Indoor Cycling

[nick]

Think this deserves a separate thread as Cycling is already long enough thank you very much.

So indoor trainers?

Getting lots of online ads for Wattbike Atom.
Is this the one to get and couple with Zwift ? (Peloton rejected mainly because the adverts annoy me) .

Steering away from Turbo trainers as I hear they damage either your tyres or the frame etc depending on whether they are Wheel-on or direct drive

 

[Winot]

I have a Wattbike Atom. It works well. I don’t use Zwift although you can (I just use the app it comes with).

Occasionally the Bluetooth takes a while to connect to my phone. There also seem to be a lot of firmware updates, but they don’t take long.

It’s a heavy beast, and takes up a good bit of room. Couldn’t persuade Mrs W to let me keep it in the house so it’s at work.

 

[nick]

tempted

 

[Winot]

tempted

You’re welcome to have a try of mine (although it’s in my office near Chancery Lane).

Bear in mind there could be a long lead time. I ordered mine April 2020 and it was delivered October.

 

[MrSki]

Why is this in Transport?

Indoor cycling doesn't get you very far.

 

[nadia]

I love the Wattbike,I don't own one but use the watt bike pro a lot in the gym. I mostly do the stuff on their app so not experimented with zwift etc. Definitely better than any spin class

 

[nick]

Why is this in Transport?

Indoor cycling doesn't get you very far.

Guess you could always put some wheels on it and take it outside.?

happy to have it moved but I thought this the least inappropriate forum. Suspect it would fit even less well into knobbing and sobbing

 

[nick]

Not sure the pro is available to individuals. I think that is only the atom (but now with added “next generation”)

 

[nick]

That is a very kind offer Winot. Thank you.
however as I am currently wfh in Tulse hill during the week it may not be possible in normal working hours.

 

[MrSki]

Guess you could always put some wheels on it and take it outside.?

happy to have it moved but I thought this the least inappropriate forum. Suspect it would fit even less well into knobbing and sobbing

Don't worry I was only taking the piss. I suppose it might transport your mind.

If you cycled to a video of a route then it might take you somewhere.

 

[mauvais]

I have a smart trainer, a Tacx Flux 2 that I use with Zwift. It's alright. It did cost £700 though.

Can't see any reason why it would damage the frame. Depending on exactly what bike you have and what your power output is, I think you might have been misinformed.

 

[Buddy Bradley]

I don't see the point of all these new e-bike things with integrated route videos and workout plans. Easier to just get a £50 second-hand exercise bike off eBay and watch YouTube videos of cycling routes while you do it.

 

[nick]

I have a smart trainer, a Tacx Flux 2 that I use with Zwift. It's alright. It did cost £700 though.

Can't see any reason why it would damage the frame. Depending on exactly what bike you have and what your power output is, I think you might have been misinformed.

View attachment 269239

with my power output, unlikely to be an issue then.
If I went this way I would also need to get a basic bike to add to the set up I guess. I can see that swapping out the rear wheel of my outdoor bike everytime would reduce the impetus to use the thing

 

[nick]

Have now also stumbled on the Wahoo Kickr & TacX Neo - suspect my credit card wouldn't forgive me if I bought those.

Also possible overkill for a mid-50s fatty and more directed to those whippet like club riders that I have occasionally met

 

[MrSki]

Also possible overkill for a mid-50s fatty

I know how you feel. From one mid-50s fatty to another I must say you are an inspiration.

 

[weepiper]

Putting a normal bike on a turbo won't damage the frame, but bikes that have been kept on a turbo and used a lot are often covered in salt corrosion because you sweat a lot riding hard indoors and sweat drips on the bike. I've seen drop handlebars where we take the tape off to change a cable and the alloy of the bars has actually corroded right through so you can poke a hole in it. Hang a towel over the bars to catch the worst and keep a window open. And take the bike off the turbo and wash it thoroughly every now and again. It's worth putting a turbo tyre on it too so it doesn't wear through your normal road tyre (they're harder compound).

 

[mauvais]

I can see that swapping out the rear wheel of my outdoor bike everytime would reduce the impetus to use the thing

It does a bit, to be honest, but it's not hard to mount and dismount the thing - provided you have a separate cassette that you keep in relatively even wear. It's just a QR skewer or whatever arrangement you normally have. You might need a mild tweak of the gear indexing between the two.

 

[mauvais]

Have now also stumbled on the Wahoo Kickr & TacX Neo - suspect my credit card wouldn't forgive me if I bought those.

Also possible overkill for a mid-50s fatty and more directed to those whippet like club riders that I have occasionally met

In man-maths defence of this idea: I reckon they probably hold their value reasonably well, and relatively speaking, the tech isn't all that complicated so won't go immediately out of date in the face of some new iteration.

I hear nice things about the Neo although it costs a lot. I hear bad things about other Tacx (who are now Garmin) products, the earlier Fluxes in particular but that's because I'm in an owner's group for some reason and it's a self-selecting bunch of people with problems. I also hear bad things about Wahoo quality. Who knows.

I've done about 500 miles on mine, I don't do anything epic and my appetite for it comes and goes, but it's better than I expected.

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

Taking the back wheel off and sticking my bike on the trainer takes a grand total of 30 seconds, it's really not that much bother.

I don't see the point of all these new e-bike things with integrated route videos and workout plans. Easier to just get a £50 second-hand exercise bike off eBay and watch YouTube videos of cycling routes while you do it.

They're really not comparable. A smart trainer simulates the gradients or can hold you at a set power level and so on.

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

I have an Elite Suito - I really like it, has the advantage of coming with a cassette pre installed, plus it folds down pretty flat for easy storage.

 

[Cid]

I have a ~£200 used but perfectly serviceable road bike (Focus Variado) just for the trainer. Though tbh the drivetrain is on the way out. Wahoo Kickr Core... The quality issues with Wahoo I think largely applied to the early models. I spent ages reading up and watching youtube videos before buying, but can't remember exact decision process.

 

[nick]

I know how you feel. From one mid-50s fatty to another I must say you are an inspiration.

Suggest you hold that thought until such time as I have:
a) bought one
b) used it
c) shed 2 stone

 

[nick]

Liking the man maths.

Thinking that I don't want Turbo - especially after WeePiper's comment about additional sweat damage to my beloved.

So leaning towards Atom for (relatively !) sensibly priced option - can always resell later and upgrade once I get to Olympic standard.

Will doubtless now spend months reading reviews and watching videos - in the middle aged equivalent of foreplay

 

[Cid]

If you want to use it more like a simulator than something like a spin bike, do read up on how good gear change etc is. I think some of the earlier wattbikes were a bit crap at that.

 

[Cid]

Dc rainmaker is pretty good for turbo and related product reviews. Both blog and YouTube.

I like my kickr core a lot, but can see some other advantages to full bikes like being able to tweak geometry etc. Space is an issue though, as is cost.

 

[nick]

If you want to use it more like a simulator than something like a spin bike, do read up on how good gear change etc is. I think some of the earlier wattbikes were a bit crap at that.

Yeah - the idea if gamification of the pain of doing exercise is appealing (hence my enjoyment of bike commuting before 2020 - like a video game, but with only 1 life)

On reading up I hear that the watt bike change was imperfect (although improved on the newer one). Like the idea of road surface simulation on the fancier once - but of course the Internet is full of people complaining about broken drive belts on the TacX etc etc.

Winot's offer aside - do any shops actually let you try out? Might investigate the boytoy basement at Selfridges

 

[nick]

Dc rainmaker is pretty good for turbo and related product reviews. Both blog and YouTube.

I like my kickr core a lot, but can see some other advantages to full bikes like being able to tweak geometry etc. Space is an issue though, as is cost.

Thanks that's a great site

Which unfortunately has confused the issue by introducing me to the KICKR Bike - because uppy and downy. But how much ?

 

[sleaterkinney]

Putting a normal bike on a turbo won't damage the frame, but bikes that have been kept on a turbo and used a lot are often covered in salt corrosion because you sweat a lot riding hard indoors and sweat drips on the bike. I've seen drop handlebars where we take the tape off to change a cable and the alloy of the bars has actually corroded right through so you can poke a hole in it. Hang a towel over the bars to catch the worst and keep a window open. And take the bike off the turbo and wash it thoroughly every now and again. It's worth putting a turbo tyre on it too so it doesn't wear through your normal road tyre (they're harder compound).

Yeah, this is our kicker core. We have a fan which just blows it back.


The advantage with a turbo is that your bike is setup for you already. I would go for a smart one as it’s more accurate to train on and more interactive with apps like Kinomap and Zwift.
It all depends on how regular you will use it though.

 

[nick]

Stopped to look at the Kick Bike today. On a trip round Richmond Park , Hampton Court etc

I may just pull the trigger on it. Much quieter than I had led myself to believe from watching umpteen DC Rainmaker videos - and not as large

Only immediate downside is that it it quite hard for an old lump like me to get on and off it - as you can't tip it to one side to get you leg over (obviously)


So Question:
Zwift or Sufferfest? Think I'll start with some gentle zwifting

 

[Orang Utan]

Just go outside ffs