I wonder why author didn't just bought dumb trainer and put the daily bike on it getting same opportunities but riding the bike he has used to? Cyclists typically do that.
I use my iPhone to connect to Trainer Road, which is a fantastic structured training app. [2] Power measurements come directly from the wahoo kickr and cadence measurements comes from the power meter that I already have on the bike. I highly recommend folks watch their YouTube channel if you want to get a feel for what they can do for you. [3]
This year I splurged for a table [4] after using a box bungy-corded to my bars before that. It's great to prop up a laptop or an iPad to pass the time/distract from the pain during a ride.
[1] https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m... [2] https://www.trainerroad.com/ [3] https://www.youtube.com/user/TrainerRoad [4] https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BQZY9RL/
Maybe the author just has the one bike and doesn't want to unhook all the shite if there's a freak winter day when it is not rainy and cloudy in Seattle. Maybe the author is just a dorky geek that likes to build stuff. Maybe if I were still a hardcore cyclist, I too would try and see how much lipstick that $300 pig will hold. 'cuz I'll admit that my first thought was, "what, you didn't try to cobble a power meter onto that thing? Hold my beer..."
Why aren’t people just getting bikes and then putting them on trainers?
You can get the whole trainer workouts and still have a bike that you can ride outside.
My bike is on a trainer, and I see the following down-sides:
a) My bike on a trainer is really loud. Can't do it early; can't do it when the baby is sleeping, etc.
b) It's a moderate pain in the ass to hook and unhook. Not a huge pain in the ass, but I certainly didn't do it any time of the year it was feasible for me to bike to work.
c) It's dirty. I mean, the bike. I dislike washing the tires so I can bring it indoors even a couple of times a year, never mind if it's coming in and out constantly. And never mind the fact that even washed, my wife sure as hell isn't letting me bring that into a corner of the bedroom.
d) My bike has exposed chains and gearing that, if I'm not mistaken, the Peloton and similar bikes do not. I've got a toddler.
e) Indoor exercise bikes are usually reasonably set up to let you have somewhere to put your phone, or ipad, or kindle, etc. Bikes on a trainer do not. When I'm working out indoors, that makes a big difference for me.
This hasn't been enough to convince me to buy a Peloton, but I can certainly see why someone with more disposable income (or square footage) would.
Summary: a dedicated indoor bike immensely reduces the friction of getting a ride in.
Not that it's going to make (b) any better, but do you have purpose-made tyres on it? I've never tried with my road one, I heard it was loud and wore down extremely fast if you did so, so I just bought a smooth (and I think harder?) one designed for use on a trainer off the bat.
Could just be marketing and I fell for it, but seemed reasonable.
Re (b), and especially if you changed tyre, I suppose if you wanted to do that regularly you'd soon get a second quick-release rear wheel, so you didn't have to faff about switching skewers (and tyres!) - or better a 'direct drive' trainer (instead of running the bicycle wheel against another wheel, it comes off and you put the chain directly around a sprocket attached to the trainer).
> or better a 'direct drive' trainer (instead of running the bicycle wheel against another wheel, it comes off and you put the chain directly around a sprocket attached to the trainer).
About your point e, I exercise close to a table. I put a bottle of water on there, with the phone (also for the app of the cardio) and the tablet to watch something while I pedal.
These days you can buy $200 hd tvs and a mini desktop to run zwift, which is much nicer than using on a mobile device.
The short answer is that people are idiots. The same people that spend thousands on a Peloton are the ones that previously were spending comparative amounts at “spin classes”, which are nothing more than riding a bike while someone yells at you. At best, it forces them to do the workout so they don’t feel like their money is being wasted.
I’ve long proposed a fitness program where you pay some exorbitant fee, say $500/month, to work out alone and you get a rebate for each workout. I bet it’d have incredible results.
They can be at times. Often they'll make it obvious by asking questions like, "why don't they do it the way I think it should be done?"
Do you think that working out entirely alone vs. with a group is the same thing? Do you think there are some people that would derive a differential benefit by going with one vs. the other?
Do you think that emulating being with a group would have value for those that would otherwise value working with a group?
Do you think that anyone who falls into the "works out better with a group and a trainer, or an emulation thereof" must be an idiot? Or do you think that category simply doesn't exist?
From my experience in competitive powerlifting, working out by myself, working out with others, working out with a coach, working out with an app yelling at me, are all very different endeavors, with different outcomes. Maybe I'm just an idiot.
Honestly no. It’s just a symptom of being a weak minded person who can’t commit to self improvement.
> Do you think that working out entirely alone vs. with a group is the same thing? Do you think there are some people that would derive a differential benefit by going with one vs. the other?
If you say ask it twice it doesn’t change the response.
> Do you think that emulating being with a group would have value for those that would otherwise value working with a group?
Of course it has value. But it’s the workout equivalent of hiring a prostitute. Find some real friends to work out with. Or just play some music and pedal.
> Do you think that anyone who falls into the "works out better with a group and a trainer, or an emulation thereof" must be an idiot? Or do you think that category simply doesn't exist?
A group, a trainer, and a spin class instructor that just yells at you on a preset rhythm are three different things.
> From my experience in competitive powerlifting, working out by myself, working out with others, working out with a coach, working out with an app yelling at me, are all very different endeavors, with different outcomes. Maybe I'm just an idiot.
I didn’t insult having a trainer or anything to do with powerlifting with a group. Hell, a spotter is all but mandatory in that situation.
I’m specifically referring to idiots paying someone to yell at them to speed up or slow down while riding a bike. You could record one session and play it back on a speaker and it’d be the same thing.
Are you saying these “weak minded” people don’t deserve to be fit, or what?
Teaching them to focus their will power would pay off much more than a “class” where there’s no actual lesson. To be clear, I’m not taking about actual instruction like a sport like tennis or a lifting program, I’m specifically referring to group cardio programs that are nothing more than loud music and an instructor feeding the participants a series of “Simon says” instructions.
I have a pretty big background in fitness (studied/taught martial arts for 15 years, coached(L1) Crossfit, was a powerlifter and also an amateur olympic lifter for a few years). I like fighting, lifting heavy, and I personally hate cardio. I live in a city that gets cold, and the Peloton sits in my room and I constantly jump on it and get my heart rate up daily. I've lost 20 pounds in the last 4 months.
Before this purchase I had never been to a spin class in my life. I'd rather bike than run, because I'm lazy and I appreciate sitting down. The Peloton classes are great and they have HIIT, EMOM's, long distance rides, and their "Power Zone" stuff guides you through hitting your VO2max, Lactate Threshold, etc.
I already have a home gym, and the bike cost + $40/mo for classes makes it so I don't have get a gym membership and drive to a gym since I can do everything at home. Plus, there are gorgeous women motivating me to work.
You may not be the ideal customer for this product, but don't call those that are idiots.
You also put additional miles on your bike with a trainer. Kind of depends on what you are looking for. Totally viable.
There are tens of millions of people in USA alone with zero desire to bike outside, who nonetheless desire some exercise experience that requires minimal knowledge or planning outside of class time.
Maybe for single people, or households where only one person is interested in it.
Have you ever tried sharing the same bike with someone else who is an entirely different size than you?
A dedicated indoor bike comes with so many quick-and-easy adjustments for my wife and I that it is just so much easier to share. It's also crazy quiet, for what that's worth.
My $400 purchase, plus $10/mo for the Peloton app has been well worth it while we're waiting for gyms to open back up (or even for dumbbells to just come back in stock).
That said I really bought this setup as a spin bike for spin classes. Which to me I don't want to put stress on my road bike and I want that resistance in the fly wheel.