BikeControl for Linux

BikeControl for Linux

BikeControl now runs on Linux. Version 7.4.1 is the first one with a Linux build: a .deb package for Ubuntu, Debian and Linux Mint, and an AppImage for every other distribution, both for x86_64 and ARM.

Download BikeControl for Linux

Base is free on Linux

On Linux, Base is free. There is no trial and no daily limit: your buttons shift, steer and navigate in your trainer app, and can press any keyboard key or click the mouse, from the moment you install it.

Pro works like on every other platform. Sign in with your BikeControl account under Settings → Plan & account and subscribe; checkout opens in your browser. Already have Pro on your iPhone, Android, Mac or Windows PC? Sign in to BikeControl for Linux with the account you subscribed with, and Pro is on there too. Pro works on up to two Linux PCs.

Install

Ubuntu, Debian and Linux Mint: the .deb

Download the .deb for x86_64 (or the ARM version) and install it:

sudo apt install ./BikeControl-linux-amd64.deb

BikeControl appears in your app menu. The package also lets BikeControl press keys and click for you (the Local connection method, see below); log out and back in once after installing for that to take effect.

It runs on Ubuntu 22.04, Debian 12, Linux Mint 21 and newer.

Every other distribution: the AppImage

Download the AppImage for x86_64 (or the ARM version), make it executable and start it:

chmod +x BikeControl-linux-x86_64.AppImage
./BikeControl-linux-x86_64.AppImage

An AppImage can't change system settings, so for the Local connection method, allow BikeControl to press keys and click once. Save this line as /etc/udev/rules.d/60-bikecontrol-uinput.rules:

KERNEL=="uinput", SUBSYSTEM=="misc", TAG+="uaccess", OPTIONS+="static_node=uinput"

Then log out and back in. If Steam is installed, your system most likely has an equivalent rule already. BikeControl tells you when the access is missing.

What you can do with it

• Your controllers: connect your Bluetooth controllers through your PC's Bluetooth, and use USB or Bluetooth gamepads, with or without Bluetooth on the PC.
• Network: run BikeControl on your Linux PC and your trainer app on another device, like an Apple TV, iPad, phone or another computer. The trainer app finds BikeControl on your network.
• Local: your trainer app runs on the same PC, for example Biketerra in the browser. BikeControl presses the keys and clicks the buttons for you, on X11 and on Wayland.
• Smart trainers over Wi-Fi: trainers with Wahoo's DirCon protocol, like a KICKR, show up on their own. With Pro, BikeControl does the virtual shifting on them.
• Updates: BikeControl tells you when a new version is out.

Thank you, David

BikeControl for Linux started with a pull request. David Szendrei opened #424 on GitHub with Linux desktop support, tested on KDE Plasma and Wayland: everything BikeControl needs to run on Linux, and a new plugin that presses keys, clicks and sends media keys there, on X11 and on Wayland alike. Without that pull request, there would be no Linux version yet. Thank you, David!

From there, I added Wi-Fi trainer discovery, the free Base and Pro with your account, the packages and the update check. BikeControl's source code is public on GitHub, and pull requests like David's are welcome.

Found something that doesn't work on your distribution? Tell me in the app under Help & Support, or open an issue on GitHub.