Thinking about getting a Zwift, any good?

[cyberknight]

I had my sister go out and buy a turbo for me whilst I was still in hospital - they were on offer ! (I'd lent mine to a mate that subsequently vanished to Scotland).

i was in the kitchen , back door open even though it was freezing and a fan and i was still dripping , i think i was doing alpe zwift 3 times a week although it was a dumb trainer so not as effective but it was fun

 

[sophie2wheelz]

i was in the kitchen , back door open even though it was freezing and a fan and i was still dripping , i think i was doing alpe zwift 3 times a week although it was a dumb trainer so not as effective but it was fun

Yes, I'm a bit of a sweater too

 

[fossyant]

i was in the kitchen , back door open even though it was freezing and a fan and i was still dripping , i think i was doing alpe zwift 3 times a week although it was a dumb trainer so not as effective but it was fun

Alpe du Zwift was never fun. About an hours drag.

 

[cyberknight]

Alpe du Zwift was never fun. About an hours drag.

i was off work so it was something to do

 

[cougie uk]

You'll need to protect your bike from sweat too. It's much better if you have a cold place to train.

 

[si_c]

Definitely a fan (or two) is needed. A cross draught can work well too though if it's cold outside. I used a spare bedroom before moving as somewhere to set up (also doubled as my office) and found I got really hot even in winter with the window open and it being only a 4°C outside.

Another consideration is whether you live with others or not as some trainers (particularly wheel on trainers like the T2240 mentioned above) can be quite noisy. If you live with a partner it's not going to be so much of an issue as they'll likely put up with it more, but it could be an issue if you live in a shared house. In the latter case a direct drive trainer such as the Wahoo Kickr Core or Tacx Flux might be a better option, if a little more expensive.

 

[si_c]

Also worth noting, you don't need a PC or phone to use Zwift, you can use Apple TV or if you have a compatible Android TV you can install Zwift directly on that and use bluetooth to link your trainer. Assuming putting a bike and trainer in the living room are an option

 

[cougie uk]

I think you need to make it convenient too. If you can just jump on the bike and go - then you're far more likely to do it than if you have to clear space and set the bike, turbo, tv, fan up. There's no way I'd be doing it if I had to use the living room !

 

[13 rider]

To make the most of zwift you need a Smart trainer which will be your biggest out lay . Try and go for a direct drive trainer . That's one you take your back wheel off . Your talking about £500 for a wahoo kickr (tried and tested model ) or £450 for a zwift hub ( new to the market) .

 

[ExBrit]

Hello lovely people. I'm thinking about getting a Zwift now we are entering into the darker months to keep my training up. Are they any good? Can people recommend? Thanks in advance! xx

I tried Zwift for a couple of months but got bored because there's only about 300k of route in total. I wasn't too impressed with the graphics either. On the other hand, there are a lot more riders (largely because they're all cramped into 300k) and you can make limited routing decisions mid-ride. I eventually switched to Rouvy which has about 20,000 km of route to ride and has gorgeous graphics. On Rouvy the routes actually exist so you can often ride roads you've ridden before or explore totally new ones.

Basically, if you're into competition Zwift is a good bet. If you want something more relaxed and scenic take a look at Rouvy. Or get a trial membership of both and see which you prefer.

 

[rivers]

I zwift in my utility, with windows and the tip of the stable door open. I have the new zwift hub which is excellent. If you want to get started in the cheap, I have my elite novo smart trainer, including wheel with training tyre and 11 speed cassette, QR axle and riser block for sale. £120 inc shipping. Photos in the for sale section

 

[silvervanplumberman]

I've been against Zwift for years and was an outdoors rider only constantly taking the piff out of my friends who had it, telling them it doesn't count as it's not really riding. But I have recently gone the over to the Zwift seen and wish I'd done it years ago and I've had to eat my words. I still don't think it's real riding though. I've gone the whole 9 yards and bought a used Wattbike Atom from fleabay, got it set up in the shed with a massive fan, an old TV that was previously my daughters before she moved out and I use an Apple TV hub for the Zwift set up. You don't need to use your laptop with this. Also download the Zwift companion app for your iphone or ipad to run alongside the main programme when you are using it. Very use full. And a radio or some sort of audio so you can listen to some music when doing workouts or I find podcasts are good when I'm just doing zone 2 rides. The main thing is just have fun with it.

 

[Cathryn]

I got Zwift for Christmas and I’m really enjoying it!! Riding my bike loads more than I would usually in January.

 

[cougie uk]

I did that silly Rapha festive 500 all on Zwift. There was no way I would have got out on the roads to do it - but finding a couple of hours a night to get the miles in was fine. Best start to the year I can remember - will definitely do it this year and now it's the Tour de Zwift so there is always something on there to keep you occupied.

 

[the_mikey]

You can ride socially, competitively or just for training with dedicated workouts.

I have been using Zwift for a while and I've been wondering how people do it socially...