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The 'some people only ride indoors' thing reminds me a bit of people I used to talk to at climbing walls who didn't climb outdoors. For me indoor climbing and indoor riding are fundamentally about being better adapted to enjoy doing the same stuff outdoors in the real world. I'm not immune to the slightly perverse charms of turning myself inside out on the turbo - I like it, I'm wired that way - but it's not the same as riding outdoors and people who think it will be are in for disappointment.
Also, 'Flex feels wrong'...
Actually the right level of movement using a rocker plate and a front-wheel turntable-type block, makes things feel more 'natural' than the bike being rigidly fixed in place and also introduces an element of movement in the saddle/butt interface which helps a lot with comfort. If your saddle or position are wrong, a long turbo session will find it out quickly.
Also, a big fan is a must, particularly on warmer days, Plus a secondary fan or two pointed at your head and back help. You churn out three watts in heat for every watt you make in power, so you get hot quickly and your power output drops off correspondingly. You can sort of make a virtue of this with deliberate heat adaptation training, but I'd rather be outside when it's warm and dry anyway.
Amusingly, in the recent cold snap, my hands were getting cold enough that I started wearing long-fingered gloves indoors. Never thought I'd do that, but my turbo is in an outhouse and it does get proper cold.
The "indoors only" thing seems strange to (us) cyclists but then look at all the folk going to gyms doing weights - do you think they are all lifting heavy loads outside as part of their job/lifestyle?
i ruddy love Zwift. Its taken me from being last to the top of a climb with my buddies to the first.
I've lost 15kg in weight and become much fitter. Which allows me to ride harder for longer in the real world. Do things like the SDW in a day etc etc.
I appreciate its not for everyone. And it goes without saying that riding in the real world is preferable. But on a grim winters evening, i'd rather be zwifitng than either getting cake in mud or sitting on my backside.
And the STW race series that was put on was superb. Everyone involved, everyone flogging themselves!
Zwift for the win, as the youths used to say!
28, you still need to clean or wipe down the bike, my sweat ate the anodising and some of the actual cup from my hope BB 🙁 It's not just the bars that can corrode.
Zwifting is great in the rubbish (cold) weather as I feel ready for cycling outdoors when weather permits without destroying many parts of my aging body in the cold.
The ‘some people only ride indoors’ thing reminds me a bit of people I used to talk to at climbing walls who didn’t climb outdoors. For me indoor climbing and indoor riding are fundamentally about being better adapted to enjoy doing the same stuff outdoors in the real world. I’m not immune to the slightly perverse charms of turning myself inside out on the turbo – I like it, I’m wired that way – but it’s not the same as riding outdoors and people who think it will be are in for disappointment.
Interesting - I was, pre-covid a fairly keen (certainly not good!) indoor climber.
Never climbed outdoors, never really had an interest in doing so. Plus I'm in the south so would have been a weekend trip at a minimum!
Saw it as fun exercise and "socialising" in its own right.
If you aren't and dont want to be a cyclist, but want to lose weight or get fit for your sunday league football or something, I guess it makes sense as low impact but useful cardio.
I need structured intervals to get stronger/fitter, I can't do these when it's pitch dark and 4° in the lanes after a day at work so it's indoors for me during the week.
For the most part I enjoy it, and being stronger/fitter helps getting the most out of my riding when the spring/summer months come around...this makes me happy.
I guess the indoor only crowd have thier reasons but for me it gets stale pretty quickly without some outdoor rides at the weekend to break things up.
I've stupidly got my set-up in the garage. Which is great from a space perspective, but the 'outsideness' is still enough to often put me off!
On the topic of tips, get an ANT+ dongle for your device. Better connection. And also get a mat thing for the floor, I've got a big neoprene work-out mat. Floor will get ruined otherwise with your fluids mixed with bike fluids. That sounds grotty, doesn't it?
I've really missed not getting out regularly to around Old Winchester Hill or the likes of Warren Corner and Milland at all over the last almost 2.5 years, but my Saris H3 turbo has been my cycling lifeline since long covid.
While I'm still using ~30% trainer difficulty in Zwift for races and TTs, recently I've added some rolling routes to "my list" like Grand Central and I freeride them at 100% trainer difficulty, to try and help prepare me for heading to the outdoor hills in ~6 weeks or so.
Out today. Slippy mud, fierce headwind and idiot with her dogs off the lead (“he’s not good round bikes since he got hit by one” - so WTF is he running free on a share use path?) made this Type 2 fun but it made a change from staring my Zwift avatar…
Testing
Out of curiosity, I once tried to do a very simple structured workout outdoors.I found it impossible to maintain the required power for the required duration, even though I'd chosen a long, almost traffic free section of road without any junctions.
Even slight variations in grade meant my power numbers were all over the place and I was spending more time looking at my Garmin than concentrating on the road. The power numbers seem to fluctuate in the region of +/- 50 watts for what felt like similar effort levels. Maybe it requires more practice but it's LOT easier on a turbo in ERG mode!
(Or maybe I need to find a pan-flat outdoor velodrome to do such workouts - with no other riders to get in my way)