Is zwift worth it?
As you may see from my turbo trainer query, I’m currently torn. The all in price including a year of Zwift is best for my kickr core purchase @£550, otherwise it’s £480 (trainer + cassette) + whatever I’d pay for an annual sub - however, what would I get for £70 is the question? Feels sensible to try Zwift for the year and maybe do a couple of others on a trial in that time as comparators.
any thoughts?
Comments
-
Why do you want a smart trainer?
if it’s to become fitter through structured training there are better alternatives IMHO, TrainerRoad for one.
alternatively if you fancy some racing and entertainment while you are on the trainer then zwift is a great option, personally I couldn’t get on with the cartoon feel. Rouvy are a better alternative and Whoosh is a like for like competitor to zwift except it doesn’t have such a popular user base. Both have get fit plans but there are better features with TrainerRoad.
all the above do free trials
i don’t think you can go wrong with the zwift trainer, it’s priced aggressively to increase their market share from new users so the back up should be up there to, if required.
On another note you may want to consider what has started to happen to this market place and will continue to gain momentum and pace over time. Smaller companies will be unable to keep up with the big players, unit cost will come down due to increased volume sales and the hardware will become secondary to the consumers platform of choice.
lastly have you considered smart rollers? They have the benefit of giving your core a good workout as well as your cardio and legs.
https://www.cyclingweekly.com/group-tests/best-rollers-for-indoor-cycling-366784
“Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime. Teach a man to cycle and he will realize fishing is stupid and boring”
Desmond Tutu1 -
Why do you want a smart trainer?
The ultimate answer to this is to ride more, burn a tonne of calories and be fitter and leaner. I don’t much mind how I get there but just want to get there. Since having a child I’ve got much less time on my hands and so having a trainer will mean smashing out 3/4 rides a week I can’t do now, which for me is a massive step towards my goals. I’m not particularly anal about progression etc as this will be evident in my times/effort for the same ride/recovery etc. And yeah, I want a nice user friendly platform to support all that.
Does that point towards Zwift or other? Bearing in mind Zwift will be £70 for the first year.
0 -
Depends on your own preferences.
Training sessions - TrainerRoad.
Impromptu racing - Zwift.
Virtual solo riding - Rouvy/Fulgaz.
That's my summary after trying them all.
The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
I am not sure. You have no chance.Veronese68 wrote:PB is the most sensible person on here.1 -
Thanks.
I think I am overthinking it. Currently I’m doing f all, with a trainer I’ll be doing about 3 a week and so whatever it is it is progress. During the year I can trial others and compare and contrast, but the key is to get the wheels spinning!
0 -
If you have goals around fitness then TrainerRoad will support your efforts that zwift can’t match.
However try the suggested platforms and see which aligns with what you find most user friendly.
whoosh was free, zwift like but without the volume of users.
“Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime. Teach a man to cycle and he will realize fishing is stupid and boring”
Desmond Tutu0 -
Looks good. Problem is I can get zwift first year for £70 v £14/month for TR. I think my mind is made up, zwift and trial others during the year to compare.
0 -
I like zwift as I can use it for a solo ride, with a lot of other riders on the routes, group rides with friends, races and training sessions, graphics are OK, maybe others are better.
0 -
"Graphics are OK" is over stated. They are shit compared to others.
Actually, I take that back. The graphics are OK, the video is shit.
The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
I am not sure. You have no chance.Veronese68 wrote:PB is the most sensible person on here.0 -
I really like zwift. Fitness comes first and foremost from riding consistently - I find zwift very good and do almost all my winter riding on it now.
I don't care about the graphics - I know I'm in my garage in the East Midlands and no amount of HD pictures will make that feel like the Alps in July.
In the past I've had phases where I'd sit in my garage doing structured intervals to power or heart rate, phased where I'd use a local gym with watt bikes over Winter and plenty of Winters where I'd do local training rides in sub zero temperatures. Whatever motivates you to get on the bike is good and currently in Winter for me that is zwift.
[Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]1 -
what does Trainer road offer that Zwift doesn't?
Zwift offers you the chance to free ride on your own, ride with pace partners, do structured workouts, either solo or as part of a group, offers friends group rides, offers races for loads of levels.
There's a reason it is the most popular platform by far.
However if you don't like riding with and around others, but would rather ride with tumbleweed in a pretty video of a realy route, then there are better options than zwift!
0 -
Another thing to consider is how well you cope with 30-60 mins sitting on a static bike?
I use TR but I need some form of "entertainment" to keep my mind sane and active otherwise I'd be giving up at 20 mins. I have a 10 hour Spotify playlist and very good pair of NC, comfortable headphones.
I suspect others use videos or rely on the graphics when using Zwift.
You probably won't know what you need until you start using the trainer.
1 -
There are a couple of Zwift playlists on Spotify for background noise, not to mention hundreds of exercise playlists and whatever platform you choose, then background music helps.
The chat on Zwift group rides also helps pass the time.
0 -
I tried trainer road for a winter, mainly because I'd no Internet in garage and I downloaded the workout to phone before I left the house. Worked great and it definitely improved my riding. But it's boring in comparison to zwift I've found.
I normally do group rides in zwift. I'll go around my ftp if I want a real workout, there's that fear of getting dropped not unlike a proper group ride. If you get dropped and give 3+ seconds during a hard group ride your never getting back on. So I'll be constantly pushing for 60mins. You can also take it easy as well. I've also done 100km on it, never would I of thought this when using TR.
I think it's worth it, but there's not really a right or wrong answer. Whichever gets you at it. I've had a kicker core since 18 or 19. Flawless to. Enjoy
0 -
Podcasts and Spotify for me. I recognise it’ll be more boring than being outside but it’s a needs must situation to get fitter and lose weight!
Presumably the smart trainer adjusts the incline, resistance etc based on the ride you’re taking part in? I mean it’s not just a flat surface ride, I think I know the answer but just confirming!
0 -
Bought a kickr core with the 12 month zwift and will try others on free trials to compare. Delivered super quickly which is great but need to clear and tidy out the conservatory in order to get it all set up. That is this weekends job and hopefully will get a ride in and will report back!
Blew my original budget but that was unrealistic if I wanted a smart trainer, much like when I was in the market for a road bike I massively underestimated the cost!
0 -
Console (justify?) yourself that it is probably cheaper than winter clothing and worn components in the long run. 😉
The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
I am not sure. You have no chance.Veronese68 wrote:PB is the most sensible person on here.0 -
I've never tried a smart trainer.
Question: is adjusting the incline identical to simply increasing the resistance, or there's some hidden trick...?
0 -
Usually just the resistance although some will also tilt the bike.
The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
I am not sure. You have no chance.Veronese68 wrote:PB is the most sensible person on here.0 -
As PB says, it's mainly the resistance, unless you also have a Kickr Climb. But the "hidden" (actually entirely seen!) trick is, when you're using Zwift (and presumably other similar things), the resistance gets harder and easier in sync with the graphics showing you going up or down hill. So it feels much more natural/real.
I'm particularly aware of this syncronisation as my trainer lagged by 2 or 3 seconds when I started with ANT+, my eyes and brain were going downhill when my legs were still going up. I switched to BlueTooth, the lag vanished, and suddenly everything felt "right".
And another note for those discussing graphics vs playlists vs videos etc - for free/"proper" rides I need the graphics on Zwift so I can see the ups and downs to ride to; Planet Rock provides the sound track ... but if I want to watch a video to multitask with riding (like tonight), I'll put a workout on because then I just have to keep pedaling, the segments come up on my phone if I want to see how long/hard/cadence etc, and I can watch the video on the monitor at the same time.
0 -
Guys, but is cycling really your only sport? If yes, nothing wrong, after all this is a cycling forum....
I've never had a smart trainer. I have the cheapest ever turbo trainer (20yr old and still perfect, not smart of course, these days it never really get used). When I don't ride outdoor, maybe because it's dark or bad weather or whatever, I run or swim rather than riding a stationary bicycle. If I do no activity it's because no time or I'm ill or injuried, had I had a smart trainer I would probably ride more but I wouldn't do more sport.
Don't take me wrong, absolutely fine if a smart trainer is your choice, maybe you love cycling and hate both running and swimming, or whatever. Just not my choice....
0 -
Purely cycling. Running is bad for the joints and I got shin splints when younger. Swimming got too expensive with club membership fees. Now I have all the gear cycling is pretty much free with the only cost being wear and tear maintenance and an annual app fee of £100.
The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
I am not sure. You have no chance.Veronese68 wrote:PB is the most sensible person on here.0 -
I only wanted to quote the first line, but seems you can't edit the quote like you used to be able to?
TrainerRoad has an enormous library of workouts and training plans, tailored to your targets, and time available.
Base, build, speciality plans for century rides, triathlon, hilly rides etc.
It also now has the really useful option of detecting your FTP based on how you have performed on previous workouts, and also outdoor rides if you have a power meter, or provide a RPE rating.
The best bit, for me, with the AI FTP, is that you don't have to complete an FTP test, though you still can if that's your preference.
I rarely completed an FTP test that would give a really accurate figure, most often I would crash and burn early, or occasionally 'over-perform' and get an unrealistic ftp.
Additionally with the training programs and AI, if you are doing poorly or excelling at the workouts, it will make suggestions for different workouts to replace those you have scheduled in, at either lower or higher intensities - you can choose whether to accept or ignore those, but the end result is that you are much more likely to have a successful training block.
I've never looked into zwift workouts - does it give you anything approaching the above?
Felt F70 05 (Turbo)
Marin Palisades Trail 91 and 06
Scott CR1 SL 12
Cannondale Synapse Adventure 15 & 16 Di2
Scott Foil 180 -
Zwift automatically calculates your FTP based on your performances across all Zwift activities. Your race category is based on your outputs over a number of time periods, plus your weight, and not just your single best performance.
I think the number of training plans, workouts etc is plenty big enough for most, but obviously are based on riding indoors only. You can also import programmes and workouts from the likes of TP / TR.
The AI element of adapting future sessions is perhaps the only difference, but a lot of coaches are using that now too.
0 -
Tilting the bike won't increase the resistance as gravity doesn't come into play on a turbo trainer.
0 -
Not exactly true if you're using a Kickr/Kickr Climb combo. As the gradient goes up so does the tilt and the resistance. Granted gravity doesn't change but it does a good job of faking it :)
0 -
"Usually just the resistance although some will also tilt the bike."
"Also" was the key word there. It's to mimic feel and positioning, not resistance.
The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
I am not sure. You have no chance.Veronese68 wrote:PB is the most sensible person on here.0
