The background is the scene shown on the studio screen behind the class profile — Alpine Road, Night City, Vortex and others. For Virtual and Live classes, the background is fixed to the class: you get a particular background by choosing a class that uses it, not by changing a setting. For Free Style classes, you choose the background when you schedule the class, and your instructor can change it from their phone from 5 minutes before the class starts.
How do I get a specific background, like Alpine Road?
For Virtual and Live classes, the background is part of the class itself and cannot be changed. There is no background setting to switch. To ride an Alpine Road class, look for one that uses the Alpine Road background.
Some classes exist in several background variations — the same session, offered against different scenes. So if you want a particular look, check whether the class you want comes in that variation.
Open the Schedule page in your Studio Control Panel.
Click the time slot you want to fill. The Library opens on the right.
Set the Class Types toggle to Virtual or Live.
Browse the Library and use the info icon to preview a class and see which background it uses.
Select the class with the background you want, then click Save.
Free Style is different — you choose the background, and the instructor can change it
A Free Style class has no pre-set profile, so there is nothing for a background to be attached to. You have to choose a background when you schedule the class — it is not optional.
From 5 minutes before the class starts, and while the class is running, your instructor can change the background from their own phone as they join the ride. Before that 5-minute window opens, the background is whatever was set when the class was scheduled.
What backgrounds do Live classes have?
Seven backgrounds are used across the Live class library. Each Live class comes with its background built in — some classes are offered in more than one background variation, so preview the class in the Library to see which one you are getting.
Alpine Road
A daylight ride through alpine scenery. Alpine Road is the one background designed to mimic a real-world ride, so its lighting stays natural rather than shifting with your training zone.
Desert
An infinite road through a desert.
Forest Trail
A wooded trail scene.
Mountain Road
A snowy mountain road scene.
Night City
A city ride after dark, with strong light sources.
Spaceship
A science-fiction spaceship interior.
Vortex
An abstract tunnel of light.
What backgrounds can I use in a Free Style class?
Free Style classes offer four backgrounds: Night City, Desert, Vortex and Spaceship — the same scenes as the Live versions above. Unlike Virtual and Live, the background is not baked into a class — you pick one when you schedule the Free Style class, and from 5 minutes before the class starts your instructor can change it from their own phone as they join the ride.
Because a Free Style class has no pre-set profile, the background’s light sources follow whatever zone your instructor calls live during the session, using the Free Style Dials.
What background do Virtual classes use?
Virtual classes use a deliberately simple background. A Virtual class is filmed with an on-screen instructor, so the background is kept plain to keep the instructor clearly visible. As with Live classes, the background is fixed to the class and cannot be changed.
Do the backgrounds change with my training zone?
Yes. In every background except Alpine Road, the light sources change colour to match the current training zone — so the whole room reads the effort at a glance, without anyone having to look at a number.
In a Virtual or Live class, the zone changes are pre-planned in the class profile, so the lighting follows the class as it was built.
In a Free Style class, your instructor selects the zone live, and the lighting follows them.
Alpine Road is the exception. It is designed to mimic a real-world ride, so its lighting stays natural and does not shift with your zone. Pick a class that uses one of the other backgrounds if you want the room to change colour with the effort.
See “What are training zones, and what do the colours mean?” for what each zone colour represents.