Bikes and browsers
Will my bikes work?
Almost certainly, and this page tells you how to be sure before you commit to anything. No hardware from us, no app on the bike: whatever your equipment already broadcasts is what we read.
01
The short answer
One question decides itIf a bike, rower or treadmill broadcasts its data over Bluetooth, we can read it. Most equipment made for indoor training does, and most gym equipment made before that does not.
- Made for training at home (Wattbike, Keiser M3i, Concept2 with a PM5, any turbo trainer that works with Zwift): almost certainly yes.
- A commercial gym bike with a console: sometimes. Look for a Bluetooth symbol on the console or in its manual.
- A basic spin bike with a battery display: no, but a clip-on speed and cadence sensor turns it into one for about the price of lunch.
Not sure? Send us the model
We will tell you yes, no, or what to add. If you have one bike to hand, a twenty minute call is enough to pair it and watch your own numbers appear on a screen.
02
What we read
Standard Bluetooth profiles, no app on the bike| Profile | What it gives us |
|---|---|
| Fitness Machine (FTMS) | Speed, distance, power and cadence straight from the machine. The modern standard, and the best case: indoor bikes, rowers and treadmills all use it. Rowers also give stroke rate. |
| Cycling Power | Watts, and cadence when the meter reports it. Power meters and smart trainers. Distance is worked out from the same signal. |
| Cycling Speed and Cadence | Wheel and crank counts, which become speed and distance. This is what a clip-on sensor speaks. Distance depends on wheel size, which defaults to 2.076 m and is a setting per race. |
Whichever a bike speaks, the tablet does the reading. Nothing is installed on the bike, nothing is paired permanently, and unpairing is closing the page.
03
Browsers that can pair
The one real constraint| Device | Use |
|---|---|
| Android phone or tablet | Chrome, or Edge. The straightforward case, and the cheapest hardware for a room full of bikes. |
| iPhone or iPad | Bluefy, from the App Store. Safari cannot pair Bluetooth from a web page at all, and no browser on iOS can change that. Bluefy exists precisely to fill the gap. |
| Laptop or desktop | Chrome or Edge, on Windows, macOS or Linux. Handy for a single demo bike at a desk. |
| Anything, for watching | Any modern browser. The screen and the results pages pair with nothing. Only the tablets at the bikes need Bluetooth. |
04
Making them behave on the day
What actually goes wrong- Wake the bike before pairing. Most only broadcast once they are awake: pedal a few turns, or press a button on the console.
- One tablet per bike. A tablet can hold several, but a bike belongs to the tablet standing next to it, and the rider view only appears when a station holds exactly one.
- Keep tablets plugged in with the screen lock off. Bluetooth and a live page for eight hours is more than a day of battery.
- Bikes that sleep between riders are fine. The tablet keeps trying on its own and reconnects the moment the bike wakes; the rider goes back on with their distance intact.
- Check one bike against its own console during setup. If it reads long or short, the wheel size setting fixes it in a moment.