I'm just curious as to what sort of setup might make regular 'easy' workouts more achievable.
I've done some VERY long rides using Tacx and the real videos. I'm pretty sure Rouvy would work too. I just view it as going out for a ride and seeing what the scenery throws at me, adjusting effort according to incline and inclination. The cartoon/repetitive scenery in Zwift just doesn't engage me enough to do that.
My Neo also has the Motion Plates, which take the arse pain of being stuck immobile away.
What's the difference between the watbike and the zwift?
the Wattbike is a hefty lump with 4 solid feet, one at each corner. It has no overhangs really so it’s rock solid. I did try the tennis ball idea under the feet but there was, for me, too much unnatural feeling movement, like a heavy pendulum.
The Zwiftride is more like a wheel off trainer, with the Wahoo well planted at the back, and the front on a single leg. So it’s longer as a unit, more like a tripod leg wise and had a load of natural ride feeling flex in use. It’s also less than half the weight of the Wattbike.
So far so good..
I use MyWhoosh, it's not as slick as Zwift but it is free an works fine. Saying that, the fact that I rarely use it probably says all you need to know about how enjoyable it is to use...
I moved to MyWhoosh for the very reason I do not use the indoor trainer very much .. Zwift is far better for the `races` because there are loads of different start times and always lots in each race;other than that, I don`t think its anything more than MyWhoosh
I use the `Bunch` on MyWhoosh and join a w/kg `Bunch` which rides around that ... 3.7 w/kg for a solid 90 minute work out or 2.7w/kg for a steady effort (the bunch just gives the encouragement to stay with the group instead of falling into plodding mode as i typically do on any indoor trainer after 20 mins)
Direct drive is way to go. An old bike with even older front wheel. I have Elite Direto, Apple TV 4K, 55" TV, large fan .. rubber matting on floor to catch the sweat.
If anyone in Glasgow area needs an indoor trainer mat I have a brand new rolled up Planet X one that is surplus to my needs.
"Semi-permanent" setup here i.e. nothing nailed to the wall, no fancy giant flatscreen or whatever. I have a music stand with the table & my phone on & a freestanding fan.
Direct drive is the game changer. I have a Garmin Flux - bought the outgoing model for £300. It's limitations are way less limiting than my limitations.
Mywhoosh is free and works plenty good enough. I'm interested in structured sessions that I can plug my humourously low FTP number into, not group rides or races. You can (I do) add your own structured workouts if the eleventy billion built in workouts don't suit. YMMV.
Get a big fan, or two, you will need them.
I can't imagine going back to a vanilla indoor trainer. They're pish by comparison.
Would something like following a robo-pacer or ticking off routes in Rouvy make e.g. 90 minute zone 2 efforts more bearable? Does a fancier turbo help?
Maybe.
My take, for zone 2 snoozefests, I pretty much always have my phone run mywhoosh and have Netflix on a tablet.
For interval sessions, mywhoosh runs on the bigger screen on the tablet and I have headphones on.
