Rig Option

General Discussion
#1

Hi there,

I’m looking for some advice for putting together my first Zwift / Peloton / Multi App indoor cycling rig. I’m completely new to the indoor cycling world, so please excuse if I’ve completely missed something here.

My budget sits around $1400 Canadian, and I have come up with the following scenario after doing a fair bit of reading on the forums, googling and youtube.

  • Bike: Sunny Health SF-B1002: $587 + tax (amazon)
  • Power Pedals: Garmin Vector 3 Single Side Meter Pedals: $587 + tax (probikekit)
  • Heart Rate Sensor: Wahoo Fitness Tracker: $100 + tax (amazon)

I guess my four main concerns are the following;

  • Is this set-up adequate for a fair and reliable experience using Zwift?
  • Am I over or under spending on one of the components?
  • Have I missed something I may need to purchase?
  • Do I need cycling shoes for these pedals?

I should add that I have connectivity to either an iPad, Apple TV or MacBook as options for displaying the software.

Thank you in advance for any help / 2 cents you can offer.

Mikey

#2

Yes. You need shoes that are compatible with Look Keo cleats. I believe most road cycling shoes are compatible.

#3

Because you are mounting power meter pedals I am assuming that the trainer does not communicate power. I am also going to assume that your trainer is not controllable by Zwift so you’d be missing out on a big part of the Zwift experience. You need a trainer where the resistance can be controlled by external Bluetooth or ANT+.

Wahoo TICKR Heart Rate Monitor https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0881B1H5S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glc_fabc_uMpcGb3T25W55

Should be able to get a Wahoo Tckr strap for about $50.

I am not sure if the Garmin pedals measure cadence as well but you only need cadence if you want to do workouts using ERG mode.

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#4

Do you already have any other sort of actual bike you might be able to use? If so, I think I’d look at buying a wheel-on smart trainer (or possibly even a lower-end wheel-off). And you might look at the Assioma Uno power pedals if you end up going with a spin bike.

#5

Thank you Steve

#6

Hey Bob, The trainer doesn’t communicate any information in this case. It’s a very basic bike with no electronics. Appears to be well built though. I can’t paste a link for some reason but the bike is called Sunny Health SF-B1002

I would be controlling the resistance manually in this case. I believe others do the same on a budget Indoor bike to some success.

Thanks for the info on the Tckr strap, that’ll certainly save some coin!

I’m not entirely sure on ERG mode, I will do some reading on that. I just essentially want something basic that will give me most of the zwift functionality without spending big big bucks.

#7

A typical bike on a smart trainer would give you the best option to enjoy the full Zwift experience and smart trainers provide power so you wouldn’t need to buy pedals.

The least expensive smart trainers are wheel on trainers but are less accurate. If you think you want to get into racing you might want to look at a direct drive trainer.

#8

Hi Nigel, I do not have a road bike unfortunately, and this isn’t an option due to space.
I am also hoping to use this bike with my wife, so we are going for an all-in-one for the both of us.
Thank you for your help

#9

If you go the route you described your avatar will move because of the pedals providing power. Zwift will use a standard power curve to generate speed but you won’t sense any uphills or downhills.
HR is not required for Zwift and is only for your own training if you want one.

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#10

By HR do you mean higher resistance?
Could this be achieved manually, for example if I see an incline coming up I increase the resistance on the bike?

#11

HR is Heart Rate

Not really. Trying to control resistance to match incline would be tricky but Zwift will “know” you are on a hill and will require you to put out more Watts. You won’t feel like your going up a hill but you’ll still need to produce the power to get over it.

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#12

Thanks for all your help Rob, super informative.

If you were in my position, and going via the spin bike route, do you believe investing so heavily into the pedals is justified or would something like the Wahoo RPM Bike Cadence Sensor (at a fraction of the cost) suffice for what I’m really going to get with a spin bike approach

#13

A cadence sensor will not move your avatar. You need power or a speed sensor but mounting a speed sensor on an indoor spin bike might be an issue.

#14

Apologies it’s a cadence & speed sensor

#15

A speed sensor needs to be mounted on your wheel hub (or very close to it) and your wheel diameter needs to be known. There are some articles on mounting a speed sensor on a spin bike so you might want to check it out.

IF you can find a way to mount a speed sensor it would be much less expensive than power meter pedals.