The Indoor Riding/ Zwift/ TrainerRoad etc. Thread

fez

fez

Caporegime
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Tunbridge Wells
The market will be saturated with second hand ones in the coming years I imagine. Struggled to find a second hand one a few months ago that wasn't ancient or overpriced so ended up going brand new albeit at an alright discount.

As @Berger says though, this time of year is for outdoors so it will see far more use in the winter. Still use it once a week if the weather is **** or I don't have time to head outside.
 
Soldato
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It was chucking it down on Sunday, so I slogged round the Zwift Mega Pretzel course to get some distance in the legs ahead of a sportive in a couple of weeks. I was getting a bit bored by the end but finished it 4 hrs 6 minutes.

Fair play to anyone who has done the Uber Pretzel as another 70 minutes or so to get up the Alpe as the last climb would be a killer (mentally and physically).
 
Soldato
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No rocker plate - just pick out my very best bib shorts and plenty of chamois cream for a long turbo session like that. See what makes you stop first - legs, backside or boredom!

The Full PRL course sounds worse - 11 laps! I wonder if you can sleep and pedal?
 
Caporegime
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Longest turbo I've done is 6 hours. I put my Ironman cycle into Zwifts training builder. It was.... tough :D.

Whipped this up for my garmin quick release mount
0dV0BFA.png

It's a keyboard and/or laptop mount to fit between my handlebars!

Going to print it this weekend and see how it works out.
 
Associate
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the ghetto
Longest turbo I've done is 6 hours. I put my Ironman cycle into Zwifts training builder. It was.... tough :D.

Whipped this up for my garmin quick release mount
0dV0BFA.png

It's a keyboard and/or laptop mount to fit between my handlebars!

Going to print it this weekend and see how it works out.
I will watch this with great interest. I would love something like this.
 
Soldato
Joined
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Barnet, London
What is the new sufferfest app like?
Personally I really like it. 4DP seems to make sense to me and gave me something to focus on. I like the ability to filter down by session type, duration and then sort by IF or TSS to pick something based on how I feel.

I just wish the 4DP wasn't so painful to do, I really should do another one... :(
 
Soldato
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Anything over 90 minutes needs a disproportionate amount of food to keep me motivated. But have been lacking any motivation this past week, it was too hot and then dropped off the routine.

What is the new sufferfest app like? I'm mostly running at the moment and zwift a few times/week but come winter will probably look to move back to more turboing.

I prefer it to Zwift workouts. I took a year out on it, but will try trainerroad next as a change.
 
Soldato
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13,449
My laptop died last night so I need something else to run Zwift on.
In the short term ill be using my OnePlus 7 Pro casting to a monitor via Nvidia shield.
But is there anything better for not much money?
 
Soldato
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9,570
My laptop died last night so I need something else to run Zwift on.
In the short term ill be using my OnePlus 7 Pro casting to a monitor via Nvidia shield.
But is there anything better for not much money?

I use the cheapest ipad from 3 years ago and it works well.




How is everyone doing with the heat? I have completely dropped off my training plan the past 3 weeks due to the warmer weather. Any tips for making it more pleasant when the room temperature is 23 degrees or higher? I have a 18" fan but just feel the warm air hitting me and not providing sufficient cooling. I think I'll be OK for temperature on zone 2 miles but at a hour a time it won't provide much training stress.
 
Soldato
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13,449
I use the cheapest ipad from 3 years ago and it works well.




How is everyone doing with the heat? I have completely dropped off my training plan the past 3 weeks due to the warmer weather. Any tips for making it more pleasant when the room temperature is 23 degrees or higher? I have a 18" fan but just feel the warm air hitting me and not providing sufficient cooling. I think I'll be OK for temperature on zone 2 miles but at a hour a time it won't provide much training stress.
I workout in the garage so open the garage doors either end with the fan going and it keeps me cool enough. Ice cold water helps as well, cool from the inside.

I do more of the low aerobic stuff as well a lot less anaerobic, and as little high aerobic as my Garmin suggests.
 
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fez

fez

Caporegime
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Posts
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Location
Tunbridge Wells
How is everyone doing with the heat? I have completely dropped off my training plan the past 3 weeks due to the warmer weather. Any tips for making it more pleasant when the room temperature is 23 degrees or higher? I have a 18" fan but just feel the warm air hitting me and not providing sufficient cooling. I think I'll be OK for temperature on zone 2 miles but at a hour a time it won't provide much training stress.

Isn't cycling outside just the same for the most part? Just got to suck it up.
 
Soldato
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Isn't cycling outside just the same for the most part? Just got to suck it up.

You would think it would be worse as you have the sun on you too. You may have a point at the end, it is easier to give up if not sufficiently motivated (like being outside and needing to get home).
 
Soldato
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Southampton
How is everyone doing with the heat? I have completely dropped off my training plan the past 3 weeks due to the warmer weather. Any tips for making it more pleasant when the room temperature is 23 degrees or higher? I have a 18" fan but just feel the warm air hitting me and not providing sufficient cooling. I think I'll be OK for temperature on zone 2 miles but at a hour a time it won't provide much training stress.

I jumped on the turbo last week for first time in a while. Over winter, I was just using our Toatronics pedestal fan, but that wasn't enough last week and I'm sure things would be worse now doing any sort of z4+ intervals or races! Combining the Toatronics (blasting my back as normal) with our portable Honeywell fan (this model I think https://www.amazon.co.uk/Honeywell-HT900E1-HT900E-Turbo-Fan/dp/B001VEJFT6/ref=sr_1_3 ) blasting on my chest was much better, from multiple ~3min z5 to ~25min z4 TT efforts.

The Toatronics was a surprsie gift from family, it's decent and is super quiet to have on this week overnight, but I had my heart set on the Vacmasters that have been raved about in recent times for turbo sessions https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vacmaster-Cooling-Powerful-3-Speed-Efficient/dp/B082FGRX6B

Outdoor is so different, especially now in the heatwave, as air is passing over you keeping you quite cool... But intervals are still brutal if you aren't heat adapted, just as they are indoors when not used to it, so your heart rate for a given higher end power will be higher. Many riders have lower power stats indoors because they don't do enough high end traning frequently enough to adapt and stay adapted.
 
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Associate
Joined
5 Apr 2004
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1,191
My laptop died last night so I need something else to run Zwift on.
In the short term ill be using my OnePlus 7 Pro casting to a monitor via Nvidia shield.
But is there anything better for not much money?
Apple TV seems to be a relatively cheap go to for a lot. I've used a Samsung mobile with Dex in the past as it has hdmi out which is better quality than casting.

Alternatively if you have a gaming pc you could use parsec and a tablet / laptop streaming from your desktop and plugged into your monitor and then the companion app to connect to the trainer.
 
Soldato
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9 Apr 2007
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13,449
Apple TV seems to be a relatively cheap go to for a lot. I've used a Samsung mobile with Dex in the past as it has hdmi out which is better quality than casting.

Alternatively if you have a gaming pc you could use parsec and a tablet / laptop streaming from your desktop and plugged into your monitor and then the companion app to connect to the trainer.
I've commandeered the wife's laptop for now.
I did think of streaming the gaming pc via an Nvidia should TV.
I plan to make a itx pc for it at some point, i3 12100F should be plenty and some sort of graphics card. Any excuse to make a PC I guess.
 
Soldato
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Melbourne , Oz.
Thought I'd post a pic of the current set up before it goes the distance. Been thinking of upgrading for a while and eventually pulled the pin and bought a Tacx Neo bike in the click frenzy sales on Tuesday. 15% off and free delivery. Good a time as any, right?
Excuse the 90's built in joinery, we moved in earlier this year and are planning some renovations. Looks like a Travelodge. Kitchen and every bathroom in the house is the same. I don't know what they were thinking tbh.

Will advertise this full set up locally, hopefully get a bit for it although we are well and truly out of winter and lockdowns now so not the best time to sell plus that old ally bike needs a service desperately - was a $200 purchase from facebook marketplace as I didn't like my carbon bike on it, felt I was going to snap it right in half. I've absolutely abused it.
Tacx Flux trainer has 7,000kms on it from myself and the Mrs. It squeaks a bit these days until it warms up (as do I!) but been faultless over the years, one of the reasons I went for the Tacx bike over the Wahoo. I haven't actually ridden one but have used a mates Wahoo.
Probably going to re-orientate the setup 90 degrees when the new one comes - that's a 50" TV on the wall and I run Zwift through the Apple TV but I think the screen is too big. I have a spare monitor I brought home from work so will stick that in the shelves and see how that goes with a view to probably getting a new Tv when we pull out all that joinery and redo the floor. Think I may ask Santa for a rocker plate for it. Found a company that does custom mats too. Ride on. :cool:
https://velomats.com/collections/all-products



Thought I'd post an updated set up picture. Moved back into our house a fortnight ago after a period out for some renovations. It's nowhere near finished yet. Don't have a kitchen or a complete bathroom. Got this room sorted though :cool:

 
Soldato
Joined
20 Jun 2005
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2,671
Location
Derby
Just did the Zwift alpe for the 1st time in 1.5 years…..jeez! Was a slog !

My quickest time in 2020 was 57 mins, did 90 today! Shockingly bad!

Although I had just had a massive meal and am getting over a virus, so think I can do way better.

EDIT: turns out I have covid, so accounts for rubbish performance
 
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