Anyone got a Tomahawk Spinning Bike?

Kaiser Sose

Hey guys,
I've had this spin bike for ten years and bought it from a gym that was closing down and was used in their spin classes. It works an absolute treat. It weighs a ton with a hugely heavy flywheel. I used to hate using it but, watching YouTube GCN and other spin class replays brings it into its own and I now like using it on in-between days of getting out on the road.

Got me thinking. How can I "modernise" this bike so I can do stuff on things like Zwift so I know what speed I am going etc? Any guides how to do this please in terms of sensors etc? I really don't want to spend a fortune on a new Wahoo Spin bike for indoors. I am also not on Zwift yet but would join it without question if I could get my indoor setup on board.

If it contributes to the answer I already have a Wahoo ELEMT for my road bikes and the sensors. Is there something I can do to bring the indoor Tomahawk on board?

Thanks, Steve

fenix

You could put power meter pedals on ?

bsharp77

Hi Steve, I had the exact same dilemma with a Lifefitness GX spin bike.

I bought a set of Powertap P1s pedals - stuck them on and away I went - used for over a year with Trainer Road. Worked to perfection.
The pedals sent power and cadence data to TR, plus I used a heart rate strap (Tickr) so that was all that was needed for a great little setup.
The added bonus is, you can take the pedals back off the spin bike and put them on your road bike if you have one!

The one thing I will say is, the life fitness GX has a digital display to show what resistance level you are at, making it much easier to judge quick resistance changes with the lever. I'm guessing the Tomahawk has the turnable resistance like most spin bikes - once you get the knack of how much to turn it would be fine, but the digital display definitely helps.

I didn't use this setup with Zwift however, as I felt to really be immersed and engage with Zwift you really need the smart trainer element to change the gradient. You can of course use it no problem, but you would be missing out on a lot of what makes Zwift what it is.

I bought a Kickr to use with Zwift and have since stopped using TR completely as i'm just having so much fun and getting fitter than I ever was in the process.
I still have the spin bike and my wife uses it with Peloton - its just a lovely thing and so solid, it will always be useful for something over the years.

Wattbike have just announced an updated Atom that is coming out next week - might be worth a look as it is the best of all worlds (if they have sorted the slow shifting problem from the original model).
It looks fantastic, has a tiny footprint, built like a spin bike (solid!) and will work with any of the training platforms. Its also a lot cheaper than something like a Kickr Bike and they offer finance too which makes it more accessible.

I'm considering getting one once I see the latest reviews.