Zwift setup or winter bike?

pblakeney

ugo.santalucia said:

pblakeney said:

Not only that but racers used to taper off for the winter and do easy pootling winter rides.
I could understand that from top level racers after a hard season but I never did understand low club level and recreational cyclists doing the same only to have work hard in the spring to get back to where they were in the autumn.

Doesn't have to be top level racers... anyone who wants to compete at his best, needs to taper off and take time off intervals.
Ultimately, you don't have to be a 20 minute 10 TT man to take training seriously... if you have been given an engine that can only aspire to a long 25, then so be it...

Yeah but, for Joe Bloggs working full time with family etc, etc they have rest times forced on them anyway so less of an issue.
Basically what I am saying is that at a lower level of training mostly for fitness fitted in around lifestyle, I prefer keeping up my level of fitness year round rather than having to work extra hard in the spring.
This means getting out when I can but the turbo is very useful if it is lashing down or blowing a gale, and this occurs year round. Going back to page one, the ideal solution is to have both. Maybe a cheap (used?) basic turbo setup and a cheap (used?) basic winter bike instead of full on one or the other.

Darius_Jedburgh

Talking about Peter Read...does anyone have a copy of either the original white book, or the follow up red book?

ugo.santalucia

pblakeney said:

ugo.santalucia said:

pblakeney said:

Not only that but racers used to taper off for the winter and do easy pootling winter rides.
I could understand that from top level racers after a hard season but I never did understand low club level and recreational cyclists doing the same only to have work hard in the spring to get back to where they were in the autumn.

Doesn't have to be top level racers... anyone who wants to compete at his best, needs to taper off and take time off intervals.
Ultimately, you don't have to be a 20 minute 10 TT man to take training seriously... if you have been given an engine that can only aspire to a long 25, then so be it...

Yeah but, for Joe Bloggs working full time with family etc, etc they have rest times forced on them anyway so less of an issue.
Basically what I am saying is that at a lower level of training mostly for fitness fitted in around lifestyle, I prefer keeping up my level of fitness year round rather than having to work extra hard in the spring.
This means getting out when I can but the turbo is very useful if it is lashing down or blowing a gale, and this occurs year round. Going back to page one, the ideal solution is to have both. Maybe a cheap (used?) basic turbo setup and a cheap (used?) basic winter bike instead of full on one or the other.

Well yes, my point is that there are a lot of Joes between Joe Bloggs and Joe top level racer and they all have to juggle training with work and family.

super_davo

A vote for a smart turbo set up for me.

You can use your Via Nirone with a set of clip on mudguards to tide you through winter rides when the weather is reasonable enough & provided you clean it afterwards it won't turn to rust.

But if you don't have the smart turbo set up when the weather is that bad you don't want to go out at all what can you do then?

You can always get the winter bike later on. I use the turbo year round, rotating my bikes so my winter bike is on the turbo in the summer and the summer bike is on the turbo in the winter... And also I wouldn't be surprised if after a year or two you want to relegate the Via Nirone to a permanent winter bike and get something even fancier as a new summer bike.

ugo.santalucia

super_davo said:

A vote for a smart turbo set up for me.

You can use your Via Nirone with a set of clip on mudguards to tide you through winter rides when the weather is reasonable enough & provided you clean it afterwards it won't turn to rust.

But if you don't have the smart turbo set up when the weather is that bad you don't want to go out at all what can you do then?

You can always get the winter bike later on. I use the turbo year round, rotating my bikes so my winter bike is on the turbo in the summer and the summer bike is on the turbo in the winter... And also I wouldn't be surprised if after a year or two you want to relegate the Via Nirone to a permanent winter bike and get something even fancier as a new summer bike.

I am convincing myself we need a turbo... that would allow my wife to stay fit over the winter months (which are typically 9 according to her standards) and yes.... occasionally you can go a couple of weeks without a decent couple of hours to go for a ride in winter... it's the typical winter storm-flash freeze over night-ice melts after 12 PM-it's dark at 3 PM scenario...

DeVlaeminck

Darius_Jedburgh said:

Talking about Peter Read...does anyone have a copy of either the original white book, or the follow up red book?

I've got the blue book - can't remember what other colours he did.

I don't agree outdoor necessarily trumps indoor - was it John Tanner who said he only trained indoor in Winter and of course Obree wasn't averse to turbo sessions - Pete Read's success as a coach was really just taking advantage of turbo training - and on a somewhat lower level I won our club TT series off late night 2*20 sessions staring at a wall in my garage - I can assure anyone that took more motivation than going out in any winter weather!!

Personally I reckon the advent of turbos and now zwift has raised the level of the average club rider.

Darius_Jedburgh

The white book was the first. Very simple and easy to follow. The red book was his second and was starting to get a bit cerebral. I think the blue book was next, but I'd been knocked off and forced to retire by then.

I've an urge to follow his white book if I could find one. That would be sufficient. And save the hassle of Zwift etc. But, like everything else, it is probably unobtainable now. And not fashionable.

bobmcstuff

I have been using TrainerRoad for years on a dumb trainer, I bought a smart trainer in October which proved to be quite fortuitous with lockdown happening since I've started using Zwift as well and it's been great for me. We've been having virtual club rides and I've been riding with friends who live hundreds of miles away, including some I've not seen in real life for years. I've also really enjoyed improving my TT times on the Bologona course, and my times up the Alpe etc. - my power numbers are up with my all time best at the moment, I've set PBs on every local climb that I have tried now I am riding outside more.

I've personally found that if I want to be really fit I am better doing one or two proper sessions a week on the turbo even in the summer (since these are properly targeted and structured), regardless of how much outdoor riding I am doing as well.

I've always ridden outside year round too, I don't see why it needs to be either/or. In the winter for me typical would be a weekend ride plus 2-4 days with 10 mile round trip of easy commutes to the train station.

joe_totale-2

DeVlaeminck said:

Personally I reckon the advent of turbos and now zwift has raised the level of the average club rider.

I've noticed this as well, the riders who are into racing have definitely got faster as they're able to do much more intense and structured training over the winter.

Not going to lie, there are days when I've been out on club rides in the winter and we're at the fourth puncture stop. That's when I wish I had ridden on the turbo instead but a good winter ride is definitely as enjoyable as a good summer one.

daniel_b

I have been a trainerroad subscriber for around 3 years now.

I had a smart trainer some 4 years ago, and then 3 years ago bought a direct drive one, as I felt my interest and dedication warranted it.

My frst road bike I bought back in 2007 is dedicated for turbo duty, and I would be far less likely to manage to workouts if I had to remount the bike each time, and re-indexing the gears is also not an uncommon task, although I dare say you could be come accustomed to how many barrel turns this way or that way depending on which way the bike is going.

I work full time, and have a 6 year old daughter, so for me the ability to be able to train whilst she is asleep, but have a monitor in the garage with me should she need me, is invaluable.

I used to train a fair bit in the evening when she was younger, but in more recent years I have swapped to early morning - say 06:00 - 07:30.
The beauty here, is that I know exactly for how long I will be riding (Appreciate this may not be the same for Zwift but have nevr ridden it!) and there is zero risk of a mechanical delay, so I know I'll be in the house in time to make breakfast and start work etc.
Ice, and or kit to meet conditions are of little concern for me, so I don't need to spend much time sorthing those out, and getting them ready - less washing too I guess!

For me personally, the structured workouts have made an enormous difference to my enjoyment of cycling, I enjoy the training itself, and hitting the various target figures, I like to see what i can manage, and what my FTP fluctuates between, and even more so, I really enjoy getting out on the road and seeing how the improved power output (for me) translates into more enjoyment in the open air, being able to ride faster for longer, and climb more effectively.

I'm not saying you could not achieve all this from just riding outdoors, clearly you can, as smart trainers did not exist at one point, but what I am trying to say, is that for someone who either does not have the money to pay a coach, or time to research it in detail and plan your own workouts, etc, this is a very efficient way to see massive improvements in your ability on your bike, and for me personally, that has equalled far more enjoyment, which is the main driver for me.

Pre parenthood I did study training indepth, and plan workouts on my garmin, with x minutes spent at this HR, and so forth, but I just don't have the time to keep that up now, AND I have power on the turbo and out on the road too, so it's considerably easier, and I'm fitter due to this than I have ever been.

I personally would not fork out for Zwift, I nearly subscribed before they increased the prices, but can't justify it with my TR sub (I have the old cheap price of £70 or so a year, I think it might be 3 times that now?) and I have also been recently getting into RGT (Used to be called Road Grand Tours) which has realistic type riding on a small range of courses, such as Ventoux, Pienza etc - due to be taking part in a small group ride on Thursday, where we ride as a group, and then basically attack a circa 8 minute climb as hard as we can, before 'recovering' for 10 minutes ro so - quite a nice way to carry out intervals, but they don't feel as much like it, as you have scenery and friendly competition.

I also, from what I have read and watched, think I would find Zwift too gamey.
I used to have time to play driving games, but I just wanted the ones with zero gimmicks, where you could just drive, manual box, no assistance anywhere, and no having to win x amount to progress to a new level, I just wanted a basic but realistic experience of racing for a season for example. and for me that is what RGT seems to give me.

Having said that, I gather Zwift gives you workout options as well, so if my cheap TR membership ever expires, I may well look to another platform to see what is out there - RGT have some workouts, but nothing like as comprehensive as TR yet.
Oh and RGT is currently completely free for premium options, though even on the free option you can ride the courses whenever you want.

Oh and I do have a winter bike as well, full PDW mudguards and disc brakes (The latter not essential) and still use that during the winter months.
it was due to become my commuter as my new office was meant to be 20 miles away, so as of now I was expecting to be riding 5 times a week 40 miles a day, which i suspect would have reduced my turbo use hugely, but with the current situation I am working from home, until at least September I expect, maybe even the end of the year, and all signals seem to suggest they won't be pushing people to come into the office anytime soon, so it may be a bit more flexible n the future anyway.

Sorry - long post, lots (likely too much) to say!

neeb

Happy World Bicycle Day everyone - but the only coverage of this I can find in the cycling media (never mind the mainstream media) is from Zwift, who have hijacked it and renamed it "World Zwift Day" in most of their promotions!

A little sinister..?

BR has a new saddle from Specialized at the top of their news column and a picture of an MTB at the top of their Road column.. No surprise there..