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Zwifting


TheX

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I looked at the Wahoo bike, and at $3,500 it just didn't make sense. I have my Kona gravel bike setup on the Wahoo Kickr and the Kickr Climb. That was $1,700 without the bike. I use it at least 5 days a week. Since my wife is going through her heart/other issues it's the only riding I do most days.

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59 minutes ago, TheX said:

I looked at the Wahoo bike, and at $3,500 it just didn't make sense. I have my Kona gravel bike setup on the Wahoo Kickr and the Kickr Climb. That was $1,700 without the bike. I use it at least 5 days a week. Since my wife is going through her heart/other issues it's the only riding I do most days.

Yeah, fairly similar on the price being worth it.  If we lived up north, where you're pretty much on a trainer 4 months out of the year, I'd probably consider it.  Down here, where I can ride my bike outside 90% of the time (more really, but I'm being lazy this year and not riding outside under 40 degrees), I don't think it's worth it.

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For most of the reviews and comments about the bikes, everyone (including I) agrees with you.  However, the biggest reason I read for people to get an adjustable gym-type smart trainer is when you have space limitations and you have 2+ people using it of very different size.  If you have space, then 2 smart trainers with 2 cheap/old bikes setup for each user is still cheaper.  For my wife and I, we're about the same size and don't need much more adjustment than seat height so it works out.  But if my wife was 5-6" shorter (or vice-versa) then the number of adjustments would have to add other considerations (like a BikeFit adjustable stem.)

Edited by AntonioGG
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Zwifting is awesome and definitely will help improve/maintain fitness, but I spent my money on a quality commuter ebike. It doesn’t provide the structured training as a smart trainer can, but I get to hammer for two hours on my round trip. Besides the increased fitness, my mental state improved and my truck stays parked at home most days. 

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2 hours ago, Sluggo said:

Zwifting is awesome and definitely will help improve/maintain fitness, but I spent my money on a quality commuter ebike. It doesn’t provide the structured training as a smart trainer can, but I get to hammer for two hours on my round trip. Besides the increased fitness, my mental state improved and my truck stays parked at home most days. 

I work from home, and spend an hour at lunchtime on the trainer. 

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20 hours ago, AntonioGG said:

I setup my old Giant OCR2 bike permanently on it, and got an extra seat, seat post, and extra collars as well as a QR seat clamp so that my wife and I only have to swap out seats at a pre-set height.

 

Smart move. You could also put a hose clamp on each of the seats so that when you drop them into the seat tube they are always at the right height.

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We recently got a NordicTrack smart bike. My non-cycling wife was the driving force behind it. I tried to sell her on Zwift using my CX bike (we are about the same size), but there was something about the idea of a dedicated stationary bike (and not having to use one of my old bikes) that was a must have for her. We looked at the Peloton but decided on the NordicTrack because it has simulated (or first person POV, really) road and mountain rides as well as the gym style spin class/bootcamps. I've never done Zwift, so I can't compare, but I have definitely enjoyed having a stationary trainer as an option for a quick or bad weather workout alternative.

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6 hours ago, AustinBike said:

Smart move. You could also put a hose clamp on each of the seats so that when you drop them into the seat tube they are always at the right height.

I thought about that or a collet, but you can get seat clamps for $4 so that's what I ordered.  For 27.2mm seatpost, I ordered a 25.4mm seat clamp and that fits perfectly on the seatpost.  

One thing I discovered after I'd ordered my quick-release clamp:  my seatpost is 27.2mm, but my seat tube is bigger (~32.5mm) and it's sleeved for 27.2mm.  In 14 years of owning this bike, I'd never noticed that!

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  • 4 months later...

With 100* days here again I've given up on riding until cooler fall temps are more common. In the past I'd usually be at the gym during this time but with coronageddon, there's no way I'm doing that. So, we're looking at a smart trainer/zwift for the family to use. Any pointers for best bang for the buck and setup? With the exception of the trainer, we should have all the necessary hardware to make the MTB zwift work with a few tweaks.

This is the trainer we're currently considering. Any thoughts on this one?

https://www.kurtkinetic.com/trainers-products/rock-and-roll-control

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5 minutes ago, ATXZJ said:

With 100* days here again I've given up on riding until cooler fall temps are more common. In the past I'd usually be at the gym during this time but with coronageddon, there's no way I'm doing that. So, we're looking at a smart trainer/zwift for the family to use. Any pointers for best bang for the buck and setup? With the exception of the trainer, we should have all the necessary hardware to make the MTB zwift work with a few tweaks.

This is the trainer we're currently considering. Any thoughts on this one?

https://www.kurtkinetic.com/trainers-products/rock-and-roll-control

That should work fine. I went whole hog and bought the wahoo kick’r and kick’r climb and it is quite compared to any other trainer I’ve used making replays of red bull rampage easier to watch😁, but still the worst way to ride a bike!

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Ooh that's the one with the side to side rocking thing. I'm interested in that feature but I wonder if it's a gimmick or actually feels more natural. Never tried that brand though.

Are you putting a MTB on it or like a beater road bike? You are going to want a spare wheel with a trainer tire if it stays on there for long. Certainly if you have a MTB tire now.

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Thanks for the replies.

Gonna use my wife's MTB as it already has a slick tire and we share the same inseam ........she has long legs😄

Like the rocking feature as it is reported to feel more natural, is easier on rider/frame and lends itself to the zwift MTB app where you can steer etc. I can also grab one for a little over $600 right now so that helps too

Edited by ATXZJ
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I personally would not go for "making it more real" or steering or any of that stuff if your budget is limited.  The trainer is a place to suffer and build (or maintain) your cardio.  It's never going to be anything like the real thing.   I would spend the money on a direct drive rather than any other features/gimmicks with a tire-on trainer.

I have a Hammer with my very old road bike on it.  I bought two saddles, two spare collars, and two seatposts so that my wife and I just have to swap the saddles and the height is pre-set with the spare collars on the seatposts.

Also, the trainer is perfect with a constant or very gradual load changes (i.e. not a HIT workout) if you have long meetings for work where you mostly have to listen, or you can watch a movie or show while you're on it.  I see a couple of my friends do a lot of Zwift, but mostly I see my friends use Zwift when it rains.  

For all things related to trainers, GPS, SW, HW, etc.  DC Rain Maker is the place to find out the details.  

https://www.dcrainmaker.com

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1 hour ago, ATXZJ said:

piss on it. bought a new kinetic for $548.00 delivered

 

we_shall_see_

 

I still have Trainerroad trial accounts to give out if you want to try it.  Just PM me your e-mail so I can submit it.  (I don't get paid in any way by TrainerRoad, in fact I pay them monthly but I think it's the best I've used so far for training out of Zwift, Rouvvy, and Trainerroad).

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6 hours ago, ATXZJ said:

With 100* days here again I've given up on riding until cooler fall temps are more common. In the past I'd usually be at the gym during this time but with coronageddon, there's no way I'm doing that. So, we're looking at a smart trainer/zwift for the family to use. Any pointers for best bang for the buck and setup? With the exception of the trainer, we should have all the necessary hardware to make the MTB zwift work with a few tweaks.

This is the trainer we're currently considering. Any thoughts on this one?

https://www.kurtkinetic.com/trainers-products/rock-and-roll-control

someone had a brand new wahoo kickr and kickr climb on bicycle sell and trade austin (facebook) for 1K earlier this week. It was a screaming deal. I got my kickr (2nd gen) used for $500 which was a good deal, I dont really understand the climb. I put an old bike frame on it and use zwift. I dont care for the simulation  but trainner road was more expensive and I just need simple programs which zwift has. I dont have a wheel on it, I just took a fork mount and attached it to a wood structure and mounted the fork to the wood.

I use a commercial speaker stand with a laptop tray to hold my computer. I mainly just watch tv and ignore zwift. I put zwift into power mode and keep my cadence up and it automatically adjust resistance.

I can tell the future of bikes is going to be electric shifters where you set the power output you want and the bike automatically shifts for you.

Edited by crazyt
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On 7/9/2020 at 5:06 PM, AntonioGG said:

The trainer is a place to suffer and build (or maintain) your cardio.  It's never going to be anything like the real thing.

This. I went with the quietest direct drive trainer DC and GPLama reviewed so I could ride in the AC while the kids were sleeping. It came with a Road Feel setting so I can ride on virtual dirt or cobbles or whatever. I don't care. I stare at my HR and my watts and suffer. It feels totally unnatural out of the saddle which is the only reason why I wonder about the rocking thing. Riding a lot of trainer and going back the the real world is jarring in how much more comfortable and natural it is to have the bike move around instead of stuck in one position suffering at a set wattage.

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