 Poster: A snowHead
|
So the lockdown buying stuff retail therapy thread has inspired me... 
Despite not really being locked down here, weather is pretty grim (probably been averaging about 50mm of rain a day for quite a few days now and more to come!) so haven't got out on my real bikes - I'm a bit of a fair weather mountain biker, or at least not a close to freezing cold/wet mountain biker!
Whilst we can still go skiing, including touring which I do sometimes make a half-ar$ed attempt at (not gloating or anything like that so please don't add me to the obligatory still skiing hate thread!  ), I still need to work on the bulge a bit, so with no gym, swimming pools, etc open, and no bike-commuting to keep me going, I am pondering an exercise bike. Don't really want a turbo trainer due to the faff with swapping tyres, etc, and also want the rest of the family able to use it, so was thinking something Peloton like.
Quite like the whole Zwift idea, but not really into the whole online exercise class thing, also I can put it in front of a tv, monitor or iPad easily enough so don't really need to pay for another screen, or the manufacturer specific subscription exercise classes and apps.
So is there something like that anyone can recommend?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
Direct drive trainer and Zwift subscription. Peloton overpriced crap bike with big screen. Any good direct drive trainer is a 30 second bike swap, then Zwift or TrainerRoad subs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
Sufferfest is an option
You dont need the peleton bike to use peleton.
My other half swapped her Zwift sub to peleton, as she uses it for exercise classes & yogging. So the opposite to what you want!
Pick up a cheap bike for the turbo trainer. It does not need to be anything special.
There are quite a few Zwift alternatives out there like rouvy & trainerroad. Some are still in beta, so free to use
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
@orange,
Did think about a Kickr.
Problem with that, is MrsH and JuniorH won't fit on my spare bike, so need to get something with a bit more height adjustment.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You should find that direct drive turbo trainers are back in stock now - they sold out through most of last year.
The high demand has brought scammers looking for dupes; my neighbour thought he'd bagged a 2nd hand Tacx on Amazon marketplace, sent his money and... nothing!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
|
| Quote: |
There are quite a few Zwift alternatives out there like Rouvy...
|
+1 for Rouvy
It uses real video synched with your smart-trainer (rather than Zwift which uses CGI generated animation).
So Rouvy is fantastic for rides in the Alps where you can do routes you've been to in summer/winter and see the real scenery; bars; restaurants etc you've actually visited 
Last edited by You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net. on Tue 5-01-21 11:04; edited 1 time in total
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@tomj, Direct Drive are still in very short supply. I've just bagged an Elite from Wiggle - £669.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
I lost 10kg last year using Zwift and that's despite my wife's lockdown hobby of baking cakes. I'm doing about 5 - 6 hours per week on the turbo and I still don't get bored doing it. I've tried Rouvy and it seemed okay but the real video needs a better internet connection than Zwift and the wifi in my garage isn't great.
|
|
|
|
|
|
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
|
|
I have dug out my old Reebok Step.....and Gin Miller has workouts, at three levels of difficulty (Original/Power/Extreme), on Youtube. Certainly works the legs and gets the heart pumping.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@Valkyrie, You can pre-download the gigantic movie files on Rouvy... Easy to do if you happen to use a tablet or laptop.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
@stuarth, yeah if you want an adjustable smartbike for all the family you are talking £1700 upwards.....
Whereas getting a second hand non road worthy bike with say a Kickr core wheel off trainer is sub £600 I'd say, but then very hard to adjust the bike for your family, you could put a quick release on the saddle if it's only the height you'd adjust?? Or multiple seat posts with different saddles might work to change reach etc??
loads of apps here :- https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2020/03/cycling-indoor-trainer-app-guide.html/
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
My experience: invested in a Kickr in March using the refund for Covided Easter ski trip, already had a turbo and numerous bicycles but with two users and little space (lounge only option) swapping bikes over on it was just off putting - so similar in that way to you @stuarth
If you want to exercise at home I think it helps if you make it as easy as possible to get going each time, otherwise it's easy to faff and make excuses
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
Veloviewer tells me I spent 236 hours on Zwift in 2020. Which is kind of a lot? But I love it, and the video-game graphics (and silly worlds: dinosaurs! volcanos!) are easier for me to psychologically deal with as I know I'm not on ventoux/the alpe in my shed (although Zwift has cartoon versions of both (and Richmond/London/Paris/Innsbruck)).
I have a 2016 Wahoo Kickr (a direct drive model which was real spendy in 2016 but prices have come down, subject to availability as noted) with a frame I bought for the purpose and built it up with spare parts. Would be a real PITA to swap bikes more than occasionally if the same basic frame size didn't suit everyone (you could do a quick-release seat clamp for height, but reach could remain a problem). Wheel-on trainers would need to be calibrated every time you swapped bikes (if you are feeling especially precious), but much easier to swap. The wattbike atom is probably the best long-term all-family solution.
edit: ninja'd!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
Bought myself a Wahoo Core yesterday, very little availability out there but managed to find one, arrives tomorrow. Will do 3 things for me (1) get me down to my 2013/14 target weight, (2) allow me to get more use out of my carbon roadbike (hardly used over the summer due to increased traffic on our lanes and I felt increasingly exposed), and (3) get MTB climbing fit for spring.....the mud atm out there is not much fun and short days meaning increasingly my MTB-ing has not as often as it could/ should be. Hopefully mrsmm29 will warm to it and the seat-post will drop low enough on my bike for her to use it also in due course.
Thanks to @kitenski, for the advice....looking forward to Zwift
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
Anyone interested here in a ex-gym spin bike? I have it in my garage but it’s not heated and consequently doesn’t get used enough. It’s a commercial spec, has seen some action but works perfectly well, I bought it from the local gym 3 years ago when it went bump.... works well and can be ridden hard. Pm me if interested and I’ll get photos over (don’t know how to upload here) - would need collecting North Yorkshire. I got it in my A4 estate at the time but have a smaller car now. It’s heavy so would need 2 people to lift it in.
I paid £100, I’d be happy with £40 collected. Cheers
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
@Markymark29, just be sure to make sure that you clean the bike well after each session, you'd be surprised at how much damage a few drops of sweat can do to a bike. I buy old second-hand bikes and then just use a decent saddle on them.
I've actually just been fiddling with my bike in my garage (putting my new power meter pedals on), and took this photo to explain to my new neighbour who has the apartment above my garage why they might occasionally hear some strange noises from below them.
My pedals cost circa twice more than my Bushido trainer and 3 x more than the old bike, but I use them on my other bikes.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
I have a simple Kinetic Road trainer that you just put your bike on as-is in a few seconds, no rear wheel dismantling or rear cassette needed. It has a power meter that you can buy separately or buy as a package with the trainer that sends the power output to Zwift or similar. I have a heart rate monitor and cadence sensor as well for normal cycling and these integrate well too and are worth getting.
It is a good and relatively cheap compromise, if not quite so realistic as to how you use the gears as it doesn't add resistance automatically, instead for example when you hit a hill you go up the gears to add more power otherwise you will slow right down so you will be impacted by the extra power needed in climbs. Apparently though the power output simulation is pretty accurate to real world scenarios.
Zwift has actually made indoor training reasonably enjoyable rather than just a tedious chore - cycling round Central London or the Champs Elysees with lots of others adds to the experience and motivation for sure.
The first 25km are free in any given month for non-subscribers so give it a go
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
@Whitters, I remember when the Kinetic trainers were nigh on the benchmark of turbos to aspire to, how things have changed.
I actually don't use ERG mode but stick to level (using the gears like you) as I ride to the power generated by my pedals which is way different to the software linking the resistance to the trainer
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@Weathercam, yes that may well be the case - I got mine second hand dirt cheap but in mint condition from a guy who was relocating out of Switzerland and it sat in a box in my cellar for a couple of years until I read about adding the Kinetic inRide power sensor and linking to Zwift.
The sensor is supposed to be accurate to within 3% so the two combined are pretty decent for my very amateur biking standards anyway
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Markymark29 wrote: |
Anyone interested here in a ex-gym spin bike? I have it in my garage but it’s not heated and consequently doesn’t get used enough. It’s a commercial spec, has seen some action but works perfectly well, I bought it from the local gym 3 years ago when it went bump.... works well and can be ridden hard. Pm me if interested and I’ll get photos over (don’t know how to upload here) - would need collecting North Yorkshire. I got it in my A4 estate at the time but have a smaller car now. It’s heavy so would need 2 people to lift it in.
I paid £100, I’d be happy with £40 collected. Cheers |
I'll have it when and if I can get over to you.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
|
I just bought a mid range spin bike - an echelon sport with a subscription - still expensive but cheaper than peloton... waiting for it to arrive. I was looking at a trainer, but went for something with a higher wife acceptance factor.
One thing I've noticed there's a distinct lack of good spin bikes available, even high end ones, everywhere out of stock - trying to find one that can connect to software like zwift limits choice, but some can be connected via bridge software or direct. A few will feedback resistance digitally, and there's a few which will incline/decline too.
I was looking at the proform TDF ones, but trying to find one available is an issue, and reading reviews put me off as they appear to break and getting responses from proform support has been an issue apparently. They use iFit which a subscription can be found cheap.
In the end I compromised on the echelon sport, no digital resistance control or incline/decline, but can be bridged to zwift using qdomyos-zwift. No screen but we have an ipad not doing anything, and potentially mirror that to the tv or via a laptop.
There's plenty of cheap Chinese produced spin bikes on ebay, a few claim to be zwift compatible with bluetooth, although from reading around they don't really work that well.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
@Dave of the Marmottes, Great.....I assume your not winding me up?! Try not be too long if poss, I need to create some room in my garage, moving it on is part of operation de-clutter! Anything that doesn't get used in a month gets whizzed around here.....mrsmm29 is on a lockdown 3 mission!
|
|
|
|
|
|
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
|
|
@Weathercam, Good shout re the sweat.....the resident keep-tidy police won't let that happen anyway!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@Markymark29, Not joking. Just don't know when I'll be able to step over that Yorkshire border as essential travel.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
