Zwift, TrainerRoad, Rouvey, and The Sufferfest are the big four. But really, the big 2 are Zwift and TrainerRoad. Which of these two (and maybe into the other two) depends on individual preference.

Zwift does simulation and is super cool eye candy. TrainerRoad does structured plans so you can train as if with a coach. IMHO, I prefer TR, because I think I get far more performance benefit. Plus, I would much rather watch Netflix while riding versus having to watch a Zwift ride simulation. However, if you are a person that would resonate more with the sim environment, then go Zwift.

My environment is a smart trainer, TrainerRoad on an old W10 tablet, and Netflix on an iPad. I have a table in front of my bike that supports my two devices plus a couple water bottles.

Wow thanks so much! This is exactly what I was looking for. Looks like I'll be all ready to go with either, and leaning towards TR.

TE

Don't be such a wuss! Ride outside.

I mtb all winter long, and when it's really cold/snowy, break out the fatty.

Speaking of mtb.... when we riding again??
It's pretty much perfect out these days.

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float , hammer , and jog

I do exactly what you are describing with Zwift. I use a Saris Hammer 3 direct drive trainer. It has been great. The Elite's look good also though. That was my second choice.

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- Jordan

My Strava

I need more time in TT position to try and outsplit you, no guarantees on the stafford superbike next year

I'm probably hitting a long one sunday AM. I'll text you for sure

Awesome. Zwift is also cheaper, it seems, and building workouts seems pretty easy on each. Thanks for the reccomendation.

Don't toss out Sufferfest, give them a look. I'm a lifelong TR guy but if I were starting over today I'd likely wind up on SF. Legit workouts with entertaining videos accompanying them.

Actually Rouvy is the cheapest, especially if you have more than one user in the house.

My wife and I pay $12 a month for both of us on Rouvy.

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"...the street finds its own uses for things"

If your focus is doing structured workouts with a nice HUD then TrainerRoad gets the job done. It has tons of workouts available and you can build your own. If you are looking for more of a virtual social group ride, online racing, or simply need the video game aspect of riding virtual courses to tolerate the trainer then something like Zwift is a better choice.

I agree on TR. I feel it has made a huge difference in my training this year.
I have done 2 rides on zwift, and to me it is no different than watching netflix while you ride. But I was not doing a group ride or race, just solo free riding.
I get my suito on monday, and I will let you know what I think. Currently I have a dumb DD trainer and a powermeter. And on that note, I would add that using TR with a dumb trainer and a PM did not bother me at all. Only reason I am upgrading is because my wife keeps telling me the trainer is too loud.

Being on a trainer can still suck like a black hole. Yet you can learn to enjoy it most of the time. Or at least tolerate it. Take a look at the pain cave thread on TR's forum. Lots of ideas that can help make things less painful.

Don't forget to read DCRainmaker's reviews of the smart trainers. You don't have to have a smart trainer -- a "dumb" one with virtual power can also get you there. Consistency is what you want. While the smart one might be nicer, depends on your budget.

HTH

My friend loved Sufferfest, so I started with that. The videos definitely keep it somewhat entertaining.

Then I tried Zwift, and absolutely loved it, particularly in peak season, when every race you could enter pretty much had big fields to compete against. The best part of Zwift for me is the racing, whether it be a big group race, or an individual time trial. You will definitely be going full gas, and suffer greatly during the race, but feel great about your effort once it is finished.

TR seems to have the most training plans, but staring at a screen does not seem like much fun to me. For those who say they watch Netflix, then they must be doing an easy recovery ride because if I am riding hard, there is no way I can focus on paying attention to any tv program.

Yeah - I'm still on a fluid trainer using TR for my structured workouts when outside isn't accommodating. I'm pretty satisfied with it. I don't need the social interaction or video game to stay focused. Although I do have a large TV next to the monitoring that my TR display is on.

Also I love paincave threads. There are people with 110" projector set ups, dual monitors on rollers that move between treadmills and trainers, and others who have an ipad duct tape to a wall and a bag of dog food hanging above the trainer. Every person doing what they can to get faster. For some reason it always makes me happy to go through them and see what people come up with.

Which fatty do you have? Surly fan myself.

The secret is pick shows with lots of explosions and fighting. If you are trying to watch Gilmore Girls while doing TrainerRoad, that's gonna fail hard.

El Cheapo mail order from Framed, the Minnesota 3.0.
I think it was $750 delivered.

I don't ride fat often enough to have my bike snobbery kick in for this steed.
It does what I need it to do, the handful of times/year I ride it.

There are some guys I occasionally ride w/ during the winter, who have totally pimped out fatties.
Like Beargrease w/ all the best toys.

With what I saved not going crazy on the fatty, I got an '18 Venge Pro disk on closeout instead.

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float , hammer , and jog

I've used Trainer Road, Zwift and now use the Sufferfest. I find the 4dp test really demonstrates my strengths and weaknesses then workouts are suggested to improve both. There's training plans available for road, cross, mtb and triathlon- that's included with your subscription. There's also yoga videos, strength training videos geared for cyclists, mental toughness training... There are also personalized plans available, I've used that for my Ironman race tomorrow. Tech support is really good too, they can help you get set up with virtual power or a smart trainer. There's just so much available and the community CANNOT be beat. Once a Sufferlandrian, always a Sufferlandrian. :0)

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formerly but still a Run Snail...

I've done them all. TrainerRoad, Zwift, and Sufferfest. The only product I've never stopped using is The Sufferfest.

Why? Engagement factor.

Zwift is great for riding "socially", I personally find it difficult to interact with anyone while stomping my brains out on a virtual hill. So meh. Also, for me, just like outside, if there is a rider in front of me...I MUST CATCH THEM. This means every ride turned into a hammerfest whether it was supposed to or not. So not that good for training. Your experiences may vary. Racing was sort of fun, but unless you can ride at your FTP for the duration of the race, you have no chance at placing. Also, if you go 0.01w/kg over the specified average for that race (maybe because you sprinted at the end), you get punted up a category. I've had a few 2nd/3rd places removed as I was punted up a category which put me like 60th. I won't even get into e-doping/cheating.

My experience with TrainerRoad is a bit dated so I don't have the best opinions. When I used them during the beta and after, much like today, it was a graph and numbers on a screen. I overlayed videos, even the Sufferfest videos before that stopped, but unless I'm doing just plain mindless Z1-2, I was super bored. It was difficult to get on the bike all winter. Maybe this isn't a factor for you, but it definitely was for me. Due to life, I do 90% of my training indoors, I simply cannot be bored or it just won't happen.

Cue Sufferfest. They're catching up on workouts and training plans, but I just really enjoy the engagement factor. It sounds corny, but I really do feel like I'm in the race and want to push hard. I don't use erg mode often, but if you do, it forces you to rest when you need to rest between intervals. Even without erg, the footage changes to a relaxing mountainscape or some easy pedaling portion of a race, so you don't feel the need to ignore the recovery. This is true no matter how many times I ride a workout. I have a few favorites I've done 30+ times.

Take it for what you will. Embrace the indoor life.

I spent nearly 8 years riding a dumb trainer indoors 3-4x a week - although i did use that time to watch TV and bad movies. Recently i have switched to a smart trainer.

Got Zwift, because that seemed like the thing to do. Quit Zwift after a couple of months. The reason being - if i am riding indoors, i am doing a structured workout - I do not care one bit about indoor races and indoor group rides. After a while, the novelty of that virtual world wore off for me, and i realized i rather preferred watching Netflix or something while on the trainer. So I am on Trainerroad now, and it works very well for me.

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Those who are slower than me suck.
Those who are faster than me dope

I’m Sufferfest all the way. The videos are completely engaging, the commentary is humorous as well as motivational and the training is, if your choose it to be, outrageously good/hard/insane. You will suffer. 😂

There is a mental toughness program too, strength training and full on yoga as well as a whole suite of training plans for cycling and triathlon.

Where I’ve had a lot of benefit is the community. I’ve had so much help from other folk using thE platform.

Yeah, I’m a convert. :-) Give it a try for a week And get involved with the Facebook groups when you do.

Cheers. And happy suffering! ;-)

I would never have taken up indoor training (or any cycle training at all) if it were not for Sufferfest. And many workouts designed by guys like Neal Henderson (Rohan Dennis) and Mac Cassin - these guys know how to maximize suffering for a limited amount of time, and they have the science to back it up. The humor, the online community and the challenge that is tailored to you (per the 4DP test) cannot be beat for improving fitness. It isn't racing with other people - but challenging yourself! Come over to the dark side and move to Sufferlandria :)

Thinking about getting sufferfest

How does it work

Take the 4DP test full frontal
Do you say ok I have an Ironman distance race in 5 months.

I have 15 hours to train per week and I need Sunday off

And it creates a workout plan for you?

For indoor training, I've used a number of apps & services over the years. By far, my favorite is The Sufferfest.

Though recently acquired by Wahoo (but still works fine with other trainers; I use a Tacx Flux S), The Sufferfest has been around for a good long while. I used their stand alone workouts when they were download only and for use with traditional (dumb) trainers to great success in both bike races and triathlon. The addition of smart features has amplified what The Sufferfest can offer on the trainer, but it's the additional features for off the trainer that truly make The Sufferfest such a great training companion.

Yoga, strength conditioning, and running workouts are all included with the monthly (or $99/annually) fee. The app works with mobile devices (I've used the iOS & Mac versions; an Apple TV is rumored to be in the works, as are additional features, some of which will come to fruition faster with the aforementioned partnering with Wahoo), as well as computer-based; the latter supports BLE & ANT+ compatibility, making it versatile and "nimble" in a matter of speaking.

I've tried other indoor services (a buddy swears by TrainerRoad, and I enjoyed Zwift for a little while, eventually finding it too much like a game with no real gains in fitness), but for true, measurable, worth-it training, nothing beats The Sufferfest. By signing up, you get not only a training program, but a training lifestyle. Much like Slowtwitch, you'll be able to commiserate with others after the fact, all while making yourself stronger, faster in as little as 30 minutes per workout—15 for yoga! And, when you're ready, take the challenge for Knighthood. Once completed, you'll not only get cool stickers for your kit, but also (and especially) early access to soon-to-be-released workouts, as well as Knights-only workouts; Batman Intervals included.

Hope you'll join us in Sufferlandria. :)

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#cureMS