Recommend a smart trainer

CramCycle wrote: »

I've just sold mine, great unit, really solid and reliable, I just hate trainers, end of story

Does the unit support cadence out of the box?

I'm going to order tonight - got rid of my trainer as I hadn't used it since last lockdown but remembered that it was the only thing keeping me occupied and I'm worried about what is coming our way.

Kickr Core vs Direto XR - anyone tried both or have any views either way?

Although tbh I'll go for whatever I find in stock

CantGetNoSleep wrote: »

I'm going to order tonight - got rid of my trainer as I hadn't used it since last lockdown but remembered that it was the only thing keeping me occupied and I'm worried about what is coming our way.

Kickr Core vs Direto XR - anyone tried both or have any views either way?

Although tbh I'll go for whatever I find in stock

So what did you order? I'd say you had a better chance if getting the Direto as as stock item. The Kickr has an early November eta in most places I've looked.

dahat wrote: »

So what did you order? I'd say you had a better chance if getting the Direto as as stock item. The Kickr has an early November eta in most places I've looked.

Nothing yet because stock everywhere of both is very limited. Delivery direct from Wahoo is 2-3 weeks so that is probably my best option, I'm just checking with a few bike shops to see if there is one in stock anywhere. Everything seems to have sold out over the last four weeks or so when there was stock available of the Direto XR for just over 700€

I found a Saris H3 in stock in the same price range but reviews seem terrible on that.

dahat wrote: »

I'd say alot of pay checks are getting hammered for trainers end of this week.

That's exactly why mine is going on the credit card tonight

I think this time round I'm going to avoid racing & use Zwift for training / building route badges. Racing is extremely addictive & draining online so it's best left alone during winter for me.

CramCycle wrote: »

I can't do it again, spent a bit of time on Strava heatmaps looking for unusual routes near my house. Level 5 won't change my working day so I'll still be commuting and so I think I am just going down the route of CX tyres and exploring. I think it was hard to do (for me) as a family person. Racing is different in the real world as its an out of sight, out of mind mentality (for me), I just can't see me sitting on a bike in the next room for two hours again and being OK with it.

Also based on the number of racers at Mondello who were disappointed that Zwift did not translate to the real world, I'll turn up next season with no illusions.

On a completely different note, I can see why people like it and get sucked in, I know a few who won't race in the real world again, it just won't be me.

I know the feeling, after going round in circles for most of the spring (I just refuse to use the turbo when the weather is good) I bought a CX bike, been using it on canal banks, bog roads and the Curragh, thankfully a good proportion of those will be available to me under the 5km rule and even if i wander a little off the reservation in the middle of the bog it's hardly going to be the crime of the century.

I've an old Bkool smart pro and a lemond revolution which I got for warming up at TTs, it's lovely to ride, I think I'll stick with them.

Also, there are other apps apart from Zwift, I've used bigringvr quite a bit, works very well if you want to step away from the competitive side of online training, well worth a look, there's a free trial available, plenty of other options too.

CramCycle wrote: »

I just could never do training. I have used Wattbikes, turbos, rollers, smart trainers. it is just not me. If I kept my Core, I would have just done training and considering the pains in my hip and Achilles only started after I started using it, its just not sensible for me. 5km from my home though I am really lucky, I have some class climbs both on road and off road.

this isn't a post against e trainers, I wish my hip and Achilles didn't start troubling me or I would have kept at it but 3 months without touching the thing and I realised it was money down the drain.

Kind of jealous of people who don't get lasting pain from using them as I did enjoy the races, even with the guilt from other rooms in the house

Sorry, didn't mean that to be specifically directed to you, more of a heads up in general, especially at this time of the year which should be less competitive anyway.

I'm not advising against fancy smart trainers either, I realise I'm lucky that i live in the country, have a seasonal occupation which allows me to sneak off outdoors when it's half suitable outside and my family is at the stage where I'm not as often required, they're a good tool and nice to have but a bit expensive to have hanging around when your heart isn't in it.

That must be a fit issue though Cram - why would it effect you on the turbo and not outside? Assuming the same bike and shoes?

The only issues I've ever had have been saddle related - raising the front wheel more and built a very basic rocker plate and accepted you have to wear decent shorts on it. The few competitive events I've done on zwift I'm out of the saddle far more than doing TrainerRoad.

OK Wahoo Kickr Core ordered - direct from Wahoo (didn't find anywhere else with it in stock at RRP).

It is saying that it ships in 2-3 weeks (just in time so I can send it back if I can get a deal on Black Friday) so I will update once it ships.

Jimbo789 wrote: »

Mine was delivered from Wahoo in around a week.

It's gone out of stock now so hoping I got in just in time and they are sending me one from stock

9Crimes wrote: »

Hey, hoping some cycling pro's can help me out with this rather silly query on direct drive turbo's -

Myself and my partner want to get a direct drive turbo but have a potential compatibility issue (with the turbo, not with each other!). Her bike is an 11 speed rear cassette, mine is a 10 speed. I have been told that with a direct drive turbo this doesn't matter as you will put a 10 speed cassette on the turbo, stay in the one gear on the turbo and the turbo will adjust resistance. Is this correct?

Thanks!

It is and it isn't. You can put the trainer into a mode where it maintains your power output regardless of your gearing, the 'terrain' in zwift or whatever etc, but it sort of takes away one of the main aspects of a smart trainer to do that.

On Zwift and the other platforms you select a route and the smart trainer varies the resistance based on whether you are drafting, whether you are descending, on a hill with changing inclines etc.

If you are in ERG mode (controlled resistance) all the time you might as well be on an exercise bike as you're going to be in the same gear putting out the same watts whether you're pootling along on the flat or climbing Alpe d'Zwift.

You can just buy an extra cassette and change over and back without too much hassle, but I'd be sceptical of a salesman trying to tell you that you wouldn't want to change gears or vary resistance on a smart turbo.