Zwift / Trainer advice
Discussion
I've been a keen cyclist for many years but the weight has crept on in recent years.
I'm interested in the whole Zwift / indoor trainer setup to help me shift some lbs. I have got a very old turbo trainer but it isn't direct drive and not really fit for purpose any more.
I was looking at the Wahoo Kickr Core with the Zwift cog as a new setup. It seems ideal for what I want and capable of attaching an a 10 speed Trek road bike I have in the shed.
However, it seems to have a user weight limit of 250lbs/113kg. I'm 6ft 2 and a bit heftier than that the limit.
I've searched around but can't seem to find anything with a capacity of say up to 150kg.
Can anybody recommend an indoor Zwift compatible trainer, ideally in a similar price range to the Wahoo Kickr Core?
I'm interested in the whole Zwift / indoor trainer setup to help me shift some lbs. I have got a very old turbo trainer but it isn't direct drive and not really fit for purpose any more.
I was looking at the Wahoo Kickr Core with the Zwift cog as a new setup. It seems ideal for what I want and capable of attaching an a 10 speed Trek road bike I have in the shed.
However, it seems to have a user weight limit of 250lbs/113kg. I'm 6ft 2 and a bit heftier than that the limit.
I've searched around but can't seem to find anything with a capacity of say up to 150kg.
Can anybody recommend an indoor Zwift compatible trainer, ideally in a similar price range to the Wahoo Kickr Core?
Saris H3+ is rated to 300lbs (136kg). Not Zwift cog compatible though, which means you need to budget for a cassette but Tredz have it for £299 at the moment, so ~£325 inc a cassette.
https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Saris-H3-Plus-Direct-Driv...
JetBlack Victory is £399 inc Zwift Cog and 120kg. That head some very good reviews from people like DC Rainmaker and GPLama.
https://www.jetblackcycling.co.uk/indoor-cycle-tra...
https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2024/11/jetblack-victo...
https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Saris-H3-Plus-Direct-Driv...
JetBlack Victory is £399 inc Zwift Cog and 120kg. That head some very good reviews from people like DC Rainmaker and GPLama.
https://www.jetblackcycling.co.uk/indoor-cycle-tra...
https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2024/11/jetblack-victo...
Thanks both. I know cycling works which is why I;'m keen to take it up again. Pre-covid and working from home, I was doing about 100 miles per week and shifted a lot of weight in less than a year.
I will check out the options you have mentioned.
From a general Zwift / trainer perspective, is there any real benefit to having the Zwift cog v attaching a cassette? I assume that Saris H3+ is still compatible with Zwift? I'm not entirely sure how it works from practical point of view with resistance/gear changing etc.
I will check out the options you have mentioned.
From a general Zwift / trainer perspective, is there any real benefit to having the Zwift cog v attaching a cassette? I assume that Saris H3+ is still compatible with Zwift? I'm not entirely sure how it works from practical point of view with resistance/gear changing etc.
The main advantage of the cog and zwift virtual gears (play, click,or ride) is you get 24 gears, changes are seamless with no indexing or faff needed, and it means you can run multiple bikes on your trainer without swapping cassettes.
I use zwifts ride frame, I think the official limit is 120kg but it’s a thick steel frame and built like a tank, it would easily take a 150kg rider.
I use zwifts ride frame, I think the official limit is 120kg but it’s a thick steel frame and built like a tank, it would easily take a 150kg rider.
mjcneat said:
I assume that Saris H3+ is still compatible with Zwift? I'm not entirely sure how it works from practical point of view with resistance/gear changing etc.
It was a couple of hours ago 
Changing gear is pretty much exactly like doing it in real life... when the "road" goes "up" on Zwift, you change down as much as you need to, and vice versa (although you have to keep pedaling to move downhill, too!). It's what makes it interesting/engaging for me.
(As an aside, on ANT+ the resistance lagged the screen by a couple of seconds - my legs were still going uphill when my avatar was going down, but swapping to Bluetooth synced it perfectly.)
You can go down a bit of a rabbit hole/flame war with gearing on Zwift as there's the "trainer difficulty" slider in the settings and people have strongly held views about it... I try and run on 100%, but I'll turn it down if I'm climbing something long and steep... I don't consider this cheating, the gearing on the bike I use was chosen for touring Oxfordshire, not climbing Alps. Turning the slider down is exactly the same as fitting a smaller chain ring, it's virtual gearing. At the end of the day (ride/hill), the game makes you put in exactly the same number of watts to get up any given hill whether you stomp it out in a high gear, or spin it out in a gear that feels lower than anything you've actually got fitted to the frame.
This is all for free rides, by the way - if you're doing a workout, just stick it in a medium gear that gives you a nice straight quiet chain line and the computer/trainer vary the resistance as needed.
I've got the Saris H3 and as mentioned, "traditional" gearing is very much tried & tested with Zwift compared to the newer Cog. I have an old bike that lives on the TT, so avoid the issues of indexing gears if swapping bikes on/off.
Just to expand on the resistance control defblade mentioned...
If you are riding a workout (ERG mode), Zwift will control the target power. So if the workout says do 200 watts for five minutes, your smart trainer will try to hold you at 200w. Thus you can do 200w at whatever RPM you want, though many of the structured workouts have an RPM target (eg 85 RPM +/- 5 RPM). If you are struggling with the target power and have to slow down your cadence from 85 RPM to 70 RPM, the trainer will increase the resistance to keep you at 200w. What can happen here is called the "Spiral of Death" as it becomes harder to keep on top of the power target and your cadence keeps dropping (so more and more resistance is applied) until you have to stop pedalling as you can barely turn the cranks. At that point the trainer will normally remove all the resistance, so you can then get going again.
https://zwiftinsider.com/erg-mode-in-zwift/
Just to expand on the resistance control defblade mentioned...
If you are riding a workout (ERG mode), Zwift will control the target power. So if the workout says do 200 watts for five minutes, your smart trainer will try to hold you at 200w. Thus you can do 200w at whatever RPM you want, though many of the structured workouts have an RPM target (eg 85 RPM +/- 5 RPM). If you are struggling with the target power and have to slow down your cadence from 85 RPM to 70 RPM, the trainer will increase the resistance to keep you at 200w. What can happen here is called the "Spiral of Death" as it becomes harder to keep on top of the power target and your cadence keeps dropping (so more and more resistance is applied) until you have to stop pedalling as you can barely turn the cranks. At that point the trainer will normally remove all the resistance, so you can then get going again.
https://zwiftinsider.com/erg-mode-in-zwift/
Edited by Harpoon on Thursday 28th August 09:09
I think you'll be OK with the Core - you'll just need to be a little mindful of how you use it, they are pretty solid.
An 85kg person standing on the pedals putting a 1200w through it in a sprint is going to be an awful lot more load than a 120kg person doing 200w to burn some calories.
The max weight limit will account for that max weight limit pushing it hard.
An 85kg person standing on the pedals putting a 1200w through it in a sprint is going to be an awful lot more load than a 120kg person doing 200w to burn some calories.
The max weight limit will account for that max weight limit pushing it hard.
A few days late to the party, but perhaps useful.
I'm 6'8" and 110kgs. I managed to find a lightly used TacX Neo Smart Bike with little use and a free TV (!!!) on FB Marketplace.
It worked out more expensive than a new trainer, but less expensive than a trainer and a half decent bike, if that makes sense.
If you have the space, and want to avoid the faff of calibration, attaching bikes and setting up a monitor stand (it has a built in tablet holder, I run Zwift on an android tablet) then it's pretty good. All I needed was a collection of fans and a Spotify subscription.
Possibly with considering?
I'm 6'8" and 110kgs. I managed to find a lightly used TacX Neo Smart Bike with little use and a free TV (!!!) on FB Marketplace.
It worked out more expensive than a new trainer, but less expensive than a trainer and a half decent bike, if that makes sense.
If you have the space, and want to avoid the faff of calibration, attaching bikes and setting up a monitor stand (it has a built in tablet holder, I run Zwift on an android tablet) then it's pretty good. All I needed was a collection of fans and a Spotify subscription.
Possibly with considering?
louiebaby said:
A few days late to the party, but perhaps useful.
I'm 6'8" and 110kgs. I managed to find a lightly used TacX Neo Smart Bike with little use and a free TV (!!!) on FB Marketplace.
It worked out more expensive than a new trainer, but less expensive than a trainer and a half decent bike, if that makes sense.
If you have the space, and want to avoid the faff of calibration, attaching bikes and setting up a monitor stand (it has a built in tablet holder, I run Zwift on an android tablet) then it's pretty good. All I needed was a collection of fans and a Spotify subscription.
Possibly with considering?
Congrats. I've had mine for nearly two years now. Very stable, (I think) the biggest flywheel out there and rated to 2200w.I'm 6'8" and 110kgs. I managed to find a lightly used TacX Neo Smart Bike with little use and a free TV (!!!) on FB Marketplace.
It worked out more expensive than a new trainer, but less expensive than a trainer and a half decent bike, if that makes sense.
If you have the space, and want to avoid the faff of calibration, attaching bikes and setting up a monitor stand (it has a built in tablet holder, I run Zwift on an android tablet) then it's pretty good. All I needed was a collection of fans and a Spotify subscription.
Possibly with considering?
louiebaby said:
A few days late to the party, but perhaps useful.
I'm 6'8" and 110kgs. I managed to find a lightly used TacX Neo Smart Bike with little use and a free TV (!!!) on FB Marketplace.
It worked out more expensive than a new trainer, but less expensive than a trainer and a half decent bike, if that makes sense.
If you have the space, and want to avoid the faff of calibration, attaching bikes and setting up a monitor stand (it has a built in tablet holder, I run Zwift on an android tablet) then it's pretty good. All I needed was a collection of fans and a Spotify subscription.
Possibly with considering?
Hopefully will be useful for anyone who comes cross this thread in future.I'm 6'8" and 110kgs. I managed to find a lightly used TacX Neo Smart Bike with little use and a free TV (!!!) on FB Marketplace.
It worked out more expensive than a new trainer, but less expensive than a trainer and a half decent bike, if that makes sense.
If you have the space, and want to avoid the faff of calibration, attaching bikes and setting up a monitor stand (it has a built in tablet holder, I run Zwift on an android tablet) then it's pretty good. All I needed was a collection of fans and a Spotify subscription.
Possibly with considering?
My Wahoo Kickr Core turned up on Tuesday. 3 rides done so far and it feels solid.
Edited by mjcneat on Friday 5th September 07:41
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