so i am super new to biking and Zwift (1 week on zwift) right now i have a basic cheap workout bike like they have in gyms, that can connect to zwift, in the near future i would want to buy the tacx boost bundle, as its fairly “cheap”, so since i only have a mountain bike, i will have to buy a used or cheap racing bike, so my questions is as follows.
hope anyone can help a newbie who is pretty hooked on this “game”
your mtn bike may fit it " The trainer is compatible both with road and MTB bikes with 26’‘, 27.5’‘, 29’', 650b/c and 700c wheels, up to a 2.0" tire" This information comes from Primeau Velo a site selling the product. So check it out - you may not need another bike.
Personally, I would not get the Boost plus a road bike if I could get a decent direct drive trainer (even used) and put the mountain bike on it. If you are enjoying Zwift, I would move straight to a direct drive trainer if you can. Exactly what to get depends on the budget and the details of your mountain bike.
Its an older Trek 3700 (from what i could gather from the “plate” under the bike, tires says 26”x2.00
That bike is compatible with direct drive trainers. If I had a limited budget I would get a mid-range direct drive trainer either new or used, put that bike on it, and think about getting a road bike later when funds are available. You could ride that bike on a trainer forever if you wanted to. It might make sense to replace the chain before putting it on a direct drive trainer if you get one with a new cassette.
If you get the Boost make sure to use a slick or inverted tread tire. A MB tire would be noisy and tear up pretty quick.
Preferably, get a Direct Drive trainer… something like a Saris H3 ($350 if you hunt around) or Kickr Core. You would be much happier.
Would a thinkrider x5-2 neo be okay? Since its the lowest priced direct drive trainer in Denmark
How much does it cost? Let me know and I’ll look around for EU options.
I believe that trainer comes with no cassette, and has no cadence sensor. You will need a cassette, either a new one or moving the one from your rear wheel. You can live without the cadence sensor if you don’t care about that. As a bargain trainer, you can expect worse support and warranty service if anything goes wrong with it.
389$ +/-
Where the kickr core is 550$ -/+
The other trainer near the price of the ThinkRider X5 is the JetBlack Victory, or check for a used Kickr Core on Facebook Marketplace, etc. The Victory is a far better trainer than the ThinkRider.
Hi @Benjamin_Borgstrom welcome to Zwift forums.
Shuji at Zwift HQ here. Using a wheel-off (direct drive) smart trainer rather than a wheel-on classic trainer provides a much better experience. You’ll feel the resistance change automatically as your avatar rides up and down hills. If you’re a fan of structured workouts (i.e. 3 minute block of low intensity, then 2 minutes medium, 1 minute high intensity, repeat 3x) the game will control your resistance changes automatically.
The cost of smart trainers have been steadily decreasing over the past ~3 years or so, and now trainers like the Jetblack Victory and Van Rysel D100 are priced not much more than a classic trainer + speed sensor + cadence sensor settup, but with much a better in-game experience. You should research those two trainers and see that they’ve available in Denmark.
So lets say i get the Victory, which casette do i buy for my trek 3700? as the one i got on my MTB is really greasy and old, i want to be sure i know which casette and new chain.
How many cogs are on the cassette? You would need to get one with the same number. If you count the number of teeth on the largest cog that would help you find a cassette that is the same as on the bike, or you could choose one with fewer teeth and that would also work. You would also need a Shimano lockring tool to install the cassette, or take it to a bike shop and have them set it up.
If you want to use virtual shifting, you can get the Victory with a single speed cog and shift by using the Bluetooth Click shifter.
From what I have heard about the Van Rysel D100 here on the Zwift forum, I would not buy that trainer despite the nice price.
I will count em after work tomorrow.
This stuff is not easy to understand, it seems
So the biggest cog has 34 teeth and 7 cogs overall.
I can find a casette that says “ 7 speed, 14-34 teeth” what does the number 14 mean?
14 is the number of teeth on the smallest cog, which is the high gear. The cassette you found should work. It is necessary to add extra spacers to make a 7 speed cassette work on a trainer designed for 11 speed (which is most of them). Wahoo has a support document that explains how to make it work, and that is applicable to other brands of trainers that use 11 speed freehubs.
This seems like such a hassle, 1 seller in Denmark, sells the kickr core, where they install the casette for you, which would probably be my best guess, so i dont ruin the machine and the casette
If they will sell it with a 7 speed cassette then that’s a good option. If they don’t, buy it without a cassette and take it to a bike shop with your bicycle so they can make it all work perfectly.
Sadly they dont have the 7 speed option, 8 speed 11-28 is the lowest, they go
Couldnt i just buy an 8 or 9 speed casette and a chain that fits? Or does a bike only take 1 specific type of casette size?