Smart Trainer Setup in Your Browser: Bluetooth (FTMS) and ANT+
To use a smart trainer in your browser with Cycloscape, open the site in Chrome or Edge (desktop or Android) and pair your device — there is no app to install. FTMS smart trainers and Bluetooth heart-rate straps connect over Web Bluetooth: you click Connect, pick the device once in the browser's chooser, and it reconnects on later rides. Trainers that only broadcast power over Bluetooth (such as some Bkool models, which handle resistance control over ANT+) work through a USB ANT+ stick using browser-native ANT+ FE-C over WebUSB. Safari, Firefox and iOS are not supported because they do not implement these web standards.
Why the browser, and why Chrome or Edge
Cycloscape runs entirely in the browser. There is no installer, no platform-specific download, and no separate device-management app — you open the site and ride. That convenience depends on two web standards: Web Bluetooth (for FTMS trainers and heart-rate straps) and WebUSB (for ANT+ sticks). Both are implemented in Chromium-based browsers.
In practice this means Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge, on Windows, macOS, Linux, or Android. Safari and Firefox do not implement Web Bluetooth or WebUSB, so trainer pairing will not appear there. iOS and iPadOS browsers all use Apple's WebKit engine under the hood, which lacks these APIs, so they are not supported either. If you are on a phone or tablet, use Chrome or Edge on Android.
Connecting an FTMS smart trainer over Web Bluetooth
FTMS — the Bluetooth Fitness Machine Service — is the open standard that lets an app read your power and control trainer resistance. Most modern smart trainers broadcast FTMS over Bluetooth, which is exactly what Cycloscape speaks.
Pairing is a one-time action per device. When you start a ride and choose to connect a trainer, the browser opens its own native device chooser — a small system dialog listing nearby Bluetooth devices. You select your trainer, grant permission, and Cycloscape takes it from there. The chooser is shown by the browser itself for your security; it is not something a website can skip. After that first grant, the browser can remember the device so future rides reconnect without hunting through the list again.
- Make sure Bluetooth is on and the trainer is awake (spin the pedals).
- Click Connect in Cycloscape, then pick your trainer in the browser's chooser.
- Pair a Bluetooth heart-rate strap the same way for live HR zones.
- Your watts, the gradient and your weight drive your speed — pairing is purely about reading power and controlling resistance, never about buying an advantage.
The ANT+ case: trainers that only send power over Bluetooth
Some trainers advertise power over Bluetooth but keep their resistance control on ANT+. A known example is certain Bkool models: over Bluetooth they pair only as a power source, while the FE-C control channel that sets resistance lives on ANT+. For those, plain Web Bluetooth can read your wattage but cannot do controlled resistance.
Cycloscape handles this with a USB ANT+ stick over WebUSB. Plug a standard ANT+ USB stick into your computer and the browser talks to it directly — browser-native ANT+ FE-C, with no desktop bridge app in the middle. This gives you proper trainer control alongside the immersive 3D world, all still inside the tab.
- Plug in a USB ANT+ stick before starting your ride.
- In Cycloscape, choose the ANT+/USB option; the browser will ask permission for the USB device once.
- FE-C over ANT+ enables controlled resistance, so gradients and gravity worlds feel right.
- If your trainer does FTMS control over Bluetooth, you do not need the ANT+ stick — use Bluetooth.
The one-time Windows driver step (WinUSB via Zadig)
On Windows, a USB ANT+ stick may need the generic WinUSB driver before the browser can claim it through WebUSB. This is a one-time setup. The usual tool is Zadig, a small free utility that lets you assign the WinUSB driver to the ANT+ stick.
Run Zadig once, select your ANT+ device from its list, choose WinUSB as the target driver, and install. After that the stick is visible to Chrome and Edge through WebUSB, and you will not need to repeat the step. macOS, Linux, and Android generally do not require this.
Troubleshooting
Most connection problems come down to two things: another program is already holding your device, or you are in a browser that cannot pair.
Walk through these checks before assuming a hardware fault. The majority of pairing failures are resolved by closing the trainer's own software and confirming you are in Chrome or Edge.
- Close the trainer's own app first. A Bluetooth or ANT+ device can usually be claimed by only one program at a time — if the manufacturer's app, another training platform, or a phone app is connected, Cycloscape cannot grab the same device.
- Use Chrome or Edge, not Safari or Firefox. If you see no chooser dialog at all, you are almost certainly in an unsupported browser. iOS and iPadOS are not supported.
- Wake the device. Trainers and HR straps sleep to save battery; pedal a few turns or move the strap before pairing.
- Re-seat the ANT+ stick. If WebUSB does not see it on Windows, confirm the one-time WinUSB/Zadig step has been done.
- Reload the page if a device dropped, then reconnect — the browser remembers your earlier grant, so it should reconnect quickly.
Free, fair, and yours to ride
Once connected, unlimited solo rides from any GPX are free, forever — auto-paced, or driven by your own power on the trainer. Cycloscape's physics are deliberately fair: your speed is your watts, the gradient, and your weight. Cosmetics never make you faster, so your effort decides the ride, not your gear choice.
Cycloscape Pro (EUR 9.99/month or EUR 89/year, with a 7-day trial) adds Ghosts (line up against your own past rides, your best ever, and the fastest rider on that road, with Strava import so your history is there from day one), a line of avatars earned by riding, premium kit finishes and colours, golden-hour and sunset lighting, and an unlimited saved-route library. By way of comparison, mainstream indoor-cycling platforms such as Zwift are native apps you download and install, and Zwift's membership is EUR 19.99 per month or EUR 199.99 per year (with a free trial). Cycloscape's difference is that it runs in the browser, turns any GPX into its own 3D world, and keeps the race honest — your power decides it, not your gear choices.
Frequently asked
Do I need to install anything to use my smart trainer with Cycloscape?
No. Cycloscape runs in the browser. Open it in Chrome or Edge on desktop or Android, and pair your trainer or heart-rate strap directly — there is no app to download or install.
Which trainers work over Bluetooth?
Any smart trainer that broadcasts the standard FTMS (Fitness Machine Service) over Bluetooth works through Web Bluetooth in Chrome or Edge. That covers most modern smart trainers for both power reading and resistance control.
My Bkool trainer only shows power over Bluetooth. Can I still get resistance control?
Yes. Some trainers, including certain Bkool models, only pair as a power source over Bluetooth and keep resistance control on ANT+. Plug in a USB ANT+ stick and Cycloscape uses browser-native ANT+ FE-C over WebUSB for controlled resistance. On Windows the stick may need the one-time WinUSB driver via Zadig.
Why won't pairing work in Safari or on my iPhone?
Safari and iOS browsers do not implement Web Bluetooth or WebUSB, the standards Cycloscape relies on, so no pairing dialog appears. Use Chrome or Edge on Windows, macOS, Linux, or Android instead.
My trainer won't connect even in Chrome. What should I check first?
Close the trainer's own app or any other training platform first — a device can usually be claimed by only one program at a time. Then make sure Bluetooth is on, wake the device by pedaling, and reconnect. For ANT+ sticks on Windows, confirm the one-time WinUSB/Zadig step is done.