Is zwift worth it?

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

Depends on your own preferences.

Training sessions - TrainerRoad.

Impromptu racing - Zwift.

Virtual solo riding - Rouvy/Fulgaz.

That's my summary after trying them all.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

I've never tried a smart trainer.

Question: is adjusting the incline identical to simply increasing the resistance, or there's some hidden trick...?

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.

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.

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.

Reviving this thread…

Is Zwift worth it? At the new price, it is hard to justify, unless you are addicted to your profile, your grage of bikes and your club runs regular events on Zwift.

I abandoned it last spring and last month I joined MyWhoosh for free. It is virtually a clone, everything works in the same way. It works well, with no glitches for me. It is just as dull and boring as all these apps, the technology seem to be stuck to 2020, I can’t see any exciting development in the last 4-5 years, which might be the reason why free alternatives are reappearing on the market.

I appreciate I have signed up to the devil and they will use my data in all sorts of ways, but don’t all the other online outfits, platforms and social media do the same? There is only so much value in my data and I suspect it has already been squeezed to death.

In short, no, it really is not worth it

Everyone can make their own mind up… it seems to be the level of innovation they have shown in the past few years does not justify the price they charge, in a market where there are free alternative, which are broadly identical.

BTW, who says I spend thousands on bikes and components? Over the years, yes, but per year definitively not. This year I have spent very very little… maybe 3-400 pounds in all…