Wattbike Atom and Proton in your browser

Which Wattbikes work

DC Rainmaker's Wattbike Atom piece lists Bluetooth FTMS and ANT+ FE-C on the first Atom, up to 2,000 watts and a 25% simulated grade. the5krunner's Wattbike Proton write-up describes the Proton as a cheaper smart bike than the Atom, with Bluetooth FTMS and ANT+ FE-C, up to 1,800 watts, 25% and gears 1 to 22.

Both are bikes, not trainers you clip your own bike into, so there's no wheel-on setting, no cassette and no Zwift Cog to think about. The Wattbike table with its sources is on every supported trainer.

One Bluetooth connection at a time

Wattbike's own support page on the first-generation Atom not connecting over Bluetooth is plain about it: the bike connects to one device at a time, and other Bluetooth devices in the room can interrupt it. That's the most common reason an Atom doesn't show up in the browser's list. The Wattbike Hub app, Zwift or a phone already has it.

The fix:

1. Close the Wattbike Hub app and any other training app, on every phone, tablet and computer. On a phone, swipe the app away.
2. Turn off Bluetooth on the phone or watch the Atom was last paired with, or switch the bike off and on.
3. Then connect in Tour du Pain.

If something still holds the bike when you connect, the game doesn't give up. Devices shows it as "Connected, power only": you ride on the Atom's own power and cadence from the first stroke, and the game asks for control again every 5 seconds. Once the other app lets go, ERG and simulation switch on by themselves.

Dual-channel Bluetooth on the newer Atom

Wattbike has beta firmware that lets the Next Generation Atom take two Bluetooth connections. Its guide to dual-channel Bluetooth on the Atom says the first app you connect only receives data, and the second one is in control. After updating you have to do a set zero, as that guide explains.

For Tour du Pain that means: connect the app that only listens first, and Tour du Pain last, so the game gets control and ERG works. If control ends up in the wrong app, close both, switch the Atom off and on, and connect again in that order. Don't start a workout in both apps at once.

Most riders don't need this. With one app, Tour du Pain alone is simpler.

Setting up a Wattbike

1. Update the firmware with Wattbike's app, then close it completely.
2. Open tourdupain.app in Chrome or Edge on a Windows or Mac computer, a Chromebook or an Android tablet.
3. Pedal a few strokes to wake the bike.
4. Go to Settings, Devices and press Connect next to Smart trainer. Pick the Wattbike from the browser's list; if it isn't there, turn on Show all devices.
5. When Devices says the trainer is ready, start a free ride, a workout or the Col du Pain.

What works on a Wattbike

ERG is where a Wattbike shines in Tour du Pain. The bike holds each block's watts whatever your cadence. There are 105 workouts in the game and your own .zwo, .erg, .mrc and .fit files load; see ERG workouts in your browser. ERG starts light from a standstill and builds up to the target over 6 seconds once you pedal.

With ERG off, one of 33 levels based on your FTP sets the resistance. A Wattbike has its own gear buttons, and how they combine with the game's levels hasn't been checked yet. The game doesn't read those buttons as a controller; plus and minus on the keyboard or on screen step the levels. The road's gradient changes your speed on screen, not the resistance, so the Col du Pain feels flat on the bike.

Not in the list

The Wattbike AtomX and the older Wattbike Pro and Trainer aren't in the game's list. If one of them speaks FTMS over Bluetooth, it should work like any other FTMS bike; if it only sends power over Bluetooth, the game connects it as power only. Either way, try it and tell us.

Tour du Pain or Zwift on a Wattbike

We make Tour du Pain. Zwift is the big one: many worlds, races, structured plans, on a subscription. Tour du Pain is a browser tab with nothing to install, voice and chat built in, clubs, ride-along groups that keep you together whatever your watts, a demo without a trainer, and it's free for everyone through 2027 with everything included.

• For Zwift: it can use ANT+ with a USB dongle on a computer (Zwift's ANT+ and Bluetooth overview), which sidesteps the one-Bluetooth-connection limit.
• For Zwift: many more roads, races and events.
• For Tour du Pain: ERG works the same, with your own .zwo files, and nothing to install on a Chromebook or Android tablet.
• For Tour du Pain: voice chat while you ride and group rides with a link, everything included.

Questions

Does the Wattbike Atom work without the Wattbike Hub app?

It should. Tour du Pain talks to the Atom directly over Bluetooth FTMS in Chrome or Edge. Use Wattbike's app for firmware updates, then close it before you ride.

Why doesn't my Wattbike Atom show up in the browser?

Almost always because another app or phone holds it: the Atom takes one Bluetooth connection at a time. Close the Wattbike app and Zwift everywhere, turn off Bluetooth on the phone, or switch the bike off and on.

Can I use the Wattbike app and Tour du Pain at the same time?

Only with Wattbike's dual-channel firmware on a newer Atom. Connect the Wattbike app first and Tour du Pain last, so the game is in control.

Does the Wattbike Proton work in Tour du Pain?

It should. The Proton speaks FTMS over Bluetooth like the Atom, so ERG and levels are expected to work. It hasn't been ridden here yet.

Is there a free app for the Wattbike Atom?

Tour du Pain is free for everyone through 2027, everything included. Donations are optional. Try the demo first if the bike is in another room.

Does Tour du Pain use the Atom's gear buttons?

Not as a controller. How they combine with the game's resistance levels hasn't been checked yet. ERG doesn't depend on them.