files (has anyone done this?). Other riders visible in-game. Private group rides easy to create. [21/3/20] Doesn't support classic (non-smart) trainers.

Sufferfest - Haven't looked at this yet. I'll get to it over the weekend.

TrainerRoad - Not suitable for this. It's an excellent indoor training aid, but doesn't have video and doesn't support group riding.

Please feel free to comment, and if you've used any of these systems please correct/add anything I've got wrong or omitted. The popularity of Zwift makes it attractive, but on the other hand RGT is free at the moment. In our survey, users of smart trainers tended to put subscription cost very low in their list of important considerations, while everyone else tended to put it very high. So if we're trying to help club members who haven't used online cycling systems before then subscription cost is very important.

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Last edit: 4 years 1 week ago by BarryR.
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4 years 1 week ago #32006 by BarryR
Replied by BarryR on topic Online group rides
Apologies for the frequent postings, but here's something interesting that's just popped up. dcrainmaker has just published a comprehensive and up-to-date list of the current prices and offers from all the major online cycling software systems. You can read it here .

There's nothing majorly new in the article, but if you're wondering about the costs of jumping in to an online cycling system it's a good roundup of the state of play right now.

Even more interesting is the list of special offers on smart trainers, down near the bottom of the article. Most of the special offers are for the USA (and would incur huge shipping costs to EU), but the Wahoo Kickr offers are definitely worth a look. Wahoo is the brand leader of smart trainers, and they ship to the EU from the Netherlands so shipping is faster and cheaper. If you're interested in a smart trainer do it now. They will become harder to find, and you will definitely get the use out of it over the next few weeks. If you're nervous about setting it up or how to use it, we'll help you here.

The article is at www.dcrainmaker.com/2020/03/complete-lis...trainers-20-off.html

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4 years 5 days ago #32017 by BarryR
Replied by BarryR on topic Online group rides
Here's a video explaining how to organise group rides on Zwift, published yesterday by the highly respected gplama.


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4 years 1 day ago - 4 years 1 day ago #32028 by BarryR
Replied by BarryR on topic Online group rides
Just published a few minutes ago by dcrainmaker:

Cycling Trainer App Guide In-Depth: 2020 Edition

The most detailed and up to date review and comparison of Zwift, Rouvy, RGT, Sufferfest, TrainerRoad, Xert, etc (11 in total).

Everything you ever wanted to know, and lots that you probably didn't. dcrainmaker is a highly respected reviewer, both by consumers and by companies. If you've any interest in any of these then this is the place to go. It will help you decide how to get the most out of your indoor riding over the next few months, and ensure you come out the end of the current restrictions riding faster and in good health.

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Last edit: 4 years 1 day ago by BarryR.
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3 years 11 months ago #32045 by David O'Halloran
Replied by David O'Halloran on topic Online group rides
Trainerroad just launched group workouts. This makes their platform a little more social. Here is the link
blog.trainerroad.com/introducing-group-workouts/
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3 years 11 months ago - 3 years 11 months ago #32046 by BarryR
Replied by BarryR on topic Online group rides
Thanks David. Looks pretty cool.

dcrainmaker's description and review of the new functionality is here:

www.dcrainmaker.com/2020/03/trainerroad-...outs-with-video.html

At present, the new group and video functions are limited to max 5 people and only in the computer application (not in the phone app).

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Last edit: 3 years 11 months ago by BarryR.

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3 years 11 months ago #32047 by BarryR
Replied by BarryR on topic Online group rides
Zwift have just launched a restricted beta testing of a 'Clubs' feature. It's pretty basic functionality initially, but I presume it will improve.

It appears to support club member lists and club events, but not yet group rides or meetups. Zwift 'events' are a more formal activity than 'meetups'. Events usually have to be approved and listed by Zwift, whereas meetups are informal activities more like a club ride.

Access to the beta testing of this is very restricted at present, but we'll keep an eye on it.

Some information about it is on Zwift Insider:
zwiftinsider.com/clubs-first-look/

(Zwift Insider is a good place to keep up with Zwift news - they're closely connected to Zwift so tend to get the best news first)

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3 years 11 months ago - 3 years 11 months ago #32243 by Stephen Ryan
Replied by Stephen Ryan on topic Online group rides
For anyone on Rouvy and with a lot of time on their hands - you could try the Cingles challenge and emulate Sinead, Andrew, Michael, Muriel , Gillian and no doubt a handful of others - climb Ventoux 3 times in one day on 3 different approaches

www.strava.com/clubs/78156/posts/9200116

On exceptional condition exceptional measure !!!
(Only available during covid crisis)

Le club des Cinglés du Mont Ventoux propose le challenge des Cinglés in virtual reality on your Home Trainer with Rouvy.
Yes it’s possible !!!!
Last edit: 3 years 11 months ago by Stephen Ryan.

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