Turbo dungeon: Most "flexible size" frame

davis

My belly has finally admitted winter defeat, and I probably need to start thinking about a turbo. I think I can justify a Tacx Neo because I've already saved the money and vouchers etc.

As it's direct drive, and we've got the space, I'm seriously considering a dedicated frame for it. Crash-damaged, second-hand, whatever is fine. But I suspect both I, the other half, and the 10 year old will want a go. Therefore, if possible, the biggest requirement from the frame will be able to accommodate my size (~56cm ETT) down to my other half (~43cm ETT) - I think the boy will have to lump it!. I suspect we'd have dedicated saddles and seat posts swappable via QR, but what about the variation in reach? Does it matter?

Kind of thinking any old frame with 10speed 105-ish spec components, but whatever.

tgotb

We have similar requirements; in the end I decided to put all 3 road bikes plus my TT bike in the dungeon (it's actually in the loft) until we see how much various family members actually use it. No point in engineering a complex solution to a problem until we're sure that problem really exists. After about 6 weeks, Junior has been using on a weekly basis (her club do a weekly Zwift club run), I've been using 3-4 times a week, and my girlfriend has yet to use it in anger.

I suspect that in the long term we're going to end up keeping our road bikes up there over the Winter, and CX bikes over the Summer.

We actually have 3 cassettes, which I thought was going to be a nightmare; Junior has 10-speed youth gearing, I have regular 10-speed, and GF is on 11-speed. In practice, I've found that I get on fine with the 16-28 youth cassette, so it's stayed on there full-time. I tried an 11-28 as a compromise, and we both hated it.

I'm thinking about having a dedicated front wheel for the turbo, as the sweat seems to be causing corrosion on the rim.

The Tacx Neo / Zwift combination is a game changer for me. Having never managed to motivate myself to use the turbo in the past I actually look forward to riding on Zwift; I can happily do an hour's hard riding, and it's so much easier to fit round everything else than the real thing...

davis

TGOTB wrote:

No point in engineering a complex solution to a problem until we're sure that problem really exists.

That there, in the first reply, is probably the zen answer I needed all along. Thanks.

The Tacx Neo / Zwift combination is a game changer for me

Exactly what I'm hoping! Now if only something like zwift/bkool/whatever would work on a spare RPi/PS3 so I don't have to play with a blinking "gaming" PC full of fans and components and nonsense....

tgotb

:-)

Zwift actually runs on some fairly modest spec PCs, albeit with a lower frame rate; definitely worth trying on whatever you have before spending money. Might not be a long-term solution, but should be good enough for you to get a feel for whether it's worth investing in something more performant. I've also heard that it runs pretty well on Apple TV, though it's not something I've tried myself.

I'm running it at 4k resolution on a fairly modest ~£200 desktop PC with a £150 graphics card. Not exactly RPi budget, but not megabucks either...

bendertherobot

If you have a spare TV, find a cheap Apple TV4. Picked mine up from CEX for £90. Zwift runs really well on it and it pairs easily with the Neo.

fenix

Zwift wouldnt work at all on a 5 year old laptop - but a PCV with a kickass graphic card does work really well as has been said.

I suspect its going to be you using it mostly unless your family are very keen cyclists so I'd just put a spare bike on there.

davis

bendertherobot wrote:

If you have a spare TV, find a cheap Apple TV4. Picked mine up from CEX for £90. Zwift runs really well on it and it pairs easily with the Neo.

Awesome. I might do just that and disable Apple's updates :-)

fat daddy

davis wrote:

what about the variation in reach? Does it matter?.

turbo riding is a different beast .... being stretched out serves no purpose unless you are training for a TT ... I like many others prefer a shorter reach. some people put a block under the front wheel to raise and bring in the bars.

I mostly ride on the flat section of bar, but even then find myself comming on to fingertips to ease the comfort of a long session

If you are getting a frame, you might want to consider going smaller .. its doubtful it will have a negative affect

All that said, I am currently riding my most stretched out bike on the turbo and its not an issue in anyway

TL:DR - its personal, what ever you find comfortable