so, I am riding for 500km now on my trusted Decathlon Singlespeed that I bought years ago for 219 Euro. Obviously, that is not the perfect racing bike, even indoors, so I would like to upgrade.
However, I will probably ride 90% of my time indoors, as outside I’d rather go MTB than racing (also there are many other reasons for me to ride inside my home).
Say I want to buy a new bike, as the used bike choice is really really bad where I live - what would you advice, considered I am a beginner and will never be a pro in my life. Is the cheapest of the cheapest enough, o should I still aim for something just a bit better? My choice atm would be a Cube Attain, just because reviews say it is ok for just under 1000 Euro and well, it looks nice
Cube Attain should be fine. The only down side that I see is that it has an 8 speed cassette with very wide gear range, so the jumps between gears will be quite large. But if you’re used to a single speed you may find that acceptable. You could always replace the cassette with one that has a narrower range.
What kind of trainer are you using? FWIW, if it is a wheel-off trainer, I’m not sure how easy it is to put anything fewer than a 10-speed cassette on one of these.
I recomend you to get the same gearing system and shoes that you have in your MTB bike. Will make everything much more easy to manage.
At least in Spain, when i go to a bike shop, they tend yo recommend me small frames and larger bicycle seatpost. While i understand that outside is better, indorr i prefer a bigger frame and smaller seatpost.
I would invest more in the saddle because is critical indoor.
It’s best to have the entire brake cable system removed and the derailleur cables in plain sight for easy greasing. Sweat is a killer for indoor bikes and they require some monthly love.
If I were you, I wouldn’t buy a factory-made bike. I would look for a bike store where they would custom make it for me (no need for brakes or rear wheel) and adjust the gears to the smart trainer (something you’re going to have to learn sooner or later). Or you might even consider buying the parts separately and building your own only indoor smart trainer bike!
Make sure you get the right sized frame so if in the future you want to take it out on the road you can do so comfortably. Fit isn’t as criticle on a trainer. I suggest you will need something with more than 8 gears as there are lots of hills to climb in Zwift and some are quite steep. Also the gearing is part of the experience when riding and a better gearing system is usually more enjoyable to use and performs better. You will likely have to change the seat if you buy a cheap bike and you do a lot of riding. I would probably go for somethinga bit better than the cheapest.
I’m using a aluminum frame with 8 speed claris on it, cost me around $450 brand new. I have toying with an idea of upgrading to 105 and put in a thread here asking for opinion. Most feedback I had is that it wont make much difference or no difference at all. Below the is the link of my thread
Now on the part of the bike fitting, this is very critical. I had a problem on my indoor bike and its a very frustrating. Again, folks here are quite helpful ,to summarize, I finally did another bike fitting on my indoor bike and my problems goes away. My advise is fitting is not necessary but if you experience any discomfort then you should consider it or otherwise it will ruin your enjoyment
