Wattbike or alternative

porton

Hi

I am looking for an indoor trainer for light training (recovery from illness) over the next 4-6 months (been advised to avoid outside riding during this period) but for more intensive training after xmas when I will be back to full fitness. Once in full training I will be targeting 50+ mile sportives early 2013 building up to 100mile challenges later in the year.

I have my eye on the Wattbike but unsure which version to go for Pro or Trainer, and was wondering if anybody on the forum had experience of either and could offer advice to which one is best to go for.

Also any alternatives which you may think are better in the same price region.

Many Thanks

Mark

poppit

I don't know if you are anywhere near Derbyshire but I've arranged a Wattbike roadshow to be at several leisure centres over the next 12 months, there's currently two trainer bikes in Swadlincote and two in Ashbourne. Failing that, give Wattbike a call and ask them if there are any near where you live, they're a bit expensive to get it wrong.

porton

Thanks Poppit, Wrexham based and pretty much housebound ATM , going to give Wattbike a call for further advice but ideally want feedback from customer experience

Eddy S

I have a Wattbike Pro - the lowest resistance is too high for light training/rehab. I know because that's what I originally bought mine for but it was also bought with a view of wanting to make full use of it after I'd recovered (I'm a track sprinter).

Have you looked at Wattbike's online guidance on how you decide which model to get? It's sound advice. You could always hire to start with and decide once you've recovered.

Re alternatives - most of the other 'indoor bikes' on the market are spin bikes. The only other trainers worth looking at from a cycling perspective are the CycleOps. I went for the Wattbike because of the ride feel and because at the time I needed something that was easy to get on and off (because of broken leg).

bahzob

I have a Wattbike and would recommend one without hesitation.

It's the only trainer I have ever used that rides like a real road bike and its a breeze to use.

My model is the original before they released the two versions, so I can't advise on that (though would guess like above Trainer would be the one) but I can vouch for its reliability.

porton

Thanks Eddy and Bahzob , think I m definitely sold on the wattbike now, probably going to hire trainer option with view to purchasing most suitable long term choice after Xmas.

Alex_Simmons/RST

Not sure what Wattbikes cost there (very good training bikes), but you might want to consider a Computrainer set up, as you will have a huge variety of pre-programmable workout options available to choose from, and if you are going to be doing most of your time on a trainer for many months, then you'll need to find good ways to deal with the mental aspects.

I can highly recommend ergvideos. These are tremendous training aids, the resistance is automatically adjusted for you, relative to your own capability, and synchronised with the actual rider on the video screen, and you are also riding your own bike, so no issues on bike set up.

With a computer/ergvideo set up, multiple 2+ hour turbo sessions are definitely do-able during a week's training. Much harder to do that on non-programmable training bikes/turbos.

Personally I can't ride the wattbike because of its oversized q-factor, although there are after market cranks to address this (but they cost a bomb).

Alex_Simmons/RST

saw this on another forum, wattbike for sale:
http://www.timetriallingforum.co.uk/ind ... =71029&hl=

porton

Thanks Alex , interesting alternative which I am looking at website details