Smart trainers and software

[g-boaf]

The Schwinn I believe is a dumb bike - it doesn't get variable resistance as far as I'm aware. You have to dial up or down.

Then the power is basically measured if you have a power meter (pedals) on it or some speed sensor which are notoriously unreliable and inaccurate.

I'm not normally one to join virtual cycling events. Sometimes I'll ride with friends but it's just a meet at start of "Road-to-sky" at 0545MEZ and roll out at 0555MEZ.

If someone is late they can join and friend and luckily miss the jungle bit.

If they are too late then it's big fuss because they miss the Alpe du Zwift lap start, then they have to U-turn, roll to the bottom and then U-turn again to start the lap properly - and they have a fun, fast lap effort to do.

[Arbuckle23]

Just as a word of warning - if you're considering the Fulgaz events they're all a bit trash.

I just use it for getting km's when I can't go outside, no real interest in any of the challenge or group stuff.
And I'm old and slow anyway, so would never bother the leaderboards

Sorted my lack of storage for downloading rides as well.
My Samsung phone has a ton of storage. An $11 USB C to HDMI lead and we are all go.
Samsung Dex causes issues though, so I just mirror the screen and it is great.
I can download rides I am interested in and ride when I want.

[g-boaf]

Kickr bike deserved some work, I changed the original (too wide) bars to narrower ones and new bar tape:



Deda bar tape which proved quite hard to wrap and shorter than expected. These bars are FSA.


There are rumours of a Zwift Smart Bike or frame being launched soon as well -possibly next week.

[warthog1]

At work and back on the trainer. Did a zwift session. Yep crap compared to a real ride, but it works reliably using the phone as a hotspot. Has options for many different rides. Probably going to swallow the distaste at their price rise and pay a yearly subs to make it a bit cheaper.

[g-boaf]

At work and back on the trainer. Did a zwift session. Yep crap compared to a real ride, but it works reliably using the phone as a hotspot. Has options for many different rides. Probably going to swallow the distaste at their price rise and pay a yearly subs to make it a bit cheaper.

Well, you are getting some new routes for the expense, although they are hilly.

[jasonc]

At work and back on the trainer. Did a zwift session. Yep crap compared to a real ride, but it works reliably using the phone as a hotspot. Has options for many different rides. Probably going to swallow the distaste at their price rise and pay a yearly subs to make it a bit cheaper.

Well, you are getting some new routes for the expense, although they are hilly.

Hilly is good. I've done 5000m this week. Only 200m of that was on the trainer

[warthog1]

Yeah I like hilly too, even if I am not that good at it. Less elevation than you guys though.
Got a 34-11 12s cassette to put on my WR50s. Will use them on the Reacto and give Mt Alex a whirl next week

[g-boaf]

I tried putting Windows 10 on the old 2010 Mac Pro computer that runs Zwift.

It has macOS 12.7.5 and two SSDs, one 2TB the other 1TB.

I had intended to get PerfPRO studio going on that machine. Not recommended. Because they are very old machines with very old firmware it’s tricky to run modern windows without having that corrupt the firmware (brick the computer).

I got it running but then it decided not to restart. I pulled out the windows SSD and used the CMD-OPT-P-R and got it running again in macOS - fortunately.

I won’t try that again soon. In the macOS side it runs very reliably at least but I guess I’ll have to think about retiring it when macOS Monterey becomes unsupported. So far it gets by on a decent GPU and the CPU on it was the best one of its time. But it’s definitely getting old.

[Mr Purple]

I should have listed to my own advice regarding Fulgaz events.

Someone took my KOM on stage 1 of the 'Tour of New Zealand' which precipitated a revenge flogging and followed on with stage 2 and 3.

Opened up about five minutes over the first two hilly and shorter stages and then realised the rest are flatter and longer. Strangely enough it gets very hard to compete with several riders with a power curve drawn with a ruler through 300W (the dumb trainer limit) from there.

Might start barracking for Fulgaz to set that limit to 250W. It's frustrating riding against someone with a minimum power of 296W and a maximum power of 300W for anywhere up to six hours. And it's killing their events.

My Brookfield Three Fingers and Cleveland-Wellington Point rides are live now if anyone wants to give them a go!

[g-boaf]

I have MacOS 15 Beta 1 installed - recommend against running Zwift on that for now.

Although Zwift works, I could not get the companion app to connect to Zwift using iPhone 15 Pro running iOS 17.5 or iOS18.

It's no problem on older MacOS so it seems to be something specific to the brand new MacOS 15.

[am50em]

Zwift launches Zwift Ride, a budget-friendly smart bike like no other
...
Today's launch is another collaboration between the pair. Zwift provides the frame and the up-front Zwift Play-like controls, while the Wahoo Kickr Core supplies the smart trainer.

Zwift says that later this summer the Zwift Ride will be available as a standalone frame that users can pair with the smart trainer they already have. However, non-Wahoo users will have to forego the virtual shifting feature (unless other brands release a firmware update to let it work). The pricing for that is yet to be determined.

For now, you can only buy it coupled with the Kickr Core device, priced at US $1299.99 / €1299.99 / £1199.99 / AU $2,299.95. The add-on tablet holder is priced at US $49.99 / €49.99 / £39.99.

https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/zwift- ... tron-bike/

[g-boaf]

https://support.zwift.com/en_us/zwift-r ... -ByTCtW8SA

FAQ page.

The virtual shifting only works with Zwift.

[Mr Purple]

https://support.zwift.com/en_us/zwift-r ... -ByTCtW8SA

FAQ page.

The virtual shifting only works with Zwift.

It's all very strange. To me the chain is the main point of weakness with the 'bike on trainer' setup and yet they've retained the chain. They also state that it never needs to be lubricated (which seems unlikely) and not stated what sort of chain is required to replace it.

The virtual shifting at least gets you around derailleur and cable maintenance, however the fact it only works on Zwift gives the whole setup limited utility. Also, how the heck did they make a bike frame without wheels weigh 17kg?

I can see the value at $2200 at least. But for me I'd be spending extra on a trainer with belt drive and gears that actually work for apps other than Zwift.

[g-boaf]

Making the frame that heavy is probably trying to make it strong. Remember the old Powerwatts bikes used in a lot of trainer studios (connected with Computrainers) were also extremely heavy. Even Freddy Flintoff wasn't going to break them.

By the way he is actually a really decent, down to earth person.

I was doing my own training and he was there alongside me and started chatting.

[Retrobyte]

Making the frame that heavy is probably trying to make it strong. Remember the old Powerwatts bikes used in a lot of trainer studios (connected with Computrainers) were also extremely heavy. Even Freddy Flintoff wasn't going to break them.

By the way he is actually a really decent, down to earth person.

I was doing my own training and he was there alongside me and started chatting.

It's great to see him back working with the England cricket team after the very serious injuries he sustained in that car crash

[g-boaf]

Making the frame that heavy is probably trying to make it strong. Remember the old Powerwatts bikes used in a lot of trainer studios (connected with Computrainers) were also extremely heavy. Even Freddy Flintoff wasn't going to break them.

By the way he is actually a really decent, down to earth person.

I was doing my own training and he was there alongside me and started chatting.

It's great to see him back working with the England cricket team after the very serious injuries he sustained in that car crash

Yeah, that was nasty. Accidents can happen to anyone no matter the precautions.

Good to see he’s back in action.

[vbplease]

I’m still on the fence for buying a new indoor trainer.. blue skies for the past 3 weeks has been nice!

The new Zwift setup definitely isn’t on my radar. To call it a “smart bike” is false advertising in my opinion. It’s kickr core with a separate piece of junk that only communicates with Zwift.

Considering the JetBlack Volt is now $745, which is just as good as the kickr core, that makes the Zwift junk $1555 (2300-745).. I’d prefer a proper bike for that money, if using a wheel on trainer.. that way it could be a backup bike for outdoors, and I’m not locked in with Zwift.

But I don’t think I could go back to a wheel on trainer again. I’d prefer the kickr shift for $4k.

[jasonc]

I’d prefer the kickr shift for $4k.

I have the shift after using a tacx neo 2T for a few years. am happy with it. the only thing i'm missing is virtual gear display in zwift

[g-boaf]

Stupid thing is that the Tacx smart bike does give gear indications in Zwift.

But I don’t think I could go back to a wheel on trainer again. I’d prefer the kickr shift for $4k.

Dedicated trainer bikes are far better - you just turn the thing on and go, no mucking around with chains, less noise, smoother operation. Cost is more but they are excellent.

[vbplease]

Dedicated trainer bikes are far better - you just turn the thing on and go, no mucking around with chains, less noise, smoother operation. Cost is more but they are excellent.

Absolutely.. it definitely helps with motivation when there’s less maintenance, fuss and ease of use. The quietness factor is a big one for me.. I (and the rest of the family) don’t want to hear a drivetrain and clunky gear changes inside the house

[warthog1]

I have bikes coming out my ears. Need to get rid of some.
Waxed chain is very quiet here and far call maintenance. Gear changes aren't noisy if you momentairily ease up on the pedals when changing.
Not keen to spend significant money on someting that is only there for when I can't otherwise ride.
I don't live in the city so quiet roads right outside my door. A real ride is much better for me.

[g-boaf]

I have bikes coming out my ears. Need to get rid of some.
Waxed chain is very quiet here and far call maintenance. Gear changes aren't noisy if you momentairily ease up on the pedals when changing.
Not keen to spend significant money on someting that is only there for when I can't otherwise ride.
I don't live in the city so quiet roads right outside my door. A real ride is much better for me.

No matter what you do, no amount of waxes, prayers to divine intervention or anything else will make any normal bike drivetrain on a regular smart trainer match the silence and smoothness of a smart bike, you wouldn't believe how quiet they are. I can use mine at 5am in the morning and it won't wake anyone up. No vibrations through the floor, no chain and gear noise, nothing. They are particularly good for those folks in apartment buildings.

Even the trainers themselves get noisy over time and they sometimes need to be pulled apart and internals serviced. Tacx Neos need it after time.

I still have Neo (first gen) and Neo2T, plus the Kickr Bike (the first gen version). It's also nice having the tilting functionality for hills.

[Mr Purple]

Dedicated trainer bikes are far better - you just turn the thing on and go, no mucking around with chains, less noise, smoother operation. Cost is more but they are excellent.

Absolutely.. it definitely helps with motivation when there’s less maintenance, fuss and ease of use. The quietness factor is a big one for me.. I (and the rest of the family) don’t want to hear a drivetrain and clunky gear changes inside the house

Absolutely. I won't be spending any more money on trainer bikes but going for a Smart trainer instead. Much quieter, no shifter cables to break (yes, I break those indoors as well) and no chain maintenance makes it a no brainer for me. Plus it would be good to have one functional bike out of three.

The only problem is I can also spend that $4-5k odd going faster on the road and might need to get an aero bike first. The dilemma!

[g-boaf]

Smart-bike is the better go first - much more benefit.

Looking like mine will get lots of use over the weekend. Raining now and tomorrow.

[warthog1]

I have bikes coming out my ears. Need to get rid of some.
Waxed chain is very quiet here and far call maintenance. Gear changes aren't noisy if you momentairily ease up on the pedals when changing.
Not keen to spend significant money on someting that is only there for when I can't otherwise ride.
I don't live in the city so quiet roads right outside my door. A real ride is much better for me.

No matter what you do, no amount of waxes, prayers to divine intervention or anything else will make any normal bike drivetrain on a regular smart trainer match the silence and smoothness of a smart bike, you wouldn't believe how quiet they are. I can use mine at 5am in the morning and it won't wake anyone up. No vibrations through the floor, no chain and gear noise, nothing. They are particularly good for those folks in apartment buildings.

Even the trainers themselves get noisy over time and they sometimes need to be pulled apart and internals serviced. Tacx Neos need it after time.

I still have Neo (first gen) and Neo2T, plus the Kickr Bike (the first gen version). It's also nice having the tilting functionality for hills.

I have never used one. The fan is significantly noisier than my 3 year old kickr core however. As a result for me the need isnt there. I am sure if you have the money they are good