KINESIS T2.
Road Cycling
- Thread starter Zefan
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KINESIS T2.
So this happened:
https://www.strava.com/activities/438837948
My first time on a turbo trainer and omg it's hard. Like pedalling into a pretty strong headwind hard, but without the benefit of being kept cool by it. Perhaps my turbo (a donated one) is full of sand... should it really be that hard? The resistance is at minimum, and the unit is just held against the tyre by a spring.
Anyone with a smart trainer on zwift or anything else that can tell me if it feels more like being on a road? I don't like this for the hills (climbs) because I just slow down on the screen and it doesn't feel like being on a hill. Of course you can change the gears but then your cadence is all wrong.
It's just a manual/dumb trainer I have, with a garmin speed/cadence sensor connected via ant+ dongle.
https://www.strava.com/activities/438837948
My first time on a turbo trainer and omg it's hard. Like pedalling into a pretty strong headwind hard, but without the benefit of being kept cool by it. Perhaps my turbo (a donated one) is full of sand... should it really be that hard? The resistance is at minimum, and the unit is just held against the tyre by a spring.
Anyone with a smart trainer on zwift or anything else that can tell me if it feels more like being on a road? I don't like this for the hills (climbs) because I just slow down on the screen and it doesn't feel like being on a hill. Of course you can change the gears but then your cadence is all wrong.
It's just a manual/dumb trainer I have, with a garmin speed/cadence sensor connected via ant+ dongle.
Great price, groupset is all Sora with an SRAM cassette. A huge plus is the Shimano threaded bb along with Shimano Sora cranks rather than pressfit and FSA cheese gossamer like most of the Defy range.
James07 has this exact bike, he replaced wheels after having problems with the S-R2 Giant wheelset. I had the same problems (buckling) on the P-R2 so the problems seem to be consistent with the Giant range, not with the particular S-R2 wheelset.
Build it into your daily/weekly routine over the winter mate - very easy if you consider it an easy performance gain!
A few semi-cycling related things on the Wiggle Black Friday:
- Suunto Ambit 2 S - £130, fantastic watch I've looked at a couple of times...
- Lezyne KTV front & rear lights. £9.60 each, safety lights only as only a low 15 lumen, would only use them inner-city commuting.
- Garmin Vivofit - £40 or Vivofit 2 with HRM - £90
Didn't spot many/any on the Amazon Black Friday listing on a quick browse last night, anyone else spotted any amazing deals?
Hey Jono
I use a Wahoo Kickr with Zwift 4-5 times a week. At the moment though i'm going through a 12 week training plan so i'm using ERG mode all the time. I do occasionally resort back to 'normal' mode and I can tell you it does feel pretty realistic. Them hills I still have to crank it into 30/19-21'ish and it hurts big time. Have you got a fan going into your face/torso , get one it helps a lot.
I finished my training ride yesterday and had a couple of mates on so I did a lap with them afterwards. It was great while the front rider was using maybe 2.5-3 w/kg and us lot behind using the draft (quite realistic really) at maybe 2+ w/kg. Amazing to think a virtual ride with people across the world could be like this in real time.
Your trainer should have a certain resistance setting for Zwift I think , you may have to look it up (something to do with zpower). I'll add you on Strava if thats ok and we can maybe have a lap sometime
Soldato
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I just built one, can't knock it.
Although I haven't got any guards on it yet. SKS Chromoplastics the ones to get?
Man of Honour
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SKS Chromoplastics are pretty much the best choice in terms of money, lightness and not sucking.
That's exactly what a Turbo is like - I'm usually in the top of my small ring for warm-up 90rpm (~150 watt) work, when pushing out ~200 watts I'm in the low end of my big ring. That's all on the 'flat' (or outside of Zwift). You'll be spinning easier gears than you would on the road, the harder stuff is for real efforts/hill simulations! The Zwift/hills 'problem' is just the nature of the beast - using a non-smart turbo on Zwift. You have to change up gears/adjust resistance to simulate elevation. It's a ballache to really 'simulate' the course on Zwift (Wattopia is even worse than Richmond) on a non-smart trainer without really concentrating on it, as you have to manually adjust your efforts/resistance yourself in a delayed response to the avatar on screen. To really simulate your hills you have to change up a few gears (& increase resistance for your trainer, my Road Machine doesn't have a control, it's all done by gears) and then reduce your cadence/stand etc.
it's what i use.
Soldato
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Finally got back on my bike monday. I'm a right fat (ter) pie having not ridden for over a month and just eating while traveling all month. It was a mission! I don't know where my legs have gone!?
My trainer isn't listed in Zwift - it's an Elite Fluid Travel, I think. I chose Elite Fluid + from Zwift... it kinda looked similar, but I suspect this thing I am using is somewhat older than they were expecting.
No problem about Strava, followed you too
I haven't worked out how the social stuff works... maybe I need a smartphone app. Would you recommend the Kickr? I know it's about as much as my bike cost, but given how much I want to be cycling, and improving, vs my motivation when it's cold/dark/damp before and after work... it may be a good investment.
It'd keep my winter bike cleaner (as it's my only/summer bike too) if I just got outside when it's not so horrific.
I think I definitely want a smart trainer though, even if it's a Tacx Vortex... but I quite like the idea of it being able to simulate 15% hills... that's mostly what I encounter, on my rides out.... though some are 20-25%+.... and they are evil.
Soldato
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Just picked up an Elite Muin Turbo for use with Bkool and Zwift. No excuses not to train now!
No-one that only has one bike needs a Wahoo Kickr. If i were you I'd get a £150 turbo and a winter bike. Set the summer bike up on the turbo and leave it there until the weather improves then swap them over. A mate of mine who has far too much disposable income! bought a kickr and its great but my cycleops fluid 2 linked to trainer road gives just the same level of training. Seriously - save your money. Its a pain in the a*** swapping a bike in and out of a turbo and it can be another excuse not to bother.My trainer isn't listed in Zwift - it's an Elite Fluid Travel, I think. I chose Elite Fluid + from Zwift... it kinda looked similar, but I suspect this thing I am using is somewhat older than they were expecting.
No problem about Strava, followed you too
Would you recommend the Kickr? I know it's about as much as my bike cost, but given how much I want to be cycling, and improving, vs my motivation when it's cold/dark/damp before and after work... it may be a good investment.
It'd keep my winter bike cleaner (as it's my only/summer bike too) if I just got outside when it's not so horrific.
I think I definitely want a smart trainer though, even if it's a Tacx Vortex... but I quite like the idea of it being able to simulate 15% hills... that's mostly what I encounter, on my rides out.... though some are 20-25%+.... and they are evil.
If you can fit them, yes they're one of the best! You should be fine for clearance on the TK2 Tom, probably even with the 45mm guards for your 28mm tyres although worth googling.
They're full of beer & burgers! Jealous! Although you did choose a cold monday to return to commuting if the temperature in Alsace were anything like the UK!
Nothing wrong with the Vortex! Would probably be the one I went for as the KICKR is expensive...
Cool, let us know what you think of it! Which did you have before?
The cycleops fluid 2 isn't a smart trainer like the KICKR so you can't really say they give the 'same level of training' as it is dependent on the rider changing the resistance.
But you are right about it being a PITA swapping bikes/wheels around but unfortunately some of us can't leave the turbo setup and have to setup first/pack everything away afterwards... So swapping a wheel around is easy enough for me to do as part of my 'setup'. Probably means my estimated power is all over the place as I don't recalibrate before every ride (just keep PSI at 100 on trainer wheel & tighten turbo the same way/amount every time). I previously had a 'turbo' bike (and still could if I wanted) but I would still have to pack it away afterwards. Anyway I like to ride on the same bike as I do everything else on (commuting & leisure). Hopefully moving house sometime 2016/17 (when some property I own sells...) and one of my few requirements is an attached garage/outbuilding with power I'll use for cycling related training/storage/maintenance.
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Deals!
Also got myself a pair of SPD-SL pedals in the start of the 'What do you want from %family% for Xmas'. Went for the Shimano R550's, would've been nice to go for the 105 5800's but didn't have £30 budget! My change from SPD has begun, now if only for a deal on some Sidi Khaos'... Keeping my eyes peeled (yellow & 42)!
- DHB Vaeon Roubaix unpadded bib tights - £23. Bought a pair of these last time on a deal and have used them several times, picking up another pair for winter so I can continue with shorts&tights combo when commuting (and swap the tights over weekly for washing).
- BBB HeavyDuty Overshoes - £15.25. Bought to replace my DHB Neoprene's, went for the bright ones as I really notice bright shoes this time of year when driving & seeing a cyclist!
Also got myself a pair of SPD-SL pedals in the start of the 'What do you want from %family% for Xmas'. Went for the Shimano R550's, would've been nice to go for the 105 5800's but didn't have £30 budget! My change from SPD has begun, now if only for a deal on some Sidi Khaos'... Keeping my eyes peeled (yellow & 42)!
35mm guards clear 28mm tyres on my (slightly later) T2
45mm guards wouldnt go through the frame, the 35s are close.
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I don't mind using my only bike as a winter bike - it's all spoiled anyway after I fell off it after a few weeks and slid down the road from 35mph and mangled the left shifter, scuffed some paint. It just needs a wash down after a ride. The point of having a better TT - but you're right no one needs a Kickr; maybe a Vortex/Bushido will do
I do want a smart one.... The point is - I just want to go on the TT when the weather is too horrible/dangerous to go outside on it, or I just feel like doing 10 miles or so.
Like Roady - I just want to do everything on the same bike
Perfect info! I wasn't sure if the 35's would have enough clearance for 28's. Are they close width wise? Which tyres? I know on my 25's there's quite a difference between conti's and mitch.
The point is - I just want to go on the TT when the weather is too horrible/dangerous to go outside on it, or I just feel like doing 10 miles or so.
Like Roady - I just want to do everything on the same bike
I'm exactly the same, although I've ended up with a good 'do it all' and means rather than looking for a 'better bike for the summer' I'm looking at an 'equal/possibly-better bike for the winter' (disc brakes etc). My grand plan would then to have an even better bike for the summer at a later stage! Although that does mean I'd be left with my Defy 1 as a turbo bike...!
i've run the following, all 28s
Bontrager Race Light all weather plus (big, careful adjustment of guards needed)
Continental GP4season (small. Easy)
Schwalbe durano Plus (middling, easy)
Perfect info! I wasn't sure if the 35's would have enough clearance for 28's. Are they close width wise? Which tyres? I know on my 25's there's quite a difference between conti's and mitch.
I'm exactly the same, although I've ended up with a good 'do it all' and means rather than looking for a 'better bike for the summer' I'm looking at an 'equal/possibly-better bike for the winter' (disc brakes etc). My grand plan would then to have an even better bike for the summer at a later stage! Although that does mean I'd be left with my Defy 1 as a turbo bike...!
I'm just gonna get something nice with disc brakes as my next bike, and if all I can put on it are RB longs etc. then that'll do. Mostly to keep the worst of the crap off myself.
To me, a bike is a tool (albeit a nice one) and should be ridden and used. If it gets worn out parts, I'll replace them. Maybe I will buy a crappy winter bike for next winter, but it'd still have discs on it.
Soldato
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Had a Kurt Kinetic Rock and Roll before I sold it last spring.
Needed something quiet so that my housemates don't kill me though, so traditional trainers and rollers are pretty much out.
The Muin is just the dumb version, but its absurdly quiet which is just what I need. I've not done a proper session on it yet, but had a little go last night and you pretty much only hear drivetrain noise and a bit of whirring. Easily drowned out by TV/Music. Just what I was after.
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