Limbatus

This Thread is Focused on Rouvy

New Rides Video / AR / GPS derived / Workouts etc...

Please post your experience with the Rouvy Service...

Settings and System Specifications which improve the Rouvy Experience....

Limbatus

I have tried multiple indoor training services / apps and settled upon Rouvy as one of the best currently available for fitness riding / free riding enthusiasts

The combination of content, pricing, and features seemed to fit my needs best.

1) Rouvy has many rides filmed from a Van / Motor Vehicle
-- This creates an ideal perspective for ride footage. Mimics a human's eye elevation while riding. As opposed to the many handle-bar cam videos available on other services
-- For the most part footage has minimal "road Jello"

2) Ride Footage is Scenic
-- Many Rides Have Nice Views
-- Many Rides are filmed in nice weather and lighting conditions
-- Rides trend towards Solo Riding.
--- Footage with many other cyclists in the frame is less desirable for my taste
-- Rides are less focused on Racing. Suits me

3) Broad Flexibility in terms of OS selection:
--- iOS
--- Mac Os
--- Apple TV
--- Windows
--- Android

4) Desperately needs more control and tuning features within the App
--- Will address later in thread

5) Easy to Create Custom Rides / Custom Workouts
-- Easy to build a library of Custom Rides and Workouts

surak

My household uses Rouvy because it's the cheapest subscription for multiple users with Premium and supports* both smart and classic trainers (I use a Kickr, my partner mainly uses a Kinetic Road Machine because she doesn't have the power to deal with the realistic resistance on hillier terrain, of which there's an abundance on Rouvy).

Rouvy's career mode provides an interesting carrot to chase throughout the year by requiring specific routes or challenges such as riding some amount of total elevation gain over some time limit. I would prefer that they didn't reuse the same routes for different challenges, but it is somewhat more interesting to reride and see trends in speed improvements. And there are frequently other riders on the same route, which you can see in AR mode. Other riders on the same course is much more rare on non-required routes.

*: The original Rouvy Workouts app does, at least. Frustratingly, the new Rouvy AR app lacks many of the features of Workouts, although I think they added support for some classic trainers, just not the InRide sensor that we added to the Road Machine to get more accurate power.

Limbatus

I am also using a Kickr(Bike). The experience is pretty good. That said, and understanding that smart training is in its infancy, the Rouvy AR app leaves a lot to be desired.

The biggest issue is video playback artifacts and distortions. I have tried using Rouvy on AppleTV (w 4K Sony Bravia), iPhone, iPad, Macbook Pro, Dell Precision 7720, and a custom built CAD PC with +- best conceivable specifications. The video issues are common among nearly all streaming / video playback training services.

Issues which need to be resolved:

1) Screen Judder. These apps are basically animation playback devices. Real Time cycling footage is imported into the app, and then playback speed is controlled by rider pedaling input. The source footage should really be filmed with a much higher frame rate. The result with normal footage, is that the ride playback becomes very staccato. Uphill sections become very choppy. I find it dizzying on long rides. There is also significant frame distortion towards the periphery of the screen. It is seen most drastically as vertical elements, such as sign posts, utility poles, or anything delicate pass near the right or left edge of the footage. Similar to an interlacing issue, these elements seem to jump left and right as they leave the frame. It is unbearably distracting, and frankly i'm surprised it is not inducing epileptic seizures for some users.

2) Compression Artifacts. Rouvy advertises 4K riding, however in reality, the only option is 2K AR routes... and then you'll find that the app settings will only support 720 or 1080? Puzzling. People, Vehicles, and Other Elements in the Footage have a fuzzy blur which surrounds them. I find the Screen Judder so severe that it negates any advantage of the boasted UHD footage. Much of this is tied to variable ride speed due to trainer bike input. Fulgaz for example allows constant speed ride playback, and it makes for a much more enjoyable experience. Too bad their videos are lousy.

3) Exposure. Many of the videos are overexposed. I found Rouvy better than Fulgaz and SufferFest.... but there's big improvement possible across all of these services.

surak

There's a Facebook Group of Rouvy Users where some of them share the best rides (most scenic with high quality footage). It's worth taking a look at their picks if you aren't already on there.

I agree that the videos could be better, though I actually found FulGaz videos to be superior. FulGaz just wasn't competitively priced nor as fully-featured (not to mention incredibly buggy on Win 10) when I tried it out. My partner doesn't mind Rouvy's video quality, and honestly for most rides I've been more inclined to just mentally target a power zone while watching something else so it hasn't bothered me.

I was quite interested in the Kickr Bike but settled for the Kickr because we thought it'd be interesting to ride together if we bought a second trainer later. Once I picked up a Road Machine, we tried the Rouvy Workouts app's multi-rider mode, which wasn't compelling at all because it just adds the second rider's stats to the old ride UI. The AR mode was new and sort of worked if we each used a separate device, except staying together required concerted effort because Rouvy hadn't implement drafting yet (and even now, only supports in online races, which again requires Rouvy AR and thus rules out the use of our InRide-equipped Road Machine) nor a way to make banded rides like I think one can on Zwift. Disappointing that riding together isn't well supported in Rouvy, but we each are motivated enough to ride solo, so it's not a dealbreaker.

Ed Wiser

I second the Rouvy Facebook group. Always people sharing rides they have found to be good. A vast majority of rides are user contributed. Most of the AR rides are done by Rouvy. The studded f on the climbs is due to the rider going slower that the person who filmed the ride. Since this is streaming video if you want the best video quality on a ride down load the video first before riding. If you have a slow internet connection you can change the resolution of the ride so you don’t get a time when the video buffers during a ride.
I ride Rouvy to enjoy a free ride around the world. An not the computer generated world of Zwift.

Atlas Shrugged

I have a Kickr Bike as well and have been a long time Rouvy user. I am having issues with doing workouts with an iOS device and a Bluetooth connection. I am getting power spikes every few seconds and neither I nor Rouvy support has been able to help. Does not have an issue with Windows and Ant+. Do you have any issues with power stability and iOS?

It would be a nice feature to have a dedicated Kickr Bike profile so the gear can be displayed when doing a simulated ride or enable some of the other switches on the bike during workouts. I have made these suggestions to Rouvy.

I would like to continue with Rouvy however if they don't fully support the Kickr Bike it may be time to move on.

jpescatore

I did a month trial of Rouvy (I've been doing Zwift for 4 years now) and I did like some of the video rides. But many of the video rides were "too" realistic - rides that were filmed during cloudy winter days with bare trees and on realistic roads with trash on the sides and scrubby brush/weeds as the main scenery! The stuttering effect was pretty noticeable at various points.

Between those points, and the fact that I was pretty much always riding by myself, Rouvy didn't meet my need for something to distract me from the fact that I was cycling in my basement. It really was only a notch better than when I tried a dumb trainer and biking VHS tapes/CDs - the resistance did change, but not much benefit over that.

The variety and social aspects on Zwift make it much easier for me to look at the timer and say "Wow, that 20 minutes just went by pretty quickly and I was working pretty hard." Rouvy didn't do that for me.

Ed Wiser

I ride the Kickr bike and find it great on Rouvy. There is greater variation in grade on Rouvy than Zwift. The stutterering of video on climbs is for the rider not matching the speed that the video was shot. Since Rouvy is a streaming video app. An not a computer generated app like Zwift. Every app has its uses.

Atlas Shrugged

Have you done Rouvy workouts with Bluetooth? I am have serious issues with power spikes and trying to determine if it’s just me or a system wide issue.

My other issue is Rouvy does not have a Kickr Bike profile and uses a Kickr trainer profile thus not indicating shifting on the screen nor supports any buttons o the bike.

Ed Wiser

I have not had any issues with Bluetooth.
The only app that supports the Kickr bike fully is of coarse Sufferfest. Which you use in Erg mode. The atom bike is the only one that shows virtual gearing on screen. I use a lot of different profiles in Rouvy to help with the mountains