One of the things that has plagued bike trainers is the boredom. You can try to watch a movie, listen to music or anything else to get your mind off the fact that you are sweating in your house going no where…but there never seemed to be a really good option.
That is where Zwift stepped in with a really cool social platform that allowed you to race, ride, do events and even do all of that with your friends. The idea is to virtual ride so the time on the trainer isn’t spent just hating your lift.
Then. you match that with a smart trainer. In my case, it was the Kickr Core from Wahoo. For $899, it is in the middle range of trainers and the specs are pretty good. It is also very quiet which is a huge selling point.
Wahoo KICKR Core Smart Trainer Specs
– Maximum Power Output: 1800W
– 16% Simulated Incline
– ANT+, ANT+ FE-C, and Bluetooth Connectivity
– Thru-Axle and Disc Brake
So the idea here is that when you mate the smart trainer with Zwift, the trainer will simulate hills and provide data so you can track your ride and get the most realistic experience possible while spinning it out in your basement.
Overall, it does a pretty good overall job of doing this. Connent your phone, setup a a fan and you are ready to rock. You can even connect to your TV to your phone, laptop or other device to make the experience even better. The courses and the events are interactive. The platform has really grown over the years so there are plenty of people to ride with and the technology does a great job of replicating the power you need for climbs and descents.
So what is the problem?
It still just isn’t for me. Is it better than watching a movie or listening to music? Absolutely. However, all it really did for me was make a ride that took 30 minutes and seemed like 8 hours down to a ride that felt like 6 hours.
No matter what I seem to do, I can’t get riding on a trainer to be something that I want to do. I know there are times due to weather and time constraints that a trainer really helps with keeping in shape. My problem is that I would rather be outside even if it is running the neighborhood and I don’t exactly like running either. But being outside…even when the weather is less than ideal…is better than spinning on a trainer. I can spend an hour out in my neighborhood listening to a podcast doing my jog and it feels like 30 minutes.
So while I do think it is really cool to have such a big community on Zwift and that the technology has progressed to the place we are today. I just still can’t bring myself to do it. For me…I never want to have the feeling of not wanting to get on the bike and every single thing I have done with stationary trainers makes me feel that way…