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features

Cycling: Cycle revolution

A new age of indoor cycling is upon us, characterised by a more diverse range of bikes and consumers. Steph Eaves breaks down the options in this two-part series

Published in Health Club Management 2018 issue 8

Indoor bikes have always been a gym staple, and this shows no signs of changing. But the way people use bikes is changing, along with the expectations they have for them.

"Indoor cycling, after going through years of 'sameness', due to customers not being prepared to invest in the right bikes and a lack of imagination on the part of those delivering classes, is now developing breadth and depth at an amazing rate," says Duncan Black from Core Health and Fitness.

"There are now so many different options, from the 'rock star' instructor-led classes, to the gamified group display options, to sport-based training with multiple metrics," he continues. "I believe this is only the beginning of a new wave of training options that will drive a growth in popularity for indoor cycling that we've never seen before."

Serious cycling
The trend for training like an athlete has indeed taken off in a big way, taking the indoor cycling industry in some completely new directions.

"Indoor cycling has seen a shift," agrees Wattbike's Richard Baker. "It's more about sport-specific training, fitness goals and accurately testing, tracking and measuring performance. This has enticed a whole new consumer into the gym."

High expectations
While sport-specific training might not be for everyone, gym-goers, in general, are becoming more savvy in terms of the features they expect on a bike.

Precor UK's Steve Carter says: "Leaderboard technology and other metrics that can be displayed during classes are increasingly bringing an element of gamification and competitiveness to indoor cycling."

Along with this extra level of competition, consumers can now expect classes that are both entertaining and inspiring. "The instructor is key to the experience," explains master trainer Matt Gleed from Matrix UK. "Over the last five years, instructors have become rock star characters, driving the experience of the class. They’re not necessarily from a coaching background but they understand the motivation of calories burned and distances achieved."

Meanwhile, smart bikes are enabling gym-goers to ride virtually with friends and download training plans. "Connectivity is everything," says Baker. "Smart bikes and the desire for connectivity will only increase."

What's clear is that you have a lot of choices to make regarding indoor cycling and to make these decisions easier, we've rounded up all you need to know about the top bikes on the market.

Sign up here to get Fit Tech's weekly ezine and every issue of Fit Tech magazine free on digital.
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Into the fitaverse

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Users can easily identify which facilities in the UK are accessible to the disabled community
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Hannes Sjöblad

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We want to give our users an implantable tool that allows them to collect their health data at any time and in any setting
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We created a solution called AiT Voice, which turns digital data into a spoken audio timetable that connects to phone systems
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For small sports teams looking to compete with giants, blockchain can be a secret weapon explains Lars Rensing, CEO of Protokol
Innovation

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Check your form

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New reality

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Two-way coaching

Content providers have been hugely active in the fit tech market since the start of the pandemic. We expect the industry to move on from delivering these services on a ‘broadcast-only’ basis as two-way coaching becomes the new USP
Fit Tech People

Laurent Petit

Co-founder, Active Giving
The future of sports and fitness are dependent on the climate. Our goal is to positively influence the future of our planet by instilling a global vision of wellbeing and a sense of collective action
Fit Tech People

Adam Zeitsiff

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We don’t just create the technology and bail – we support our clients’ ongoing hybridisation efforts
Fit Tech People

Anantharaman Pattabiraman

CEO and co-founder, Auro
When you’re undertaking fitness activities, unless you’re on a stationary bike, in most cases it’s not safe or necessary to be tied to a screen, especially a small screen
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Mike Hansen

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features

Cycling: Cycle revolution

A new age of indoor cycling is upon us, characterised by a more diverse range of bikes and consumers. Steph Eaves breaks down the options in this two-part series

Published in Health Club Management 2018 issue 8

Indoor bikes have always been a gym staple, and this shows no signs of changing. But the way people use bikes is changing, along with the expectations they have for them.

"Indoor cycling, after going through years of 'sameness', due to customers not being prepared to invest in the right bikes and a lack of imagination on the part of those delivering classes, is now developing breadth and depth at an amazing rate," says Duncan Black from Core Health and Fitness.

"There are now so many different options, from the 'rock star' instructor-led classes, to the gamified group display options, to sport-based training with multiple metrics," he continues. "I believe this is only the beginning of a new wave of training options that will drive a growth in popularity for indoor cycling that we've never seen before."

Serious cycling
The trend for training like an athlete has indeed taken off in a big way, taking the indoor cycling industry in some completely new directions.

"Indoor cycling has seen a shift," agrees Wattbike's Richard Baker. "It's more about sport-specific training, fitness goals and accurately testing, tracking and measuring performance. This has enticed a whole new consumer into the gym."

High expectations
While sport-specific training might not be for everyone, gym-goers, in general, are becoming more savvy in terms of the features they expect on a bike.

Precor UK's Steve Carter says: "Leaderboard technology and other metrics that can be displayed during classes are increasingly bringing an element of gamification and competitiveness to indoor cycling."

Along with this extra level of competition, consumers can now expect classes that are both entertaining and inspiring. "The instructor is key to the experience," explains master trainer Matt Gleed from Matrix UK. "Over the last five years, instructors have become rock star characters, driving the experience of the class. They’re not necessarily from a coaching background but they understand the motivation of calories burned and distances achieved."

Meanwhile, smart bikes are enabling gym-goers to ride virtually with friends and download training plans. "Connectivity is everything," says Baker. "Smart bikes and the desire for connectivity will only increase."

What's clear is that you have a lot of choices to make regarding indoor cycling and to make these decisions easier, we've rounded up all you need to know about the top bikes on the market.

Sign up here to get Fit Tech's weekly ezine and every issue of Fit Tech magazine free on digital.
More features
Editor's letter

Into the fitaverse

Fitness is already among the top three markets in the metaverse, with new technology and partnerships driving real growth and consumer engagement that looks likely to spill over into health clubs, gyms and studios
Fit Tech people

Ali Jawad

Paralympic powerlifter and founder, Accessercise
Users can easily identify which facilities in the UK are accessible to the disabled community
Fit Tech people

Hannes Sjöblad

MD, DSruptive
We want to give our users an implantable tool that allows them to collect their health data at any time and in any setting
Fit Tech people

Jamie Buck

Co-founder, Active in Time
We created a solution called AiT Voice, which turns digital data into a spoken audio timetable that connects to phone systems
Profile

Fahad Alhagbani: reinventing fitness

The team is young and ambitious, and the awareness of technology is very high. We share trends and out-of-the-box ideas almost every day
Opinion

Building on the blockchain

For small sports teams looking to compete with giants, blockchain can be a secret weapon explains Lars Rensing, CEO of Protokol
Innovation

Bold move

We ended up raising US$7m in venture capital from incredible investors, including Andreessen Horowitz, Khosla Ventures, Primetime Partners, and GingerBread Capital
App analysis

Check your form

Sency’s motion analysis technology is allowing users to check their technique as they exercise. Co-founder and CEO Gal Rotman explains how
Profile

New reality

Sam Cole, CEO of FitXR, talks to Fit Tech about taking digital workouts to the next level, with an immersive, virtual reality fitness club
Profile

Sohail Rashid

The app is free and it’s $40 to participate in one of our virtual events
Ageing

Reverse Ageing

Many apps help people track their health, but Humanity founders Peter Ward and Michael Geer have put the focus on ageing, to help users to see the direct repercussions of their habits. They talk to Steph Eaves
App analysis

Going hybrid

Workout Anytime created its app in partnership with Virtuagym. Workout Anytime’s Greg Maurer and Virtuagym’s Hugo Braam explain the process behind its creation
Research

Physical activity monitors boost activity levels

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have conducted a meta analysis of all relevant research and found that the body of evidence shows an impact
Editor's letter

Two-way coaching

Content providers have been hugely active in the fit tech market since the start of the pandemic. We expect the industry to move on from delivering these services on a ‘broadcast-only’ basis as two-way coaching becomes the new USP
Fit Tech People

Laurent Petit

Co-founder, Active Giving
The future of sports and fitness are dependent on the climate. Our goal is to positively influence the future of our planet by instilling a global vision of wellbeing and a sense of collective action
Fit Tech People

Adam Zeitsiff

CEO, Intelivideo
We don’t just create the technology and bail – we support our clients’ ongoing hybridisation efforts
Fit Tech People

Anantharaman Pattabiraman

CEO and co-founder, Auro
When you’re undertaking fitness activities, unless you’re on a stationary bike, in most cases it’s not safe or necessary to be tied to a screen, especially a small screen
Fit Tech People

Mike Hansen

Managing partner, Endorphinz
We noticed a big gap in the market – customers needed better insights but also recommendations on what to do, whether that be customer acquisition, content creation, marketing and more
More features