Trainer App #3 - Systm by Wahoo Fitness

• Posted on 22 January 2023
• By KW
• Posted in trainers, winter riding, winter training
• 0

All right, it's time to read about app number three - Systm from Wahoo Fitness.  I've been using this one a couple years now, ever since Systm absorbed the Sufferfest app, which was always my favorite.  Sufferfest is a fun interactive app, but it is a little goofy and silly sometimes.

I recently added a 2-week free subscription to this app the same way I did on Rouvy and Zwift, and then I will continue to subscribe for the winter since it's a decent price and has a lot of great features.  The subscription is 15 bucks a month, which seems to be the average cost across the board, and like the others has an option to be extended for a year for $144 ($12/month).  So if you're in to riding on a trainer all year long, you do save some money by doing the yearly plan.

Systm comes with the same style interactive routes, maps, and workouts that Rouvy and Zwift use.  They offer three different libraries of workouts: the Sufferfest collection, Pro Rides (you are riding on a real course with pro racers), On Location, A Week/Day with..., and several inspirational videos that include a ride course.  All of the libraries offer varying degrees of difficulty, effort, and length, and with a total of some 365 workouts you can do a full year without repeating one.  

The Wahoo Systm also comes with weight training and yoga workout videos, which are a great addition to the cycling, and you can incorporate running and swimming workouts, too, though it's hard to run or swim with your laptop, so I don't know how those work.  Systm also includes "Mental Training," a series of short videos that includes motivational techniques, overcoming mental blocks, setting up for success, etc.  All of this is included in the $15 monthly fee.

OK, let's talk about the Sufferfest video series.  You are a citizen of Sufferlandria, a small country that counts on its cycling team to bring joy to its existence.  From its capital of Agonia to its official language of Painglish, you are suffering for the team and your country in every event.  There is even a Tour of Sufferlandria - a multi-stage grind over several weeks to earn points and glory.  It's all a bit silly, up to and including the famous Sufferlandrian Laser-Eyed Goat, which is just too weird to explain here.  Given the slog that indoor riding can be, it's nice to have a chuckle once in a while, but if you don't want that you can always opt for other workouts in the library.

Let's open the app and get going.  The initial screen is large and bright and user friendly.  There are options for your calendar, where you schedule a workout on your plan, or you can choose from the library.  You can also select the yoga, strength, running, etc. options at this time. 

I select something nice and easy because I am pressed for time, not because I am lazy.  I filter the options by time - less than 30 minutes - and not by difficulty, again, not because I am lazy.  I select something about a guy climbing 13 mountains in France starting on Friday the 13th and spend the next 23 minutes (hey, I was pressed for time) watching HIM climb instead of doing it myself.  The video is narrated, and they discuss his life and reason for doing this particular adventure.  Other videos have built-in soundtracks, or you can choose to run a different app like YouTube or Spotify and turn down the in-app volume.

Speaking of sounds, when it's time to speed up or slow down, Systm will give you some SFX - a revving engine means that in a few seconds you'll be pedalling faster and/or with more power, and the screech of brakes tells you the opposite.  It's another, oh, let's call it "quirky" feature of the app.  Your power, speed, cadence, and heart rate info are displayed along the bottom of the screen in nicely laid-out blocks.  You can also select to see the elevation of the course, or to hide almost all of the info completely.

The end of the ride is user-friendly as well.  On Zwift the other day, I kept pedalling after I completed the course; I wanted to cool down a bit.  Zwift thought I was beginning another lap.  Rouvy was also a little odd, but not hard to figure out.  When you stop pedalling on Systm, a screen pops up and asks you to save the ride, discard it, or begin pedalling again to resume if you haven't completed the workout.  When you select to save it, it asks you if you want to upload it to your favorite social media or Strava-type app.  And then you're all done.  It's very easy to navigate.

I'm giving the Systm a 5-star rating overall.  It's very possible user bias, since I've used it for years as I mentioned above.  But it does have lots of great features, it's easy to use, it caters to all manner of rider, and it has cross-training built in.  It does not feature a group function or race-style functions like Zwift and Rouvy, which some people find important.  I figure riding in my basement is punishment enough; I don't need to watch riders from all over pass me at will, so I don't really miss that feature, and I can always go find Emma over at Rouvy if I want to.

I hope these few posts have been helpful if you're looking for a new indoor experience.  We are always happy to answer questions that you have, and several folks here use Zwift and can be of more help than I am with it.  Here's to putting down those base miles and getting ready for the outdoor season!  May it be as fun and painless as possible!!

Happy riding, wherever you are.