# BKOOL Cycling: indoor training — user reviews > 112 indexed App Store user reviews of BKOOL Cycling by BKOOL S.L., rated 4.10/5 from 10 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bkool-cycling-indoor-training/id912387369/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bkool-cycling-indoor-training/id912387369.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 4 · 4★ 3 · 3★ 0 · 2★ 2 · 1★ 0 ## What do users think of BKOOL Cycling? Overall sentiment: mixed **Pros** - 🎬 Realistic video scenery of real-world routes - 🏆 Motivating competitive features and events - 🌍 Extensive route variety from around the world - 💪 Effective for indoor training and fitness - 🔧 Good hardware compatibility when working - 👨‍💼 Responsive customer support (when reached) - 💰 Economical pricing compared to competitors - 🎯 Multiple training modes (3D, video, guided classes) - 📊 Detailed workout information and metrics **Cons** - 🐛 Frequent app crashes and instability - 🔌 Persistent connection/pairing issues - 🔑 Password not saved; requires login every time - 📱 Poor performance on iOS/iPad devices - 🎨 Unintuitive and confusing user interface - ⚠️ Unreliable resistance accuracy - 📡 Server connectivity problems - 🎥 Video buffering and quality issues - 🚫 Missing pause/resume functionality - 📧 Unresponsive customer support - 🔄 Frequent update-related breakdowns - 🎮 Unrealistic graphics and avatar behavior - 🔍 Poor search and navigation features - 💾 Lost ride data after crashes - 🌐 Registration and verification code failures **Commonly reported bugs** - App crashes on startup or during rides - Bluetooth pairing drops frequently - Password save feature doesn't work - Ride data not uploading or saving - Distance display incorrect after updates - Sensors not recognized despite being paired - Resistance values inaccurate or unrealistic - Video buffering and freezing - App hangs on loading screens - Server error messages preventing login - Keyboard overlapping input fields - Scheduled sessions not appearing - Strava integration not working - Heart rate monitor disconnecting mid-ride - Email verification codes not being sent - iPad/Mac version incompatibility issues - Graphics rendering failures - Cadence/speed sensor mismatches **Most requested features** - Pause timer during rides - Apple TV app version - Improved search functionality - Better UI/UX design with larger cards and smaller navigation - Persistent login (save password) - Local ride data storage - AirPlay and HDMI casting support - Improved 3D graphics detail and variety - Virtual warm-up rollers for group rides - Better integration with Strava on free tier - iOS dropdown menus for settings - Support for 3+ Bluetooth sensors - Video download option to prevent buffering - Companion mobile app for race management ## Newest reviews (12 of 112) ### 4/5 — Love the platform *2024-12-12, version 7.81* JCV ### 2/5 — Like something from 10 years ago *2023-11-20, version 7.50* How a paid subscription can have an app that makes you log in every time and doesn’t save your password is beyond me. ### 4/5 — Love it, however *2022-04-27* Love the app. Just wish you could pause timer when riding instead of continuing to run. Sometimes you need to stop and do something and you want to pause the ride like a Garmin. **Developer response:** Hello, Thank you for your comment! We welcome new ideas from our users. You can send us your suggestion to suggestions@bkool.com so our team can consider your idea. BKOOL Team ### 4/5 — I prefer this to Zwift *2022-03-02, version 5.91* I really like the videos as I feel that I’m actually cycling there. The search feature is the most frustrating though and this really needs improving. ### 2/5 — Nice when it works, updates are problematic *2021-12-17* Been using Bkool for a couple years. Since the last update a couple of weeks ago, distance completed and distance remaining in a session does not display correctly. This is a problem in both the iOS app and the PC application. Bkool doesn’t reply to support e-mails (and makes it incredibly hard to even find an address to report a problem). Similar problems have occurred in the past where an update breaks a significant piece of functionality and it takes forever for Bkool to resolve the problem. (Update - with respect to the developer response below, I sent in a ticket and received an automated acknowledgment a week ago and have heard nothing since). **Developer response:** Hello MPM8010, Thank you for your review. I am not sure which email you wrote to, as the way to contact our Support Team is either via our Help section or via the following form: support.bkool.com/hc/en-us/requests/new?ticket_form_id=360000021366 Please send us more details about your issue and our Support Team will assist you as soon as possible. BKOOL Team ### 1/5 — Doesn’t work *2021-05-11, version 5.35* App crashes before you can use it, and I’m on brand new iPad. Very disappointed. Heading back to Zwift ### 1/5 — Terrible app *2021-04-10, version 5.35* Cannot ride my Bkool Go trainer on it. The app crashes constantly. No help from tech support. ### 1/5 — Dreadful *2021-04-08, version 5.35* Fancied a change from Zwift. Downloaded app, connected trainer first time. From then on, no dice. Kept disconnecting, search wouldn’t work. Gave up, and now to delete the app. I never write app reviews but I had high hopes and like many it seems couldn’t get anywhere with this. ### 1/5 — Poor *2021-03-20, version 5.35* Downloaded app and signed up to 30 day premium trial... got rolling on first ride and all good. 10 minutes it it crashed, reloaded and picked up from where I left off, another 10 mins and it crashed again, reload and repeat... just kept crashing after that. Rebooted iPad and still crashing... just rubbish... ### 1/5 — New update *2021-03-04, version 5.35* Every time there is a new update I cannot use the system . No one from Bkool responds to my emails. Not good enough for a premium subscription ### 2/5 — A lot of potential poorly executed *2021-02-21* This concepts behind this app are admirable, but there’s a number of problems. This is not my first cycling app. I subscribe to three others. First of all, despite my setting my profile to upload to Strava, it didn’t happen. The app doesn’t read my heart rate monitor correctly. The 3D views are lacking in detail, look nothing like their real world counterparts, and the real world videos are choppy and low quality. There’s no pause function. My other cycling apps don’t have these issues. This might be good if it was a Beta version, but BKOOL isn’t ready for prime time yet. **Developer response:** Hello Galinde, Thank you for your review. Our Team are working hard to constantly bring improvements. BKOOL Team ### 1/5 — Piece of junk *2021-02-20, version 5.33* Went through all the steps to register, added all my info (horrible use of forms and keyboard) and submitted. “Could not complete operation at this time. Please try again.” Seriously? Do you not test your apps? ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Won’t Let Me Register *2023-09-25* I can’t even sign up. When I put in my email address, it tells me to use a different email address. I don’t have a different email address???? **Developer response:** Hello Zootooz, Thank you for your review and sorry about that issue, it usually happens when you are already registered. Please send us more details through the following link: support.bkool.com/hc/en-us/requests/new?ticket_form_id=360000021366 and our Support Team will assist you as soon as possible. BKOOL Team ### 1/5 — Rubbish *2023-01-18, version 7.11* Didn’t send through verification code to even be able to log in! ### 1/5 — Can’t get a trial using iCloud “hide my email” address *2022-07-12, version 6.13* I went through the setup screen and it rejects using “hide my email” address. I had a problem on Zwift when I mistakenly used my real email address, and couldn’t change it without losing years of history. I don’t want to expose my real email address especially on a trial subscription. I’m afraid if BKOOL won’t take “Hide my email” address, I will look elsewhere for a Zwift replacement. ### 1/5 — Terrible app and program! *2022-06-14, version 6.12* I downloaded to get a free trial, but that didn’t work, so I tried again and was charged £7.99 for the privilege. Now I still can’t link Strava, which was all I was trying to do before I got started. There’s no way to easily contact anybody who can either help, or refund my money. Not even linked it to my wahoo trainer…don’t want to use such an unscrupulous company. Choose Zwift or Wahoo Systm. Both far superior. ### 1/5 — Lots of error messages *2022-03-16, version 6.01* There are many much better options on the cycling apps market. After the free trial, I forgot to cancel and sadly I have paid an extra month for nothing, will no longer use… ### 1/5 — Unstable buggy and unacceptable *2021-11-07, version 5.64* Latest update just hangs and hangs on all platforms. Stability has gone from bad to worse. ### 1/5 — Regular crashes *2021-10-26, version 5.64* Previous version on ipad fine. Latest version oct 2021 disappointing due to lack of stability (4 times in just 2 weeks). Have tried removal and reinstall to no avail. Problem seems to be “requires more ram” than an 11 month old ipad has…I find that ridiculous when previous version absolutely no issues with quality video play. This version crashes just on graphics. PC Version also buggy this version. No crashes yet, but the display of front menu misses out most of favourites, and so you have to rely on memory which is which, or guess. Please sort as I’d give 5 stars if it worked as it used to. ### 1/5 — Simply doesn’t work - hopeless! *2021-09-02, version 5.39* I downloaded on my Mac Book Pro and iPad after subscribing to a Premium Account 30 day trial. The app on the Mac Book just crashed every time - refused to launch. On my iPad, the app launched and showed my sensors (Wahoo) all connected. However, as soon as I would try and launch a workout, it would say no sensors detected despite all sensors being green on the sensor page. I am cancelling my subscription - what a waste of time. Never had any issues with Sufferfest, Trainer Road or Rouvy. I would suggest you try one of the above, as this app is terrible. ### 1/5 — Awful, unrealistic, overpriced software. Avoid. *2021-06-17, version 5.38* In the App Store, Bkool touts itself as “The best indoor cycling app”. I mean, it just isn’t. At all. In all honestly, it’s pretty terrible. Let’s start with the name, “Bkool”. It sounds like a bad name for a youth project in a church. Awful name. I registered, downloaded the app, linked my Wattbike Atom and Whoop band, filled in my basic profile, got an email saying I was now a “Bkooler” (cringe) and tried to start a ride. I couldn’t find anything to ride as a free user other than the tutorial (there might be free rides but they don’t appear to be filterable as a free ride). Tried the tutorial ride. First things first, the resistance is woefully inaccurate. 8% and I could barely move the pedals. Anything less than 0% and I’m spinning out. The change from below zero to above or vice versa is almost instant and just so unrealistic. Then there’s the graphics. Riding along and the rider seems to be bouncing around. Cadence didn’t seem to match. And the rider would just randomly strafe across the road. Then there’s the road markings, zig zagging along the road side like no road I’ve ever seen before. Even though I did not like what I’d seen so far, I decided to get a better idea of it, I signed up for the free trial of premium. Sign up was easy enough, except for the fact that app directed me to the Spanish sign up page. Signed up, and went back into the app, but still wasn’t premium. Had to log out and log back in. So that’s a flaw. Of course, it kicked me to a Spanish sign in. Logged in, hooked up Strava (which you can’t do on the free version, even though Strava integration is probably THE most basic of requirements for any cyclist). Did a search for rides in Mallorca (more on that later) and finally clicked on a Cap Formentor ride. Into the ride, I had no idea where I was meant to be. The road wasn’t remotely familiar. It was just arbitrary graphics. There was no video for it, so I couldn’t use that. And I was pretty much straight into an 8% climb that I just could not pedal up. I know 8%. I can ride 8%. This was not 8%. After a couple of miles I ended the ride. It was so unimpressive, so woefully inaccurate, and bore no resemblance to Formentor. Then there’s the UI for the app. It’s awful. I wonder if a professional UI/UX designer was involved. The home screen uses a similar card system to Netflix. That’s the good bit. The nav ribbon to the side is massive, and there’s massive gaps between the nav ribbon and cards, and the rows of cards. Which is stupid, because the cards for the routes don’t feature the full names, so you need to tap into one to see the full name. So if a route starts somewhere and ends somewhere, more often than not the end destination isn’t on the card. Or in the case of a Spanish climb, “COLL DE” and the rest is truncated. Idiocy. All that space, massive nav ribbon, but cards don’t contain full names. It’s a similar story on the search page. Massive nav ribbon, a persistent set of filters, and only half the screen for route cards. Again, cards don’t feature the full name. Why? Make the nav ribbon smaller, hide the filters unless someone wants to see them, make the cards bigger, less space, let’s get full, meaningful names! The settings screen is ghastly. Switching between items is done using chevron buttons, but you have to click through to see the options. What’s wrong with using the built in iOS dropdown menu? It just works. And there is so much white space, but everything is so small, and you STILL have to scroll to see more options. Terrible design. What’s insulting is that these guys want to charge £7.99 a month for it. And what’s genuinely concerning is that at the time of writing, this was version 5.38 - it FEELS like a beta. It should be 0.38, not 5.38. Honestly, unless you want to see how bad a piece of software can be, don’t bother. Zwift and Fulgaz are both significantly better. I only checked BKool out because Chris Froome advertised it on his Instagram. Not sure what they are paying him but I am surprised to see him put his name to something so bad. I think Zwift needs a viable competitor, because we see how complacent companies become without competition (Garmin I’m looking at you) and then along comes a Wahoo and a Hammerhead and suddenly you’re finding your market share drop. Same needs to happen with Zwift, viable competitors need to come along. This isn’t one. BKOOL might argue that’s not their aim, but ultimately Zwift IS the best indoor app, it can be used for training, and it has a great social aspect. If want the video rides, Fulgaz does that really well. Not sure what BKOOL is trying to be, but it needs a lot of work. ### 1/5 — Poor *2021-05-28, version 5.35* What a steep learning curve! Nothing is really intuitive. In comparison Zwift is a cartoon environment with group rides and workouts and works without too much hassle for £3 a month more. BKOOL on the other hand boasts over 1/2 a million videos, workouts and the chance to upload your own videos. BKOOL boasts reality with real weather. Sounds great. Trouble is... Those videos buffer and skip. BKOOL says insufficient memory! The buffering really is an issue for me. FulGaz worked, Zwift worked, Tacx worked, Rouvy worked: BKOOL = Insufficient memory and video buffering. When I checked the minimum requirements to run BKOOL I made sure the systems I used to test BKOOL were good enough. However, what I got were videos that buffered and the only option to overcome this was 3D! I had to endure silent solo rides in a 3D simulated environment that weren’t immersive and a 3 mile video route ride was like pulling teeth because the video kept hanging. Tacx, FulGaz & Rouvy on the other hand allow video downloads to deal with video buffering. [Zwift works and it’s easy to see why it’s No.1] The best thing is the Velodrome option. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Realistic & Motivating *2024-04-18, version 7.57* I’ve been using Bkool since Feb 2018. I’ve tried others on the market when offered a free trial but nothing else compares to this for realism, ease of use and motivation. I enjoy the real scenery in this app, even cycling in areas of Europe I’ve visited and calling my wife in to point out a hotel we stayed at or a restaurant we ate in! Keeping motivated doing indoor cardio exercise isn’t easy but with Bkool I’m always trying to improve my time for a route or trying to catch someone ahead of me. Even when I’m tiring, I’ll try to go faster to ensure nobody overtakes me. I used to use this with a turbo trainer and recently switched to a “smart” bike. Both of these have linked perfectly with the app giving me the extra resistance going up hills and, on my new bike, the gears show up on the screen. You can also change the gearing completely for mountain stages or time trials. Bkool update the software regularly plus they’re always running different events such as the Giro d’Italia to help motivate you to complete all the stages. ### 5/5 — Customer Service is great *2022-05-29* Been using BKOOL for about a year. Love the way you can switch between virtual world and actual footage. However this last winter season I just used the BKOOL fitness app to work on my strength and speed. Great selection of instructors to choose from. However my app stop working (wouldn’t open up) so I email support. They got back with me pronto and told me what to do to remedy the problem. Very impressed with the app and the economical price. **Developer response:** Hello, Thank you for taking the time to write a review about us! Have a great day. BKOOL Team ### 5/5 — Great virtual riding and so many routes *2022-02-03, version 5.91* I’ve been using this app for three years now and still find it stands out from the rest of the virtual sim rides on the market. Great choice of routes from all over the world 3d, map or video and now with its guided classes I can mix up my trading schedule. Also thanks to the support team who are really proactive ### 5/5 — Nice graphics and good videos *2021-10-20, version 5.64* Used swift and RGT, an settled on BKOOL as my favourite training app. Works well on my laptop and on my iPad and have no issues connecting hrm or tacx flux turbo trainer. The interface is not the best. Took a bit of time to work out how to ride a gps course I created, but once you get the hang of it it becomes relatively straight forward. I like the studio workout videos as it adds another element to my training. For the money, I would say this is probably the best value. ### 5/5 — Great training aid *2021-09-24, version 5.40* I use bkool on my iPad mini and laptop with an hdmi link to the tv screen and really enjoy it. I’ve had no major issues and find it great for when the weather is foul or I just want a quick burst of activity. There are no hills locally so being able to work out on hilly bkool routes is a regular part of my training. Watching the scenery on video and being able to compete against others on the route adds a good level of interest too. ### 5/5 — Has the most features and potential - the best for course recon *2021-09-08* Sure, there are a few bugs here and there, but if you have compatible equipment and a decent internet connection, there’s almost nothing you can’t do on BKOOL. That’s part of why some people find it so complex - feature overload, to some extent. I manage 4 online racing leagues on BKOOL, and I’ve been on the platform for more than 5 years. I’ve seen its progress and am hopeful for its future. Makes Zwift look like a silly little game. For course recon, there’s nothing even close to BKOOL. **Developer response:** Hello Cre8ivGuyVT, Thank you for taking the time to write a review about us! Great to hear you are enjoying BKOOL :) Have a great day. BKOOL Team ### 5/5 — Great simulator *2021-09-04, version 5.39* Way better than video games ### 5/5 — Use a PC *2021-03-01, version 5.35* Looking at the amount of negative feedback I thought I would add. Both my partner and I tried to use Bkool on my iPad and MacBook, both of which would not work at all with this app, we tried everything. You need to download on to a PC and it’s fine, I use it everyday and it’s brilliant, sure it does drop out now and again but it’s rare, the points you get enable you to get other gear for your avatar, just a bit of fun. The rankings are tough, amateur level is up to around 250 watts for 20 mins on the ftp test, then it goes to active level, and so on to superhuman elite at a whopping 500 watts. The 5 stars are for bkool not this app though. ### 5/5 — MTB Sydney *2020-12-01, version 5.33* Great app, working out good for my indoor Mountain biking heart rate peaks and power training. Using Suito, not a problem. Good stuff. ### 5/5 — Great app *2020-11-24, version 5.33* I’m really impressed with the simulator. I’ve been using it since February 2020 and personally I prefer it to zwift. The latest update has brought some really good improvements. There was a problem running the app on iPad but having reported this it was corrected quickly and feedback from BKool was quick and efficient. Keep up the great work BKool 👏👏👏 --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-10.*