Zwift for the misses

[dgaddis]

So my wife has been bitten by the Peloton marketing bug. She wants one. A friend of hers has one and "it's the best thing we've ever bought." She's not a cyclist, she likes occasionally riding rail to trails and stuff, but if we average more than 8mph, that was a 'fast ride'. She does like spin class though.

I'm not buying a Peloton bike: $2,000+ for a spin bike that also requires a monthly fee to use the classes and whatnot = EFF THAT.

So I'm thinking of either putting her bike on a trainer and hooking up to Zwift, or maybe get a 2nd hand spin bike.

I'm leaning towards the spin bike, because it's less expensive than a trainer, we could both use it (her bike is way too small for me ), and her real bike would still be available to take to the park for a real ride every now and again. It would get set up in our bonus room most likely, so hauling a real bike up and down the stairs would be a royal PITA.

I don't know anything about Zwift really, would a spin bike work?

Do you need more than a wheel speed sensor for Zwift? Do you need a power meter? She would probably be most interested in the structured workouts, I doubt she'd want to do the virtual races, but who knows.

EDIT ::I really hate that I can't correct the spelling in the thread title!!!

[Saab2000]

Try Zwift. It's a really good program but it works best on a smart trainer. I used it on a dumb trainer but without the adjustable resistance the experience isn't really there. Like hills. Problem is a good smart trainer is expensive. The good part is that you are 3 minutes from road bike to smart trainer and back to the road. My Kickr only requires me to remove the rear wheel and off I go. It's expensive, but has been worth the money.

Zwift is $15/month on top of that cost, so it's not free.

As far as Peloton bikes go, I can't advise other than to say, "Happy Wife = Happy Life".

Something interactive is so much better than a spin bike, which will be ridden a half dozen times, at most, then collect dust.

[AngryScientist]

probably a dumb idea, to be frank.

the idea of a peloton bike bike and accompanying membership is not similar, except for the need to pedal part to a zwift set-up in the least. setting up a used spin bike to use with zwift is an even worse idea.

zwift is tailored toward competitive racing and group road cycling. if you've ever taken a spin class, it's a completely different idea and is tailored toward motivated cardio fitness. there are definitely people who would enjoy and benefit from both, but the traditional "non cyclist" looking for spin class type fitness workouts is likely going to hate or get very bored/fruestrated with zwift in a big hurry.

the better play would be to buy her a 10-pack of classes at the local spin studio (think SoulCycle) and see how she likes that before investing in any home hardware.

not trying to be a downer, just inserting some reality and trying to save you from buying stuff that will not get used...

[j44ke]

Zwift has a good run down on requirements. You don't need a smart trainer. I'd say BLE is the best connection - the newer, more powerful Bluetooth protocol. Wahoo makes a good BLE sensor that is also a ANT+/BLE bridge (see the Zwift link for explanation.) Check your computer or tablet for whether you have BLE or some earlier version of bluetooth. If you use a laptop, you can connect it to your television for a better large screen experience, or if you use an iPad, run it through an AppleTV for the same thing. The former requires an HDMI connection and the latter requires BLE.

BTW, correct spelling is missus.

[Saab2000]

I use Zwift with an iPad via Bluetooth. If you have one it’s an easy way to try it out without buying ANT sensors and cables.

[j44ke]

probably a dumb idea, to be frank....

I guess I'd sort of agree. The attraction of Peloton is the bike and the community that comes along with it. The shared experience of being part of a social event. And what's perhaps most attractive is that it brings that social atmosphere into your home without any travel time or appointment-based scheduling. So Peloton is only similar to Zwift in that you can ride in your home, but Zwift supplants Peloton's social atmosphere with a bunch of stiff-looking avatars that float around in circles in an imaginary land.

Angry's suggestion is better. Give her a year of SoulCycle plus babysitting and lunch.

[j44ke]

I use Zwift with an iPad via Bluetooth. If you have one it’s an easy way to try it out without buying ANT sensors and cables.

You need a sensor if you don't have a smart trainer. But yes, bluetooth (BLE) is the best connection. And if you already have an AppleTV, Zwift released an app for AppleTV a while ago.

[dgaddis]

probably a dumb idea, to be frank.

the idea of a peloton bike bike and accompanying membership is not similar, except for the need to pedal part to a zwift set-up in the least. setting up a used spin bike to use with zwift is an even worse idea.

zwift is tailored toward competitive racing and group road cycling. if you've ever taken a spin class, it's a completely different idea and is tailored toward motivated cardio fitness. there are definitely people who would enjoy and benefit from both, but the traditional "non cyclist" looking for spin class type fitness workouts is likely going to hate or get very bored/fruestrated with zwift in a big hurry.

the better play would be to buy her a 10-pack of classes at the local spin studio (think SoulCycle) and see how she likes that before investing in any home hardware.

not trying to be a downer, just inserting some reality and trying to save you from buying stuff that will not get used...

Appreciate the info!! Like I said, I haven't used Zwift.

The issue with taking classes is the time to get out of the house and get to the class...there just isn't time during the week. We both work full time and have got an 8 month old little girl, and by 7:30 every night she's ready for bed (we have to get her up at 6am so we can be at work by 7am), so right now neither of us wants to take time in the evenings to go do other stuff, we want to get home to spend some time with her before bed. We both work till 5 or 5:30 every day, so evening time with the little lady is limited during the week. By the time we get her fed, played with, bathed, and put to bed, then we make and eat dinner, it's 9:00 and about bed time for us. Having something at home would make it easier to squeeze in a workout here and there when time allows, or during the day on Friday (she's off on Fridays).

Maybe a spin bike plus something like this is a better fit :: Spinning(R) Workouts & Sculpt Classes | Studio SWEAT onDemand(R)

[rec head]

My wife is a Zwifter and rides it very uncompetitively. We have her old road bike on a smart trainer (avoid Tacx). It's a 52cm bike and I normally ride a 56. We both have our own seatpost+saddle combo and switch between them. The bike takes 27.2 posts and the ones we use are 27.0 and it is really easy and fast to change out. I ride the trainer often but not for very long and riding the smaller bike is fine. I mean its a trainer its supposed to suck anyway. I know you said you aren't that interested but keeping a little fitness makes things so much better.

I totally get the not wanting to go out to classes or the gym. I don't have the same time constraints as you but I just won't go. Memberships are wasted on me. Building up a small bit of workout equipment at home means I exercise almost daily.

[defspace]

I didn't read the either article in their entirety, but it looks like you may be able to cobble together a Peloton-compatible setup with stuff you already have (or isn't $2k):
How to get the Peloton Cycle Experience without the Price Tag - MyPurseStrings.com
Peloton Bike Alternative; Peloton for Less

[SteveP]

Bkool smart trainer costs around $600.
works perfectly on ant+ with zwift.
you really want a smart trainer to make the most of it.
you actually will enjoy the workout rather than complaining about it.

very reliable and easy to operate.
I'm using this set up now for the first time a zwift...
i have also used bkool software as well.

[Saab2000]

Bkool smart trainer costs around $600.
works perfectly on ant+ with zwift.
you really want a smart trainer to make the most of it.
you actually will enjoy the workout rather than complaining about it.

very reliable and easy to operate.
I'm using this set up now for the first time a zwift...
i have also used bkool software as well.

I totally agree with this.

Zwift has been a game changer for me WRT indoor training. I'm not saying it's a substitute for outdoor riding but there are times that is just not possible but I want to keep the legs turning.

And to anyone who thinks it's only about group rides or competition, I would opine that that is far from the truth. I enjoy it by myself. I enjoy the self-competitive nature of some of the easier KOM segments (there are some very long, very hard KOMs that I would avoid if I were a beginner - they are demoralizing for the uninitiated). I enjoy the graphics and the fact that there are other riders out there even if I don't ride "with" them. They are real people from all over the world.

Ride at your own pace and a half hour goes by very quickly rather than on a trainer where a half hour is an eternity.

Seriously, don't get a spin bike for home usage. I can't stress that enough.

[htwoopup]

This is one of those things that is really YMMV.

1) rec head said avoid Tacx trainers while I love our Tacx trainers (multiples as we live in more than one city).

2) a lot of folks here love zwift. It reminded me of Pacman in its graphics and I searched for alternatives because I found it (and honestly trainer road etc with bars and graphs) deadly boring.

3) my wife is, shall we say, a tad older than yours so my wife's expectations and views of what kind of workout she wants may be different than a younger woman with a young child.

So, with those caveats....what has worked for us.

We took an old Spesh something or other that my wife used to ride outside in a very leisurely manner onto the trainer with a training tire.

I put some films onto the Tacx cycling app and she streams them to the TV using an Apple TV. The films move as fast as she goes and the resistance changes as the elevation changes. She likes that she is sort of outside while inside and can go really fast or dawdle along looking at the scenery. The one issue is that it can get pricy building up a library of films. Also, Tacx is going to be going to a subscription model with unlimited downloads in a new training app but they assured me that they will somehow compensate or move over the films that we have purchased.

Sometimes she will also use the PC side of the Mac to run VeloReality which has some great films of places she would like to "go on vacation together and we could ride this". Again, the downside is the expense of the films and you need a dongle thing for the computer to pick up the trainer (the iPad does it through bluetooth but the computer for some reason needs antenna f-c or something).

I also put some of the rides I do into the GPS program that is in the Tacx cycling app and it works the same way as the films but on a map with the elevations in a 3D sort of visual instead of an actual film of the world. She likes that because she knows the places of a lot of routes as she has either been in a car or running along a lot of them.

I have also caught her using the "power" and "hr" training plans that are included in the apps when she wants "a hard workout".

All of that said, as noted she may not be a good one to judge what YOUR wife would use in a trainer workout.

From my understanding in talking to a lot of the younger folks that I work with, they love the Soul Cycle and Peloton options because of the camaraderie, or at least in the case of Peloton virtual shared experience. A couple of them have said to me that they feel that having others around doing these spin things is motivational to them and makes them keep going and going at the workout with intensity. A couple of them became almost junkies with it but those are two women who decided to change their lives and get rid of some bad habits and lose weight and so on. Both the "life changing" and "workout clique" seem more important to the "kids" in my world than the way my wife looks at these things. So, it sort of depends on what your wife's expectations are. Also, recognize that her expectations may change as she uses it.

You may love the trainer thing and she may hate it. And then you may (after Angry's suggestion of a few classes outside) end up buying a Peloton and she loves it. Or it turns into a clothes hanger while you still use the trainer. Or she uses the trainer and you decide to get a treadmill.

I guess I am saying it was important to have my wife find what she liked as opposed to what I like and hoped she'd like. In my case, it thankfully was also what I liked in the training tools.

I know all of the above is somewhat of a non-answer but I hope it can help you along with the other comments here.

[bigbill]

The only thing I can add is that the new KICKR is really quiet and there are some deals right now. When my son was little, I was using a 96 vintage computrainer with the included Atari game and I was fortunate to have a bike room at the far end of the house. I'd do an hour most days with actual rides on the weekend. These days I do M-W-F Zwift sessions with Boot Camp classes on T-Th. I like to get out on the weekends if possible but will do Too Talls Zwift gatherings otherwise.

[rec head]

This is one of those things that is really YMMV.

1) rec head said avoid Tacx trainers while I love our Tacx trainers (multiples as we live in more than one city).

I doubt you have tried their customer service. The trainer is fine when it is working and I got a good deal on it. Overall I'm happy with it but would never recommend them. I ran into some problems with my Vortex Smart Trainer so I contacted them. Worst customer service ever. It was something like this:

(gross generalizations)
Me: my trainer isn't working right.
Them 5 days later: try restarting it.
Me: OK, I did that. Still not working.
Them a week later: try restarting it.
Me: OK I did that again. Anything else I can try?
Them 10 days later: have you restarted it?

Talking with an LBS they said the same thing.

[htwoopup]

I doubt you have tried their customer service. The trainer is fine when it is working and I got a good deal on it. Overall I'm happy with it but would never recommend them. I ran into some problems with my Vortex Smart Trainer so I contacted them. Worst customer service ever. It was something like this:

(gross generalizations)
Me: my trainer isn't working right.
Them 5 days later: try restarting it.
Me: OK, I did that. Still not working.
Them a week later: try restarting it.
Me: OK I did that again. Anything else I can try?
Them 10 days later: have you restarted it?

Talking with an LBS they said the same thing.

Again, YMMV.

We had a problem with one trainer getting noisy. I think because we used a 32 tire on the bike when I had assembled it in the position for a smaller tire (the middle slot). I emailed them, they said send a recording which I emailed to them in Europe, they sent a whole new trainer by overnight from somewhere in Pennsylvania no questions asked.

So, so far my Tacx karma has been good but I respect that yours has been a nightmare (I have heard others say the same as you and one other same as me. Guess it is luck of the draw on who answers the zen desk thing).

[bigbill]

Wahoo isn't all that either. My new KICKR started making a clunk noise which progressed to a clicking whether pedaling or coasting. I googled the symptoms and found that Wahoo knows about this and is quick to exchange the unit. I also found a self fix solution which I accomplished in about 30 minutes which corrected the problem. It seems to affected the first batch of KICKRs V2. Basically the key for the lower pulley was installed 90 degrees off so it would allow the pulley to slip (clunk) and then slide towards the bearing (click).

[SteveP]

For the record on the bkool.
i have had 2.. first one I gave to my son in law.. still worked perfectly.
They have very good processors. smooth, great signal pickup and retention.

Highly recommend them.

[robin3mj]

We have a Peloton. My wife loves it and I get some use out of it when riding outdoors is not an option.

It was a 40th bday gift for her and a splurge but I did do some research on replicating the experience via the app first. I think the Peloton universe and the Zwift universe largely do not overlap. If you can get a bike setup properly and the Peloton app (which I think is $10/mo but don’t quote me on that) via iPad or whatever that might be your best bet. The force of personality of the Peloton ride leaders is really the key here for most Peloton devotees. You can figure out ways to sync up with their power outputs etc later if the core experience is favorable for your wife.

[giordana93]

no opinion on the basics of the question, just an observation that this is for HER with peripheral use for you, and that no one blinks at $2k on real bikes (i.e. she puts up with your habit), so I would go with what makes mommy happy. I wonder if this is the kind of device that can be found used after the novelty wears off for alot cheaper