Spoked Training App

The Spoked training app uses data from recent rides and user input to generate training plans via an AI coach. This, combined with algorithms from scientific papers, removes the need for a real-life coach. There's still some room for improvement, but this could be the future for getting a structured cycling plan.

We all want to get stronger on the bike, right? One of the ways to go about this is paying for a coach to set you structured sessions, using their experience to help you progress. Spoked is different; it uses your input for training availability and algorithms based on recent ride data and scientific papers to guide your progression.

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Initially, this sound great. You don't have to find a coach that suits your needs as it is available on your iOS or Android mobile devices. This means you have full control over your sessions and there is no need to liaise with anyone.

There is something special about having a real coach, though, as they can analyse your training and listen to your feedback to adapt your training over the next few days. The use of AI coaching by Spoked reduces this ability as you can only input your RPE (rate of perceived exertion) on a scale of 1-10. Some might say that's enough for them, but if you're after the best progression then it is good to have individualisation from a real-life coach.

That said, the algorithms used by Spoked are pretty good and can be adaptive if your training rides differ from the set plan. You can access Spoked's explanation of the science used on its website, and it's quite an interesting read.

A simple layout makes it easy to follow with your daily activity on your home page. This also includes your readiness score, which uses your daily health stats – which you need to input – as well as your training rating that gives you a score based on how well you have followed the set plan.

The only part of the app I struggled with initially was uploading a ride. I ended up contacting Spoked to find out, and the answer is actually quite simple: you must click the 'Complete session' button, and this allows you to select an activity from your connected accounts, such as Strava, Garmin and Wahoo.

Unfortunately, there is no way to properly analyse your training. I know this is an AI coach, but it is nice to go back and look at your own data, especially after events and FTP tests. If you want to look at your own data properly, you will need something extra like the Strava Sauce extension, or Training Peaks premium.

An AI coach is something new for the cycling world, and it is likely that this is how coaching will be done in the future, using science and rider data to provide optimal training plans.

There are other companies offering AI coaching platforms – AI Endurance uses similar algorithms as Spoked to develop a 'personalised' plan that you can alter depending on your availabilities.

Customer service

One thing I must add is that the customer service of Spoked is amazing. I had a few issues when beginning to use the app, and within a few hours of emailing for help I'd had a response and had everything explained to me.

Furthermore, there is a Discord community for Spoked users where you can get quick responses from Richard Lang, the founder of Spoked, and also get good insights into the app.

Value

At £9.99 per month for the Pro plan, it is considerably cheaper than paying for a coach to give you sessions – a good coach can easily cost more than £100 a month.

However, you are getting less. You don't get the ability to analyse (most coaches can provide you with some sort of premium account on the software they use), and the individualisation of your training plan is quite a bit different as you are relying on a computer to decide what you should do next.

I can't compare it to anything similar on road.cc as this is a first, but AI Endurance is a very similar price at $9.99 a month.

Overall

If you are a time-crunched cyclist who wants some structured sessions to do on the indoor trainer, then Spoked will definitely help, though it is annoying not to have the ability to thoroughly analyse and look back through your recent workouts. But this could certainly be the future of coaching within cycling.

Verdict

Structured training for a time-crunched cyclist at a fraction of the cost of a coach