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I Am Not Spor
Dec 13, 2006
all the better to glomp you with

If you really, truly don't care about costs get a Peloton bike and Wahoo Kickr Bike with zwift.

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Partycat
Oct 25, 2004

I've had some conversations with a few of my cycling friends about their trainers. 1 upgraded from a Computrainer to one of the Wahoo direct drives, another from a cheap roller to a Wahoo Kickr Snap. I've been torn on putting 500$+ into something that I don't know if I'm going to stick with or really use, though I certainly have the time with the roni and winter coming up. Fortunately the third has an original Kinetic Road Machine with the inRide attachment and decided bike trainers weren't for him, so lucky me I was able to pick it up.

I'm looking to at least try Zwift, as I'd had some fun with a few of the video cycles at the gym in years past, and would probably stick with it more doing this than just trying to watch TV for an hour. As i understand it, the inRide is going to give me some reasonable power metric, and I'm going to give it a try before adding more attachments and upgrading.

I will pick up a trainer tire, my current road tires didn't get much love this season again, just didn't feel like I had the time with projects this summer to get out on rides, so I don't want to nullify my tread.

Are add-on sensors, like a speed/cadence combo, or HR strap, going to give me valuable metrics at a casual level? Is there anything else in particular that I should be looking for? The fan seems like a good idea and I have some around to try.

Development
Jun 2, 2016

Partycat posted:

I've had some conversations with a few of my cycling friends about their trainers. 1 upgraded from a Computrainer to one of the Wahoo direct drives, another from a cheap roller to a Wahoo Kickr Snap. I've been torn on putting 500$+ into something that I don't know if I'm going to stick with or really use, though I certainly have the time with the roni and winter coming up. Fortunately the third has an original Kinetic Road Machine with the inRide attachment and decided bike trainers weren't for him, so lucky me I was able to pick it up.

I'm looking to at least try Zwift, as I'd had some fun with a few of the video cycles at the gym in years past, and would probably stick with it more doing this than just trying to watch TV for an hour. As i understand it, the inRide is going to give me some reasonable power metric, and I'm going to give it a try before adding more attachments and upgrading.

I will pick up a trainer tire, my current road tires didn't get much love this season again, just didn't feel like I had the time with projects this summer to get out on rides, so I don't want to nullify my tread.

Are add-on sensors, like a speed/cadence combo, or HR strap, going to give me valuable metrics at a casual level? Is there anything else in particular that I should be looking for? The fan seems like a good idea and I have some around to try.

the speed/cadence sensors and an HR strap are all great accessories that will definitely be impactful both indoors and outdoors. the trainer is a good place to practice things like high cadence drills and just working on things like pedaling form.

a powerful fan(s) is an absolute necessity and it might be a good idea to also get a bike trainer sweat net to protect your bike from the massive amount of sweat that you'll be pouring out.

Partycat
Oct 25, 2004

A couple of rides in, the cadence estimate on the trainer varies wildly, and I do have a desire to know a bit more accurately what my stats are.

I ran through the trial 25 KM of Zwift and yeah I can see how this can be addicting, help pass the time too for exercise

Playing on an iPad, sitting on a table maybe a foot or so in front of my handlebars is impossible to read the numbers - going to want a TV screen or something
The sweat on the floor I can deal with for now. Immediately got a fan going.

I did pop on the continental trainer tire, 700x32 for the cross rims on my bike. It didn't do a ton to change the noise level to be honest over the tires that I had on it before, but, $35 was a lot cheaper than they were to wear them out. I am at somewhat of a disadvantage for real speed with my gearing over some of the zippy bikes but it was still fun listening to things ding and chime like a pinball machine.

Given the number of people buying bikes this year, and the lack of bike races and events that have taken place, I think grabbing a cheap fluid trainer (cheap relative to other things I guess) with a sensor to play the video game is certainly a way to upgrade your investment and have fun if anyone else is on the fence.

Levitate
Sep 30, 2005

randy newman voice

YOU'VE GOT A LAFRENIÈRE IN ME
are you sure your actual cadence isn't varying wildly

vikingstrike
Sep 23, 2007

whats happening, captain
You can buy a cadence sensor that pairs directly to Zwift.

Bi-la kaifa
Feb 4, 2011

Space maggots.

My metrics were varying widely before I realized it was a dumb idea to put my ANT+ dongle behind my monitor.

MrL_JaKiri
Sep 23, 2003

A bracing glass of carrot juice!
I knocked my fan over and broke it, RIP my indoor training

Literally Lewis Hamilton
Feb 22, 2005



A guy I knew was struggling with indoor training, posting his HR that rose to max and stayed there.

Doesn’t use a single fan. Has been doing this for years.

I don’t understand how, I would be dead.

Bi-la kaifa
Feb 4, 2011

Space maggots.

I'll admit to relying on an open window for cooling purposes. Maybe that's why I can't keep up with the stupid zwift academy

Cannon_Fodder
Jul 17, 2007

"Hey, where did Steve go?"
Design by Kamoc
I might hold off on picking up a trainer until black Friday. I need, however, an outlet for some cardio when this weather shits the bed.

TobinHatesYou
Aug 14, 2007

wacky cycling inflatable
tube man

Bi-la kaifa posted:

I'll admit to relying on an open window for cooling purposes. Maybe that's why I can't keep up with the stupid zwift academy

Uh yeah, that’s not enough. I use two medium Vornadoes (one pointed at my head, one at my back) and a 18-20” Air Master pointed at my body. If I leave my fans off with an open garage door, I start dripping even at 150W.

Bi-la kaifa
Feb 4, 2011

Space maggots.

I'm a wet mess by minute twenty but I had no idea it could have an effect on heart rate. I just thought it was a comfort thing

TobinHatesYou
Aug 14, 2007

wacky cycling inflatable
tube man

Bi-la kaifa posted:

I'm a wet mess by minute twenty but I had no idea it could have an effect on heart rate. I just thought it was a comfort thing

Your HR is absolutely tied to hydration and core temperature. If I ride in 90F temperatures outdoors, I lose approximately 15% of my maximal aerobic power compared to 65F

TobinHatesYou fucked around with this message at 03:47 on Oct 16, 2020

Bi-la kaifa
Feb 4, 2011

Space maggots.

I guess I'm going fan shopping then

MrL_JaKiri
Sep 23, 2003

A bracing glass of carrot juice!

Bi-la kaifa posted:

I'm a wet mess by minute twenty but I had no idea it could have an effect on heart rate. I just thought it was a comfort thing

Going back a ways to using a spin bike as cross training rather than a turbo as cycling training, but I found that for the same low-medium intensity session a fan made a difference of 20bpm to my HR.

Gravity Cant Apple
Jun 25, 2011

guys its just like if you had an apple with a straw n you poked the apple though wit it n a pebbl hadnt dropped through itd stop straw insid the apple because gravity cant apple
I have no real experience with indoor cycling, but with quarantine and the weather getting colder, I think it might be nice to have an option to do some occasional cycling. The problem being that I live in NYC, with all of the space constraints that implies. This Indiegogo campaign keeps popping up in my feed and I was hoping to get some more experienced eyes on it to warn me about potential issues beyond the usual crowdsourced ones.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/breakaway-the-incredibly-compact-exercise-bike#/

I don't really care about logging workouts or anything. It does come with built-in bluetooth but the power meter is an additional $200 if I want the model with that. Do I really need it? I might connect to some app or another but I'm not going to go crazy with it. If I do somehow catch the bug I can always pick the power meter up later.

I really like the idea of a bike that can fold up small enough to fit under my bed when I'm not using it, but I'd like to know if this thing looks like it will be trash before pulling the trigger. A quick Google search doesn't really come up with a bike that collapses to anywhere near such a degree.

Fake edit: Also they have a referral program so if this is actually an awesome product let me get it and share my referral code with the class so I can get 5% off, haha.

Literally Lewis Hamilton
Feb 22, 2005



Please don’t buy that. It looks like hot garbage and you can get a wheel on trainer for less. Do you already own a bike?

Gravity Cant Apple
Jun 25, 2011

guys its just like if you had an apple with a straw n you poked the apple though wit it n a pebbl hadnt dropped through itd stop straw insid the apple because gravity cant apple

Literally Lewis Hamilton posted:

Please don’t buy that. It looks like hot garbage and you can get a wheel on trainer for less. Do you already own a bike?

I do not, and I also don't have space for one. Is there anything else on the market that would fold up anywhere near as nicely? Everything I've seen is just a big X-shape that still has a giant footprint.

Cugel the Clever
Apr 5, 2009
I LOVE AMERICA AND CAPITALISM DESPITE BEING POOR AS FUCK. I WILL NEVER RETIRE BUT HERE'S ANOTHER 200$ FOR UKRAINE, SLAVA
Couple questions as someone who's vaguely curious about getting a trainer:

1) Anyone know if trainers tend to go on sale for Black Friday? I can definitely hold out if it's likely to save me a couple hundred dollars.
2) Is there any good out-of-the-box option for using a bike to charge up a battery? A quick Google search turns up some DIY articles and pop-sci reports from years ago, but nothing more concrete.

TobinHatesYou
Aug 14, 2007

wacky cycling inflatable
tube man

Cugel the Clever posted:

Couple questions as someone who's vaguely curious about getting a trainer:

1) Anyone know if trainers tend to go on sale for Black Friday? I can definitely hold out if it's likely to save me a couple hundred dollars.
2) Is there any good out-of-the-box option for using a bike to charge up a battery? A quick Google search turns up some DIY articles and pop-sci reports from years ago, but nothing more concrete.


Trainers traditionally go on sale around Black Friday. Sites like REI and Clever Training also put out 20% coupons for members around this time of year. Since the pandemic hit, trainers are in hot demand and continually backordered or in low-stock, so I would not depend on Black Friday deals this time around.

For your second question, do you mean indoors or outdoors? There are dynamo hubs and USB ports/adapters, but they have low amperage. What is the specific use case here?

Cugel the Clever
Apr 5, 2009
I LOVE AMERICA AND CAPITALISM DESPITE BEING POOR AS FUCK. I WILL NEVER RETIRE BUT HERE'S ANOTHER 200$ FOR UKRAINE, SLAVA

TobinHatesYou posted:

Since the pandemic hit, trainers are in hot demand and continually backordered or in low-stock, so I would not depend on Black Friday deals this time around.
Yeah, I see the Wahoo Kickr is out of stock without so much as a waitlist, so I can't imagine they're stocking up explicitly for sales :(

TobinHatesYou posted:

For your second question, do you mean indoors or outdoors? There are dynamo hubs and USB ports/adapters, but they have low amperage. What is the specific use case here?
Indoors. I'm just on a mild emergency preparedness kick to ease my election anxiety and am curious about the feasibility of keeping some small electronics charged with the power generated by my bike. I'm in apartment, so a generator is a hard no-go. I imagine just buying a battery backup or two is the more straightforward option and probably sufficient rationed over a few days, but it would still be cool to have something to extend that backup indefinitely.

e.pilot
Nov 20, 2011

sometimes maybe good
sometimes maybe shit
e.pilot wattlord top tip:
if you plan on doing sustained 375-400w efforts on rollers you will probably break the belt

mexecan
Jul 10, 2006
A question about the Zwift training plans. I've been working my way through the 4 week FTP booster plan. This is my first time doing any sort of structured training or using a power meter.

Before starting the plan, I did my first ever 20 min FTP test and have been using that setting for the training plan. My perception is that I should be very challenged with some of the intervals and workouts.

However, looking back at the last few workouts, I find that I am rarely getting above.Z3. The majority of the last few workouts (40/20's for example) are at Z2 (~60%) and Z3 (18-20%). I'm only getting to Z4 2-4% of the time.

Is this appropriate or should I be taking another FTP test to make sure I got it right the first time?

kimbo305
Jun 9, 2007

actually, yeah, I am a little mad

e.pilot posted:

e.pilot wattlord top tip:
if you plan on doing sustained 375-400w efforts on rollers you will probably break the belt

Is this one of the belts you heat-welded? Did it break at the weld?

e.pilot
Nov 20, 2011

sometimes maybe good
sometimes maybe shit

kimbo305 posted:

Is this one of the belts you heat-welded? Did it break at the weld?
The real belt got hot and so loose it kept popping off.

The one I welded and actually had enough tension to not stretch and pop off did ultimately break at the weld when I tried to up power to about 450w in the last 0.25mi after putting up with 15 minutes of 375w.

TobinHatesYou
Aug 14, 2007

wacky cycling inflatable
tube man

mexecan posted:

A question about the Zwift training plans. I've been working my way through the 4 week FTP booster plan. This is my first time doing any sort of structured training or using a power meter.

Before starting the plan, I did my first ever 20 min FTP test and have been using that setting for the training plan. My perception is that I should be very challenged with some of the intervals and workouts.

However, looking back at the last few workouts, I find that I am rarely getting above.Z3. The majority of the last few workouts (40/20's for example) are at Z2 (~60%) and Z3 (18-20%). I'm only getting to Z4 2-4% of the time.

Is this appropriate or should I be taking another FTP test to make sure I got it right the first time?


Do a ramp test instead. Rarely does someone new to riding with power really know what they are capable of in a 20min effort. A ramp test will simply force you to ride harder and harder until you fail to hit your marks.

TobinHatesYou
Aug 14, 2007

wacky cycling inflatable
tube man

Cugel the Clever posted:

Yeah, I see the Wahoo Kickr is out of stock without so much as a waitlist, so I can't imagine they're stocking up explicitly for sales :(

Indoors. I'm just on a mild emergency preparedness kick to ease my election anxiety and am curious about the feasibility of keeping some small electronics charged with the power generated by my bike. I'm in apartment, so a generator is a hard no-go. I imagine just buying a battery backup or two is the more straightforward option and probably sufficient rationed over a few days, but it would still be cool to have something to extend that backup indefinitely.


I honestly don't think you're going to be pedaling your bike indoors to charge your iPhone if civilization is collapsing all around you.

kimbo305
Jun 9, 2007

actually, yeah, I am a little mad

TobinHatesYou posted:

I honestly don't think you're going to be pedaling your bike indoors to charge your iPhone if civilization is collapsing all around you.

Yeah, we'll all be pedaling in a corral to charge Lord Humungus' iPhone.

MrL_JaKiri
Sep 23, 2003

A bracing glass of carrot juice!

kimbo305 posted:

Yeah, we'll all be pedaling in a corral to charge Lord Humungus' iPhone.

Lord Humungus does not skip leg day, and can charge his own phone

Cugel the Clever
Apr 5, 2009
I LOVE AMERICA AND CAPITALISM DESPITE BEING POOR AS FUCK. I WILL NEVER RETIRE BUT HERE'S ANOTHER 200$ FOR UKRAINE, SLAVA

TobinHatesYou posted:

I honestly don't think you're going to be pedaling your bike indoors to charge your iPhone if civilization is collapsing all around you.
Nah, thinking more along the lines of an earthquake prompting power outages longer than a few days. So long as my building were still inhabitable, I would 100% be taking a break from helping out where I could during the day to rewatch some dumb poo poo I'd downloaded to my phone. Exercise + entertainment sounds like a nice way to stay sane during trying times!

Literally Lewis Hamilton
Feb 22, 2005



Cugel the Clever posted:

Nah, thinking more along the lines of an earthquake prompting power outages longer than a few days. So long as my building were still inhabitable, I would 100% be taking a break from helping out where I could during the day to rewatch some dumb poo poo I'd downloaded to my phone. Exercise + entertainment sounds like a nice way to stay sane during trying times!

There are a few of those pedal things you put under a desk that supposedly will charge a phone. K-Tor is the brand I saw.

Peteyfoot
Nov 24, 2007
Will an indoor trainer work with my bike?



If so, any recommendations for a trainer for intervals?

TobinHatesYou
Aug 14, 2007

wacky cycling inflatable
tube man

terre packet posted:

Will an indoor trainer work with my bike?



If so, any recommendations for a trainer for intervals?


Probably not. What is the spacing in the rear? What kind of freehub/freewheel does it use?

e.pilot
Nov 20, 2011

sometimes maybe good
sometimes maybe shit
counterpoint: power pedals and rollers will work if you’re a masochist

bicievino
Feb 5, 2015

terre packet posted:

Will an indoor trainer work with my bike?



If so, any recommendations for a trainer for intervals?

An older wheel-on trainer may work with your bike, and be cheap.
It won't work with any of the fancy online training platforms, or give you any data, but you can do intervals on them just fine.

Pantsmaster Bill
May 7, 2007

bicievino posted:

An older wheel-on trainer may work with your bike, and be cheap.
It won't work with any of the fancy online training platforms, or give you any data, but you can do intervals on them just fine.

Could also add power pedals if you do want that stuff.

bicievino
Feb 5, 2015

Pantsmaster Bill posted:

Could also add power pedals if you do want that stuff.

I'm not super confident that power pedals will fit those cranks.

Queen-Of-Hearts
Mar 17, 2009

"I want to break your heart💔 and give you mine🫀"




Coming back after some months of vicious depression. How the hell was i doing 20 and 30 mile Rouvy rides in May? I just (stupidly) tried to do my "in shape" tempo and felt like i was going to throw up after mile 7. Shout out to this weather change headache too.

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spf3million
Sep 27, 2007

hit 'em with the rhythm
I'm going to be spending a bunch of time in Kansas City this winter and will miss my Bay Area winter riding. I've been storing a bike at the KC office to ride in the evening and on weekends but it's starting to get cold and snowy and f that.

Would I be dumb to buy some rollers to use with TR in my hotel room? I already have power meter pedals. Maybe riding right next to the open window in the middle of winter would help with the lack of fan situation? I guess I could store a bike, rollers and three fans in my KC office in this hypothetical scenario...

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