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Imagine riding bikes without any of the of bother of fresh air or riding with friends, and paying money for the pleasure, you can even get cheered on by a couple of big fans! The two big hitters that most people use right now are Zwift and Trainer Road http://zwift.com/ https://trainerroad.com/ Depending on what you want out of it will depend which one you want to use. Want to simulate an outdoor ride as best as you can with mediocre workouts and races where people weight dope so badly you’ll never win? Zwift is what you want. Check out https://zwiftpower.com if you decide to do races too, they help weed out some of the more egregious weight dopers and sand baggers. Want to just suffer and make the number go brrrr but maybe get faster on a bike outside? Trainer Road is what you’re looking for. What do you need? There are three main kinds of trainers, what you use will depend on your budget and what you want. Wheel On Trainer: This will typically be the cheapest, uses your bike wheel on a spinny thing to spin some sort of resistance thing. Either fluid or magnetic resistance. Also available as smart trainers to simulate hills and such on Zwift, or to just add more resistance for an interval in TR without having to shift. Direct Drive Trainer: More expensive than the wheel on trainer, but does the same thing minus the wheel because it is driven directly. Rollers: Harder to use than the other two, not great for zwift racing, but pretty nice for intervals. If you’re a big watt boi you might need something with more resistance as this will top out around 300w or so unless you have some fancy model of rollers. You’ll also need a power meter. A big rear end fan, or multiple big rear end fans You’re riding inside, you’re not moving, so you need something else to move the air or you’ll just collapse into a big sweaty mess. Vortex fans are pretty popular, but anything will work.
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Jul 25, 2020 16:11
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e.pilot posted:
This cannot be overemphasized.
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Jul 25, 2020 16:14
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indoor bicycling is physically and mentally hard but it rules.
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Jul 25, 2020 21:02
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I started zwifting as a thing to replace my commute while I’m WFH. I signed up to one of their training plans and have really enjoyed the structure, even if the zwift workouts themselves can be a bit dumb. 12 weeks, went from 243W @ 65kg to 247W @ 61kg. Pretty pleased with that (although I wanted to hit 250). Now the plan is done I’m at a bit of a loose end and just doing random races and TTs. Might pick up another plan and try and target hill climb season, if it’s even running this year.
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Jul 26, 2020 09:27
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The plans keep me coming back to it and a little more accountable. It's also really satisfying to see quantifiable progress over whatever time period the plan is. The only thing I don't like about cycling indoors is how soggy I get.
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Jul 26, 2020 21:01
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I run trainerroad on my phone via Bluetooth while Zwifting on the computer via ANT+ and then I look at the analysis on Trainingpeaks and talk about in on Strava. At the end of the year I'll tally it all up on veloviewer. Edit: sorry I thought this was the bad with money thread. To stay on topic I did Juneau -1 today, which was 4x 20min intervals broken into 9,2,9min efforts at 88-92% ftp. Only had one fan going in the office while my fiance was on the computer and holy hell sweet spot work is hell if your fan game is not up to par. I currently have 2 20" high velocity tiltable fans but am thinking of getting one of those blowers instead.
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Jul 26, 2020 21:10
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I'm terrified of picking the wrong trainer. There, that's my problem. I have a road bike, I would like to get an inexpensive direct drive,and my wife wants a peleton. In my head, it would be nicer for me to ride my own bike with some simulation (visuals or class would be nice) to keep me engaged. I have some cheap rollers, but I had trouble finding the enthusiasm for it. Help.
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Jul 30, 2020 03:50
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I bought a used road bike a couple years back and the guy tossed in a basic TacX Wheel On trainer as a part of the deal. I didn't think I'd need/use it much, but I'm so glad I have it. It's easy to ride when the weather is bad, it feels like my bike so if I have a weekend ride coming up it's a great warmup to be able to ride indoors every day. I also live somewhere terribly hot and humid, so for the summer months it's a nice option to have. Definitely doesn't include the built-in motivation you get with the programs, but if you want a quick, cheap option that keeps the same physical setup as the bike you already like to ride, it's a great way to go. And I have mine set up near the wall, so when I'm done I just flip the bike up and then it's vertically stored and out of the way.
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Jul 30, 2020 04:46
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Cannon_Fodder posted:Help. DC Rainmaker’s site https://www.dcrainmaker.com is probably the best repository of trainer info. Also GPlama on youtube.
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Jul 30, 2020 05:13
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Thufir posted:DC Rainmaker’s site https://www.dcrainmaker.com is probably the best repository of trainer info. Also GPlama on youtube. This is excellent, thank you!
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Jul 30, 2020 19:18
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Cool to post about Peloton ITT?  I just retested FTP!
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Jul 31, 2020 13:02
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air- posted:Cool to post about Peloton ITT? Go wild. Hope the test went well!
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Jul 31, 2020 13:09
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Ow my legs, 166 to 190 FTP
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Jul 31, 2020 14:07
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Nice!
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Jul 31, 2020 15:25
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I got a kickr snap and I love it. It wasnt cheap, but cheaper than direct drive trainers. I justified the expense because I broke both wrists and haven't been able to ride irl
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Aug 4, 2020 16:09
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I bought a Diamondback 1260Sc from Amazon. Delivered in less than a week. Set it up in about an hour. Very solid bike. It hooked up to Zwift on my iPad easily (and Zwift is using my Apple Watch as a HR monitor through the app on my phone). My only complaint is that the tablet holder doesn't do anything to prevent the iPad from sliding left or right. Its not a big deal when riding (it doesn't really move) but I'm scared of accidentally knocking it out. I might get some tacky adhesive to avoid any accidents. Anyway, I'm a total noob. I'm just doing 30 min free rides right now to start. Any advice for total beginners going for general fitness / weight loss?
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Aug 4, 2020 23:10
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Zero One posted:Any advice for total beginners going for general fitness / weight loss? Simple advice: Don't injure yourself This is the most important one. You can hurt yourself several ways, but the easiest by far is pushing on when your body is telling you to stop. If you're in pain - and it's not just the pain of tired legs - then something is wrong and there will probably be a way to fix it (google/ask here for advice). Don't bite off more than you can chew Don't start up on a training load that is unsustainable. Not only are you more likely to injure yourself, but you'll also burn out mentally. Just chill out to start with and build up gradually. ...but challenge yourself a couple of times a week Whether that's going for a longer one or some hard intervals depends entirely on what you find fun. A good session to do to challenge yourself initially is a ramp test (which you'll find under FTP tests in Zwift), which will give you a power reading to calibrate other sessions around. It'll also be a measurable thing to track your progress - weight loss is the kind of thing it's best to let happen passively (it's affected by loads of things, including the weather, hormones, etc), but measuring your FTP gives you a simple thing to look at and go "hell yeah I'm getting fitter and stronger". A lot of people also enjoy Zwift racing, but that's something to think about further down the line.
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Aug 4, 2020 23:26
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Zero One posted:Any advice for total beginners going for general fitness / weight loss? How did you set up the bike to fit you?
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Aug 4, 2020 23:29
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kimbo305 posted:How did you set up the bike to fit you? I watched a couple YouTube videos on how to adjust to fit me. MrL_JaKiri posted:Simple advice: Thanks, I'm going to look into the FTP stuff. I saw a beginner training/workout thing for FTP in Zwift. I'm going to start there. This is only Day 2 but no injuries so far. I'm feeling the burn in my legs but it feels good.
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Aug 4, 2020 23:39
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I believe in you goons! trainer training plans are incredibly hard work both physically and mentally. I used to be pretty casual and went from 2.4w/kg to just over 3w/kg in about 6 months and change. you guys got this!
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Aug 5, 2020 01:34
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I don't have any Zwifting experience, but TrainerRoad is right up my alley. I throw on a movie and knock out whatever the app tells me to do. It's great for accountability and produces solid results. I'm just doing random whatever workouts right now. But my training block for Iowa Wind and Rock starts up at the beginning of October and then it'll be 5 days a week for 6+ months straight. After a bit you really get in to a rhythm with your schedule and it just becomes another thing that you do. I did the same thing last year and was already seeing crazy results in my various fat bike races before IWAR was cancelled/postponed. Edit: And I guess just so it's been said, but you don't need a smart trainer to do TR. I do all my workouts on my kurt kinetic fluid trainer and it's perfectly fine. A budget conscious goon could find a used one of those online for $100 and they'll last drat near forever. Smart trainers are really drat cool though. Crumps Brother fucked around with this message at 23:03 on Aug 5, 2020 |
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Aug 5, 2020 22:59
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ERG mode transformed my training totally. I apparently did not have the discipline to pull those minute long massive watt efforts before....
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Aug 11, 2020 09:40
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lilbeefer posted:ERG mode transformed my training totally. I apparently did not have the discipline to pull those minute long massive watt efforts before.... ERG mode is the best thing around to make you harden the gently caress up. Knowing the ERG death spiral is just around the corner if you let up is very motivating.
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Aug 11, 2020 12:32
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Crumps Brother posted:I don't have any Zwifting experience, but TrainerRoad is right up my alley. I throw on a movie and knock out whatever the app tells me to do. It's great for accountability and produces solid results. I'm just doing random whatever workouts right now.
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Aug 11, 2020 14:14
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Development posted:you should try Junction -1! it’s really...character building. Strange way of typing Blood +3
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Aug 11, 2020 14:30
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Development posted:you should try Junction -1! it’s really...character building. big crush on Chad OMG posted:Strange way of typing Blood +3 It takes 10-15 seconds for me to spin my flywheel from 40% -> 150% and another 20-25 seconds for it to coast back from 150% -> 40%. So those intervals at the end of Junction-1 are gonna look goofy as hell in my readout if I attempt them.
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Aug 11, 2020 14:44
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If anyone was curious about Blood +3
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Aug 11, 2020 15:04
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big crush on Chad OMG posted:If anyone was curious about Blood +3 oh baby 
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Aug 11, 2020 15:06
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Blood +3 group workout when??
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Aug 11, 2020 15:13
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Development posted:you should try Junction -1! it’s really...character building. Its weird how Junction -1 was so much harder for me than Spanish Needle +1 or Lion Rock, which I got through without too much issue but man did I want to quit on Junction every 15 seconds. Blood +3 makes Disaster look like fun.
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Aug 11, 2020 15:35
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big crush on Chad OMG posted:Blood +3 group workout when?? in
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Aug 11, 2020 15:44
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Literally Lewis Hamilton posted:Blood +3 group workout when??
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Aug 24, 2020 04:47
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I just bought myself a birthday "present" of an Eilte Suito trainer and am getting my workout area set up. It's easy to set-up / take down, so my wife will let me use it in our second bedroom that is also her work-from-home office. What kinds of mats / towels / fans are you all using to keep sweat from getting everywhere and stinking up the place?
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Aug 28, 2020 18:14
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I use those square foam mats for under the bike and just a regular old towel. I think the consensus on fans is buy a good one. The popular ones I've seen online are the turbine ones that come with a remote and many settings.
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Aug 28, 2020 18:25
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Bi-la kaifa posted:I use those square foam mats for under the bike and just a regular old towel. I think the consensus on fans is buy a good one. The popular ones I've seen online are the turbine ones that come with a remote and many settings. for fans buy a good two or three
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Aug 28, 2020 18:32
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My girlfriend wants a spin bike for the home. A peloton is too expensive. I have a Concept 2 rower and it's great, so I wanted to get her their bike, but it appears to be sold out until at least end of October pretty much everywhere on the internet. I'd be fine with just getting a Wahoo Kickr Core (if I can find one for sale) and putting an old bike on it, but that might not have the "spin bike" aesthetic to it that I think she wants. Any thoughts or suggestions?
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Aug 28, 2020 18:59
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How badly does she want the spin bike aesthetic?
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Aug 28, 2020 19:06
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gohuskies posted:My girlfriend wants a spin bike for the home. A peloton is too expensive. I have a Concept 2 rower and it's great, so I wanted to get her their bike, but it appears to be sold out until at least end of October pretty much everywhere on the internet. I'd be fine with just getting a Wahoo Kickr Core (if I can find one for sale) and putting an old bike on it, but that might not have the "spin bike" aesthetic to it that I think she wants. Any thoughts or suggestions? Are you banging my wife? She's trying to cheap out because she wants a Peleton but doesn't want to pay for it. She's looking at Schwinn's offerings and won't consider getting on the goddamn bike I bought her (that's she's only ridden once).
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Aug 28, 2020 19:17
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In the before times, I would take the occasional spin class at my gym and they had the Keiser m3i. Still pretty expensive, but cheaper than a Peloton
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Aug 28, 2020 21:40
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Knocked a good 2.5 minutes off my Alpe du Zwift time tonight! At 52.27, Sub 50 minutes is seeming achievable. 
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Aug 28, 2020 22:32
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