Cycling technology, reviewed by the people who build it
Independent cycling technology reviews, expert buying guides, and smarter equipment choices.
Featured reviews
Every review states how it was made: hands-on, specification comparison or buying guide. No invented test results, ever.
Apps & software · Cadexa
A detailed, hands-on account of how Cadexa drives a trainer, coaches a workout and replays a route, written by its developer. Read it as a maker’s walkthrough with the limits spelled out, not as an independent verdict.
Smart trainers · Wahoo Fitness
What changed from the original CORE, what did not, and how the second generation lines up with Bluetooth FTMS control from a phone. A specification-based overview ahead of our hands-on test.
Smart trainers
No hands-on testing yet, and we say so. This shortlist is built from manufacturer specifications with sources, organised by the decisions that matter: drive type, price band, protocols and gradient.
Find your perfect setup
Budget, experience, the bike you own, noise, the apps you use and the connectivity you need. The recommender is rules-based: every pick comes with the reasons it was chosen and the trade-offs you accept.
Guided
A short sequence of useful questions, not a 40-field form.
Transparent
Rules you can read. Commission is not an input.
Compatibility-aware
Knows which protocols each app needs, including Cadexa.
Editor’s picks
A specification-based shortlist by price band and drive type. Hands-on testing is scheduled; until then every figure is a sourced manufacturer claim.
Wahoo Fitness
Wi-Fi, three Bluetooth clients and the proven 1,800 W / 16 % / ±2 % resistance unit.
Elite
24 % declared gradient and a ±1 % accuracy claim with a little built-in sway.
Garmin (Tacx)
Motor-driven flywheel for descent simulation and road feel, plus built-in motion.
Editor’s picks
Straps and armbands with the connectivity a phone-based setup needs.
Polar
ECG strap with memory, Bluetooth and ANT+.
Garmin
Three Bluetooth connections declared, plus ANT+.
Polar
For riders who dislike chest straps; dual protocol.
Browse gear
Start with the categories closest to indoor training, then everything that connects to it.
Smart trainers
Direct-drive, wheel-on and smart bikes: the resistance units that apps like Cadexa control.
17 products · Direct-drive trainers, Wheel-on trainers, Smart bikes
Sensors & connectivity
Heart-rate monitors, cadence and speed sensors, power meters and the Bluetooth and ANT+ accessories that tie them together.
9 products · Heart rate monitors, Cadence sensors, Speed sensors, Power meters, Bluetooth & ANT+ accessories
Cycling computers
GPS head units, navigation devices and training displays, including the ones that can control a trainer.
6 products · GPS computers, Navigation devices, Training displays
Indoor cycling accessories
Mats, fans, desks, rocker plates, gradient simulators and everything that makes a trainer room liveable.
7 products · Trainer mats, Cooling fans, Trainer desks, Rocker plates, Gradient simulators, Steering & controllers, Sweat protection, Bike maintenance accessories
Road cycling equipment
Bikes, components, electronic shifting, wheels and accessories: the outdoor side of the ecosystem.
0 products · Road bikes, Components, Electronic shifting, Wheels, Cycling accessories
Apps & software
Training apps and the software that turns a smart trainer into a workout.
1 product · Training apps
Cadexa is an indoor-cycling coach for iPhone. It controls your smart trainer over Bluetooth FTMS, holds your target power in ERG mode, replays imported routes as gradient, and speaks only when it matters. Everything on this site is written with that protocol work in hand.
iPhone · Works with any FTMS smart trainer and any Bluetooth heart-rate sensor · No subscription
No virtual 3D world or avatars. Routes are ridden as gradient, with the road profile on screen.
Guides & explainers
Smart trainers
No hands-on testing yet, and we say so. This shortlist is built from manufacturer specifications with sources, organised by the decisions that matter: drive type, price band, protocols and gradient.
Smart trainers
Every modern smart trainer speaks FTMS. Here is what the Fitness Machine Service actually does, what the control point commands are, and why “supports FTMS” does not guarantee that every app feature works.
Smart trainers
Two control modes, two different jobs. ERG holds the watts no matter what you do; simulation mimics a road and lets you decide how hard to push. Knowing the difference changes how you train.
Sensors & connectivity
Indoors, a heart-rate strap has one job: a stable, dropout-free Bluetooth signal to the phone running your trainer. These are the specifications that decide it, and the current models that meet them.
