This wearable gamified my stationary bike – and it's a must for workouts now

I live in Washington State where rain is common, so when I’m training, I tend to power through the inclement weather. As I get older though, my tolerance for the cold and wet is starting to wane. So when the folks at Smash Your Fitness reached out about a new indoor cycling service, I decided to buy a Wahoo indoor trainer for my 1994 Bridgestone XO-3 bike.

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The Smashometer is a lightweight (8 grams) rechargeable wearable that you mount on a Velcro band around your ankle. For other exercises, such as rowing, you attach the band to the moving part of your body. It connects to the Smash Your Fitness app loaded on your computer that immerses you in a variety of virtual maps for different races, games, or just biking experiences. 

One of the main pillars of the Smash Your Fitness experience is the accessibility and equality of the experience. No matter what you fitness level is, all cyclists in Smash Your Fitness have the same ability to participate in the experience.

It took me some effort to set everything up since there are no mobile apps for an iPad, smartphone, or other mobile device — you need a PC or Mac computer. I had to set up my indoor trainer and create a stand for my MacBook Pro in order to position it in front of the bike. For regular users, connecting a computer to a mounted display is preferred.

This might be a bit tricky for some people to set up, but as I understand it, the company is currently developing a version for mobile apps.

Once I had the trainer, my computer, my COROS heart rate monitor, and the Smashometer all charged up and connected then it was time to start the service and get riding. There is a vast range of available workouts where you can ride in scenic areas, compete like a video game, or even just jump on and get in a quick workout. After customizing my avatar and bike, I launched into the Training Wheels mode to start figuring out the system and experience.

The Smashometer measures your leg speed and picks up the movement of your leg where you have the wearable device mounted. It transmits that leg speed via Bluetooth to your computer. If you use your smart trainer without a Smashometer than an algorithm is applied so that all riders are equalized. 

Your stamina is the key to your position in the rides and you also need to manage that speed around corners so you don’t crash. I don’t know if other indoor riding experiences support crashing so I was a bit surprised to virtually wipe out a few times while riding.

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After a few basic rides, I then participated in group rides and scenic rides that took me to different maps around the world. I rode on my bike in autosteer mode because I didn’t want to try to hold my phone at the same time as I was riding and try to steer with my phone. This is my first indoor trainer experience so I have no other experience to judge it against, but I found the rides to be enjoyable and challenging enough to sweat and get my heart racing.

There is also an AI-powered coach that is part of the experience. The coach can help you create workout plans based on your goals and recent riding activity. You can choose which type of coach you want as well so the experience is customized to your preferences.

ZDNET’s buying advice

There are several subscription services available for indoor cycling and most are fairly expensive. If you are new to indoor training or want something immersive to keep you motivated, Smashometer and Smash Your Fitness is a good option to consider. Especially if you want to use an AI coach. 

However, I’d love to see an iOS or Android app so I could use a tablet to instead of a laptop. Membership options start as low as $5.99 per month and the $54.99 three month Smashometer bundle is a reasonable price to try out the wearable and service for three months.