Does Echelon Bike Work Without Subscription?

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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 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.

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.

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.

Does Echelon Bike Work Without Subscription?

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 value, 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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

Jessica Carter
Jessica Carter
Jessica is an AFLCA certified personal trainer and holds a Masters degree in physical therapy from the University of British Columbia. She has been working in the field for 5 years and writes as a freelance about all things fitness related.