During my free trial period, a couple of the automated emails from Zwift suggested I post my feedback somewhere on these forums. So, here goes…
Short answer:
I like Zwift. I’m still figuring things out, and I have a super-basic set-up, but I like Zwift.
Long answer:
Yesterday was Day 7 of my free trial. I started last Saturday, swinging my leg over the bike for the first time since mid-2015. That’s a long time…and that was for the last indoor ride. As for the last outdoor ride, well, that was even longer ago: June 2014.
I managed to do four rides on Zwift during the free trial. Not a bad start, really – four rides in a week, compared to zero in 19 months. I’m happy with that.
I have known about Zwift for probably close to two years but just now tried it out. Part of the hesitation was because my laptop was well below the minimum hardware specs. The laptop now is 8 years old, but I was pleasantly surprised that Zwift worked at all on such an old MacBook Pro [after, of course, buying an ANT+ adapter]. And the good news is I can use the iPad [after buying an ANT-to-BLE bridge] to get better graphics display.
The bigger part of the hesitation was medical. Involuntarily losing 20% body mass will tend to keep you off the bike. It took two years to get a proper diagnosis (and there were more issues than just the unwanted weight loss), and since then has been yet another two years of various doctors and treatment for Lyme Disease. And we’re still at it; the journey’s not over. Until it is, I’ll have to keep rockin’ the old gear, which is fine.
I’m not here to race or get ultra-critical with power charts. I’m simply trying to regain weight & strength and rebuild my life. Sure, I can be somewhat competitive, and my previous riding involved trails, centuries and a trip up the 14000-ft Mt. Evans. For now, though, I’m glad to be able to ride. In the last week, Zwift gave me a glimpse of the person I used to be. So, how was the free trial? It was “nice.”
Many thanks to Jon, Eric and the Zwift crew,
phil