Keithc Posted June 18, 2014 Posted June 18, 2014 Ok sweetness. Top end dedicated indoor cycles...Dom Perignon budget....You need a dedicated room for this cause the trainers are bulky, not that easy to move around and dedicated to one thing...training. Two options here....Wattbike / Cyclops 420. These are state of the art machines with all the bells and whistles. They don't neccesarily give any more functionality than top end ergo IDT's, they just make it easier from a setup / get up and go point of view. Top end IDT / ergo trainers...You don't need a dedicated room for this option since they are easy to move around. They do require a bike locked into it. They offer powerbased HIT training with the trainer's resistance automatically adjusting / Virtual races...very nice and quite a bit of fun racing against virtual partners / online people around the world / Virtual routes...create a virtual route in google earth or download previous ride into software or ride a famous route with video that speeds up or slows down as you are riding. There are only two options here....Wahoo kickr and Cylops Powerbeam Pro. They both excellent trainers that don't lock you into any software(analysis and operating) so they stick to what they do best...indoor trainers, they don't try and be a software house over and above. Proper local backup with the cyclops sealed the deal for me, the kickr however does support both Ant and Bluetooth which is a huge plus. Middle of the road budget turbo trainers....This is a bit of no man's land ito functionality and price, There is only one in this bracket and its the Kurt Kinetic road machine. Very good build quality and guaranteed to never loose fluid due to its design. Also with the inride add-on that you can purchase later on, you can do powerbased training for quite a bit less than the top end trainers. It also allows great interfacing into Trainerroad and Virtual training. There is also the Bkool trainer which seems very good and packs some great functionality, but due to the lack of backup I wouldn't consider it at the moment. Bottom of the pile...Rollers will be my option here, it is stimulating and although it will be hard to hit certain training zones(due to lack of resistance settings) will still give you a descent workout. They are also very mobile in the sense that you can take them anywhere anytime and get a nice spin, they are also much cheaper that IDT's Hi Rouxtjie. Which unit excatly did you go for? I may have missed it while reading above. I am looking at getting rid of my Tacx Genius and changing to CycleOps. I see you get an ANT+ option as well as Bluetooth. Thanks. Keith
rouxtjie Posted June 18, 2014 Posted June 18, 2014 Hi Rouxtjie. Which unit excatly did you go for? I may have missed it while reading above. I am looking at getting rid of my Tacx Genius and changing to CycleOps. I see you get an ANT+ option as well as Bluetooth. Thanks. KeithHi Keith. I went for the powerbeam pro, Bluetooth version. I had a long chat with the cyclops guys about what I wanted and the Bluetooth version suited my needs better. For one I had an ipad 4...second I didn't want to fiddle with dongles and extras when using my ipad, the Bluetooth version allows this. I also don't want admin when I want to train, I want to get in my bibs, fill a bottle and go. I don't want to boot up a laptop and struggle with extra cabling, again the Bluetooth suits this better. Also the Bluetooth protocol is apparently slightly more stable from a dropped connection point of view. To date, not one of my inputs have dropped a connection or struggled to find the device after initial pairing. This is a nice extra. The ipad app is also cheaper ito monthly subs than the PC version. You can still create routes on the PC and upload to the virtual training cloud without having to pay the PC version subscription. There is hardly anything in it ito cost, it just depends what suits your needs better. Hope this helped
rouxtjie Posted June 18, 2014 Posted June 18, 2014 yip.Aaarrgh must have one...that will complete my setup
Joeboy69 Posted June 18, 2014 Posted June 18, 2014 Hi Keith. I went for the powerbeam pro, Bluetooth version. I had a long chat with the cyclops guys about what I wanted and the Bluetooth version suited my needs better. For one I had an ipad 4...second I didn't want to fiddle with dongles and extras when using my ipad, the Bluetooth version allows this. I also don't want admin when I want to train, I want to get in my bibs, fill a bottle and go. I don't want to boot up a laptop and struggle with extra cabling, again the Bluetooth suits this better. Also the Bluetooth protocol is apparently slightly more stable from a dropped connection point of view. To date, not one of my inputs have dropped a connection or struggled to find the device after initial pairing. This is a nice extra. The ipad app is also cheaper ito monthly subs than the PC version. You can still create routes on the PC and upload to the virtual training cloud without having to pay the PC version subscription. There is hardly anything in it ito cost, it just depends what suits your needs better. Hope this helped Do you use a Bluetooth HR monitor as well that then syncs wit he iPad ? I have an iPad mini, screen to small so better to go ant+ notebook or can I get away with it?
rouxtjie Posted June 18, 2014 Posted June 18, 2014 Do you use a Bluetooth HR monitor as well that then syncs wit he iPad ? I have an iPad mini, screen to small so better to go ant+ notebook or can I get away with it?Yip Bluetooth belt from wahoo, the Bluetooth speed and cadence sensor comes bundled with the trainer. Nice thing with Bluetooth version is that you can even use you phone as a headunit displaying all the metric...works like a charm. The iPhone app is free and also works really nice. Also everything uploads to the cloud as soon as you are done to which ever service you choose...mapmyride, strava, trainingpeaks, virtual training analysis software...cloud is the way forwards I tell you. The ergo workout creator on the pad is fantastic though, so intuitive and easy to use, you can slap a program together in a couple of minutes.
BicyclePower Posted June 18, 2014 Posted June 18, 2014 Do you use a Bluetooth HR monitor as well that then syncs wit he iPad ? I have an iPad mini, screen to small so better to go ant+ notebook or can I get away with it?in terms of spec the iPad mini will work perfectly with the CVT app and BLE PowerBeam, as for sizing thats up to you, nice things with iPad is if you get an Apple TV you can then mirror what ever is displayed on the iPad screen onto a big screen TV. the Apple TV is not actually a TV but more like a wireless modem that HDMI cables up to your TV (any brand TV) and mirors the screen of the iPad on the TV. this is a great toy and an Apple TV retails for around R1200
Joeboy69 Posted June 18, 2014 Posted June 18, 2014 in terms of spec the iPad mini will work perfectly with the CVT app and BLE PowerBeam, as for sizing thats up to you, nice things with iPad is if you get an Apple TV you can then mirror what ever is displayed on the iPad screen onto a big screen TV. the Apple TV is not actually a TV but more like a wireless modem that HDMI cables up to your TV (any brand TV) and mirors the screen of the iPad on the TV. this is a great toy and an Apple TV retails for around R1200 Thanks for the info, considered Apple TV but bought a Roku when I replaced DSTV, didn't know about this though ????????????
Outriding Posted June 19, 2014 Posted June 19, 2014 Apple TV Is great if you have wifi access as well as you can stream live from the internet directly from the apple tv to your screen, download movies and so much more, youtube as well as redbull tv for live xc and other events.
Sharkie 2 Posted June 19, 2014 Posted June 19, 2014 What rouxtjie said. Cycleops 400 for me. More than a year of use. Great backupAgreed can't beat the Cycleops service!
Keithc Posted June 19, 2014 Posted June 19, 2014 Hi Keith. I went for the powerbeam pro, Bluetooth version. I had a long chat with the cyclops guys about what I wanted and the Bluetooth version suited my needs better. For one I had an ipad 4...second I didn't want to fiddle with dongles and extras when using my ipad, the Bluetooth version allows this. I also don't want admin when I want to train, I want to get in my bibs, fill a bottle and go. I don't want to boot up a laptop and struggle with extra cabling, again the Bluetooth suits this better. Also the Bluetooth protocol is apparently slightly more stable from a dropped connection point of view. To date, not one of my inputs have dropped a connection or struggled to find the device after initial pairing. This is a nice extra. The ipad app is also cheaper ito monthly subs than the PC version. You can still create routes on the PC and upload to the virtual training cloud without having to pay the PC version subscription. There is hardly anything in it ito cost, it just depends what suits your needs better. Hope this helpedThanks very much! I am currently in touch with the Cycleops guys to determine the best route for my needs.Cheers
Joeboy69 Posted June 23, 2014 Posted June 23, 2014 Quite a few guys have the powerbeam setup to perfection with VR, maps, videos etc. Quick question: how do the time you spend cycling compare to before you had a state of the art IDT? Cycle the same outdoors so added indoor training or did indoor start replacing "outside" riding? Secondly, is your usage very seasonal ie winter > summer due to daylight, temperature etc ?
rouxtjie Posted June 23, 2014 Posted June 23, 2014 Quite a few guys have the powerbeam setup to perfection with VR, maps, videos etc. Quick question: how do the time you spend cycling compare to before you had a state of the art IDT? Cycle the same outdoors so added indoor training or did indoor start replacing "outside" riding? Secondly, is your usage very seasonal ie winter > summer due to daylight, temperature etc ?No, nothing will replace an outdoor ride with mates with the wind in your hair, the smells, sounds etc etc. To do that, well you need to go for a ride. What this essentially does is replace my mind numbing weekday training sessions in the gym on a spinner with powerbased HIT's that I can measure and track and also it doesnt make an hour feel like three because of all the other bells and whistles like online races and VR tracks
Wahooligan69 Posted June 23, 2014 Posted June 23, 2014 Hi all, My apologies for the late reply. Please find below the link to the Wahoo KICKR indoor trainer that is currently being used by Team|Sky in preparation for the Tour De France. http://www.wahoofitness.com/teamsky#learnlink Our local website is: www.wahoofitness.co.za A few points to consider:- Wahoo Fitness app is now available on the Android platform ( IOS 4.3)- Wahoo Kickr is both Ant+ and Bluetooth 4.0 compatible. Many apps compatible with Wahoo KICKR:- Wahoofitness- Trainer Road- KinoMaps- Strava Segments- Veloreality- iMobileintervals and more. Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any questions or queries. Happy Training!!!
Joeboy69 Posted June 28, 2014 Posted June 28, 2014 Had some time to spare this morning so thought I would go check out the power beam pro. Called 9 ships listed as distributors, could only view the Ant+ version boxed at one of the shops. The others are either incorrectly listed as distributors or don't Carr stock. Will see if I can organize time of during the week to go to bicycle power else wait for the Africa bike show again,I recall seeing the wahoo kickr there last time ???? Either way, seems they are scarce and/or selling like hot cakes !!
SimpleDom Posted July 8, 2014 Posted July 8, 2014 Can't disagree more...its actually for this very reason that you will hate it. The cheapy trainers are mind numbing, since they don't do anything except provide resistance to your stationary bike. That is like throwing money down the toilet...rather spend more and get something that will last longer, have good backup and provide stimulation whilst training in the form of Live HR / Cadence / Power / Speed DataHIT programming with live ergo resistanceSufferfest integrationOnline races / Route record challenges.Virtual routes with or without video Whilst not everything I listed might be your cup of tea, some of provides for awesome training stimulation....dare I say it might even be fun. So..... I have to thank you for this post. I just punished myself with 1h05 of intervals (5 min all out, 5 min easy), and I have to say I really enjoyed it. I hated it, but really enjoyed it. Tough to beat this feeling.... They say it's easiest to learn something new when you're shown to be wrong....
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