Quick Answer: FitSwitch now supports the CYCPLUS BC2, a small wireless shifter that clips onto your Peloton Bike+ handlebars, so you can change gears in SIM mode without reaching for the screen. Pair it once in FitSwitch Settings → Virtual shifter, start a ride in Zwift, Rouvy, Kinomap or any app that uses SIM mode, and the two buttons shift you up and down FitSwitch's 24 virtual gears, just like the shifters on a road bike.
Table of Contents
- Why Add a Shifter to a Peloton?
- What You Need
- How to Pair the CYCPLUS BC2 with FitSwitch
- Riding with the Shifter
- Battery Life and Connection
- Troubleshooting
- FAQ
Why Add a Shifter to a Peloton?
The Peloton Bike+ has no gears, only a resistance knob. FitSwitch's SIM mode turns it into a terrain-simulating smart trainer: a training app sends the gradient, and FitSwitch sets the resistance from the slope, your cadence and your virtual gear. Shifting is what makes a climb feel like a climb.
Until now, you shifted by tapping the gear panel on the Peloton screen. That works, but it means letting go of the bars mid-effort, hunting for a small button and often covering the app you're riding in. A handlebar shifter fixes all three:
- Hands stay on the bars, in the drops or on the hoods
- Shift by feel, without looking away from the road or the race
- Shift fast, a few clicks in a row on a sudden ramp, like a real bike
- Nothing on screen to tap, so the training app stays fully visible
What You Need
- A Peloton Bike+. SIM mode needs the Bike+'s motorized resistance, so the shifter works on the Bike+ only. The original Bike's resistance knob is manual, so there's nothing for a shift to change.
- FitSwitch, up to date. Shifter support arrived in the October 2026 update, and FitSwitch updates itself automatically.
- A CYCPLUS BC2 virtual shifter. It's a wireless Bluetooth remote with two buttons, one to shift up and one to shift down, and a strap mount for the handlebar. Other brands of shifter aren't supported yet.
- An app that drives SIM mode. Zwift, Rouvy, Kinomap, MyWhoosh and other training apps that send terrain over Bluetooth FTMS, Wi-Fi Direct Connect or ANT+ FE-C.
Want this with real resistance control?
FitSwitch broadcasts your power and cadence, and adds full ERG and SIM mode on the Bike+ so training apps actually respond to your effort.
See FitSwitch →30-day money-back guaranteeHow to Pair the CYCPLUS BC2 with FitSwitch
You only pair once. FitSwitch remembers the shifter after that.
Step 1: Mount the BC2 on your Bike+ handlebar where your thumb falls naturally.
Step 2: On the FitSwitch home screen, tap the gear icon to open Settings.
Step 3: In the Virtual shifter section, tap CYCPLUS BC2 ("Not paired — tap to pair").
Step 4: The Select shifter window opens and starts searching. Press any button on the BC2 to wake it up. It sleeps when idle, and a sleeping shifter can't be found.
Step 5: When your shifter appears in the list, tap it.
Step 6: The Settings row now shows your shifter's name with "connects when Sim mode starts". That's expected. FitSwitch only connects while SIM mode is on (see below).
The first time you search, Android may ask FitSwitch for permission to find nearby devices. Allow it, or the search can't run.
To remove the shifter, open the same row and tap Clear.
Riding with the Shifter
- Start your training app and begin a free ride, route or race, anything that uses SIM mode.
- FitSwitch switches to SIM mode as soon as the app sends terrain, and the gear panel appears on screen.
- Press a button on the BC2 to wake it, if it's asleep. FitSwitch connects within a few seconds.
- Shift: one button shifts up (harder gear, higher number), the other shifts down (easier gear, lower number). Each press is one gear, and the gear number on screen updates immediately.
The on-screen gear panel keeps working too, so you can use either.
How many gears?
FitSwitch's 24 virtual gears span a road bike's range, from an easy climbing gear to a sprint gear. FitSwitch starts in gear 12. Most riders spend flat roads around gears 10 to 14, shift down into single digits on steep climbs and shift up past 18 on descents. For a full gearing guide, see SIM mode on Peloton Bike+.
What about ERG mode?
In ERG mode the app sets a fixed power target and FitSwitch holds it whatever your gear or cadence, so there's nothing to shift. Presses are ignored while ERG is in control, and the shifter works again as soon as the app returns to SIM mode. Structured workouts in Zwift that switch between ERG intervals and free-ride sections work as you'd expect.
Battery Life and Connection
FitSwitch only keeps the shifter connected while SIM mode is on. When SIM mode ends, it waits about 30 seconds, so a workout that flips from a free-ride section to an ERG block and back doesn't drop the link, then disconnects. This keeps Bluetooth on the Peloton free for your other devices and lets the BC2 go back to sleep to save its battery.
Settings shows where the shifter stands at any moment:
| Settings shows | Meaning |
|---|---|
| connected | Linked and ready, so presses shift gears |
| press a button to wake it | SIM mode is on, but the shifter is asleep. Press any button |
| connects when Sim mode starts | Paired, waiting for a SIM ride |
| Not paired — tap to pair | No shifter saved yet |
If the Peloton turns Bluetooth off and on when it wakes from sleep (it often does), FitSwitch reconnects the shifter by itself.
Troubleshooting
The shifter doesn't show up when pairing
Press a button on the BC2 while the Select shifter window is searching. It only advertises for a short time after waking. Make sure it isn't connected to another device such as a phone or a different app, and that its battery isn't flat.
"That device isn't a BC2 shifter"
The device you picked doesn't behave like a CYCPLUS BC2. Open the Virtual shifter row again and choose the BC2 from the list.
I press the buttons but the gear doesn't change
- Is SIM mode active? The gear panel should be on screen. In ERG mode, or with no training app connected, presses do nothing.
- Does Settings say press a button to wake it? Press any button and give it a few seconds to connect.
There's no Virtual shifter section in Settings
The section only appears on the Peloton Bike+. If you're on a Bike+, make sure FitSwitch has updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the shifter work on the original Peloton Bike?
No. Virtual gears need SIM mode, and SIM mode needs the Bike+'s motorized resistance. On the original Bike, resistance is set by hand with the knob.
Does it work with Zwift?
Yes. When Zwift sends terrain to your Bike+ through FitSwitch, the bike runs in SIM mode and the BC2 shifts FitSwitch's 24 gears. The same goes for Rouvy, Kinomap, MyWhoosh and other apps that use SIM mode.
Does the shifter work in ERG mode?
No, and it doesn't need to. In ERG mode the app holds a fixed power target whatever gear you're in. The shifter connects when SIM mode starts and stays connected for 30 seconds after it ends, so workouts that alternate ERG and SIM sections keep working.
Can I use a Zwift Click, Zwift Play or another brand of shifter?
Not yet. FitSwitch supports the CYCPLUS BC2. Zwift's own controllers pair with the Zwift app rather than with the trainer.
Does holding a button shift repeatedly?
No. Each press shifts one gear. Press several times quickly to jump several gears.
Does the shifter drain the Peloton's Bluetooth or the BC2 battery?
FitSwitch connects only during SIM rides and lets the shifter sleep the rest of the time. That keeps the BC2's battery use down and leaves the Peloton's Bluetooth free for headphones, heart rate monitors and training apps.
Do I need to pair it again every ride?
No. FitSwitch remembers your shifter and connects automatically whenever SIM mode starts. Press a button to wake it if it's asleep.
Can I still use the on-screen gear buttons?
Yes. The gear panel on screen and the BC2 work together, so use whichever is handier.
Ride Your Peloton Like a Real Bike
SIM mode turns your Peloton Bike+ into a true smart trainer, and a handlebar shifter makes it feel like one: hands on the bars, eyes on the road, gears under your thumb.
Get FitSwitch — SIM mode, ERG mode and virtual shifting for your Peloton Bike+.
FitSwitch is not affiliated with Peloton Interactive, Inc. or CYCPLUS. Product names are trademarks of their respective owners.
Last updated: October 2026
Want this with real resistance control?
FitSwitch broadcasts your power and cadence, and adds full ERG and SIM mode on the Bike+ so training apps actually respond to your effort.
See FitSwitch →30-day money-back guarantee