7.4 - More Customizability, More Fun Apps

More Customizability, More Fun Apps

7.4 is about two things: making BikeControl fit the way you ride, and giving you more apps to ride in.

More customizability

Chain on the trainer

Until now, virtual shifting assumed your chain sat on 34/17 on the trainer. If you left it on a different gear, say 39/14 on a Zwift Cog, every virtual gear felt heavier than its real counterpart.

Now you tell BikeControl where your chain really is. Under Settings → Virtual Shifting → Chain on the trainer, set the chainring on your bike and the cog on your trainer. BikeControl takes it into account, so every virtual gear feels like the real one on your road bike. Leave the chain there and only shift virtually.

If your chain ends up somewhere else, BikeControl tells you, so you can move it back or change the setting. Chain on the trainer is used by Track Resistance.

ERG your way

Two new ERG settings, also under Settings → Virtual Shifting:

• ERG start power: when you switch to ERG, start at your last target or at your current power.
• ERG step: 1, 5, 10 or 25 W per − / + press.

They apply everywhere you control ERG: your shifter buttons, the Ride card and the desktop overlay.

Both were Aleksei's ideas, sent through the support chat in the app. Thanks, Aleksei! I'm always open to new ideas, so if something in BikeControl could work better for you, tell me there.

Feel every shift on your gamepad

Gamepads with rumble motors now buzz when you shift, just like the phone's shift feedback: a short buzz up or down, and two strong pulses when there's no next gear. Turn it on or off per gamepad with Enable vibration feedback when shifting gears.

More fun apps

Two more apps now speak OpenBikeControl, the open protocol for controllers and trainer apps. Your controller buttons work in them right away, no keyboard shortcuts or window focus needed.

Ride Cave

Ride Cave is an indoor platform for cycling, rowing and running, with a 3D world, group rides, races and training plans.

Choose Ride Cave as your trainer app in BikeControl. Ride Cave connects to BikeControl over Bluetooth and tells BikeControl which buttons it understands: shift up and down, difficulty, skip interval, pause and resume, and emotes. Run BikeControl and Ride Cave on two different devices.

Velotoss

Velotoss is a bike racing game for your smart trainer, with cartoon riders, item boxes full of chaos, and races against AI or friends. It's free, on iPhone, iPad and in the browser.

In Velotoss, your controls don't shift gears: they let you change lanes, use your action items and more. A fun way to use your smart trainer and your favorite controllers.

Choose Velotoss as your trainer app in BikeControl. Velotoss finds BikeControl over your network for your controller buttons, and connects to your trainer over Bluetooth.

Also in 7.4

• Shimano Di2: hood and satellite buttons work in button mode.
• Disconnect for this session: a controller you disconnect stays disconnected until you connect it again.
• Magene PES-P power meters are recognised.