Real Indoor - Give it the Real Spin!

About Real Indoor

Give it the real spin^(tm)

Real Indoor creates a realistic biking experience while working out using your spin bike or similar devices.

Streetview panoramas and the physics engine provide feedback by simulating driving on a real track.

Tracks from bicycle directions, GPS recordings or following Streetview panoramas allow for exciting workout experiences.

Use Real Indoor to prepare yourselve for that bike summer trip into the mountains - slopes, physics and views all realistically simulated.

Gmaps Gaier wishes Enjoy the Earth and have fun biking!

Real Indoor Google Group. Real Indoor on facebook and Google Plus.

Here is more from GMaps Gaier: Blog, Twitter

All trademarks are the property of the respective owner. We provide the information on an as is basis. We provide no warranties, express or implied, related to the accuracy, completeness, timeliness, useability, and/or merchantability of the data and are not liable for any loss, damage, claim, liability, expense, or penalty, or for any direct, indirect, special, secondary, incidental, consequential, or exemplary damages or lost profit deriving from the use or misuse of this information or service.

You are sitting on your spin bike

Looking at the real world
instead of the wall

Cruising our
Beautiful Earth

Loading ... (Your browser seems to be a little bit old ...
Please consider upgrading.
Real Indoor works best with Google Chrome.)

Get track from GPSies.com

Select your track on the map from GPSies below
Click on "View" to see the details of the map
Scroll down until you see URL of the track like e.g. "http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=mmsqcxbxapgerjjf"
Copy (ctrl-c) the URL and paste (ctrl-v) it into this field: and click here:

Real Indoor Frequently Asked Questions

Why did you create Real Indoor?

We are work out enthusiasts and have been fed up staring at the wall or the cupboard. We wanted the real physics when biking to be ready for the summer rides. Real Indoor gives all the necessary input and feedback to create a near real and physics based experience to immerse into a new enjoyable biking experience.

It is most fun to experience new places in the world while working out. Have you ever been in the Antarctica or Pompeiji? Have you had the chance to explore Paris, Barcelona, Singapore or Sydney?

Also it is big fun working with the great APIs Google is providing and making most out of them. We hope you enjoy it as well!

Give it the real spin^(tm)

You can find more from GMaps Gaier here: Blog, Twitter

What physics are you talking about?

In the engine behind Real Indoor we have implemented the physics to calculate the real speed of the bike based on:

Weight of the driver and bike
Power applied by the driver
Local slope of the track
Air drag
Friction

This allows to move forward on the track with the same speed as in the real world - just Real Indoor.

How can I use Real Indoor together with my spin bike?

To make your spin bike workout most realistically you can tune the power you want to apply in the "Biking" tab in the window located on the right side:

The power you apply (default is 120 Watt) should be the same which you create with your spin bike as well by tuning the spinning speed as well as the brake. Your bike typically gives you the information on what power is created by the combination of the two parameters (brake and revolutions of the lever).

You can in addition add a boost factor (also known as doping) with the "+" and "-" buttons in the bottom driver control.

To enjoy the experience of Real Indoor you can put a laptop in front of your bike so you can see the screen well. Of course you need a connection to the internet e.g. for Streetview so your Wlan should be available in that place. Network via cable would be great as well.

If you want to enjoy a larger display you can think of a separate LCD screen or projector which you can place e.g. on a table next to the bike and project the laptop display to a white wall.

Which browser is the best for an optimal Real Indoor experience?

Here is the ranking:

Google Chrome version 12 and higher
Firefox version 8 and higher
Internet Explorer version 9 and higher

Where can i give feedback about Real Indoor?

Please enter your feedback in the following form:

Where can i get more help?

Look out for the anchor signs

and hover over them. This will give you tips with details about the functionality of Real Indoor. If this is not enough help you can send feedback in the form above asking for more help.

Can I use the keyboard to control Real Indoor?

Yes, we have the following key activated:

"Space": Pauses and resumes driving; You can also skip the introduction sequence with "space".
"r": Show rear mirror view in the upper right
"p": Show Panoramio photos from the map area

How can I tweak the user interface to my needs?

You can drag around different windows like the "Tracks" and "Biking Info" on the right side, the "driver control" on the bottom as well as the bottom left menu. Also the rear view and photo display can be dragged to the appropriate place. Resizing windows is also possible e.g. of the map area, the rear view and the track window.

If you have more ideas please let us know via the feedback form above.

Why am I sometimes driving on the wrong side of the road?

The Google Streetview cars have cameras in all directions so they can look to the back as well. If the picture they have chosen for this Streetview location is taken looking backwards you seem to be driving on the wrong side of the street.

What APIs are used to implement Real Indoor?

Real Indoor uses the following APIs:

Google Maps
Hike & Bike Map, OpenStreetMap
Google Streetview
Google Directions
Google Elevation
Google Panoramio
Google Webfonts
jQuery and jQuery UI
SWFobject API for youtube integration
BT and hoverIntent for tips

What are the next features coming up in Real Indoor?

Among other topics we are looking at the following ideas to implement:

Store user related values like
- Last tracks
- Position of windows; Hint: you can drag around some of the windows
- Panorama interval
Implement new controls which can be used while sitting on the spin bike. Like a joy stick, ... instead of using the mouse or the trackpad of a laptop.
The transition between Streetview images could be smoother. We are looking into how to realize this.

Share your ideas with us in the feedback form above so they have a chance to get implemented as well!

Track from Directions

When you click "Create Track" the Google direction services creates a bicycle track connecting the start and end locations entered.

If there is Streetview available on this track it will be displayed in the main window. Based on the power applied and the weight the biking speed is calculated. Information about speed, slope, height and calories burnt is displayed in a information window to the right.

The locations can be geo coordinates "(lat, long)" or locations which can be resolved by the Google direction service.

Autocompletion is supported as well so just start typing in the address fields and use a proposed completion. In the Chrome browser you can enter the location via speech recognition.

Additional waypoints can be added by separating addresses by ";" in the waypoints field.

Hint: if you use the default values a track is created at the coast north of San Francisco.

Track from KML/GPX GPS

In the text field you can enter the internet address of a KML- or GPX-file providing GPS coordinates of a track.

If a GPX-file is specified and it contains time information an additional blue marker will be displayed which indicates the position of the bike at the time compared to the start of the track. This enables you to compare your virtual ride with the real ride.

There are many sites providing bicycle tracks like e.g. gpsies.com. When you have selected your track in gpsies.com you can identify your fileid and replace the file-id "mmsqcxbxapgerjjf" in the default KML-address. The format of URLs from bikemap.net e.g. is "http://www.bikemap.net/route/942087/export.kml" or "http://www.bikemap.net/route/727991/export.gpx".

You can drag files onto the "Drag 'n Drop" field. The files will be loaded directly into your browser and not uploaded.

Hint: if you use the default KML-file a track is created in the hills north of San Francisco.

Spin Bike Configuration

This configuration enables you to map your spin bike to the simulator. You can specify how your speed and brake level relate to the power generated by your specific bike.

Background:

For every spin bike a formula can be derived calculating the power spent depending on the brake (gear) and speed (rpm or mph). Some indoor bikes measure the cadence (rpm) and others the speed (mph).
The formula for your spin bike can be entered in the configuration below. This enables to calculate the power generated based on the speed and the brake level. The power level is then used to calculate the speed of the bike in the real terrain based on the slope, air drag and other parameters.
The brake which should be applied depends on the slope. If the slope is too steep and the brake leads to a power which is too far away from the default target power then the brake is adjusted to a the next level (like changing gear). The suggested brake should be applied to the bike together with the speed so that the movement of the bike in the real world is simulated properly.
The formula has to include the cadence ("rpm") or the speed ("mph") and the brake (as "brake"). The result of the formula should be the power generated by the individual spin bike.
The level of power, the brake and the cadence/speed are shown as slider values in the information window to the right. These sliders can be adjusted by dragging them with the mouse so that the new default values (e.g. power, brake) are configured for the bike physics calculation engine.

Default Power (Watt):
Brake/Gear Range:	(Min;Default;Max)
Default cadence/speed (rpm/mph):
Font size for bike display:
Show Metric Values:

Standard
Enable video motion gestures:
Show video with motion detection:
Enable Power slider:
Enable Heading slider:
Enable audio feedback:
Advanced
Relative width of video image:
Number of lines to match in motion detection:	Higher is less sensitive
Pixel Threshold :	Higher is less sensitive