Zwift, TR, Sufferfest etc

[J. Barron DeJong]

Gaining weight as the "problem" in your life <--- what's that like?

Not as good as you might think?

[EWG]

The draft in Zwift is like non-existent to my avatar for some reason? I don’t know. I get dropped on longish 3%-4% grades when the big guys are smashing it, somewhat similar to real life. I’m much better on rolling terrain or really steep grades, long steep climbs suit me. I have trouble gaining weight, I’ve been eating cookies and brownies and weighed in at 137.5 this morning. I’m 5’10. What should I do coach?
This is me, chicken sticks for legs
Attachment 390621

If you had low socks I'm betting all these issues you're experiencing would miraculously go away...

[buttahflake]

Never! Muddy in the woods that day, 80 mile ride and I was covered in mud from mile 5 on.

[EWG]

Never! Muddy in the woods that day, 80 mile ride and I was covered in mud from mile 5 on.

Well then I'm not sure I can help you.

(In fairness I wear tall socks when not on the road for gravel/mud/dirt related reasons.)

Wait - have you tried just strapping weights to your body? That would make you heavier...

[XtrPickels]

weighed in at 137.5 this morning. I’m 5’10. What should I do coach?
This is me, chicken sticks for legs

I think Zwift is brutal for lighter riders because they base their categories on W/kg.
By their parameters, a big rider can push bigger watts and this is the main determinant of speed on downhills, flats, and shallow grades. Unless you're racing Alp D' Zwift, you're at a disadvantage.

You're up against people with a higher FTP than you:
e.g. 80kg rider @4.0w/kg = 320 watts
65kg rider @4.0w/kg= 260watts.
How can the lighter rider compete?
- Find races that suit them with more climbing

-Play smart:
1. Conserve as much energy as possible.
2. Always be drafting, never on the front until it matters
3. Know the course, know where surges are going to be put in and move forward in the group not to drive the pace but so that you can avoid surging, riding steady and drift backward through the pack
4. When there is a climb, especially early, you need to control the race. Split the group. Get the big guys out and make them chase back on.
5. Choose equipment to maximize your flat terrain performance: e.g. wheels, frame, etc.

or.

You can fudge your weight and be the bigger guy in the C's.

[californiagrown]

My wife and I just had a baby boy. Going well. A month before the birth i bit the bullet, canceled my gym membership and pieced together a basic weight setup in my garage (rack, bar, weights, bench). Its all i ever really used at gyms anyways. Thats been great as i can go in there and bang out a 30 minute pullup/barbell-row back workout (or squat or push workout) whenever i have the time, and change a diaper or heat a bottle during rest periods. So im keeping strength, but not being able to get out for 3-4hr MTB rides or drug-fueled mountain walkarounds with my dog is killing my lactic threshold and cardio.

My wife was always very active (MTB, skiing, Barre classes, aerial yoga, circus classes, etc) but with the baby, covid and now the PNW winter, those options are very limited. She has expressed interest in getting a Peleton bike for the garage so she can get in similarly convenient workouts to me. That shit is expensive though. We have two just less than dentist-build MTBs and a couple pub-bikes and i was thinking of getting a Zwift setup instead because id rather race than have a IG model instructer yell at me.

Should i go down the rabbithole of getting the trainer, powermeter, TV, etc for a Zwift setup, or should i just bite the bullet on a Peleton (can you run Zwift through a peleton bike?). Are there Zwift races <30mins and is it worth getting zwift if thats all the time you have? What is the best setup for swapping between 2 different bikes on a smart trainer (hers is 1x12, mine 1x11)? I have trails (muddy AF in the winter) 2 blocks from my house so id like to be able to pull my bike off the trainer and ride easily too. What is the collectives advice here?

[EWG]

FWIW, my wife is a serious biker with a long history of serious indoor sessions and she wouldn't be caught dead on a peloton. She (and I) love kickr and zwift. And it's hard to beat $15/month.

[buttahflake]

I think Zwift is brutal for lighter riders because they base their categories on W/kg.
By their parameters, a big rider can push bigger watts and this is the main determinant of speed on downhills, flats, and shallow grades. Unless you're racing Alp D' Zwift, you're at a disadvantage.

You're up against people with a higher FTP than you:
e.g. 80kg rider @4.0w/kg = 320 watts
65kg rider @4.0w/kg= 260watts.
How can the lighter rider compete?
- Find races that suit them with more climbing

-Play smart:
1. Conserve as much energy as possible.
2. Always be drafting, never on the front until it matters
3. Know the course, know where surges are going to be put in and move forward in the group not to drive the pace but so that you can avoid surging, riding steady and drift backward through the pack
4. When there is a climb, especially early, you need to control the race. Split the group. Get the big guys out and make them chase back on.
5. Choose equipment to maximize your flat terrain performance: e.g. wheels, frame, etc.

or.

You can fudge your weight and be the bigger guy in the C's.

Thanks for that, it all makes sense.

[californiagrown]

FWIW, my wife is a serious biker with a long history of serious indoor sessions and she wouldn't be caught dead on a peloton. She (and I) love kickr and zwift. And it's hard to beat $15/month.

Looking at a Kickr Core, with the add on 11speed cassete... will we die on hills? The granny gear on that is only 25t, and my granny gear is 42t. My chainring is 32t.

Also, id have to adjust my derailleur everytime i swapped from trainer to actual wheel, huh? fucking limit screws are a black art i have yet to master.

[buttahflake]

You can adjust the resistance on the smart trainer on the Zwift app, so no worries there. Any gears will work

[babybear]

My wife and I just had a baby boy. Going well. A month before the birth i bit the bullet, canceled my gym membership and pieced together a basic weight setup in my garage (rack, bar, weights, bench). Its all i ever really used at gyms anyways. Thats been great as i can go in there and bang out a 30 minute pullup/barbell-row back workout (or squat or push workout) whenever i have the time, and change a diaper or heat a bottle during rest periods. So im keeping strength, but not being able to get out for 3-4hr MTB rides or drug-fueled mountain walkarounds with my dog is killing my lactic threshold and cardio.

My wife was always very active (MTB, skiing, Barre classes, aerial yoga, circus classes, etc) but with the baby, covid and now the PNW winter, those options are very limited. She has expressed interest in getting a Peleton bike for the garage so she can get in similarly convenient workouts to me. That shit is expensive though. We have two just less than dentist-build MTBs and a couple pub-bikes and i was thinking of getting a Zwift setup instead because id rather race than have a IG model instructer yell at me.

Should i go down the rabbithole of getting the trainer, powermeter, TV, etc for a Zwift setup, or should i just bite the bullet on a Peleton (can you run Zwift through a peleton bike?). Are there Zwift races <30mins and is it worth getting zwift if thats all the time you have? What is the best setup for swapping between 2 different bikes on a smart trainer (hers is 1x12, mine 1x11)? I have trails (muddy AF in the winter) 2 blocks from my house so id like to be able to pull my bike off the trainer and ride easily too. What is the collectives advice here?

I've been on a Peloton for a few years and it was perfect when I had a stressful job and only had maybe 30-60 minutes to get in an ass kicking workout. It kept me in good shape and helped me sleep better.
it kind of sounds like it could be a good solution to your current situation.
But I wouldn't equate it with "training" bc it's not really meant to be for cycling training (although they do have some professional cyclists that lead classes)
The other workouts offered on the Peloton app are great too- from 5 min up to 30 min + core workouts/ upper body/ whole body/ yoga/ stretching, etc- your wife may want to check out the free app trial to do a couple of those classes and see if she digs the Peloton style of classes before considering the bike more seriously.

That said. The peloton bike was paid for by my employer, who passed away this summer and thus I'm no longer employed, nor- peloton'd. So now with winter approaching, I'm asking myself if I want to purchase another Peloton or go the smart trainer/zwift route and I haven't decided yet (which is why I'm lurking on this thread)

[kathleenturneroverdrive]

Should i go down the rabbithole of getting the trainer, powermeter, TV, etc for a Zwift setup, or should i just bite the bullet on a Peleton (can you run Zwift through a peleton bike?). Are there Zwift races <30mins and is it worth getting zwift if thats all the time you have? What is the best setup for swapping between 2 different bikes on a smart trainer (hers is 1x12, mine 1x11)? I have trails (muddy AF in the winter) 2 blocks from my house so id like to be able to pull my bike off the trainer and ride easily too. What is the collectives advice here?

I faced the exact same scenario (expect I have more time to train) and constantly swapping bikes on/off trainers, different drivetrains, etc. was too much of a headache to buy something for. So we just bit the bullet on a Stages SB20 instead. It sucked to drop that much coin on a trainer, but a year later I'm stoked I did.

Personally, for us, a Peloton wasn't in consideration because the bikes are kind of cheap and workouts aren't geared towards cycling. In your scenario though, if you really only have 30 minutes to train, I'd imagine an intense 30-minute spin class on there isn't that much different than 30 minutes in zwift. If you can find more time now, or think you'll have it in the future, I'd go the smart bike route for sure (or trainer if you want to deal with the logistics).

[buttahflake]

Peloton is for middle aged house fraus. Zwift is the answer.

[bennymac]

IMHO: The problem with Zwift is that 30 min isn’t much time to get yourself geared up, everything up and running, and then getting a good workout in.

Peleton in that case would be a small bit simpler - just choose any 20-30min bike class and go.

You can apparently Zwift on a Peleton bike through a hack (don’t quote me on that) but it won’t be a “smart bike” - ie the resistance on the Peleton bike won’t automatically change when the grade of the Zwift road changes.

Peleton is like doing spin classes (plus also a bunch of really good stretching, body weight strength, yoga etc classes). Zwift is like bike racing and a video game combined. If you’re the type of person to get hooked on video games AND you are a cyclist who likes to train and/or compete you’ll likely love Zwift.

We have both in our household. I Zwift and my wife does Peleton. I use Peleton for stretching classes and abdominal workout classes and occasionally join my wife for body weight strength classes. They both have their strengths and weaknesses.

[californiagrown]

Sounds like Peleton fits my wifes needs better. Oh well. I guess ill start looking for one on CG.

[bennymac]

Sounds like Peleton fits my wifes needs better. Oh well. I guess ill start looking for one on CG.

You can just pay for the Peleton app instead of paying for the peloton bike and then a monthly subscription. Strangely the app subscription for a non-peloton bike owner is cheaper than what you pay per month had you purchased the expensive bike. You miss out on some of the social media type aspects of the full fledged Peleton experience though for what that is worth (not worth the larger fees and more expensive equipment and the fact that you’re locked into a platform IMHO)

This is what we have in our household [a monthly subscription to Peloton]. We use just a Keiser spin bike. I bought power pedals from Garmin so that I could use Zwift on our spin bike.

Again the spin bike is not a smart trainer so I have to adjust the resistance myself. But this I feel is a good compromise between having a Peloton set up and a Zwift set up.

[VTskibum]

Should i go down the rabbithole of getting the trainer, powermeter, TV, etc for a Zwift setup, or should i just bite the bullet on a Peleton (can you run Zwift through a peleton bike?). Are there Zwift races <30mins and is it worth getting zwift if thats all the time you have? What is the best setup for swapping between 2 different bikes on a smart trainer (hers is 1x12, mine 1x11)? I have trails (muddy AF in the winter) 2 blocks from my house so id like to be able to pull my bike off the trainer and ride easily too. What is the collectives advice here?

Think few others covered it, but I'd be looking for a Peloton subscription and a spin bike in that situation. Mountain bikes on the trainer, especially different speeds limit the options, and I generally never hop on Zwift unless I know it's going to be 45-90 minutes. Also pulling the bike off the trainer and setting back up is going to eat into a good amount of that 30 min session

[EWG]

I guess my experience is different with that. My lovely wife and I share a kickr Core and it takes less than a minute to switch the bikes out. Another minute or 2 to start zwift. We used to have a dedicated spin bike and it really wasn’t significantly easier in my opinion. I do 30 minute spin out to loosen up my legs all the time.

The only time it’s slow is every 2 months or so when zwift updates.

[huckbucket]

You can just pay for the Peleton app instead of paying for the peloton bike and then a monthly subscription. Strangely the app subscription for a non-peloton bike owner is cheaper than what you pay per month had you purchased the expensive bike. You miss out on some of the social media type aspects of the full fledged Peleton experience though for what that is worth (not worth the larger fees and more expensive equipment and the fact that you’re locked into a platform IMHO)

This is what we have in our household [a monthly subscription to Peloton]. We use just a Keiser spin bike. I bought power pedals from Garmin so that I could use Zwift on our spin bike.

Again the spin bike is not a smart trainer so I have to adjust the resistance myself. But this I feel is a good compromise between having a Peloton set up and a Zwift set up.

Disagree. Zwift without the smart trainer totally defeats the purpose. Why bother? Just put on Netflix.

[VTskibum]

I guess my experience is different with that. My lovely wife and I share a kickr Core and it takes less than a minute to switch the bikes out. Another minute or 2 to start zwift. We used to have a dedicated spin bike and it really wasn’t significantly easier in my opinion. I do 30 minute spin out to loosen up my legs all the time.

The only time it’s slow is every 2 months or so when zwift updates.

Absolutely agree with you if bikes didn't have different cassette's 11spd & 12spd, so can't share direct drive trainer. Messing about with wheel on trainer with a MTB tire, doesn't sound particularly easy.

[EWG]

Absolutely agree with you if bikes didn't have different cassette's 11spd & 12spd, so can't share direct drive trainer. Messing about with wheel on trainer with a MTB tire, doesn't sound particularly easy.

My wife and I have different gear numbers also. Trainer matches my bike. She just uses erg mode so the different cassette doesn’t matter.

[VTskibum]

My wife and I have different gear numbers also. Trainer matches my bike. She just uses erg mode so the different cassette doesn’t matter.

Huh interesting approach, learn something new everyday. So she never shifts? Just stays out and let trainer sort it out?


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[Dee Hubbs]

Huh interesting approach, learn something new everyday. So she never shifts? Just stays out and let trainer sort it out?

If youre doing a structured workout in ERG mode, you never have to shift.

[buttahflake]

I like the ‘Japan’ world, a lot. Hoping we get a bunch more stuff including a climb up Mt. Fuji.

From this morning, I like riding solo without the HUD, I can keep an eye on the companion app to see my numbers. Not a lot of riders out this morning, it was nice.

[huckbucket]

Pack dynamics have always been ... let's say .... odd. When you're with a group, sometimes you ride through people. Sometimes you jump left or right unexpectedly. This is an aspect of the game that Zwift has actively been working on and they just released V3.0 of their "dynamics" software. It's built into London only and sits on the server side which means there's nothing to do but go over there and check it out.