I realize this topic been asked before, but I have my specific reasons asking again. I am not a cyclist. I don’t ride outside or intend to. I want the best of both worlds. Zwift and Spin. My goals are to have fun, do cardio, and track my progress. I am very interested in actually seeing where I’m at in Zwift, so I will definitely add the power meter pedals if I go the spin route I have considered the schwinIc4/bowflexC6 and power meter with spin2k, however, this puts me at nearly the same cost of a dedicated smart bike if I can wait for a sale. The kickr shift seems the quietest of the smart bikes without being $3k. The wattbike proton seems like it would be a good cheaper option, but there seems to be a lot of complaints and returns with this bike, plus it’s a lot louder. This bike will be directly on the other side of the wall from my son’s bed. So not sure if I should consider this bike or not.
So here’s my concerns, for someone with no background road riding, is the kickr shift bike, or any other smart bike overkill? Is it going to be complicated to learn to use the bike to the best of its ability for someone like me? How would it do with a spin class when I simply need to lower or raise the resistance? How is the constant up/down on a smart bike like this during a spin class?
Also, they do look like they feel different, spin bikes being more upright. How big is this difference for a non Cycler coming from more spin experience? Will it be uncomfortable? I cannot go try one out in store locally, I’d have to drive hours away.
Is the proton a solid contender?
So again, which bike will get me the best of both worlds without overkill?
Have you considered the Zwift Ride with a Kickr Core smart trainer?
What program will you be using for “spin” class? You might find that riding on Zwift is far more enjoyable than a virtual spin class, so I would lean more towards a Zwift Ride bike rather than the spin bike route.
Spin bikes are not good for Zwift, but are good for spin classes. Smart bikes like the Kickr Shift or a bike on a trainer (or Zwift Ride) are good for Zwift but not good for spin classes. They are simply not the same class of equipment and the demands of the two different sports are not the same. They both have pedals but despite the similar appearance, I don’t think there’s a best of both worlds option. There’s only best of one world and perhaps OK at the other.
I’ve considered that bike, it doesn’t seem as user friendly to use with any other platform than Zwift according to their website. I imagine I’d use either Apple, peloton or YouTube for spin classes. I like to have options so being locked into one style isn’t attractive to me.
You can get a lot of feedback about the Wattbike on Facebook groups like Zwift Riders. It doesn’t have wide international distribution but is quite popular in the UK.
I’m not on fb, but I will definitely try to find more info. Thanks.
Edit: any input on how a smart bike would feel to a newbie? If I can learn to use it well, I might just like it better overall, but they are definitely more intimidating and complex if you’re not already experienced. Any opinion if their overkill?
Edit: any input on how a smart bike would feel to a newbie? If I can learn to use it well, I might just like it better overall, but they are definitely more intimidating and complex if you’re not already experienced. Any opinion if their overkill?
The Zwift Ride is pretty basic, similar adjustments to seat and handlebars like a spin bike, they were designed for beginners to be able to use easily and get introduced to Zwift.
As a person who came from a Schwinn IC8, its just a Zwift cheat bike unless you only use it for spin classes IMO. The flywheel is big letting you use less effort and only cheat yourself with its momentum. After 6mths I moved to a $400can trek road bike and a Wahoo KickR V5, then a $1200 trek road bike and a core V2.
If you are never going to ride outside, the Zwift ride might be your best bet,.. but it is locked to Zwift for virtual shifting and steering for other platforms as far as I know,.. unless something has change.
They are great, especially the high end ones like Kickr BIke. On that one you can have the shifting mirror a real world bike very easily, it is fully adjustable to match the fit of your real bike, it even tilts back and forwards to replicate going uphill and downhill. And there are no messy chains or cassettes. And they are quiet. Kickr bike can be used with other cycling apps, not just Zwift. Fulgaz, Rouvy, TrainingPeaks Virtual, etc.
Traditional smart trainers with a cassette and a chain always tended to be somewhat noisy. Maybe that’s different now with Zwift Cog.
I went from Tacx Neo 1 to Wahoo Kickr Bike V1 before Covid hit the world and I still have that Kickr Bike. Yes it was a lot of money, but it is has proven its worth. I don’t know if the Kickr bike has some inbuilt way to track the hours it has been used for, but mine surely has a lot. It got a replacement bottom bracket (done by me), the seat post was replaced by Wahoo (warranty) and the shifters also got replaced this year (warranty). Not bad for something that is now pretty old!