Turbo trainers/Zwift/Peleton
Discussion
Ares said:
I'm about to eBay my KICKR, most are going for well over £500, some over £750.
Whats your buy it now price for a fellow pistonheader?Also considering a Kickr for the rain. I ride in the dark but like others have said the rain is too unsafe in my head especially where its busy
I've got a Wattbike and use Zwift and I love both. I've flirted with The Sufferfest and RGT as alternatives but I much prefer Zwift to either of them. You obviously don't need a Wattbike to use Zwift but in terms of ease of use, it's hard to beat and means that you can have multiple users using one set up.
My brother in law has a Peleton bike and likewise loves it. However he's not really a cyclist and isn't interested in the races or group rides that Zwift offers. I've tried the Peleton bike and whilst it has a nice fancy big screen, it doesn't feel anywhere near as high quality as the Wattbike and is very basic in terms of functionality. I also have serious doubts about its accuracy as my BiL reckons his is telling him he has an FTP of 300.
My Wattbike is telling me my FTP is just under 300 watts and I'm fairly confident my BiL wouldn't see which way I went after the first 10-15 minutes on the road. But maybe that's just my ego talking!
My brother in law has a Peleton bike and likewise loves it. However he's not really a cyclist and isn't interested in the races or group rides that Zwift offers. I've tried the Peleton bike and whilst it has a nice fancy big screen, it doesn't feel anywhere near as high quality as the Wattbike and is very basic in terms of functionality. I also have serious doubts about its accuracy as my BiL reckons his is telling him he has an FTP of 300.
My Wattbike is telling me my FTP is just under 300 watts and I'm fairly confident my BiL wouldn't see which way I went after the first 10-15 minutes on the road. But maybe that's just my ego talking!
Bathroom_Security said:
Ares said:
I'm about to eBay my KICKR, most are going for well over £500, some over £750.
Whats your buy it now price for a fellow pistonheader?Also considering a Kickr for the rain. I ride in the dark but like others have said the rain is too unsafe in my head especially where its busy
lauda said:
My Wattbike is telling me my FTP is just under 300 watts and I'm fairly confident my BiL wouldn't see which way I went after the first 10-15 minutes on the road. But maybe that's just my ego talking!
Very true if ability is based on your respective machines....although the Atom does seem to greatly overstate power. A guy I ride with got an Atom, and used it for 6 months. His rides were frequently posted at an average of 240-280w and his FTP at 310w.
Historically he had always been in the lower half of our group on the road. Our first ride, post-lockdown, I expected a big jump. There was a jump, but nothing like the 150w FTP leap his Wattbike had given. My FTP is 271, and I was still well up the road, he was riding with the guys whose FTP was low-200s. Still a big leap forward, just not as big.
Not sure how the Wattbike calculates power, or how it does an FTP test. Know with the KICKR bike I'm within 5% of my road bike powermeters (which are all within 5% of each other - 4iii, Stages & Zwatt)
Ares said:
Very true if ability is based on your respective machines....although the Atom does seem to greatly overstate power.
That's disappointing to hear! I thought it was supposed to be accurate to +/- 2%. I've always done my FTP tests through Zwift so just the standard 20 minute effort. I don't have any other sources of power data but I have a couple of mates with power meters. We have roughly similar FTPs according to our data and seem to have roughly similar abilities on the road so hopefully my Wattbike isn't over-reading too much. Although I should be getting a PM for my road bike in the next month or so, so that will be the acid test.
The wattbike will and should be 'the' most accurate out there (until possibly the very new stuff). They've been making world class powerbased bikes for years. However ones in public places often are not calibrated properly so do spit out wild stuff. But it should be the most accurate there is, if it's in good condition.
The Kickr doesn't have strain gauges and uses an algo, which I think looked OK when I tested mine alongside my powermeter.
The Kickr doesn't have strain gauges and uses an algo, which I think looked OK when I tested mine alongside my powermeter.
okgo said:
The wattbike will and should be 'the' most accurate out there (until possibly the very new stuff). They've been making world class powerbased bikes for years. However ones in public places often are not calibrated properly so do spit out wild stuff. But it should be the most accurate there is, if it's in good condition.
The Kickr doesn't have strain gauges and uses an algo, which I think looked OK when I tested mine alongside my powermeter.
There is a difference between the Original (now called Pro) and the Atom. The former is more accurate, but still overheads compared to my on-bike PMs.The Kickr doesn't have strain gauges and uses an algo, which I think looked OK when I tested mine alongside my powermeter.
Power is always largely subjective though, and only really useful as a personal comparative/analytical tool.
lauda said:
Ares said:
Very true if ability is based on your respective machines....although the Atom does seem to greatly overstate power.
That's disappointing to hear! I thought it was supposed to be accurate to +/- 2%. I've always done my FTP tests through Zwift so just the standard 20 minute effort. I don't have any other sources of power data but I have a couple of mates with power meters. We have roughly similar FTPs according to our data and seem to have roughly similar abilities on the road so hopefully my Wattbike isn't over-reading too much. Although I should be getting a PM for my road bike in the next month or so, so that will be the acid test.
Ares said:
Tim O said:
Ares said:
Getting a decent smart trainer and putting you bike on it will give 80% of the results.
I’d have said more like 95%.
Ultimately comes down to convienience and personal preferance.
WestyCarl said:
Ares said:
Tim O said:
Ares said:
Getting a decent smart trainer and putting you bike on it will give 80% of the results.
I’d have said more like 95%.Ultimately comes down to convienience and personal preferance.
okgo said:
The Kickr doesn't have strain gauges and uses an algo, which I think looked OK when I tested mine alongside my powermeter.
In the past, to compare, I’ve had my Quarq power meter data read out on my Garmin and my Kickr power output display on Zwift. The results have been very very close, within a few watts at 200w. I tend to use my Quarq data to drive Zwift. Ares said:
bonerp said:
I need to 'do' something and been thinking about an exercise bike rather than a turbo trainer type set up. I think the simulation app would be useful as a motivator.
Whats good to look out for on an exercise bike?
Unless you are spending £2000 and/or don't have a bike to use, a smart trainer would be a lot better.Whats good to look out for on an exercise bike?
The latest bikes are amazing, really amazing. Wattbike Atom, KICKR Bike, Stages bike, Neo etc, but they are £2500/3000.
Getting a decent smart trainer and putting you bike on it will give 80% of the results.
Ares said:
WestyCarl said:
Ares said:
Tim O said:
Ares said:
Getting a decent smart trainer and putting you bike on it will give 80% of the results.
I’d have said more like 95%.Ultimately comes down to convienience and personal preferance.
Ares said:
There is a difference between the Original (now called Pro) and the Atom. The former is more accurate, but still overheads compared to my on-bike PMs.
Power is always largely subjective though, and only really useful as a personal comparative/analytical tool.
The point I make is that if the machine is working correctly, it will be more accurate than what's on your bike. Power is always largely subjective though, and only really useful as a personal comparative/analytical tool.
Gareth79 said:
The old Atom is "only" £1600 at the moment which seems pretty good value compared to £1000-£1200 for a top-end smart trainer. The advantage is it doesn't wear your existing bike, the bars won't get sweaty, it won't need adjustment/maintenance, it won't collect dust/dirt or throw out crud from the chain.
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