Talk to me about Zwift.....

[bagusbagus]

I mean for £13 you can already purchase some 2nd hand bicycle on fleabay and go out and enjoy yourself.
To pay £13/month to sit in front of a screen and play a video game while exhausting yourself... WHAT THE FLYING FUK!

[johnwilliams77]

That's sort of where I am at when I just do my weekend warrioring: 5/6hrs plodding with mates at 15/16mph average (>2000ft gain), pushing on my own for 3/4hrs I can do 18mph on a flattish route. I would love to do what you just said: average 20mph without being totally broken for a few hours but I believe that is quite a high level (I do lots of other training, mainly running).

[E65Ross]

bagusbagus said:

I mean for £13 you can already purchase some 2nd hand bicycle on fleabay and go out and enjoy yourself.
To pay £13/month to sit in front of a screen and play a video game while exhausting yourself... WHAT THE FLYING FUK!

I have a £6k bike and enjoy riding in front of a screen on a video game exhausting myself more than riding outdoors some times, I certainly wouldn't like a £50 sh*t bike as much as my bike

Newsflash - some people prefer different things to others. Hence zwift has many thousand users.

I'm not sure why all the hard men, goatee-groomed directors of large companies need to assert their alpha-maleness on this thread. Quite unfortunate really as I was just after advice from those who use it, rather than bhing from people who can't understand some people prefer different things to others, but there we go.

[yellowjack]

How expensive is it to get up and running from almost nothing with Zwift, etc?

I'm at the "I have a bicycle, so I'm part way there..." stage. My PC is old, running Vista. My wife decided she didn't like our laptop, and separated the screen from the keyboard. Although that was old too, so no huge loss.

I've never wanted to indulge in a turbo trainer up to now (like GOATever, I'm an outdoor cyclist by nature, not too bothered about training plans and whatnot -I just like to ride my bike), but I'm coming back from a badly broken leg, and considering it. I've had a couple of offers of loans of TTs (one from a PHer quite locally) but I've not followed them up yet (I've bought flat pedals for my bike, but so far chickened out of riding it!).

I'm just left wondering what's the minimum budget I can get away with to buy the other tech I might need, on top of a Garmin and a bicycle. I may well find that it's all out of my league anyway, as I'm on a (pretty low) fixed income these days.

[bagusbagus]

I mean isn't cycling supposed to be a Fun activity that you enjoy?
Why do you have to punish yourself so hard by sitting in a closed room on some kind of contraption , staring at a screen and exhausting yourself?

[E65Ross]

bagusbagus said:

I mean isn't cycling supposed to be a Fun activity that you enjoy?
Why do you have to punish yourself so hard

Yes, and if you bother to read my post, you'll see I actually quite enjoy that.

[bagusbagus]

E65Ross said:

Yes, and if you bother to read my post, you'll see I actually quite enjoy that.

Gets a 6k bike, rides it inside on a turbo.
WTFFFFFFFFFFFF DUDE...

Few years down the line you will look back and think the same - wtf was i thinking...

Edited by bagusbagus on Monday 5th November 16:55

[IrateNinja]

bagusbagus said:

Gets a 6k bike, rides it inside on a turbo.
WTFFFFFFFFFFFF DUDE...

Few years down the line you will look back and think the same - wtf was i thinking...

Edited by bagusbagus on Monday 5th November 16:55

What's bizarre is why you're getting so worked up about it?

I only do a little bit of cycling relative to my total training, and it's evenly split between easy steady state session indoors and a tiddler of a commute. I row, with a reasonable amount being done on land at the moment at this stage of the season. Yes it's not as scenic, but as far as getting the heart rate up and and increasing fitness, it ticks the box and that's what I want. If Zwift helps somebody achieve that, without bothering with crap weather, what's the issue?

[E65Ross]

bagusbagus said:

E65Ross said:

Yes, and if you bother to read my post, you'll see I actually quite enjoy that.

Gets a 6k bike, rides it inside on a turbo.
WTFFFFFFFFFFFF DUDE...

Few years down the line you will look back and think the same - wtf was i thinking...

Edited by bagusbagus on Monday 5th November 16:55

Bet I do more outdoor riding than you though

[bigdom]

IrateNinja said:

bagusbagus said:

Gets a 6k bike, rides it inside on a turbo.
WTFFFFFFFFFFFF DUDE...

Few years down the line you will look back and think the same - wtf was i thinking...

Edited by bagusbagus on Monday 5th November 16:55

What's bizarre is why you're getting so worked up about it?

Because, he gets tired very easily, so probably just needs a lie down - https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

To be fair, it’s similar to most of his posts, tri bars on mtb, rolling resistance on tyres, what lights, what not to wear on a bicycle. Money being wasted is a key subject matter, not the efficacy or enjoyment of anything. Amazing insight from someone who doesn’t appear to ride a lot.

[mcelliott]

I think Zwift is a great way of gaining a lot of fitness quite quickly. Some of the most painful experiences on a push bike have been on Zwift.

[bigdom]

bagusbagus said:

I mean isn't cycling supposed to be a Fun activity that you enjoy?
Why do you have to punish yourself so hard by sitting in a closed room on some kind of contraption , staring at a screen and exhausting yourself?

bagusbagus said:

My Goal is to be able to ride 20miles a day most days of the week rain or shine at a reasonable pace,
I'm a weak skinny-fat 27y old office worker with no endurance/power whatsoever, currently after riding 20miles in one go I feel knackered and out for 2days. I can maybe sustain riding 6-7miles in good weather every 2days with no effects at the moment.

How do I get there and train my body in the most efficient way to achieve this without overdoing it and messing myself up?
How often/ in what way/ at what speed and for how long /with what kind of increases the training should be done?

I realise this is a lot like weight lifting and most of the gains comes from hitting it the right amount and having a good rest.

Has anyone been in my shoes? How did you got there? What was your experience?

Maybe you should give it a try?

[E65Ross]

bigdom said:

IrateNinja said:

bagusbagus said:

Gets a 6k bike, rides it inside on a turbo.
WTFFFFFFFFFFFF DUDE...

Few years down the line you will look back and think the same - wtf was i thinking...

Edited by bagusbagus on Monday 5th November 16:55

What's bizarre is why you're getting so worked up about it?

Because, he gets tired very easily, so probably just needs a lie down - https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

To be fair, it’s similar to most of his posts, tri bars on mtb, rolling resistance on tyres, what lights, what not to wear on a bicycle. Money being wasted is a key subject matter, not the efficacy or enjoyment of anything. Amazing insight from someone who doesn’t appear to ride a lot.

I don't think I'd particularly enjoy riding outdoors much if I can't ride 20 miles without then feeling knackered for 2 days Too strong a man that indoor training is for weaklings/lightweights....not quite man enough to ride as far or as fast as the weaklings to ride indoors occasionally, mind

[Dannbodge]

bigdom said:

Maybe you should give it a try?

Definitely.
This year I've generally done 60/90 mins Zwift on Tuesday night, 60km Thursday night, 75km on a Friday and then 75km again on a Sunday.

I don't get the haters of Turbos. Seems to me they are just a bit old fashioned and very narrow minded.
After all there is a reason all the Pros mix their riding in with hard Turbo sessions

[E65Ross]

Dannbodge said:

bigdom said:

Maybe you should give it a try?

Definitely.
This year I've generally done 60/90 mins Zwift on Tuesday night, 60km Thursday night, 75km on a Friday and then 75km again on a Sunday.

I don't get the haters of Turbos. Seems to me they are just a bit old fashioned and very narrow minded.
After all there is a reason all the Pros mix their riding in with hard Turbo sessions

I'll be honest, if all of my turbo/indoor experience was of a "normal" indoor trainer then I too would think they're boring and tedious. Experience a Kickr in ERG mode is SO much more engaging.

[lufbramatt]

I thought PP was a relatively friendly and sensible corner of PH, evidently not any more

I enjoy turbo sessions too, what’s the big deal? I don’t go hunting out threads about stuff I’m not in to just to big myself up though.

I’m also an ex middle distance runner and enjoy the structure of turbo sessions in the same way I used to love track sessions. At the end of the day it means that when I do go for an outside ride (2 small kids and full time job means all my training is at very unsociable hours) I can enjoy the moment without having to worry about not being able to get up that climb or do the distance.

[nammynake]

I’ve been using Zwift for a couple of years now, primarily during winter for mid-week rides after work.

Definitely enter a few races and try a mix of flat, rolling and hilly ones. At your power/weight I’d recommend the B group, or possibly A for the really hilly ones that go to the top of Watopia mountain. It’s a known weakness that all races are ranked by power to weight, but you’ll find yourself blown out the back of flat/rolling races if you enter A, where you’ll need nearer 300W to stay with the pack.

Oh and hint, every race starts with a flat out sprint. Start ramping up your power 10s before the gun and prepare to go very hard for the first 30-60s when eventually it will settle down to sweet spot / threshold pace.

[wobert]

Genuine wow at some of the responses.... :-0

I had the benefit of being given a TT 2 years ago by a kindly Pistonheader, and have used it extensively over the past 2 1/2 winters.

Once the evenings go, I use the turbo as a means of winding down after a hard day staring at a computer screen, or a long day behind the wheel like today, 8 1/2 hrs driving 470 miles with a 5 hr customer meeting in the middle!

As someone who is predominantly “time poor”, I limit my long, weekly ride to the Club ride on a Sunday morning.

The rest of the time, having the facility to jump on the bike and do something structured in the evening is a real benefit. If I get a spare hour, then that’s good, and with a bit of planning I can get two possibly three evening sessions in a week.

Specifically relating to Zwift, I tried the 7 day trial when I got my TT.

I found it a bit “gameish” and after the trial tried TR.

I found this better from the perspective of the sessions being more structured. I need the structure to see progression. I alleviate the boredom by having a decent hifi in the garage that I can wind up and lose myself for an hour.

I find I’m more focussed during the day from having the work out, and the other benefit is my FTP has increased by 40%!

In response to riding in severe winter weather, each to their own, but I don’t see the attraction of risking physical injury from falling off on ice, when then jeopardises your ability to work and family life, if that floats your boat fine, but it’s not for me...

[Daveyraveygravey]

Zwift isn't for me; my garage leaks and I worry about leaving my two bikes in there, never mind a trainer and pc! The missus wouldn't let me have a set up in the house either, and the cost to get setup from scratch is at least as much as a reasonable second hand bike on ebay.

However a friend has a very good set up, which he uses 2-3 times a week, 30-45 minutes at a time, and it has transformed his riding. I don't like that it is so effective, but there is a lot to be said for it, assuming his experience is typical.

[Harpoon]

wobert said:

Genuine wow at some of the responses.... :-0

<snip>

In response to riding in severe winter weather, each to their own, but I don’t see the attraction of risking physical injury from falling off on ice, when then jeopardises your ability to work and family life, if that floats your boat fine, but it’s not for me...

That's part of the reason I subscribe to the Sufferfest and have done for some time. None of the roads in/out our village get gritted (unless the local agricultural contractor does it for the village pub). I would prefer to be outside rather than in the garage but any amount of MTFU isn't going to help you as slide down the road on your arse after finding some ice.

I've got a nice little setup in the garage with a cheap 55" TV (£300 from Currys IIRC) and a 10+ year old Sony surround 5.1 sound system. Makes for a reasonably immersive experience and on a fair number of the Sufferfest sessions you become entirely focused on getting through the session.