Indoor cycling has always been popular with gym classes being the main driver in the past. In recent years, indoor cycling at home has really taken off in popularity. Primarily driven by the accessibility of smart trainers (also called turbos), in which you mount your bike, either with the wheel on or off. The trainer accurately measures power output by the rider, and can even adjust the resistance to emulate changes in terrain and elevation.

These trainers has build the foundation for home training platforms like Zwift and Rouvy to create a virtual world where riders can enjoy free riding, exploring, social rides and races. There’s even a UCI world championship on Zwift, and you regularly see pro riders online.

Indoor cycling benefits

Indoor cycling has many benefits. If you don’t live in a place with year-round good weather, it might even be an essential accomodation to maintain and improve your fitness. If you are a serious rider, who also have a job and/or a family, I will argue that you absolutely need to have an indoor setup.

Indoor cycling provides the most bang for your buck time-wise. You don’t need much time to prepare, before you are riding your bike. You don’t need transport time to ride to a good traininc location. The constant resistance on the trainer makes training a lot more efficient. Outside you will coast while riding downhill. If you ride with friends or teammates, you will also spend time coasting while sitting in their draft. It’s also easier to stick to your desired watts during interval sessions, because you don’t need to factor in terrain, elevation and traffic.

If you have kids, being at home while training also offers some benefits. Being able to help out in case of an emergency, or simply not being delayed by something like a puncture outside is great. And if you live in a heavy traffic area that’s not very bike friendly, cycling indoors might be much safer for you. There are plenty of rider who only ride indoors and race on Zwift.

But don’t be fooled. If you want to race outside, you also need to ride outside to improve the skills necessary in your goal event. Drafting, downhills, cornering and riding in a bunch can’t be learned on a stationary bike. You can check out all the necessary bike handling skills here.

What do you need for your indoor setup?

To get started with indoor cycling, you need a training platform and one of the following setups:

• Bicycle with a power meter and any trainer.
• Bicycle and a smart trainer.
• Smart bike.

You will also need a device to run your training platform on. An iPad, laptop or Apple TV are the most popular options. A fan is also an essential item to keep you cool. Without it you risk overheating, which can be dangerous for your health. Riding indoors you won’t have the headwind to cool you off.

An indoor cycling setup is also known as a pain cave. If you want to make your pain cave a bit more special, there are plenty of examples online. Some things you might consider are:

• A big TV for your Apple TV.
• Speakers for your music to keep motivation high.
• A table for mouse and keyboard to ease communication with fellow riders on social platforms.
• A headset if you want to talk to friends on Discord while riding.
• A phone mount for your handlebar to ease use of companion apps.
• Color changing lights.
• Pictures of pro riders or framed jerseys.

Check out our guide on smart trainers to get the perfect setup for you. And then check our reviews of the most popular training platforms.