Zwift online cycling

[msommers]

What other shops in town might carry the higher-end trainers?

[ZeroGravity]

I've seen the Tacx Neo at the Cycle Path Royal Oak. So I assume they carry the Tacx line of trainers.

I believe Velocity Cycle (in Edmonton) has Tacx trainers as well.

[msommers]

Thanks man!

[jdmXSI]

Tri it also carries Tacx, always been extremely friendly and helpful when I've been in there. They are now right across from the sunalta station.

[Kritafo]

we use a computrainer and switched to TrainerRoad

[msommers]

Bit the bullet on a Neo, the road feel was just so much better than the other trainers and was nearly silent - I couldn't get over the Kickr2 noise pitch though the noise level was fine. No one seemed to have a Flux in store and almost all were back-ordered until mid-Feb it seemed. Picking mine up tomorrow, price was right (enough)

Hopefully it doesn't shit the bed. I'm praying it's a loud few online that make up the majority of the seeming problems reported.

[lilmira]

Nice! Now you have to do the climb to the watopia radio tower, 14% grade. Your legs will hate you lol.

I tried the running mode on Monday unfortunately zwift was down at the time so I just had a quick run to test the milestone pod. It seems to work fine giving me all the info, cadence, leg swing, impact, where my foot makes contact etc. I'll spend more time on the treadmill once I'm done with the 12 week program on the bike, my body can only handle so much .

[msommers]

One thing that seems super weird with Zwift is the lack of Bluetooth support on PC. You have to use your phone as a bridge device. Fortunately I have ANT stick from a garmin watch at home I'm hoping is USB2!

I'll probably die 1/1000th of the way on that climb! The idea is that I spent so fucking much on this and am pretty competitive that I'll stick with the trainer/zwift. I just got way too bored watching tv and attempting to listen to an audio book.

The Jasper Gran Fondo is my target this year. A girl at the store in Edmonton was saying that if someone has the route on Strava or something that the smart trainers can mimic the whole route. Fucking technology, amazeballs!

EDIT: Hoping I can get to work
https://www.strava.com/routes/5221597

[lilmira]

I used Wahoo Segments before for simulated ride on any Strava segment but it appears that they have discontinued the app. I did some random route in North Korea with that.

I've seen people posting simulated rides with Fulgaz or Kinomap.

[kJUMP]

Need an opinion!

Cyclepath called me today. Like Msommers wrote, all the Tacx Flux are on back order till at least mid-Feb, and even then, it's unknown when/if they would ever make it here.

So I've been offered the Cycleops Hammer for the same price, or pay more for the Tacx Neo, but would get a good deal on that one. I think he was just feeling bad cuz I paid down my deposit beginning of December.

1) The Hammer is direct drive and has just been released as well, initial reviews are good, thought to be comparable to the KICKR2.
2) The Neo seems to be most sought after, the quietest and has a couple extra features, though there are a few quality concerns that have been brought up, and also the extra cost.

Thoughts?

[msommers]

What I ultimately decided on was the features and spending a bit more to purchase locally. I think most of the horror stories have been from people buying from Europe and having to spend hundreds to send the units back.

I think DC Rainmaker said it best:

Re:Neo

Now, there is one downside here: Tacx quality control on the NEO production line seems to be variable. Last year started off with some folks having various noises coming from their units. These had different sources, and Tacx found an issue in assembly that caused metal bits to end up in the unit. That was supposed to solve that. But the reality is it hasn’t. There are still people – including even myself – who have managed to get bum units straight off the assembly line, even as recently as this past week (via retailers). It’s a problem. So, I’ve got no issues recommending the NEO as long as you can return it easily and quickly for a new one (within your country). You’ll generally know within the first ride or few if something is amiss.

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2016/10/...endations.html

You'd think at this price point that the thing would be flawless but the more I think about it, the more I envision realistic ownership of a Ferrari

[lilmira]

Originally posted by kJUMP
Need an opinion!

Did you talk to Adam at CP North? I thought he was getting the Hammer. I think Brad might have the Neo.

[msommers]

Yep, Brad is a solid guy. Definitely recommend CP north.

[kJUMP]

Originally posted by lilmira


Did you talk to Adam at CP North? I thought he was getting the Hammer. I think Brad might have the Neo.

Was Adam having a bunch of issues with Zwift? Seemed like he couldn't do a ride without it crashing...

I've been dealing with Callum at the South shop. Closer to my abode, he's been super helpful. The other guys at the North shop are great too.

PS. Charles I switched out my crank to the FSA SLK light full carbon compact and will probably go with the Pioneer left arm PM which is compatible... Unless 4iiii comes back to me with a working option before springtime!

[lilmira]

I'm not sure what his problem was. It sounds more like a problem with his computer, I wouldn't think the trainer would cause the program to crash. I can see signal drop out and the trainer not reconnecting.

Pioneer has new crank arm PM now? I only know about their PM on the spider. Have you considered the Garmin Vector 2? The price has come down quite a bit.

[Penguin_Racecar]

Originally posted by lilmira
I'm not sure what his problem was. It sounds more like a problem with his computer, I wouldn't think the trainer would cause the program to crash. I can see signal drop out and the trainer not reconnecting.

Pioneer has new crank arm PM now? I only know about their PM on the spider. Have you considered the Garmin Vector 2? The price has come down quite a bit.

Are the vectors reliable now? Any testing I've done with them in the past has been a bit of a pain. When they were set up properly they seemed super accurate and worked great, but went through batteries like crazy and were annoying to calibrate.
I'm on a 4iiii PRECISION left side now and love it.

As for Zwift crashing issues - it's been great on my windows 7 machine, but I've seen it crash out multiple times on my wife's macbook.

[Penguin_Racecar]

Originally posted by msommers
Fortunately I have ANT stick from a garmin watch at home I'm hoping is USB2!

For anyone needing another ANT+ stick:

http://www.gpscity.ca/garmin-usb-ant-stick-mini.html
$25 CAD and they are located in Calgary, close to Speeders so you can actually pick up in person. Cheaper than I've found them on Amazon and actual Garmin OEM units.

[lilmira]

I don't have any experience with the Vector/Vector2. I only read about the pod being susceptible to physical damage. If your crank is compatible with the 4iiii precision, you can't beat the price and performance. Mine hasn't failed me. If they end up with drive side PM for Ultegra I'll probably upgrade mine to dual.

[msommers]

Originally posted by Penguin_Racecar


For anyone needing another ANT+ stick:

http://www.gpscity.ca/garmin-usb-ant-stick-mini.html
$25 CAD and they are located in Calgary, close to Speeders so you can actually pick up in person. Cheaper than I've found them on Amazon and actual Garmin OEM units.

That's a great find!

[kJUMP]

Originally posted by lilmira
I'm not sure what his problem was. It sounds more like a problem with his computer, I wouldn't think the trainer would cause the program to crash. I can see signal drop out and the trainer not reconnecting.

Pioneer has new crank arm PM now? I only know about their PM on the spider. Have you considered the Garmin Vector 2? The price has come down quite a bit.

Yup they have both single and dual sided options. You send in your crank to get installed ~600CAD for the left side only, shipping included. Weighs 22 grams!

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PU...kits/SGY-PMLTC

I've looked at the Vector 2S left side PMs... reviews aren't glowing, they're about 30% more than the Pioneer AND I would have to get an adaptor kit to use with my Ultegra pedals. In terms of price though, you can't beat 4iiii Precision but there's only limited crank compatibility to Shimano at this time.

Decided on the Neo trainer! Gonna go pick it up today. Fingers crossed no issues...