Hello and thank you for keeping this thread informational. I am interested in knowing what setups people are using for their hand cycle workouts.
Zwift has taken the first steps in including the hand cycle avatar and dynamics, however, I have not been able to get a list of compatible upper body ergometers or even information on how to best set one up with sensors from them. So, I am hoping this topic will allow those interested in hand cycling exercise to utilize the app.
It seems there are four main ways to approach this:
Attaching an actual hand cycle to a Zwift compatible trainer.
Purchasing a ‘smart’ upper body ergometer that can connect / pair to Zwift.
Modifying a basic upper body ergometer with the appropriate sensors to pair to Zwift.
Piecing together some other contraption with the appropriate parts.
From what I have seen there seems to be ways to approach each of those builds. I would like to discuss the pros and cons of each type and thus determine, and inform, which might be the most practical for any given situation.
For me, personally, I am envisioning a tabletop setup with an upper body ergometer, something that I can sit down and use, and also put away. There seems to be a very limited selection of these available on the internet, with questionable product support, availability, and also costing upwards of $2000 usd. Some, however, seem to be capable of reading cadence, heart rate, watts and have other nice features and built in programs. Some seem to be able to run in reverse arm rotation, this seems like a critical feature.
It would be nice to be able to get going with a more budget setup, maybe using a group of sensors attached to a more basic exerciser. What sensors would be needed? From what I’ve seen, some of these products use crank arms and pedals that looked sourced from the cycle industry, could these be swapped with power reading crank or pedal sensors?
I would appreciate any feedback here regarding products, product reviews, setup tips, expectations, things to avoid, etc.
I hope to see you all hand cycling in Zwift!