It's pretty new so not many about I would think.
Have you looked at the Wattbike Atom v2, it's a lot cheaper? I have the v1 and have been very happy with it.
I was thinking about getting a Wahoo KICKR for winter fitness paired with a Zwift subscription but my wife isn't keen on having my bicycle in the house. She thinks a KICKR BIKE would be better and give us the chance to share it.
Does anyone have one and if so do they share it with their other half? Is it easy to change the saddle/bars between uses or is it something you can technically do but rarely/never will?
The alternative would be to share a KICKR and buy her a bicycle but that would mean taking bikes on and off and in reality would mean she never uses it.
It's pretty new so not many about I would think.
Have you looked at the Wattbike Atom v2, it's a lot cheaper? I have the v1 and have been very happy with it.
The KICKR is a brilliant piece of kit. I use mine a lot. So that is highly recommended but as you note changing the bike is not that difficult but getting your wife to do it could be tough.
Anyway given how good the KICKR is, then I would expect the KICKR BIKE to be equally as good and tbh it does look pretty straightforward to adjust.
Sorry to hijack this thread but JP28 - I've been looking at a KICKR, and not sure whether to go KICKR Smart or KICKR Core smart. Which do you have and which would you recommend?
Do you have the whole eco system - Climb/Headwind etc?
Once again sorry for the hijack
I use Wahoo Kickr smart and online platforms.
Don’t get headwind its just an expensive fan and don’t bother with the climb unless you’ve compromised and brought a standard Kickr already.
The climb is average at best, doesn’t really feel like the Smart simulation and is generally unstable when you give it some welly.
Best option Wahoo Kickr Smart and probably Zwift for you
Use your own bike or grab a runner with no wheels or brakes as that’ll do
RIAC
One thing you might want to think about when deciding to go with a trainer you mount a regular bike to or a dedicated trainer, is where in your home you will set it up.
My son & I share a direct drive trainer and currently have it set up in the family room. The biggest problem is it means we usually have 2 bikes in the family room, one on the trainer pointing at the telly and the other waiting to go on the trainer, plus the rear wheel of the one on the trainer. This drives Mrs Weedram nuts!! If we setup in the garage or a dedicated space the 2 bikes would not be an issue.
The other thing to bear in mind is the compatibility of the bikes that will share the trainer. If you will use an 11 speed road bike for example, your wife's bike will also need to be 11 speed, otherwise you will need to change the cassette on the trainer every time you swap over - and that is a pain.
I’m lucky enough to have some room in my garage and a spare road bike. But you’re right, having to swap bikes could get to be a pain, plus the storage. The Wahoo bike is a lovely looking thing though!
How does the Wahoo kickr compare with Tacx offerings?
I know plenty who use both Tacx and Wahoo, all happy. At the top end not much between them I would think.
But check out DCRainmaker's reviews if you want chapter and verse.
In terms of climbs/wind etc. all gimmickry IMHO. If you want total realism, get out on the road! Trainers are about cranking out the watts!
I have the kickr smart (or rather the original version of that). Had it for around 7-8 years. I do not have the wind or climb bits and as per 100thmonkey I am not sure hey would be worth it. I would start with the main unit and see how you go.
When I purchased I got a ex demo unit with something like a 20% discount. Looked and performed as new.
You could go down the Wattbike route. The new Atom is good for the money
RIAC
I’ve considered something like this but I’m very sensitive to an increased Q factor. The Wattbike, for example, felt very wide. What’s it like in comparison to a standard road bike?
I'm probably the wrong person to comment as I'm very much macro-absorber - so as long as it's about right I'm happy. But to me it feels fine and I know at leash halt a dozen people with Atoms, some of whom I would class as more fussy than me and all seem happy. The Q factor is officially 160mm apparently, I just measured mine and it seemed like it is more 150mm but maybe I'm not measuring it right.
The Pro's Q factor is 173mm so if you've tried one of those it's a fair bit wider. I think the Atom is designed to give a more road-bike type set-up than the pro.
I really can't stomach £3k on the Wahoo all things considered so I'm still hunting.
The new "next generation Wattbike" has a 15-17 week lead time and is £2k including installation so a good chunk off. I've ordered one just to have my place in the queue but I'm more than happy to cancel. Annoying how they can't deliver for 17 weeks but have already taken the money...
Question
Does anyone have any experience with Life Fitness bikes? We are now looking at the Life Fitness IC6/7/8. These come with ANT+ so should connect without issue to Zwift and have all the metrics. You can connect an ANT+ USB to a laptop on the lower end models but I think having it built in will be easier and might allow me to connect to the iPad instead.
From looking on YouTube 90% of the videos seem to be aimed at gyms buying loads and not many people seem to have them in their own homes which is a bit concerning. That said they do sell them in John Lewis so maybe people do buy them for the house? There is a place not too far to try the Life Fitness bikes but not the Wattbike.
Any help on the Life Fitness bikes? Any views? I cannot tell you the grief I am getting at home without a bike on the horizon so any views would be much appreciated.
I was going to message the guy who bought the Wattbike recently and make an offer but he has a post count of 92, logs in daily, and last posted in August 2018. Doesn't look promising.
Had a quick look, they look like spin class bikes to me so not smart like an atom. Also ant+ so you’d need a dongle (only a few quid) but only Zwift on pc. You can certainly use something like this on Zwift but no smart mode riding or erg mode training.
If it were me I’d try to buy a used Wattbike pro which does all the life fitness can do and you can sell it in without losing too much if you want to go smartbike later.
I think you would take a bath on the life fitness if you decided to move it on.
Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app
Thanks for the reply, I think you're right. Not many have Life Fitness at home and if we stop using it and want to sell we'll get battered on depreciation. Going to lump it with the KICKR Bike and hope for the best. If Pelaton wasn't £45pm for the subscription we probably would have got that as it's £1,750 now.
I can't find a shop willing to give a penny off any Wahoo products, not even when getting a bundle. One shop told me Wahoo essentially price fix and they risk losing their status if caught discounting. Sound familiar? Should mean good things for resale if we decide to stay fat.
I don’t think there’s much in the way of discounts on any decent indoor trainers at the moment due to the new, huge interest in cycling, plus it’s the time of year when all the fair weather cyclists disappear from the roads. I purchased a new Elite Direto for £350 in late Feb when Covid kicked off, decided it wasn’t for me and sold it for £650 a few months later during lockdown. Bonkers. If you haven’t regularly done indoor cycling I’d definitely not buy something you’ll take a bath on as it’s not for everyone. Once the initial novelty wore off for me I couldn’t wait to get back outside, even with the winter weather.
Picking up a KICKR bike tomorrow. They're throwing in a pair of clipless pedals worth £70, most I could get out of them. I'll go for Zwift and my wife will try Zwift but might end up on the Pelaton app only subscription in the end. Gym memberships cancelled so only 60 or so months to break even...
A cycling desk. Whatever will they think of next.
Weirdly the desk is probably the best part. Very easy adjustment up/down and to move around the room. I'll also use it as a standing desk for work as it's in the room I use to WFH but it's good for the iPad running Zwift and phone, drink etc.
Wahoo is another Rolex/Apple. Outrageous amount of money and you're definitely paying over the odds but it's seriously good and it just works. I've never seen a better packaged product but it's a bit of a letdown that it doesn't have an iPad app, just an iPhone app you have to make bigger to fit the screen. Quite sloppy.
There are a number of YouTube video reviews of the Wahoo bike that are probably worth watching.
As has been said it’s important you decide where you are going to use it.
I’ve got a very large entry hall and placed a bike on a direct drive trainer in one corner. To keep things tidy I’ve got a 4k Apple TV going through a projector to display on a white was opposite.
I’ve taken an old TT frame and stuck on a set of drop bars, crank set and 11 speed shifters I had lying about. Didn’t bother connecting the brakes.
I use Zwift a lot, it's very good and offers the best mix of uses, I use it for training, group rides and races, although you can of course just cycle around. I find it mildly annoying that certain things are only available as you get to particular levels, for example you need to be level 12 to do Alpe du Zwift (there is a "hack" but it's not ideal).
For some one who is not a cyclist but just wants to keep fit it's perhaps less appealing, the peleton app is probably better which is what my wife uses (or there a million youtube spin class videos you can use instead).
My Wattbike comes with the Wattbike Hub which has a load of stuff built in which is ok, although it's not as engaging as Zwift. I imagine your Wahoo will have something similar, in fact Wahoo owns Sufferfest which is excellent if you want to do very focussed cycling training.
If you do get serious with Zwift, I recommend doing one of their FTP builder programmes, I know a lot of people who have done them and have got good results. And of course either way it's worth doing an FTP test to know your levels, the ramp test is the least unpleasant option.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy it
22 last time I looked.
I've only really been using Zwift in anger in lockdown, before most of my training was in the gym or on Sufferfest.
I think I'm about 5000 metres away from the Tron wheels, only found out about it a while ago (all those metres climbed before wasted!) so I've been doing a lot of intervals on the Alpe of late!
Zwift academy starts next week!
It is good that you have the unlock levels. It adds to the motivation and theres a bit of me that thinks it develops you nicely in a progressive way. Looking forward to seeing the software develop as it has huge potential.
RIAC
Two rides totalling 12m today and I'm only level 2. I had to abandon the second ride after 4 miles because my bum simply couldn't handle it. The Wahoo saddle isn't made for bovines.
I have it synced to Strava and Withings which is useful as we have their WiFi scales and my wife has one of their watches. I can't see the data in the Withings app yet but it might pop up later. Would be good to get it in Google health but can't see that option available.
Few things to get my head around but so far really happy with it.
I agree to some extent, but I remember when I first started on Zwift they brought out the Alpe and my mates were riding it, but I couldn't, it was frustrating and annoying when you pay for the service, but yes, having something to aim for is good. I know you can work round it to some degree (by joining a group a group ride/race and ending it) but it's a bit annoying not having access when you want.
In terms of developing the app they have all sorts of grand plans, there was a survey a while back, most of which I didn't find that interesting, and it looked to me like they are trying to work out how to monetise the platform more, which I think they might struggle with as a lot of people I know find the amount of the monthly fee already on the high side.
What level are you on?
I had some cheapo padded cycling boxer shorts on from Amazon, not great. Didn't seem to do a whole lot for me but I'm going in the shed tomorrow to get my wife's gel saddle cover. Hopefully the Sudocrem will have done its job by the morning! I tried to stand up at one point but it felt like I was going to fall off and I'm not a small guy, I didn't want to test the weight limit, least of all when it's linked to my Withings WiFi scale!
Following a cycling crash, just over a year ago, where I fractured my pelvis in three places, lockdown came at just the wrong time as I had just begun making my first return visits to the gym.
I dug out my old Bkool Pro and signed up for a free trial on Zwift. Fast forward 6 months or so and I’ve upgraded to a direct drive trainer and cancelled my gym membership .
100% agree on this. On a road bike a you would be moving about , b vibration and bumps in the road changes your seating position unconsciously. I would suggest investing in good padded shorts for the long term rather than the gel saddle cover which will raise your seat height.
Lastly make sure you seat height isnt too high. If it is you start rocking on the saddle, the rocking translates to rubbing which equals pain. Get your missus to stand behind you with a phone or ipad and video yourself riding. Have a look a the playback. This was my problem.
Im sure once you find the right seat height/ clothing balance you will be fine, tens of thousands of static trainer home userS cant be wrong.
Steve
Correct, Wahoo computer redundant indoors as the KICKR bike has it all built in. Once set up you will only use the Wahoo app to change profiles (takes less than 2 seconds) if you and whoever you shsr the bike with don't like the same gearing set up. I have it connected to Zwift and then Zwift updates Strava and Withings/Health Mate.
The cheap Amazon padded cycle boxer shorts and the gel saddle cover together were ok but not optimal. I'm going to get some proper shorts. I saw 100thmonkey reccomend Specialized and Rapha but said in his experience the Specialized stuff was harder wearing so will prob give that a go.
I agree re saddle height. I set the saddle the same as on my bike yesterday and the rocking started when I was at my limit. I think the indoor trainer saddle needs to be a touch lower.
I'm playing about with the measurements at the minute but once I'm confident on a set measurement I'll mark it down and it will make switching between users easier.
My wife has been filming me from all angles but only while laughing and sending it onto the family WhatsApp.
Great news , sounds like you are getting to grips with it. Measuring your road bike then transferring the measurements only works if the cranks on the kickr are the same length as your road bike. As you say , find the sweet spot , mark it with tape and away. Its always safer with seat height to start of lower and raise a cm Or 12mm at a time until it feels right and the rocking stops.
Shorts wise I have had good experience with Funkier 7 or 10 panel shorts. I bought them from Merlin cycles about £35 ish. My road bibs are DHB from Wiggle, again no complaints.
I should add the crank length options are quite annoying. You buy the bike thinking everything is quick release and people can share it but the pedals have 5x different crank lengths and the only way to swap is to use an Allen key.
As a compromise we have the crank on the middle settling and just deal with it but I am tempted to use the Allen key it each time and put it back how I found it so my wife doesn't need to worry about it.
Unless you're either very tall or very short I doubt you could tell the difference in crank length... set it at 172.5 and you'll both be fine! I'm not sure I'd trust a quick-release pedal / crank interface!
Shorts are somewhat of a personal thing, I am a big fan of Rapha shorts which I find the most comfortable - I'd pick my Rapha shorts every time for a long ride or training session. I've had my first pair (classic) probably over three years and literally done thousands of km outdoors and indoors and they are as good as new. The flyweight/pro shorts are a bit more delicate as they use thinner lighter material. The only issue with Rapha is they are expensive so it's best to wait for a sale or see if you can find a pair in an outlet store. That said, the core range uses the same pad as the rest and is a bit cheaper. I have a pair of core I mainly use indoors and they are holding up fine quality-wise. I think 100thmonkey favours Assos shorts which a lot of people I know like so if you can find a pair of those at a good price defintely worth considering. I also have a pair of Castelli shorts that are good but not up to Rapaha for comfort.
Cheers will wait a few days and change it and see if my wife mentions a difference without being promoted.
And if you were a fat tender boy who ripped some skin on his Gooch on the first 12 mile ride...? Nice imagine for you in return. Sudocrem has already been applied.
I have the Wahoo bike and love it, within reason:
It is not the same as actually riding outside and will never be, at least for me.
That said, for a quick one hour ride on Zwift, cranking out the watts, it's excellent. Equally so, training on TrainerRoad.
The saddle sucks - I have replaced it.
It's still sore and I am contemplating, well, planning, to add a rocker board so as to improve the experience and get me out of the saddle that bit more.
I use it, my wife uses it. Transfer from her to me and visa versa is painless (ie. she can achieve it).
It's a total indulgence, as is the desk. I'm toying with buying the fan as I'm still dripping like an African rain forest if I go for it. Even more indulgence.
Wahoo stuff can be expensive but, generally, it's good.... a bit like watches really.