Indoor trainer or spinning bike

[Vetplant]

Thanks a lot. I’ll definitely look into it. And if i get the ant dongle on an ipad my garmin will pair with it? I have both the old ipad with the big plug and also a new one.

The Dongle is there to enable the iPad to listen in on the information being broadcast by devices, like the speed and power readouts from a smart trainer/speed sensor/Power meter.

 

I don't see what information the Garmin will be broadcasting, so I don't think it will pair with the laptop. I might be missing something here.

[Natie S]

They are not the same unit.

 

This unit in the classifieds does not transmit any information to other devices, it has a computer that you mount on the handlebar which gives you all the parameters like Cadence, Power etc.

 

You can put in the power you want to train at and I believe it has workouts that it can run, but remember this unit was developed before 2010, things have moved along allot since then.

 

If you are going to spend the money I would rather go the Zwift/Sufferfest/etc route, even if it is with a cheap-and-nasty initial setup which you then upgrade as time moves along.

 

If you can give some sort of indication of where you are located I am sure the people on here will be more than willing to show you their Pain Caves or lend you a Dumb-Trainer and Speed-sensor to run the 7day Zwift trial on your Android phone, which will mean you don't even need to give out a cent to see what all the fuss is about.

Hi

Thank you very much. I appreciate your help. Im from Pietermaritzburg. I don’t like to lend stuff from people but all the information that was said here helped a lot.

 

I got a list of classic/dumb trainers that zwift does work on and i will look into getting one of those. I have a cadence/speed sensor on my bike also an ipad and a hr monitor. So to start of with ill get the second hand trainer and an ant dongle for the ipad. I also want to upgrade my wheel set so when i do that later ill use the old for a training wheel. Then just a cassette to go on the bike and the old on the training wheel.

 

Im excited now. Just to take my time now to get a trainer in good condition.

[Natie S]

The Dongle is there to enable the iPad to listen in on the information being broadcast by devices, like the speed and power readouts from a smart trainer/speed sensor/Power meter.

 

I don't see what information the Garmin will be broadcasting, so I don't think it will pair with the laptop. I might be missing something here.

Hi

Thank you. I did an enquiry at garmin about the dongle and they said it will not work with an iphone above iphone 4.

[Vetplant]

Hi

Thank you very much. I appreciate your help. Im from Pietermaritzburg. I don’t like to lend stuff from people but all the information that was said here helped a lot.

 

I got a list of classic/dumb trainers that zwift does work on and i will look into getting one of those. I have a cadence/speed sensor on my bike also an ipad and a hr monitor. So to start of with ill get the second hand trainer and an ant dongle for the ipad. I also want to upgrade my wheel set so when i do that later ill use the old for a training wheel. Then just a cassette to go on the bike and the old on the training wheel.

 

Im excited now. Just to take my time now to get a trainer in good condition.

You are most welcome.

 

You are very close to getting up and running. Your approach sounds good regarding the extra wheelset.

 

Don't stress too much if you find a qood quality dumb indoor trainer at a steal and it is not listed as "officially" supported on Zwift. Through trial and error you can find a trainer on their option list that is matched close enough to your model. Don't pay double for a supported one vs an unsupported one. Zwift only sees the speed sensor. 

 

You'll upgrade to a Smart Trainer or Power Meter on your bike soon enough to get even better response and accuracy

[madmarc]

They are not the same unit.

 

This unit in the classifieds does not transmit any information to other devices, it has a computer that you mount on the handlebar which gives you all the parameters like Cadence, Power etc.

 

You can put in the power you want to train at and I believe it has workouts that it can run, but remember this unit was developed before 2010, things have moved along allot since then.

 

If you are going to spend the money I would rather go the Zwift/Sufferfest/etc route, even if it is with a cheap-and-nasty initial setup which you then upgrade as time moves along.

 

If you can give some sort of indication of where you are located I am sure the people on here will be more than willing to show you their Pain Caves or lend you a Dumb-Trainer and Speed-sensor to run the 7day Zwift trial on your Android phone, which will mean you don't even need to give out a cent to see what all the fuss is about.

 

I have to orange one - its a dumb trainer so the app you using will not be able to control the trainer. The app uses virtual power (I use Trainer Road) which it calculates from your speed and cad. The app reads speed and cad from your ANT+ spd/cad sensor.

 

So when the session says ride @ 170 w for 3 min, you increase your speed and control your cad by changing gears until you at 170 w.

 

I'm not sure of the later blue flow - or if it able to be controlled by the app - maybe someone who has one can comment. 

[Vetplant]

Just to confuse you even more, here is a Smart indoor trainer from an international site: R3220... you gonna add some Taxes and handling fees, but it is a good price for a decent smart trainer.

[BigDL]

Sorry - stupid question I am sure. I have a kickr 4 and I use the cadence sensor that came in the box with it, as well as a tickr heart rate strap. They all three connect quite happily to a phone, an iPad or a MacBook. What is the dongle that keeps being referred to?

[Vetplant]

Sorry - stupid question I am sure. I have a kickr 4 and I use the cadence sensor that came in the box with it, as well as a tickr heart rate strap. They all three connect quite happily to a phone, an iPad or a MacBook. What is the dongle that keeps being referred to?

It is for ANT+ sensors, typically Garmin.

 

The Laptops and Tablets don't to ANT+ natively, so the dongle is needed for the LAptop to see them.

 

If you have Wahoo sensors, they typically broadcast in Both Bluetooth and ANT+, which means your laptop can see them without a dongle and your garmin device can also see them because of the ANT+ broadcast.

 

Stages Power meter also broadcasts on both.

 

Some Smart Trainers only do the one or the other, so worth checking before buying.

 

Getting a sensor which broadcasts on both saves you a bunch of admin.

[BigDL]

It is for ANT+ sensors, typically Garmin.

 

The Laptops and Tablets don't to ANT+ natively, so the dongle is needed for the LAptop to see them.

 

If you have Wahoo sensors, they typically broadcast in Both Bluetooth and ANT+, which means your laptop can see them without a dongle and your garmin device can also see them because of the ANT+ broadcast.

 

Stages Power meter also broadcasts on both.

 

Some Smart Trainers only do the one or the other, so worth checking before buying.

 

Getting a sensor which broadcasts on both saves you a bunch of admin.

Thanks boss

[Vetplant]

Just to confuse you even more, here is a Smart indoor trainer from an international site: R3220... you gonna add some Taxes and handling fees, but it is a good price for a decent smart trainer.

Sorry, forgot to add the link:

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/za/en/tacx-vortex-smart-trainer/rp-prod125671

[fanievb]

Started saving now for a TacX Neo 2. Has one feature I think is frikken awesome. Has kind of like a feedback thing where if you riding over cobbles it bounces you the same as if you were riding over cobbles, same with wooden bridges. But at R26k its going to take me a while to get there.

First gen Neo also has road feel

[Natie S]

Just to confuse you even more, here is a Smart indoor trainer from an international site: R3220... you gonna add some Taxes and handling fees, but it is a good price for a decent smart trainer.

Hahaha. Can you send me the link?

[Natie S]

Sorry, forgot to add the link:

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/za/en/tacx-vortex-smart-trainer/rp-prod125671

Thanks. I also saw nice ones on bike inn. Have you or someone you know ever ordered through them?

[Vetplant]

Thanks. I also saw nice ones on bike inn. Have you or someone you know ever ordered through them?

Not personally no, but MANY guys on here have, maybe someone can chip in here and comment on the Duties and Tax you can expect. Generally they are excellent in getting the stuff to you fairly quick.

 

I see you qualify for free shipping with this unit, but might me worthwhile to do DHL shipping or similar to ensure it never touches the hands of a SAPO official.

[Natie S]

Not personally no, but MANY guys on here have, maybe someone can chip in here and comment on the Duties and Tax you can expect. Generally they are excellent in getting the stuff to you fairly quick.

 

I see you qualify for free shipping with this unit, but might me worthwhile to do DHL shipping or similar to ensure it never touches the hands of a SAPO official.

That is an excellent price yes. Thanks for throwing a spanner around in this engine.

 

Yes i would like to hear some comments on the tax and so on. Also about the back up service of them if I don’t buy through a south African agent.

[Natie S]

Hi everyone

Another question i have for the guys that have used the classic/dumb trainers before. How hard are these trainers on your tires if you use a mtb bike? A friend just told me that he used one for 45 minutes on his road bike and his tyre was worn out. Is that possible and the case of all classic/dumb trainers?