Indoor Trainer - how to get a setup that I can share with my husband

[Duane_Bosch]

My little family shares 1 direct drive trainer and 3 bikes. What's the problem? To ensure easy swapping the bikes all have the same axle setup and number of gears. Swapping a bike out takes all of 1 minute. We use Rouvy coz $15 gives you 3 users. Each person has their own login and metrics.

We use 1 computer that has the software installed. There's a spare TV that gets used as a second monitor. There's absolutely no issues at all.

[Bub Marley]

24 minutes ago, Duane_Bosch said:

My little family shares 1 direct drive trainer and 3 bikes. What's the problem? To ensure easy swapping the bikes all have the same axle setup and number of gears. Swapping a bike out takes all of 1 minute. We use Rouvy coz $15 gives you 3 users. Each person has their own login and metrics.

We use 1 computer that has the software installed. There's a spare TV that gets used as a second monitor. There's absolutely no issues at all.

I think some people struggle with the rear wheel removal for some reason. So its just less hassle to keep one bike on the trainer.

[Blinkp]

In a ideal situation sell your current trainer and both cheap trainer bikes and get a Kickr Bike. My whole family gets to use it with 3 easy adjustments done in 10 seconds.

[Duane_Bosch]

1 hour ago, Blinkp said:

In a ideal situation sell your current trainer and both cheap trainer bikes and get a Kickr Bike. My whole family gets to use it with 3 easy adjustments done in 10 seconds.

Jirre bru. 70k for a Kickr Bike. And you can only ride it in a cartoon.

Edited January 13, 2022 by Duane_Bosch

[Vaultboy]

23 hours ago, Paul Ruinaard said:

Haha let me tell you my saga as to what i did for this issue after countless attempts to reach a happy medium.

2021 Lockdown lead to my wife not wanting to go to the gym any more. I had my Kickr and the spare road bike on it. Guess what - she took a liking to Zwift after a couple of tries to see if she could replace the Watt bikes she was using at Virgin, As we are the same height it wasn't a problem.

But then the issue becomes that you both want to train at the same time.  Final solution: we now have 2 Kickrs, monitors etc setup alongside each other - like anything with cycling as soon as your spouse gets into it everything doubles in cost. And then you start to manage bluetooth connections interfering with each other etc etc. 

Finally i am building a new house in Paarl and it has a "Zwifting" /training studio added on to accommodate us with this. I had some old road bike and gravel bikes that were not costly so they are the Zwift/Kickr bikes we are using .

Good luck - you will i think need to be very tolerant of each other and arrange training schedules accordingly and agree who will ride what events when if you have 1 x trainer.

 

 

I can see myself ending up here in a year's time, not because of wanting to train at the same time, but because my wife has taken a liking to virtual group rides, Pretty soon she's going to want us to start riding together. 

[Vaultboy]

1 hour ago, Bub Marley said:

I think some people struggle with the rear wheel removal for some reason. So its just less hassle to keep one bike on the trainer.

Yeah, I don't even struggle, but its a hassle when you want to ride late at night or early in the morning to swap bikes and wheels etc. You just want to get on and ride and get off. 

[dave303e]

15 hours ago, RocknRolla said:

Hi Sam, welcome to the hub.

I think its great that you and hubby both are keen on indoor training. 
 

The wife and I share a kickr with a 10 speed cassette. She uses a silverback alu roadbike, and I use an old 26 inch mountain bike. Both with quick release, swopping bikes between sessions takes less that 2 minutes ( which includes getting the relevant bike from the garage.)There was a notice from some of the carbon bike suppliers that extended use on an indoor trainer could compromise the frames a while back, (cough-canyon-cough) the issue seems to have been resolved mostly. Im not a tupperware fan, so It’s not an issue for me.

By the sounds of it, you would be best suited getting a direct drive trainer, and fitting a 10 speed casette on the trainer and fitting a 10 speed chain, shifter and derailer on the 7speed bikes. These can be had for little money, as you only need an entry level spec for the dedicated bikes on the trainer. 
We have a very tight cycling budget, and have been doing ok by having the absolute minimum for indoor use. I dont have a gym contract, so spending the couple of hundred rand on zwift for me is not an issue. 
 

As for direct drive trainers, We have had a very faithfull and hardworking kickr1 with no issues. Elite has some solid options, but as far as technical support goes, nothing beats wahoo’s local representation.

This works, honestly you can pick up a 2nd hand rear derailleur and shifters for dirt checap in classifieds and then run cheap heavy chains for the trainer bikes. Because it is clean they last for ages. 

3 hours ago, Duane_Bosch said:

My little family shares 1 direct drive trainer and 3 bikes. What's the problem? To ensure easy swapping the bikes all have the same axle setup and number of gears. Swapping a bike out takes all of 1 minute. We use Rouvy coz $15 gives you 3 users. Each person has their own login and metrics.

We use 1 computer that has the software installed. There's a spare TV that gets used as a second monitor. There's absolutely no issues at all.

This also makes life a win, we do similar, rouvy has some cool features.

The whole exercise get's worse when you add treadmills to the equation as well... 

[JJason]

after reading all the first world problems , I hope someone would have mentioned this, I'm looking at IDT, but funds direct me more to the Wahoo kicker 2 concept , are they really that bad as I have had 3 people saying its a waist ?

download.jfif

[ChrisF]

42 minutes ago, JJason said:

after reading all the first world problems , I hope someone would have mentioned this, I'm looking at IDT, but funds direct me more to the Wahoo kicker 2 concept , are they really that bad as I have had 3 people saying its a waist ?

download.jfif 8.45 kB · 2 downloads

 

For your own sanity, and that of your family and neighbours .... stay away from a "wheel-on" trainers.

[_David_]

1 hour ago, JJason said:

after reading all the first world problems , I hope someone would have mentioned this, I'm looking at IDT, but funds direct me more to the Wahoo kicker 2 concept , are they really that bad as I have had 3 people saying its a waist ?

download.jfif 8.45 kB · 5 downloads

All depends on your budget. According to DC Rainmaker if you are in the market for a mid-range trainer, this is definitely among the top options out there to consider.

Hope this helps.
https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2020/11/smart-cycle-trainer-recommendations-guide-winter.html/

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2017/07/wahoo-kickr-snap-2017-v2-trainer.html

Have a look at second hand Trainers as well, you might find a direct-drive trainer at a good price.
https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/c/indoor-trainers-and-accessories

 

Edited February 16, 2022 by _David_