I'm sure there is no right answer with Zwift racing. I'm sure we can all be in agreement that we want to participate in challenging races with others of close performance, but with only 4 categories to place people in the difference in abilities from bottom to top of the class is too great and sitting in a race on your own isn't fun, nor is it spurring me on to perform better. Which is why I purchased a year of Systm when the trial finished. Anyone can sign up to 2 weeks without any restrictions, no need for credit card details either, which is what tempted me to give it a go. Hopefully between indoor training and the start of the spring/summer season outdoors I can return to Zwift in cat B as I haven't been this strong at the start of the year before (although the proof will be when I get outside next month!)
Totally agree with everything you've posted. To be honest I've always dipped in and out of racing. I always enjoyed it more than 'training plans' or training sessions, so if I felt I had time and wanted to improve fitness I'd generally choose races to do it rather than something more structured. I had 'fun' instead of feeling like 'training'.
When I was a 'low B' I lost so much motivation as so much of the riding was on my own. Especially in the less popular races, I was reluctant to drop down to C but when I did it was really one of the best things I did! Before then I'd taken my FTP tests at specific times for the best result and 'lost' a few virtual KG just to keep myself in B. But after dropping into C and getting back into racing - even as a medium C was great. The lockdown huge Zwift increase helped with that as just far more people to ride and race with wherever I went. I gained so much motivation, raced more, got so better and entered various popular race series, like TFC, FRR and ZRL, that I've since improved and
am legitimately about to become a B again!
TFC 'mad mondays' are a good shout and I would recommend, they're run as a series but you can dip in and out as a solo rider. Each Cat has a split
High+/
Low- so technically there are 8 cats/pens. They're well administered too - I was feeling rubbish once and rode C- as a return ride, did a good sprint and even sitting out of the finish so I didn't dictate it, coming in
21st still got DQ'd!
My bike's in for a service at the moment, apparently another new chain and cassette is needed! (Chain I was half expecting, I told them to leave it as I will do it myself) Cassette I'm a little surprised as it's only 6 months old. The point of me changing chains more often (1,500 miles) was the hope my cassette would last longer... doesn't seem to have worked
(It's an 11 speed 105 and has done 3,000 miles.)
I'm thinking maybe I need to just service it myself in the future. Force myself to learn any new bits... get better at recognising wear and tear on the drive chain. I have a cheap work stand though, the bike wobbles all around the place. I think I'd prefer something like the
Tacx Spider Team Workstand. Any thoughts? The reviews comment that it's still more of a travel stand. How much would I be looking at for a more sturdy stand?
Bike shops like to suggest chains & cassettes. It's easy money for them! I had a friend tested this, he knew his chain needed changing, so put a new cassette on, rode it once and sent it in. LBS reported chain & cassette needing changing, even when he suggested the 'cassette was ok' they disagreed with him.
Sounds very low mileage. I went through a phase of over cleaning them, which increased the wear as I was regularly stripping the grease from the links and then likely riding it before enough of the lube had penetrated. I've slipped the other way now, barely even cleaning once a month over winter (but I generally sacrifice a chain to winter and change it as the weather changes in the spring and I ride outside more!)
A 'quick clean' can be spraying the chain with WD40 soaked into a rag. It cleans much of the 'outside' gunk off it, including the outside of the links. As it's a light oil penetrates the links to hopefully wash some grime out of there. Easily wipes 'clean' afterwards to then reapply lube, without waiting for any drying time. More a stop-gap when using a wet lube which has meant the chain gets utterly filthy and picks up everything looking black ('road gravy')m before you have the time for a proper chain cleaner/scrubber. You're not totally cleaning that crud away, but hopefully enough of it away from the links/teeth that it reduces wear.
I'm still using a £30 Jobsworth stand from P-X (
like this one without the tray). Had it many years and wouldn't consider getting a 'better' one. Only gripe would be from it not quite having a wide enough base to when working at max height with the bike totally level it will want to tip forwards, but I've got a 11.5kg frame up there on it. They
do a £30 now which might be ok as seems to have a maybe more expandable base with 4 legs. Certainly far cheaper than anything else you've linked,
it does look like this one rebranded which you can get on Amazon, so might be some other deals on it.
But if I was wanting a firmer, solid, robust stand I'd go Park Tool,
probably the PRS3 route and figure something to bolt into the floor I could slot it in & out of if I couldn't have a fixed setup.
The Feedback one looks amazing for a portable stand and I've seen them used on the roadside. But it's crazy money if you don't need a portable stand...!
You know you get 14 days free, when you sign up?
