My wife bought me a pricey Macbook pro for my birthday 2 months ago despite the fact I had no need for such a pricey computer, so I figured I’d try to use for something more than a web-surfing chromebook.
Signed up for Zwift.
Now all I want to do is ride Zwift. All of it. Races, group rides, group workouts, long climb rides, recovery rides, giving thumbs up, getting the badges. It’s cut my running training in half already (my swim training is low enough I can’t cut it any more!)
Yeah, gotta admit it’s pretty freaking awesome. Way more fun and way higher quality workouts than I expected. Was good timing too - as good as Trainerroad is for what it does, I was def burned out on it after doing 3 structured training blocks - I literally couldn’t bring myself to sign up for another block, and in the 6 weeks before Zwift I couldn’t even make myself do any workout harder than SS or last for over an hour on it.
I will add that all my available bike time is early AM or else squeezed into a very tight time block due to work/kid/wife time commitments. So Zwift is perfect for me. Although I will admit that I passed on at least 3 outdoor ride opportunities since I was more excited about riding on Zwift…
But as Lionel Sanders said, 'if it makes you ride more, do it more." I’m taking that advice!
I enjoy zwift. I used it exclusively for my last 70.3 training cycle. It’s too convenient to be able to get up at 5am and do a 2.5 hour ride then hit the treadmill for a 20-30 minute transition run. The group rides definitely make it more interesting and cut down on the monotony.
I think zwift does need to step up and offer more rides in the PM though. There’s not a lot offered after the morning hours.
I haven’t participated in enough zwift races to get a feel for them. You have to be ready to push hard for the first few miles it seems and then things slow down some.
I prefer riding outdoors but it’s hard to fit that into my schedule with 4 yo twin boys. The roads where I live are pretty trashy and there aren’t many cyclists so safety is a major factor as well.
I enjoy zwift. I used it exclusively for my last 70.3 training cycle. It’s too convenient to be able to get up at 5am and do a 2.5 hour ride then hit the treadmill for a 20-30 minute transition run. The group rides definitely make it more interesting and cut down on the monotony.
I think zwift does need to step up and offer more rides in the PM though. There’s not a lot offered after the morning hours.
I haven’t participated in enough zwift races to get a feel for them. You have to be ready to push hard for the first few miles it seems and then things slow down some.
I prefer riding outdoors but it’s hard to fit that into my schedule with 4 yo twin boys.** The roads where I live are pretty trashy and there aren’t many cyclists so safety is a major factor as well**.
Agreed to most of the above, especially the two points highlighted. Even when there are only 2 or 3 others in the group, it still makes an otherwise monotonous rider go much easier.
I do the overwhelming majority of my road riding these days using zwift, and having a substitute for those long steady rides is about the most difficult thing, but the fact there’s an avatar of someone on screen seems to take my mind off the fact that I’m riding indoors. I really wish they could implement an option where one gets a virtual training group, so to speak.
I agree. I was all in for a few months then you realize you are still just on a trainer.
Yeah, I’m waiting for that cold reality check. It’ll probably be a good thing for me though, to balance it all out!
I do love the climbs in Zwift though, and the fact you can work pretty hard on the downhills, like up that crazy radio tower. I set the difficulty to 100% on the way up that thing, and then change it to 50% so I can power the way down, which is awesome - I have a local outdoor great climb of similar height and length, but it always frustrates me that I can’t do more than 120w on the way down since it’s super windy and steep.
I fell in love with a female avatar the other day. I was cruising easy 1.7 w/kg through the desert enjoying the easy spin. Most ppl were passing and then this fine pixelized specimen rolled up along with me and started keeping pace.
We rolled back and forth taking turns drafting for a good 10-12 minutes .
I felt like a dove in flight flying with my partner across the barren landscape . I could see the loose hairs hanging down past her ears and sweat dripping off her brow .
I could appreciate the power in her legs as her bike shorts fit quite snug. Did she feel the same ?!
We came to the end of the desert and started gentle climb up through the forest towards Epic KOM . Is there a Zwift function where we can stop and have a picnic and maybe take a roll in the field?
I bumped power up to 2.1 , this was is it! Is she with me or not?
She went to 1.9 and I went 2.3. She paused and then fell back to 1.7 and I slowly pulled away . I could see the little counter showing her trailing off , 20 meters, 30 meters and just like that she was gone . Another bastardized relationship conjured on the Internet, if not in my mind.
I agree. I was all in for a few months then you realize you are still just on a trainer.
Curious too, what’s your Zwift setup?
I just mention it because I have a hi-end 17" Macbook pro, and WOW the graphics and effects pop on the screen. I thought I wouldn’t care about detailed video and special effects since I’d be suffering so hard, but I will grudgingly admit that every little enhancement seems to have a positive effect on my affinity for the Zwift system.
I hooked up my Macbook to my 32" TV which is pretty good as well, but it’s only a 720p TV, so you def lose some of the color and detail that I see on the Macbook retina screen. Again, I’m not a hi-def screen junkie - I happily play video games Xboxone, etc on that same 720p TV and often prefer it to my 1080p 22" computer monitor, but for Zwift, I’m already eyeballing 4k stuff since I now have a macbook that can reasonably run it.
I’m sure my Zwift experience would be nowhere near as positive had i been running it on a small screen or on something that was prone to stuttering.
We’ll see how long my love affair with Zwift lasts, but honestly, if I’m still really into it in 3-4 months similar to I am now, I will gladly and happily spend $5k to get the latest and greatest stuff to maximize the Zwift experience - projector, Wahoo climb, upgraded Kickr, it’s all fair game if it keeps my riding as fun and involved as it right now. (I’m not rolling in cash - I make good money now but I’m pretty careful about spending money - my bike is a 2008 P2c which has a cheap replacement cockpit and old 10-spd gearing. But Zwift seems like game-changer for me in terms of time and quality on the bike, and that is something I will invest in for long-term results.)
I went from a crappy old Windows 7 machine to a still pretty solid MacBook Pro and MY GOD the graphics difference. I’ve been on Zwift for a little over a year now and the graphics upgrade has been ridiculous.
Reasons I Zwift:
It saves time versus trying to get prepped and outside;I can start riding before 5 AM and bury a ride so it doesn’t impact parenting/family/work time;Zwift racing is the hardest thing I’ve ever done, period;Being able to get watt targets for a specific workout in app (versus the old CompuTrainer software) is nice;We can do meet-ups with our athletes when we want to do a group event.
Game changer for our household.
I’m pretty sure that was me riding with you the other day. I loved pulling for you while you sat behind ogleing my digital arse. You should have messaged me about that picnic idea. I would loved to stop for a quite bite…even if it was all virtual.
Oh, and I should mention that I had just finished crushing the field in a “women’s only” race and had forgotten to change my female avatar back to the 170 pound hairy-backed male that I actually am.
Herbert, what are you using to get your run speed into Zwift? Milestone or Stryd or other, and are you happy with it?
I am tired as all get out of doing my own runs by my own lonesome self due to scheduling issues and am DYING to get onto the Zwift group runs and training runs, as I’m finding on the bike that I work nearly 20% harder when I’m racing in Zwift or at least pushing to keep up with someone slightly faster than me. Wayyyy easier to motivate than on my own, where I literally dread doing workouts that hard week in week out.
My treadmill connects but I also use a Stryd. Look up the Monday run group and Wednesday workouts led by some Brit guys. Very neat stuffWhat treadmill is that?
I’m pretty sure that was me riding with you the other day. I loved pulling for you while you sat behind ogleing my digital arse. You should have messaged me about that picnic idea. I would loved to stop for a quite bite…even if it was all virtual.
Oh, and I should mention that I had just finished crushing the field in a “women’s only” race and had forgotten to change my female avatar back to the 170 pound hairy-backed male that I actually am.
I have a Woodway 4Front, but Technogym MyRun has the same style Bluetooth connection at a much cheaper point of entry. But they are not the same treadmills.
I use Stryd for cadence now and the Woodway for speed, this way it also records my elevation. Plus obviously only the Stryd when running elsewhere in a gym
I have a Woodway 4Front, but Technogym MyRun has the same style Bluetooth connection at a much cheaper point of entry. But they are not the same treadmills.
I use Stryd for cadence now and the Woodway for speed, this way it also records my elevation. Plus obviously only the Stryd when running elsewhere in a gymOk thanks.
