I’ll be using my mtb on my Kickr when it arrives tomorrow (hopefully) but I’m wondering if I should look out for a secondhand bike to use instead and if that should be a road bike? Problem is I’ve never owned a road bike in my entire life. In fact, I’ve never even ridden one. Is this a bad idea and should I just stick to using the mtb with the Kickr?
I'm using my old 26" mtb on my Kickr and it works adequately.
I decided against using my main bike because I couldn't be arsed with the removal/remounting every other day.
On my old bike the forks don't lock out so that causes some bounce while sprinting, but otherwise everything is usable but not idea. I've removed the brake levers to give me some more room on the bars, mainly for different positions. I am looking at a set of barends to mount inboard for another hand position.
You'll want to pick up a cheap road bike if you don't want to keep removing your mtb from the trainer, and if you run out gears on zwift.
An old road bike is a great solution. I've got my old lemond chamberry on my trainer. It's 2x10 speed road which is easy enough to get parts for. I've even fitted a cheap solid front tyre so that doesn't need to be pumped up any more.
Yeah, I got fed up with not being arsed to go for a proper ride because my road bike was on the trainer.
Bought a cheap & cheerful boardman from eBay with local pickup. Had to put a new chain on it, but otherwise it’s been aces.
Works the other way too, when the road bike is already on the trainer and it needs no setting up you're more likely to use it.
Mines a 9 speed used bike from a STW member and it's perfect for the job.
Like many others i started with the mtb but you run out of gears and the on / off faff is minor but overtime irritating.
Recently bought a racer from my local recycling bike place, felt good, then removed drops, brakes, shifters and installed mtb handlebar and ebayed two shifters.
James
Yeah, like others, i use a road bike, 2 reasons for this,
1: it has big enough chainrings.
2: i need it set up and ready to, er, go. Or it won’t be used.
Any road bike that fits will do.
I've also found I've needed a saddle with a cutout for the zwift bike as you stay seated a lot more than outdoor riding. Generally I'm in the big ring and about 6 or 7 gears of the cassette, unless it's the Alp Du Zwift where I'm grinding away in 1st gear in the small chainring!
It is easier if you can leave a bike on the trainer most of the time. My main road bike broadly lives on there as it’s mostly for commuting and that’s still not really a thing because Covid.
An mtb would work but you’d need a cassette to leave on the trainer and one on your back wheel otherwise it’s a pain in the arse. Mtb cassettes are often more expensive than road ones too. I leave an 11 speed cassette on the turbo and another 11 speed cassette on my road rear wheel. I have 2 chains with reusable quicklinks (KMC) that I use - 1 with each cassette.
If it were me in your situation I’d try and pick up a cheap secondhand road bike - wheels don’t matter as they aren’t doing anything on the wheel-off turbo - as long as the gears are serviceable it’ll do the job. I run my kickr core in ERG mode so I don’t even need to change gear on the turbo.
I bought a Raleigh Cadent. Decent gearing for Zwift. Works well to me.
Thanks for all the comments.
It seems like it’ll be a good idea to get a road bike then. I guess I’m going to need to research a bit before buying because I know absolutely zero.
Is there anything I need to have on the bike and anything I should avoid? I would like it to be roadworthy in case I fancy taking it out on actual roads one day.
Would £500 get me something suitable second hand?
Would it be worth considering a gravel bike?
Would £500 get me something suitable second hand?
Would it be worth considering a gravel bike?
Absolutely yes, mine was £280
Yes, if you want a slightly more relaxed position, but it'll probably cost more than a cheap road bike.
I don’t think a gravel bike is a better option - lots of them have 1x and will cost more money.
A cheapie decathlon / b twin / boardman / carrera will do the job fine. Or any number of old giant / Trek etc.
I’d have thought £300 would do it as Covid tax seems to be wearing off a bit on second hand bikes.
If you fit on a M or L then there should be lots of choice, I needed an XL so less around but got a cracking deal on a STW members old commuter which has been perfect for my needs.
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New cassette and chain and it was good to go.
you don't need a road bike, you need a road chainset, plus a mech & shifters (road or mtb) that match your chosen cassette. Any frame that fits you will do unless it has some daft BB width
Doesn't need to be light, aero, pretty, brakeable etc
I've got an old tank of a Trek with an old school ultegra 10 speed groupset on it. Built up and never seen the light of day but has done a few thousand miles on zwift. It's perfect.
I'm running a canyon endurace cf slx frame, over kill you'd think but its got a couple of cracks in it after a fight with a car. no way id ride it on the road but it hasnt fell apart yet and if it does i wont have far to fall on the turbo.
maybe look for a damaged frame on ebay??
Similar to mrchrispy - I'm using an old Ellsworth Flight road bike with a cracked head tube as my turbo bike.
Definitely wouldn't ride it on the road but absolutely perfect on a trainer.
If we're doing pics then 🙂
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I have a Genesis Equilibrium (bought as a 2nd hand frame only) with an old Tiagra 9 speed groupset and a bunch of other old parts. It’s perfect for Zwift.
I'd get an old bike to leave on it if I were you. As already said, don't worry about looks/weight/etc, just make sure it's the right size and has the right gear range for you. I wouldn't even bother getting something nice in case you do go out on the road - IF you do, use what you've got and if you enjoy it then get something nice and spangly to use outside.
Per my comment on your other thread, this is exactly why I ended up with a Kickr Bike! Once you start adding faff, dedicated turbo bike, new pedals for turbo bike, new shoes as new pedals are different, new road bike as you've decided you like road riding but want to leave this one on the turbo, etc etc etc, you end up spending close to the same money. Take a kick in the wallet up front, or death by a thousand additional purchases....!
I've got my old roadbike on my Kickr Core: it's a Decathlon model with 3x9 Sora and I bought it some time around 2010-2011. It works fine, and I can't see myself ever changing it. I do use erg close to 100% of the time (on Systm), I'm not sure if I'd miss a higher top gear on Zwift in slope mode. (Probably not as I've used this bike a lot on road, and I only ever missed a higher top gear on particularly long downhills).
I’m wondering if I should look out for a secondhand bike to use instead and if that should be a road bike?
It is very useful if you have the space to have a bike permanently set up. However I'm not sure it should be a road bike. Obviously not a scientific experiment but I put my wife's hybrid on my trainer and my watts jumped noticeably. I've heard suggestions before that moderately upright position is better for power delivery, but roadies go lower for aero gains. But they obviously don't apply on a trainer.
Oh, if you end up with an alloy bike make sure you use a sweat net. Although that's a good idea anyway tbh.
when the road bike is already on the trainer and it needs no setting up you’re more likely to use it.
That's what I do. Even though it doesn't take long to set up, I probably wouldn't use it as much if I had to keep swapping things round. Now, I just turn the computer on, jump on and pedal. It's great for after work if I only have a small window of time to ride.
I’ve heard suggestions before that moderately upright position is better for power delivery, but roadies go lower for aero gains.
I find the opposite. If I sit upright during a ride on the turbo, it gets noticably harder to maintain the same power. Maybe it's the added weight on the back wheel causing more resistance?
If I'm too far forward or standing on the road bike my rear wheel often slips on the roller.
An important thing to have is consistency. So same wheelsize, tyre and pressure.
I bought a Triban from Decathlon after a month of watching secondhand dross sell for silly money, and I figured it might as well be something I wouldn't mind riding around the lanes on a nice day.
Wife is keen to do the zwift thing too, pondering a whole other setup (for convenience) vs selling mine and getting a wattbike or kickr bike or similar that can adjust between us.