Does a Smart trainer make it tolerable?

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Nefarious86
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by Nefarious86

Id buy a 500$ box to run it on a spare monitor before I'd deal with that shit storm haha
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glam2deaf
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by glam2deaf

Dez33 wrote:
glam2deaf wrote:Bit of a side step, but is there much value in TrainerRoad if you're only doing your own training plan? I don't need their workouts, but having having an interface like that is tempting. I have been using zwift, but I think I'd prefer something more low key. Turns out riding with virtual people doesn't do much for me.


Depends on how good the user is at designing their own plans.


...me, I'm hopeless, however my coach is very good.

PerfPro looks promising, fingers crossed it works fine through Parallels.

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Dez33
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by Dez33

You can try TrainerRoad for free for a month btw, you pay one month and you can cancel and get a full refund up to 30 days. Full version no limits as well i.e. no km or time limit like the psuedo 2 week Zwift trial.

Rodrego Hernandez
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by Rodrego Hernandez

I've tried Swift and they do seem to be all hype and little substance. With loads of fanfare they tell you that you can use any trainer but in reality you need a pretty top end smart trainer and power meter, gaming PC and big telly. For that amount of $$ I could fund my training camps for the next few seasons.

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otoman
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by otoman

Exactly. Just so you can be in the cycling version of a first-person shooter? I can see the draw of dropping the e-hammer on unsuspecting virtual Freds and Friedas at times but it seems like too much distraction if your point is to get faster. Diversion and fun? Sure! Zwift sounds like a good idea then.....

Oh man. Parallels..... I agree with nefarious86. What a storm of fecal matter that is.... I cringe thinking about my life wasted trying to get inferior Winders programs running on my perfectly capable and nice Mac. {shudders}
Age and treachery shall overcome youth and skill

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DOUG
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by DOUG

Rodrego Hernandez wrote:I've tried Swift and they do seem to be all hype and little substance. With loads of fanfare they tell you that you can use any trainer but in reality you need a pretty top end smart trainer and power meter, gaming PC and big telly. For that amount of $$ I could fund my training camps for the next few seasons.


Id have to disagree with this, if you already have a power meter and a "dumb" trainer then Zwift works perfectly well. I just use my laptop (big screen is nice but not necessary) so total outlay was $0 to get setup as i already had all of this gear and then a monthly subscription fee. A smart trainer does make the experience better for sure but the same could be said of indoor training in general (hence this thread). Without a power meter of any sort then i agree its not really worth bothering with.

OJ
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Location: Winterpeg

by OJ

For me the smart trainer is the best thing ever. I have been using Trainerroad and do their rides and my own rides. I have not yet tried Golden Cheetah, but will switch to that sometime this winter. Since winter is long, dark and brutally cold up here, I spend a lot of time on the trainer and have set-up my man cave to make it as tolerable as possible with big industrial fan, 42" TV for Netflix or watching old races. I do use the TV for entertainment, laptop or ipad for trainer/training related stuff and listen to music using earbuds.
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bungis
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by bungis

I use a dumb trainer with a power meter and Zwift. I actually don't want a smart trainer that will change resistance on terrain changes and mess with my intervals and what not.

You can use Zwift and do your own training plan easily or use their workout builder to create your own within it.

Being around other people in a social setting is motivating and is what makes it much more tolerable.

AJS914
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by AJS914

I wonder if people cheat on Zwift.

yinya
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by yinya

I recreate the trainerroad workouts in zwift and ride them there because I find I can vary my cadence much better while sticking to the prescribed interval intensity in zwift than in trainerroad


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Nefarious86
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by Nefarious86

AJS914 wrote:I wonder if people cheat on Zwift.

Everyone is pushing 6w/kg thresholds in real life aren't they?
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dmulligan
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by dmulligan

Have any Trainerroad users here switched from a fluid trainer to a smart trainer? If so, please describe the difference in experience between the two.

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Nefarious86
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by Nefarious86

No erg mode > erg mode was the biggest change.
Quieter.
More stable.
Better feeling under load (not road feel, I dont buy into that crap)
Easier setup.
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sanddancer
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by sanddancer

bungis wrote:I use a dumb trainer with a power meter and Zwift. I actually don't want a smart trainer that will change resistance on terrain changes and mess with my intervals and what not.


If you're using Zwift with a smart trainer for intervals, you'd be using Erg mode so your power would be spot on for your intervals and Zwift ignores terrain changes (and disables the Tacx road feel cobble simulation stuff) when you're doing workouts rather than free rides. The only effect is that your man on the screen will slow down to whatever speed he'd be doing for your power at that gradient, but on the turbo you wouldn't know whether you were riding up or down a simulated 20% gradient.

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dmulligan
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by dmulligan

Does Erg mode change the quality of Trainerroad workout or does it make it more enjoyable?

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