At work we've definitely gone to really big TV's or multiple TV's for large conference rooms instead of projectors. Like 86" class TV's. $2500? Then again, an equal quality projector new is going to about run that minus a screen.

I think in the long run projectors often have too many drawbacks. Burn out a bulb, stuff gets in way of the beam, need a great surface to project onto.

Projector? One limitation to any fun there is Zwift not supporting multiple players on same screen. Imagine being able to setup almost like an Xbox or Wii setup with 8 riders or so on the same screen like Mariokart.

That'd be killer cool. Modern day "Gold Sprints".

Can you tell me more about about the rubber tile that you used? $120 for a two car garage area sounds very cheap. I'm going to be partially finishing out basement and I'd like to look into this.

Projectors are designed to be used in dark rooms, otherwise it's hard to see the picture. Also remember that you'll need a sound system because the projector only provides the video, not the audio, which means hooking up a receiver and stereo in order to get sound.

Much simpler to buy a large TV, which are really cheap these days.

I used the Amazon basics tiles

https://www.amazon.com/...0225485283&psc=1

Note that I have shelving and storage scattered around the outside walls of my garage, so $120 won't cover the ENTIRE floor of an empty garage. For sure though, it covered enough that the entire walkable area of my garage is covered. I used 6 of those packages, you may need more.

HIGHLY recommended - I never thought I'd enjoy flooring since I've been 'fine' with concrete for the past 8 years, but man, it's soooo much nicer with it!

As others mentioned, the projector is going to be influenced by the surrounding environment, light, etc. There's also a matter of sound - the projector won't have that built in.

Depending on how far you are from the viewing area, a big screen TV with maybe a soundbar would be a better deal. I currently sit about 4' from a 65" HD TV, and it's pretty nice. I have been eyeing the UHD 4K TVs at Sam's Club, and there are some really nice 65" TVs around $600-650 now.

With Ultra 4K, your MacBook Pro will certainly get a workout, too!

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Travis Rassat
Vector Cycle Works
Noblesville, IN
BikeFit Instructor | FMS | F.I.S.T. | IBFI
Toughman Triathlon Series Ambassador

i have 2 zwift set ups: 1 for cycling, 1 for running. but i can retask the 1 for running and have 2 cycling side by side (which i did this week, as a buddy stayed with me).

in both cases, i run zwift on an appletv 4k.

this might sound extravagant but it's not. the appletv is $179. if you're paying more than $300 for your big TV you're probably overpaying (43"). if you're paying more than $800 for your smart direct drive trainer you're overpaying unless it's a $1,600 Tacx NEO and if you're paying more than $1,200 for that you're overpaying.

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

It really depends how close you are. We repurposed our old big screen HDTV (I think it is 46 inches) in the bike room and it feels very big as I am very close. On the treadmill I just connect to my ipad, but play spotify on the big TV as it is set up with speakers. The treadmill sits behind the bike and if running without glasses (not seeing distance clear) I have a hard time seeing details on the TV, thus the iPad.

I am fortunate in that my job involves large format projectors and concert level PA systems.

We've hooked up an X-box to a 20k lumen Barco projector with a Martin Line Array system- after hours of course- and after a few adult beverages it can get fun.
I've also hooked my laptop into a Panasonic 16k Laser projector to use Zwift in my off time, Bluetooth Headphones.
It's awesome.
But I didn't pay for any of it.

A consumer level projector is not going to get you anywhere near where consumer level large format displays are these days. You can get a 60" 4k Smart TV from Wal-Mart for $5-600.
Consumer level projectors usually top out at 4-5k lumens (not very bright) and cannot even overcome the most normal of room lighting. We've almost entirely done away with screens and projection for small venues and conferences because it's just easier and better to set up a 72-86" monitor and be done with it.

The other problem with projection systems is lag. The projector is only as good as it's source, so you'll still need a robust engine to drive the image and the projector still needs a bit of time to process the image and spit it out. That time is small, usually 1 or 2 seconds, but if you are racing on Zwift and miss the start of a sprint by a second or 2...
It's even worse for Mario Cart. The time between the input on the wireless controller to the x-box to the screen is noticeable, so by the time your eyes tell you to turn and your fingers hit the button, you've already crashed.

Pro level, high lumen, laser projectors are awesome and will blow your mind with the resolution and detail they can convey, but they start at $25k and go way up way fast.
Get the biggest, baddest TV you can afford and rock out with it.

Can I ask why you added the rubber floor? Was it just for looks? After running I sort of enjoy the feeling of cold concrete on my hot feet...

In my experience in working with projectors in classrooms, I'd say go for a tv. It's the set up we're moving towards.

Question about tv height placement...my front wheel will be about 3 feet from the wall (and this is only set up for biking). About how high are people mounting their tvs?

I have a dedicated computer driving a 55 inch 1080p TV that is about 6 feet away from my bike.

Thanks for the helpful input. Sounds like you know what you're talking about AND have walked the walk.

TV it is!

Now it's just a matter of size, I can probably figure that out on my own, but I'm leaning toward a TCL 43" Roku TV (my current treadmill/Vasa TV is a 32" Roku which I like because I can easily pick it up and move it, but it's 720p and does get grainier than I like on Zwift. Yeah, the macbook retina screen has already spoiled me!)

I actually wasn't sure I'd really love the rubber floor before getting it, but I did mainly get it because my garage floor has permanent car-oil-grease stains from the prior owners (I decided not to park cars in the garage and took it over for my gym).

It wasn't super ugly or anything but now that I added the rubber flooring, it finally has a real 'gym look' as opposed to 'looks like a garage with stuff in it'.

I guess another way of putting it, is that before the flooring, I'd get in there ONLY for the workout, crank it out, and get the heck out of there as fast as possible. It just happened that way, it wasn't like I though "wow this is an ugly garage (it's not.)"

Now after the flooring though, I get off the bike/TM/Vasa, and feel that soft, clean (EASY to clean!) springy and not-cold surface, and I'll actually decide to hang around for another 15+ minutes if I have the time to finish whatever show I'm watching and do strength training. Or in yesterday's case, I liked it so much in there that after a 60min Zwift ride, 45 min run, I decided I liked it enough in there that I could add 40 more mins of vasa for the trisport workout!

Again, YMMV, but for me, I absolutely love it. My wife loves it too, which is telling (and she doesn't work out much - she just likes the way it looks now compared to before!)

And at <$200, you might as well try it. You can send them back to Amazon very easily if you don't like them as well - the boxes they come in are light and not bulky. I should honestly start another thread about what a cheap and easy home gym upgrade this is.

I use a 60” tv from Costco with a big sound bar. I sit maybe 6 feet back from the tv. I love that setup. My bike room has windows so I’d be worried about a projector because of incoming sunlight plus (and I know this sounds absurd) TVs are so relatively cheap and easy to replace if anything goes haywire.

Sounds awesome! I don't think I'll have 6 feet to set back, so I'll probably go smaller. Did you just leave your TV on the ground or did you get a stand to raise it up?

I hung it low on the wall. I’m sort of insufferable about wires and maximizing space and all that. I think it would work fine on a stand though.

Interesting. My house is brand new (so no car grease on floor)

I just moved in a few months ago and before I had a gym inside the house. Now I have a large room off of the garage that's part of the same concrete. It's smoothed out so I don't mind it.

I was just curious if maybe you did it to save the floor of the garage or something. Haha

How did you get your 55 inch to the right height?

I'm running zwift on 4k TV (Samsung NU 6900 55inch bought $320 last black friday) on 4K settings. The Tv is connected via hdmi to desktop computer. I put the TV on the floor, because this is the only way to see your watts on such tv being in an aero position. With big projector you will have problems with watching your watts because it will be much higher than your eye line(unless you have extreme upright position, or road bike)

Zwift developers need to implement element customization on the screen, so we can move watts area to the bottom of the screen.

I use my big TV to watch netflix. Not sure I could stare at my computer the entire time for two hour trainer session.

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Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.

Thanks for those pics. That is SUPER helpful, makes me reconsider going bigger than 42 inches.

Since you have the money, why not consider 2 4k 65-75" TVs. They are quite cheap these days. Hang one lower (close to floor) and the other right above it. Use Zwift on the lower TV and Netflix/YouTube/Etc on the upper TV. Bigger is alway better and its true with Tv's too! Enjoy!

It's mounted on the wall with the horizon at about eye level. I used 6 lag screws to hold the mount but it's really not that heavy, probably 40-50 lbs? I lifted it up on the mount myself.

I had to buy the mount but got the TV for free. I have a fan just under it to blow wind in my face.

I'll get a pict when I get home tonight.

Here is my 46" Panasonic in the bike room, and it sits on a cheap IKEA shelf that stores lots of bike gear and the computer that drives Zwift

Hey Lightheir, I think I recognize your username from the runner's world sub 3:20 and beyond thread.

Anyway, I use a cheap ($80) amazon projector for my zwift setup with a gaming desktop computer I built for $100. The projector is the second screen above the regular 25" lcd monitor. I use bluetooth headphones for sound. I also have a 27" TV mounted on the wall next to the computer monitor, which I use with youtube TV.

Because a giant fan(s) is necessary for zwifing I think sound is overrated. I never have the zwift sound on.

My setup is immersive and pretty awesome with a 6 foot screen ( I purposely built it for zwift and this is my second house doing this, so I think I have it figured out) but it's in the basement, and it's pretty dark. That's crucial for using the projector. I'd have easier fan setup options with a TV. I had to mount the projector on the ceiling above me to avoid blocking the screen. If I had a more expensive projector I could have more light in the room, and mount the projector off to the side, but logistically the setup would definitely be easier with a TV. I think the projector is worth it long term, if you're going to spend a lot of time in your zwift cave. I do; I do all my interval workouts inside.

@Herbert - Great setup, thanks for the pic. I am actually going to copy your setup, looks like it would work really well for my space, which looks nearly identical to yours. I still might go with a 50" TV as it looks like I could still see the power in the upper left no problem, but I'm on the fence on that as I could also just move the bike closer to the TV.

@stevendex - Yes, that was me on RT marathon forums! I seem to be bad at marathons - I think I've only had 2 good ones out of 7 - I'm pretty sure I overtrain for them, and I def overtrained for that last one (70mpw running) and ended up getting sick wayyyy too much and being really fatigued. I think I'm not factoring in the reality of aging (and I'm not even old, 44) when comparing training to my early 30s. I also doubt I'll be able to run another marathon - after that marathon I discovered I've had longstanding significant ankle arthritis from numerous prior soccer/bball sprains which limits how far I can run now without pain/soreness. Luckily, I can still put up 20mpw running with no problems, so perfect for triathlon.

That projector setup sounds good - I'll admit that I'm not ready to put in that kind of work to setup an overhead projector, plus I like a bright room, so I think I'll pass on the projector for now. (Maybe later I'll consider again.) Thx for the input.

Seems like TV is the consensus. That's what we have been moving to on campus for conference rooms too.

I may have missed it above, but what's your audio plan?

I don't think I'll need a great audio setup, as Zwift doesn't require more than minimal sound, but for right now I've been enjoying BT wireless earbuds via BT transmitter thru either my 32" TV or macbook pro. For movies I love the BT earbuds, but for Zwift, it's def optional as the sound doesn't make a huge difference - although yes, every bit helps add to the immersion. (Nice waterfall and lava sounds, I might add!)

I turn the Zwift sounds off and play Spotify loud over the Harmon Kardon Soundsticks - likely my oldest piece of electronic equipment

I have a $250, 45" HiSense, 4K TV with a Dell Alien PC setup connected to a CycleOps Hammer. My entire setup was about $1500. I use the computer for a lot of different things, other than just Zwift and my 45" TV is the computer monitor. It can hook up with either Bluetooth or Ant and is hardwired into my broadband so there is no lag whatsoever.

I looked at the projector but you are much more limited to moving your setup around. I can move the TV to pretty much any wall but the projector typically needs to be put in a specific place.

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TEAM HD
Each day is what you make of it so make it the best day possible.

I'm also a BT headphones person too so the rest of the house doesn't have to put up with it. +1 on the BT adapter. If you want to connect directly to your upcoming smart TV to watch Netflix or some sort of streaming service, the native BT seems to suck in a lot of them. The TCL's use an app on your phone that has a lot of lag. An Amazon Fire Stick or actual BT adapter are the only ways I have been able to connect BT headphones without some audio lag. Seems like you're already covered.

The guy I bought my house from had a room setup with a full swing golf simulator. I'm not a golfer, so I threw down a rubber floor and turned the room into a 180" Zwift screen (using the ceiling mounted projector). It is an AWESOME fully immersive experience! I use E-Motion smart rollers. I have computer speakers attached to the desktop that runs Zwift, but I rarely ever turn them on. I usually just use BT headphones hooked to my iPhone on the table next to me and either use Discord to chat with friends and/or music while Zwifting. Really hard to beat "life sized" Zwift...




Pardon my love handles...


And here's my 12 yr old using the extra fork mount attachment on his mountain bike...

Ok, you WIN!

That's a seriously awesome setup. You gotta fill in the details for us.

PC? Mac TV? 4k? 1080p?

What projector are you using and where is it stationed? And how dark do you have to keep it to see well? Does your neck hurt seeing the watts in the upper left?

Also, props on having the Vasa in there. But where is your treadmill??!?

And yeah, rubber flooring is good stuff - yours looks great too.

I'm using a cheap desktop PC that I bought (refurbished) on Amazon for ~$150 just to run Zwift. I have a USB extension cable with an ANT+ stick that sits on the floor right next to the middle of my rollers. The computer connects to the projector with a simple old VGA cable (I'm sure a new projector would use an HDMI cable instead).

My projector was likely state of the art when it was installed (circa 2009) well before 4k or 1080P, but I moved into the house in Jan of 2015. It's a Panasonic F300 XGA. Can likely get similar (or better) specs in 2019 for less than $400... Definitely never thought I needed higher resolution, after all, Zwift is kind of video game anyways... It looks great and feels like virtual reality without a headset.




It's mounted high on the ceiling, well behind where my bike is, but doesn't create a shadow on the screen... Can't figure out how to rotate the stupid picture... Sorry.



Because the room was originally a "golf room", they did the entire room in a Scottish Pub theme. The original owners would probably be sick to their stomachs if they knew I put another section of rubber floor down and use their former masterpiece as my bike maintenance room (and get grease everywhere).




I keep all the lights on while I'm riding, but the room is specifically made for the projector, wo there are no lights immediately near the projector, or right near the screen. Only can lights that shine straight down from the ceiling. I have no problem seeing anything.

I usually ride on my TT bike, so my neck doesn't hurt anymore than riding outside in the aero position. but in fairness, I also use my Garmin mounted on my aerobars so I can see NP for my interval or for the whole ride (which Zwift doesn't provide anyways).

Treadmill is in my actual gym in my basement (where my wife's bike is also setup)...

Awesome thanks for the details.

On an unrelated note, if you're sick and tired of bike grease, give waxed chains a try. It literally makes bike black grease stains obsolete, you'll never get one again from your drivetrain!

I'm glad that I've found this topic as I finally decided to create a good place for home cycling. I don't know why but I always thought that a projector would be better for this purpose, but now I have doubts. Maybe buying a TV is really better option. Thanks for sharing your experiences, guys.

Between 2019 and 2023 a lot has changed. Projectors are still readily accessible but a 85” TV can be found for $1000 too. I personally have a 65” TV for watching streaming videos and a 24” display for Zwift I look at from time to time. I tried a 32” but it got in my line of sight of my main display. 😀

Or buy multiple TVs for multiple options...

What is that thing? Just four different TVs?
If you want to find a perfect projector, i would highly recommend to read articles on Projectors Land, cause they seem to know everything about them. Amazon has tons of them for very different prices, but it is better to know at least approximately which one you want and read some reviews too.

It’s just 4 separate 50” TVs. So you could have up to 4 separate people doing Zwift. In that pic, my wife is doing Zwift and has Zwift companion mirrored on one screen and a couple races on the left screens running for distraction. BT headphones for music running separately as well, but could connect to any of the feeds. The whole thing works pretty well…

I bought cheap 55" Samsung 4K TV like $400 3 years ago. You also need good PC, anything less than 60 FPS will not look good and smooth. I would say you can buy 700$ PC and run it on 4K ultra settings, should be good enough. I put TV on the floor and lean it to the wall, my neck appreciates it every zwift ride I do. Projector is probably not a good idea.

Zwift's UI interface is poorly placed, especially your power, which is constantly at the top of your screen. It hurts to train for a few hours in the TT position while constantly checking your power number, so my solution is a TV on the floor. You won't need to raise your head to look at your power number because your neck will be relatively straight as a result. As for the road bike, it is okay with the TV on the wall because your position is not overly aggressive as TT.

I get power numbers off an old edge 520. In general I like running Zwift on a PC hooked up to a mid size PC monitor, the actual monitor screen taken up by a YouTube playlist (ie sports, music shows, travel videos, etc), Zwift being visible through a companion app on an old iPad mounted to the side and my phone being used for discord chats if I am in a race/group training sesh.

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Next races on the schedule: none at the moment

As people have mentioned, picture height is huge. My TV is on slides and an articulating arm to be able to use it as a TV for the sectional in the corner so mounting super low wasn’t an option. In the aero position the TV is unusable, but with the Zwift companion i set it on my bike desk so I can monitor the workout. Also, how centered you are and how close has an impact on things as well, looking off to the side slightly and getting used to the bounce in your vision as you run with a screen that close. First world problems.

OOOHH I love mirroring zwift companion. I have to figure that one out myself!!! My arms are getting too short to type on my iphone while riding ;)

I went 55" tv on black friday from Costco for $238.

I put it on one of those corporate board room stands with wheels and a laptop mount on the riser. So I can move it in from of the bike, or in front of the "soccer watching couch".

I see a lot of good stuff in this topic, but man.........there's some seriously weak air flow game going on in a lot of these photos. Spending all this money on these setups and having some POS low cfm fan setup.

Go to Harbor Freight and pick up the big pedestal fan for like $200 or so. Or similar. I have a floor version mounted to the ladder in the shed on the wall on one side, and a big blower on the other.

If you mount them to blow cross body instead of pure front/back, you also sling the sweat to the side. Especially if you blow from drivetrain side to non drivetrain side.

You have to realize when riding outside you have a giant giant giant fan blowing on you at 20+ mph the entire time.

Yes, she definitely likes having that mirrored on that screen. It's running on her phone which is mounted between the aerobars, so it's easy to type/control when needed, and mirrored through an AppleTV.