Team BKool CycleChat

[Hazie]

Or if you could point me in the right direction, that would be helpful. Thanks

 

[BILL S]

Hi Hazie. You are in the right place. When your bkool pro arrives, connect it all up in the simplest way possible and give it a try. Preferably get a USB extension cable to bring the ant+ dongle close to the unit so the connection doesn't get lost. The standard 2m or so distance is a bit much.
Download the bkool bsim software onto your pc or laptop. Login and join a Live session ride to try it out for the first time.
Keep posting on here and you'll get plenty of guidance.

 

[Hazie]

Thanks Bill S. I will be reporting back and I'm guessing I will have plenty of questions.
I do have a question or two if you could help.

Do you find that you actually use the trainer regularly throughout the year?
(I understand that turbo trainers are mainly used during winter/when the weather is terrible or when time is an issue).

I know I won't actually know until i try the bkool trainer out, but I'm worried that I could be wasting my money on such an expensive VR trainer, when I could buy a much cheaper one to get the exercise even if it is boring on a basic turbo trainer.
Basically, I think what I'm really asking is this.......Do you or anyone else on here fully recommend the bkool turbo trainer?

I hate riding in wet & windy conditions and where I live its always wet & windy, so I'm hoping this is the right machine for me and
I like the idea of the riding courses from all over the world and the ability to race/ride with other people from all over.
What type of training do you find you use the most, multiplayer? Streaming videos? 3D World? and so on?

Do you use a separate wheel/tyre for the trainer or just the one thats already on your bike?
Whats the actual noise level like on these trainers?
Is a floor matt a must?
Are there any other costs involved?

Sorry, I could go on and on with question after question.
Hope you can help
Thanks

 

[LBHIFI]

I should be well qualified to answer, since I own three trainers.

Tacx Satori Smart
Half the price of BKool, but with manual brake resistance.

Bkool Pro

Tacx Genius
Double the price of BKool and more realistic.

I wouldn't dream of doing any training on the Satori. It's strictly for real life time trial warmup.
The Genius Is much more precise and fast reacting than the BKool. I think it has a built-in power meter, whereas BKool power is calculated. I use the Genius for watt intervals during winter, and occasionally mountain rides.
For me the strength of the BKool is the online environment. Tacx has that too, but it just seem easier to get going with the BKool. I really recommend that you go Premium and start racing against others. It's feels more like a game, and you really push yourself more than you would otherwise.

 

[BILL S]

I'd have to say that the bkool is one of the best purchases I've ever made. It's not the same as road riding but I find that its actually taken over my rides outdoors. It's almost a different sport because as LB says, its a game if you use it for racing and because of the competition it doesn't seem to get boring. I think if you did just use it to do rides on your own then it would become boring after a while though. I think most prefer the 3D rides and although it isn't especially realistic it does give you a workout in all the right places and it can and probably will make you a much stronger rider in the real world, as when you compete (and there are lots of competitions) it really makes you push yourself.
I'd suggest to start competing in the bkool Summer Cup which a few of us are racing in. You might even become drawn into the insanity of the whole thing.

 

[Hazie]

Wow LBHIFI 3 trainers omg lol and thanks for the info and comparison.
Can't believe you own both the bkool and the tacx Genius. Not cheap devices at all.
I looked into the tacx Genius but couldn't justify the big spend.

Thanks Bill Im hoping I'm able to compete in the bkool Summer Cup or any other ones that available, but I'm guessing I'll be dead last
How serious is the racing???
I want to try and compete but also don't want to take the fun out of it by not being able to keep up with anyone. I'm not getting any younger!
I'm an average cyclist riding anywhere from 20 miles to around 60 miles maybe twice a week.
I'd like to ride much more often than I presently do, hence the purchase of the bkool pro trainer.

Also, Are the real life routes realistic? cause theres many I'd like to try if bkool have them.

cheers

 

[BILL S]

Thanks Bill Im hoping I'm able to compete in the bkool Summer Cup or any other ones that available, but I'm guessing I'll be dead last
How serious is the racing???
I want to try and compete but also don't want to take the fun out of it by not being able to keep up with anyone. I'm not getting any younger!
I'm an average cyclist riding anywhere from 20 miles to around 60 miles maybe twice a week.
I'd like to ride much more often than I presently do, hence the purchase of the bkool pro trainer.

Also, Are the real life routes realistic? cause theres many I'd like to try if bkool have them.

cheers

The racing is pretty serious and I'm sure you won't be anywhere near last if you can do a 60 mile ride. There are all levels racing and most people seem happy to be getting a good race against those at similar levels to themselves and also to try to work their way up from Amateur 1-10 to Active 1-10 then Pro 1-10 then Elite 1-10 although bkool will demote you if you don't keep at it. Getting anywhere near Elite is near impossible. Most riders are Amateur or Active.

 

[BILL S]

"Bkoolers! Tuesday 28th of July at 18:00h GMT+2 we're holding an event where you can complete one of the routes from the Bkool Summer Cup league.

Training with people is always more fun than training solo, and when there's premium subscriptions at stake there's no reason why you shouldn't take part in this event!

Everyone who takes part in this event from start to finish will be in for the chance to win one months premium subscription - the winner will be chosen by the form of a random raffle.

The route will be "En forårsdag i Hell-singør 2013 del 1/2" and will be started at 18:00h GMT+2 on Tuesday 28th July - don't forget, join the league and take part in this great competition!"

Local Race Times:
- UK: 17:...00h
- Spain: 18.00h
- France: 18.00h
- Germany: 18.00h
- Denmark: 18.00h
- Italy: 18.00h
- Sweden: 18.00h
- Australia (Perth): 00.00h
- Canada (Vancouver): 09.00h
- China/Hong Kong: 00.00h
- Japan: 01.00h
- Thailand: 23.00h

 

[Jeffro5]

Bkool need to come up with a better way of replacing faulty units. They said I need to return just the resistant unit to Evans cycles and there distributor will replace it. Now Evans are telling me I need to return the whole thing boxed and they will need to send it back to bkool and will take a month.

Don't know what to do now. As warrenty is with bkool, they should post new units our directly and take the faulty one away, just like Sony do with PS3 etc. so you not left without and you don't have to pay postage to send anything back.

Ain't got time for this bkool

 

[Monte]

How do I join the cyclechat group for the summer leagues ? Did stage 2 tonight...

 

[Monte]

I've just noticed my times haven't been included in the bkool summer league, guessing it takes some time register

 

[kipster]

Bkool need to come up with a better way of replacing faulty units. They said I need to return just the resistant unit to Evans cycles and there distributor will replace it. Now Evans are telling me I need to return the whole thing boxed and they will need to send it back to bkool and will take a month.

Don't know what to do now. As warrenty is with bkool, they should post new units our directly and take the faulty one away, just like Sony do with PS3 etc. so you not left without and you don't have to pay postage to send anything back.

Ain't got time for this bkool

If you got it from Evans then Your contract is with Evans, not Bkool, so just return it to them as faulty and leave it to them to deal with Bkool. I would tell Evans that Bkool have checked the unit and confirmed it as faulty, perhaps provide them with the email trail. If Evans don't play nicely and send you another unit fast, get in touch with the credit card company (you did pay by credit card) and they should apply pressure or action a chargeback.

 

[RickB]

Wow LBHIFI 3 trainers omg lol and thanks for the info and comparison.
Can't believe you own both the bkool and the tacx Genius. Not cheap devices at all.
I looked into the tacx Genius but couldn't justify the big spend.

Thanks Bill Im hoping I'm able to compete in the bkool Summer Cup or any other ones that available, but I'm guessing I'll be dead last
How serious is the racing???
I want to try and compete but also don't want to take the fun out of it by not being able to keep up with anyone. I'm not getting any younger!
I'm an average cyclist riding anywhere from 20 miles to around 60 miles maybe twice a week.
I'd like to ride much more often than I presently do, hence the purchase of the bkool pro trainer.

Also, Are the real life routes realistic? cause theres many I'd like to try if bkool have them.

cheers

Just to back up bill and LB. You'll not regret getting involved in the live races. Its improved my cycling no end.

The races are fun and serious at the same time. No one knows anyone really so there no shame in doing badly for example but it really bring out the competitor in you. You can always find a few extra watts when trying to catch the guy 10 seconds ahead! Join yhe summer league and give it a go. You don't have to race live either as you can race against other people's, or even your own, previous times whenever you like.

I don't use the video rides much but the ones I've seen are pretty cool. Alp D'uez being the main one.

 

[Hazie]

Hi again,
I've just logged into bkool website to familiarize myself with the software before my trainer arrives. Quick question!
In order to join the summer league.....how do I do it?
Do I have to join a group first or something cause I can't find it......sorry for the noob questions.

 

[Hazie]

I did find the Summer Cup if thats what you guys meant.