I ❤️ Love My… Indoor Training Set Up

Amanda brings you the details of her finely tuned indoor training set up. What’s she using and why? Garmin Tacx Neo 2TIdentiti AKA HardtailTrainerRoad …

By amandawishart

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 I do find fitness addictive

I wish that was my problem. I’m addicted to Doritos, ice cream, fizzy pop, etc…

The problem with this article is everything is advertises at 2-3 times more expensive than it needs to be.  Plenty of discount Smart Turbo’s around, use an old / second hand bike for the turbo, refurbished computer for your App du jour, Screwfix Fan for £30 etc.

 

 

The table is a good idea as I’m currently balancing my iMac on a 20+ year old high chair, but 150 squids? Really?

it’s £60

https://www.wiggle.co.uk/lifeline-trainer-table

Better than mine, mine is 2 pieces of MDF that go in my vice on the workbench 🙂

or £80

https://www.wiggle.co.uk/lifeline-pro-trainer-table?utm_source=affiliate-window&utm_medium=affiliates&utm_campaign=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcrainmaker.com&utm_term=DCR+Enterprises+LLC&utm_content=Editorial+Content&awc=1857_1675855515_c962dc31c4ef89019c5473ad8c16815d&sv_campaign_id=609955&sv_tax1=affiliate&sv_tax2=5425%7C5497%7C23191%7C59116%7C159115&sv_tax3=DCR+Enterprises+LLC&sv_tax4=0&sv_affiliate_id=609955

The article is showing Amanda’s setup…if that is what current prices are for that kit then that is what it costs. Reading the article it isn’t saying that we must all go and spend that amount of money. Plenty of cheaper options that work very well, but it is a good article to show what someone is using. Plenty of articles highlighting expensive kit, hopefully get to see cheaper alternatives as well, but I’m not sure this article was an intentional ‘buy this expensive kit’ article.

I’m fine with a cheaper everything but the setup isn’t far off what I’ve got, just don’t have the IT setup to get an online account to follow…but for the volume of turbo training/indoor riding that I do, I’m not needing that.

Old road bike, Tacx Vortex trainer, Zwift on ipad connected to 27″ PC monitor, Zwift companion on ipod touch on the bars. Argos fan.

We list the RRP when we publish prices – because sale prices come and go. So yes, you may well find the items at much lower prices at a variety of retailers.

@Kryton57 – it’s “what she’s using and why” not how to set up on the cheap.

A bike you already have is cheaper than buying a special turbo bike anyway.

A vacmaster fan really is worth the extra and if the remote version had been available when I bought the basic one I would have been tempted. You should be able to find a code for 10% off too. CLEAVA10 works at the moment.

I have one of those “Pro” trainer tables. It’s ace!

I use it almost daily as a very handy charging point for all sorts of things. It has two usb power outlets, and a combined 3-pin / 2-pin mains outlet… All at the perfect height. Great stuff 🙂

The problem with this article is everything is advertises at 2-3 times more expensive than it needs to be.  Plenty of discount Smart Turbo’s around, use an old / second hand bike for the turbo, refurbished computer for your App du jour, Screwfix Fan for £30 etc.

Its one of the perks of being a jurno, you get sent all the swanky stuff for free 🙂

A second for the (semi) Pro Trainer Table.  Got one for Xmas and it is worth it, very little chance of computer/tablet/beer crashing to the floor during those sprint efforts.

My fan certainly needs an upgrade, although just opening the garage door right now gives me all the cooling I need.

The problem with this article is everything is advertises at 2-3 times more expensive than it needs to be.  Plenty of discount Smart Turbo’s around, use an old / second hand bike for the turbo, refurbished computer for your App du jour, Screwfix Fan for £30 etc.

If we go down that road .. you don’t actually need to spend money to set up a turbo trainer. Why bother with the computer and smart trainer, just bash out your weekly interval sesh on an old resistance trainer in front of a blank wall or a photo of a road somewhere if you’re feeling like it. If you’re working hard you’re not really focusing on a screen anyway. Get Soviet on yourself and harden up. For base miles when you’re too soft to go outside just watch youtube on your phone or listen to a podcast. Or the radio.

I’m sort of kidding but apparently it worked for John Stamstad.

That looks like an awesome setup and given the spare funds I’d have the same.

I’ve got (possibly) the cheapest, most opposite setup possible.

2nd hand Cannondale CAAD 8 – which I bought in 2011 for £200.

Zwift Hub – £470 inc shipping

iPad Air 2 from eBay – £99

COOSPO HRM from Amazon – £23.99

60 * 80cm heavy duty carpet mat from eBay – £20

Adjustable iPad stand from Amazon – £21

Pedestal fan from the loft – FOC

So that’s how to do the same on the cheap.  No flashing lights when you’re pumping out the big watts 🙁 and it’s not pretty enough to have in the lounge, at least according to my better half – so it’s lived in the conservatory since November and I’ve managed to use it at least 5 days a week since then.  And having it setup all the time but still out of the way is the reason it works for me 🙂

very little chance of computer/tablet/beer crashing to the floor during those sprint efforts.

I like it, CX training obviously. Though do be careful with what tablets you take if it’s UCI level racing.

I have a Lifeline trainer table, it’s fantastic. One of those things you don’t realise would be that good until you have one.  Hands down worth the money.

Good because it goes really high and can come close to you so you can reach stuff on it – like drinks, snacks, phone, laptop keyboard, fan remote if you have one, and so on.

I read this in the paper magazine yesterday

I enjoyed the article. Particularly the idea of putting up with indoor traing to allow things like bike packing trips, rather than chasing spped for speeds sake

@amandawishart

This is a bit cheeky to ask so feel free to ignore

The retail price of the set up is not inconsiderable. I’m quite intreseted   to know if magazine staff get good “deals” on this stuff. Or if the outlay is part of the commitmemt

Know one will belive me but i really don’t care if some one gave you the lot. I’m just curious about the way the world works

Got one for Xmas and it is worth it, very little chance of computer/tablet/beer crashing to the floor during those sprint efforts.

Have a plus one for beer-obic sprint efforts.

Its one of the perks of being a jurno, you get sent all the swanky stuff for free 🙂

Only one of these items was free, and one is on loan. I paid for the rest 🙂

Plenty of discount Smart Turbo’s around, use an old / second hand bike for the turbo, refurbished computer for your App du jour, Screwfix Fan for £30 etc.

This Garmin Tacx is on loan/test, but it is leagues ahead of any turbo I have used in the past. It’s worth the amount they charge, if not more (IMO) if you’re serious about training. That is a bike I already own that I can’t afford to build up right now, so it’s obviously cheaper than sourcing something else to go on there. May as well not bother with a £30 fan for indoor training – you really need to keep your temperature down so buying one that does that, for sub £100, is a good choice I reckon.

The retail price of the set up is not inconsiderable. I’m quite intreseted   to know if magazine staff get good “deals” on this stuff. Or if the outlay is part of the commitmemt

£1,199.00 Garmin Tacx – Test product on loan for review. Garmin want it back ASAP
£499 Identiti AKA frame – I was given this when my Ragley Piglet got stolen. (I paid for the Piglet and everything on it, but receiving a frame was absolutely an industry perk)
£119.99 Garmin HRM Pro – Paid full price for
£99.95 Vacmaster – Paid for, it was discounted at the time so can’t remember the exact amount
£149.99 LifeLine trainer table – Test product. Usually on sale at ~£60. I wouldn’t buy one myself, but I do think they’re good
TrainerRoad membership – Paid full price for

Some places would offer a media discount, but we don’t/can’t review items that we pay for, which is why this is a ‘look at my set-up’ column as opposed to a bunch of reviews.

Good to see someone else using TrainerRoad to facilitate adventures. Mightily impressed that you can concentrate enough to read while tackling the blue graphs of doom though (I watch superhero nonsense on my laptop cos it doesn’t need much brain).

I usually have heavy metal in my headphones and various things to be thinking/worrying about in my mind. The Kindle is for warm-ups and cool downs if I’m totally honest!

Tacx T2240 – Cost me £150 but RRP around £200

Ant+ dongle and extension £20

Old monitor and mini PC – say £100

Existing bike £0

Fan £20

Add Zwift etc

Does the job, although everything folded away currently as my base miles are commuting, and that’s more than enough, plus proper rides. The turbo is mainly there if I get injured. Spent a lot of time on it after my broken spine though.

Outdoors any time.

I have a neo with a vac master fan and a dedicated turbo bike, set up identically to my race bike. Running on a pc and 40 inch screen in one of my spare bedrooms

Indoor training is rubbish enough without using crap equipment. Whilst I appreciate you don’t have to spend big bucks, even moving from a tacx flux (cheap direct drive turbo) to a neo made the whole experience better. And the vac master fan with the remote is light years ahead of the large screw fix job it replaced

No rocker plate?

I made mine – 2ft x 6ft 18mm plywood sawn in two. 2 vibration mounts and a couple of tennis balls. Reckon it cost about £35.

Comfy comfy and none of that horrid constrained feeling when you stand up to sprint. Made my indoor training experience so much better.

If you wanted to buy one then they’re available at ridiculous prices …

The tacx neo has about 10° of sway, so doesn’t really need a rocker…

I’ve a Neo 2t, and agree it’s a fantastic bit of kit.

Additionally, I’ve 2 vacmaster fans and an 18″ fan wall mounted high up in front..

Ami the only one who actually LOVES indoor training?!

DrP

> Ami the only one who actually LOVES indoor training?!

I’m not going to call it training, because I wasn’t really training for anything, just doing it for fitness.

I do love my setup, I can get in there after work circa 6pm for an hours race of some sort, a bit of weights and then straight in the shower. I probably do about 5 sessions a week.

There are *no* hills near me – I’m in the vale of aylesbury and its 30 mins in the car to get to foot of the ridgeway, so its riding bridleways round the edge of fields for fun if you only have an hour to two. I’ve also had some very near misses on the road bike recently.

I’ve just added a second hand treadmill and started doing zwift duathlons, which are 30 min TT ride, 10 min break and 20 min run, and pencilled in a triathlon for june, none of which would be likely without daily indoor rides. I think I better start calling it training now.

HRMs for females. K’s having trouble with hers dropping out a lot.  How do you deal with HRM and bra straps as it seems like they both want to be in the same place?

@b33k34 – a Wahoo Tickr (or similar) on the forearm / upper arm works pretty much as well as a chest strap but without the issues of strap interference …

This is the one my wife uses – https://uk.wahoofitness.com/devices/heart-rate-monitors/tickr-fit-optical-heart-rate-monitor

@b33k34 as above the tickr fit is great. Mine is 2 years old now and gets used for everything (run, indoor and outdoor cycling).

On the vacmaster fan front the cardio version is IMO a waste vs the normal version. The airflow is the same from both but you pay a load extra for the remote! At the point I bought mine the warranty on the non-cardio version was also better.

Thanks.  I was wondering about the armband ones.  Used to have one when I was jogging but found it didn’t use it and sold it on.

Disagree on the vac master fan – I find it turn it up and down during a session so the remote is well worth it.  Both of mine were open box returns from eBay at a discount (one was 52, the first 70).