How do I connect my Bluetooth Cadence tracker?
- Launch BitGym
- Select a tour, tap “Start”
- In the tour dashboard, tap the button that says “Exercise Tracking”
Select the “Sensor” tab, and then hit “Start Scan.” Scanning for nearby BT sensors will start.
In just a few seconds, you should see your sensor appear as a connectable option. Simply tap it to initialize a connection
Sensor not appearing?
- Check if this sensor or cardio machine is paired with another app. Only one connection can be active at a time, and you may need to close the other app.
- Check that you have the correct exercise machine type selected. This screen will be filtered to only show sensors that make sense in that exercise machine modality.
- It's likely your sensor doesn't support the standard protocols that BitGym uses. A good test is to check if the sensor advertises support for "Zwift" as usually any sensors they support, we do as well.
- If your machine advertises app compatibility but doesn't work with BitGym, it might be using a manufacturer-specific protocol. You may be able to use QZfitness running on a second iOS or Android device to listen and rebroadcast the machine data to BitGym. This is a complex operation so we don't suggest it unless you feel you are tech savvy.
- If you still need help "submit a request" button in the top right to talk to our support team. Please let us know the make and model of the device you need help with.
Need a sensor for your cardio machine?
If your cardio machine does not broadcast in a way BitGym understands, it can be outfitted with extra sensors to make it work!
Bikes are easy, as they can use a small $20 sensor that attaches to the pedal. Search Amazon for a "bike cadence sensor" and select the least expensive one that gets decent reviews. A name brand isn't required in this product category. We've confirmed the Magene S3, Cycplus, and Wahoo sensors work great.
Ellipticals can use the same sensors as bikes, however the sensor must be put on the elliptical crank instead of the pedal.
Treadmills have a few options. The NPE Runn is installed on the treadmill itself and reads the belt speed with an optical sensor. Certain Garmin smartwatches (list here) will broadcast your running speed (and heart rate!) to BitGym. A simpler solution is a wearable foot pod that goes in your shoe. Zwift makes a low-cost one. The NPE WYUR is both a foot pod and a swiss-army-knife for wireless protocols, you can connect ANT+ heart rate monitors or even your Apple Watch and it will re-broadcast the heart rate to BitGym along with the running speed.
Rowing Machines are harder. If you have a Water Rower you can install a S4 comms module, or you can install the SmartRow pully. If you have a concept 2 you can install a PM5 console with hardware version 600 or higher, which will broadcast rowing data over Bluetooth to apps like BitGym.
Want to buy a new cardio machine? Check our compatibility page to see which ones will work out of the box.