Smart Trainers

Like me!!

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Blimey I assumed all the software would upload from internet in this day and age

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Needs some wine bottles in those piston holes :+1:t3:

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One thing putting me off getting a smart trainer at the moment is the way things appear to be heading with climbing and steering.

I’m thinking I might wait a bit & see if some decent smart trainer + climb + steer packages appear?

That’s just the kickr bike… , steering and climbing is complete gimic though and steering is not anything like what you do on the road - above about 3mph you do not turn the handlebars when steering a bike, yet you do with the bike steering things. I’m not sure if the riser is the same, it doesn’t feel right, but I can’t articulate why. You’ll nee a rocker plate too to get closer, really though I think any sort of VR option for a bike trainer is so far away and nothing like smart trainers I wouldn’t let that worry you.

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The steering (from my one ride) ain’t great.
£69 plate? Decent for a gimmick.

I’ll probably pass it on to another club mate.
The bike isn’t stable at all when using it. Doing a Crit race all out (for me) would be hard.

If I was buying a smart trainer now, I’d be looking at a Saris H3.

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Interesting thread - I’m at the low end of the SMART turbo market (Tacx Vortex) and still using Tacx TTS4 which became obsolete about a year ago I think. Sticking with it as I love the immersive feel of the real life video as opposed to the rather tacky Zwift video.
And of course it doesn’t cost me anything :slight_smile:

Once all the flooding subsides I’ll be back out on the road and this temporary glitch that’s sending me into the shed 3 or 4 times a week will all be a distant memory for another year

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When I was sprinting with my steerer, the rocking of the bike had me swerving all the way down the road at my cadence, it was a mightily unsafe sprint, using https://www.wiggle.co.uk/kinetic-turnable-riser-ring-t-750cs as the riser to make it steerable.

I think damping all the steering down and just having a few small movements to get gameable steering would be enough.

Pulled the trigger on a Kickr Core.
According to the Sigma website, it’s in stock and next day delivery.

The £300-£500 price difference to the Kickr/Neo can be spent on other tri-related stuff in the future.

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Ok, so first impressions

I’ve ridden a Computrainer for about 12 years now, so moving to a direct trainer felt different but not hugely so for a simple endurance ride.

What I did notice was the same gear on the same Zwift course was harder to push.

Yesterday
217W / 101HR / 76rpm

Today
228W / 101HR / 76rpm

That’s a 5% difference in power, but it “felt” harder to push the gear.

Wow :scream:
That’s my 70.3 wattage…but I’d be doing 155bpm @ 90rpm for that

Yeah, but I’m older and heavier

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Do the computrainers change resistance with gradient changes?

Yep.

You’re not :rofl::see_no_evil:
(Check out ZP - had a shock at my post-Christmas weigh in!)

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Flywheel size?

Think that could be it.

The CT one is smaller

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I’m surprised you find it harder with a larger flywheel though, that would normally be the opposite.

What I do wonder is if the FE-C defaults are screwing you over, for some reason the default CdA of a FE-C is really high, so it simulates riding down the road sat up into the wind, I think the computrainer default is more sane, so if zwift is controlling it differently then that might explain it, as I’m sure zwift never changes the default (it should of course be changing the wind resistance as you’re drafting / not drafting but it doesn’t bother, just has you riding a dutch bike sat up enjoying the scenery at 400w trying to close a gap…

I think the CT one is smaller than the Kickr so that would make it easier on the CT due to the inertia?

I had just realised I had it reversed when I first wrote it and was editing when you replied, normally the smaller the flywheel the “harder” it seems as you’re having to accellerate the wheel more on each slow down, so harder compared to outside.