You see yourself as a rebel, someone unwilling to be conformed or shaken by society’s demands, and you want to use your Echelon Bike without a subscription. It looks like we have a real badass on our hands here.
Before continuing, ensure you’ve wrapped yourself and the computer in tin foil. I wouldn’t want Echelon’s IT department to find out about your nefarious plans.
Your secret is safe with me, and the answer is yes. You don’t need a subscription to use your perfection-pursuing Echelon bike. Tighten the tin foil, and take my hand as I lead you into an unshackled reality of fitness subscription freedom.
Echelon staff tried to cover up the truth.
– Echelon Customer Service
As we will find out, that’s not exactly true.
Why are some Echelon Bike riders ditching the subscription?
Shaking off expenses is a great feeling, these days, we’re pushed and pulled in so many different directions by genius marketing schemes.
This section doesn’t require a VPN or foil hat, so you can relax a little bit. The main reason for leaving Echelon’s subscription service in the dust is simple; it’s unnecessary and overpriced. The FitPass is $12 per month and doesn’t even interact with your exercise bike.
Unlike other bikes that offer flexibility without a subscription, Echelon ties many of its features to a costly monthly plan. The Premier plan, which costs almost triple that cost, is selling for $34 per month. After checking out Echelon’s app pricelist, it’s easy to see why some riders are exploring new applications. In this article, I’ll lay out some free alternatives, as well as a few affordable options.
– Echelon Customer Service
Software Nightmares
The application has an abysmal 2.6 out of 5 stars on the Google Play store at the time of this article’s conception. Ruffled up-reviewers complain about constant crashes, accessibility struggles, and just about every software issue known to humankind. Despite these software issues, the app offers access to some of the best instructors for interactive and motivating workout classes.
Things aren’t looking much better on the Apple store, where the Echelon Fit app manages to get a slightly less embarrassing 2.8 out of 5 stars. I can see why customers aren’t flocking to use Echelon’s software.
Echelon Bike Functionality Without Subscription
Alright, so you’ve decided to go rogue and use your Echelon bike without a subscription. Kudos to you! But let’s be real, while you can still pedal your way to fitness, you’ll be missing out on some of the bells and whistles that come with the Echelon Fit app.
Without a subscription, your ride statistics won’t be stored, so you’ll have to rely on your memory or jot down your progress the old-fashioned way. And forget about the Echelon Experience – no live or on-demand classes, no scenic outdoor routes, no leaderboard to show off your prowess, and no off-the-bike workout classes. It’s like riding a bike in the 90s, but hey, it’s still a bike, right?
Does Echelon Bike Work Without Subscription for Freestyle Ride?
I’m risking everything to tell you this, and I’ll probably have to go and live with Edward Snowden in an embassy as soon as this article gets published.
Yes, as much as Echelon hates that I’m spreading this information, you can use your Echelon Bike without a subscription. There are a couple of different ways, but let’s talk about your main options for denying the Echelon more of your hard-earned dollars.
– Echelon Customer Service
You don’t need a subscription to adjust your resistance level, but it will be a little more clunky. Essentially you’ll be using the exercise bike in an analog fashion, using the knob to adjust the magnetic resistance as if it was an exercise bike from the past.
You don’t need a subscription to use the Freestyle section of the app, but none of your progress will save without lining Echelon’s sweaty palms with silver. You can try to remember the stats yourself, have your dog take notes, or employ a part-time scribe. All you need to do is create an account to start using the app.
- Enjoy a FREE 30-day trial of the Echelon Premier…
- DESIGN: This bike is designed for everyone and…
- FEATURES and PERFORMANCE: 32 levels of silent…
- CONTENT: With a membership you get live and…
- MUSIC: We Don’t Play Elevator Music. With a…
Connect Bike and Manual Mode
Now, let’s talk about the Echelon Connect bike and its manual mode. This is where you can really embrace your inner rebel. In manual mode, you can ride the bike without a subscription, but don’t expect any frills. You’ll get a static image of an instructor (think of it as your silent, judgment-free coach), no music, and basic ride statistics like time, resistance, and cadence.
If you’re feeling adventurous, you can try the “Freestyle” ride option. This mode records basic metrics and lets you ride without a subscription. However, you’ll miss out on tracking resistance levels, calorie burn, and all the other fancy features of the Echelon Fit app. It’s a stripped-down, no-nonsense way to ride, but sometimes simplicity is all you need to break a sweat.
What Are Some Alternative Apps?
Now you know how to use your Echelon without a subscription, how else can you enhance your exercise? Even Echelon’s biggest competitor, Peloton, has an app to improve your workout.
Users can also stream services like Prime Video and Apple TV to enhance their workout experience.
1. Peloton
Using the Peloton app with your Echelon bike gives you access to their undeniably motivating group classes. If you’re using this app, you’ll need to open the Freestyle section of your Echelon app while you play the Peloton class on your other device.
You will have to convert the resistance measurements from one app to the other, which you can do by using the chart below. Monitoring your resistance level on the Echelon bike’s screen will help you match the Peloton class intensity accurately, ensuring a more personalized and effective workout experience.
2. Fitbit
Fitness-focused Fitbit users can pretty easily connect to Echelon bikes. Open up your Echelon Fit app, and find the More button, select Fitbit when you see the prompt. Select all of the options and give authorization, and voila, you should see a Fitbit icon that confirms you are connected.
For optimal performance and safety, it is recommended to wear athletic shoes with a hard sole when using the toe cage side of the SPD-compatible pedals.
3. Zwift
Zwift fused fun and fitness, but they want $14.99 a month for a membership. Your Echelon will quickly connect to this app like a long-lost friend.
While Peloton wears army pants and flip-flops, so Echelon wears army pants and flip-flops, humorously highlighting the competition between these fitness brands.
After you download the qDomyos-Zwift application to your smartphone, you can pair it directly to your exercise bike and view all your metrics on-screen. Give your bike a little “wake up” pedal, and Zwift should start showing you information immediately. They offer a 7-day trial if you’re interested.
4. Strava
At the end of your class, your device will send all the information to your Strava account for viewing pleasure or pain. It’s one of the only ways to view and track data post-workout without a subscription. The connection process is similar to the other applications we’ve already covered. Find the Strava option inside the “More” section on your Echelon Fit app.
The Best 3rd-Party App to Use With Echelon
You wouldn’t guess it from the name, but the qDomyos-Zwift application is my choice for the best third-party application to pair with your Echelon bike.
Call it QZ, or Q-Zwift for short because we are here for pedaling and not pronunciation. You need to have two devices to make this sweet system pair perfectly, one will run the Zwift app, and the other will run the qDomyos-Zwift app. You can manually adjust the resistance on your Echelon bike using the resistance knob, which allows you to increase or decrease the tension for a more customized workout.
Echelon acted as if they’d never heard of Zwift, this cover-up runs deeper than I expected.
– Echelon Customer Service
This app was created by Echelon users, for Echelon users, and it shows. The information you can display on your Zwift app is comprehensive and compatible with Garmin, Fitbit, Starva, TrainingPeaks, MapMyRide, and more. It’s constantly updated, and exciting features are just around the next bend in the trail.
Hear it directly from Zwift here.
It’s time for my 20-minute group class!
Together we’ve beaten the system and found a way to use Echelon bikes without $34 silently leaving your bank account each month. Our grandparents didn’t track performance metrics, and sometimes it’s fine to do things the old-fashioned way. Echelon bikes can still be used in the analog style, with none of the fancy bells and whistles.
You’ve now got a variety of different methods if you want to use your Echelon bike without a subscription. Pick the one that matches your cadence, and then start breaking some personal records! For a better workout experience, we recommend wearing athletic shoes with a hard sole, especially when using the toe cage side of the SPD-compatible pedals.
