Years ago I spent hours indoors, instructing in my studio and even training myself, but to be honest the past 10yrs or so I have avoided it like the plague... um perhaps not the best choice of words given the current Covid19 crisis the world is dealing with right now.
Fact is, like most of you, I would rather be outside enjoying nature and clocking up the miles.
That said, I have had so many clients asking me about training indoors, to be fair we have been extremely lucky in New Zealand as we can STILL get in some rides. Funny thing is even though I despise riding indoors, that's all I have done since we went to Level 4.
Over the years a lot has changed and the indoors systems really have improved and become a lot more realistic and dare is say it, enjoyable.
So what's changed, well for starters trainers have come a long way from the good old "mag turbo" trainer, wind trainer and rollers. All still serve a purpose, actually a roller is really good when it comes to helping iron a few kinks in your pedal stroke and technique.
For many years I used (still have one) a CompuTrainer PRO and this was THE indoor trainer to have in its day. They were bullet proof and accurate, had great software for the time but they lacked the versatility of the modern direct drive trainers.
Currently I have a Wahoo Kickr as well as an Elite Zumo. Both of these are great units even if the Zumo is a little tricky to set up especially if you have a power meter on your bike. Being direct drive trainers they offer the versatility for todays modern bikes and they are accurate enough.
Another area of improvement are the various software platforms that are now currently available. For sure the current flavor of the month has to be Zwift. I believe one of its biggest features is its ability to give the riders the opportunity to ride in groups and races. I'm not really a fan of the whole "avatar thing" as I much prefer video of the route or even simply just a digital display similar to what I would have on my head unit.
My platform of choice is PerfPRO 2020 as it's ideal when you want to link up 1-3 trainers (Basic) and if you purchase an unlimited license you can obviously add more. For me it gives me what I'm looking for in a clear, simple package. As with most platforms you can simply ride, create your own workout or use one of the 100's that are available from different websites. As a coach I use TrainingPeaks and therefor create structured workouts for my athletes (and myself). Having the agility to import my daily training into PerfPRO is great. Obviously on completion it simply uploads the completed workout to TrainingPeaks, Strava, Garmin etc.
If I'm looking for a more realistic riding experience another great app is FulGaz which offers really high quality training videos from well know rides / routes around the world. A downside to this app is that you can't have multiple trainers or group rides riding through a single account like you can in PerfPRO. That said its still a great app that offers a good training experience.
I would be interested to know what platforms you ride on and why? Looking forward to hearing from you...
Till next time, take care and be safe
Fact is, like most of you, I would rather be outside enjoying nature and clocking up the miles.
That said, I have had so many clients asking me about training indoors, to be fair we have been extremely lucky in New Zealand as we can STILL get in some rides. Funny thing is even though I despise riding indoors, that's all I have done since we went to Level 4.
Over the years a lot has changed and the indoors systems really have improved and become a lot more realistic and dare is say it, enjoyable.
So what's changed, well for starters trainers have come a long way from the good old "mag turbo" trainer, wind trainer and rollers. All still serve a purpose, actually a roller is really good when it comes to helping iron a few kinks in your pedal stroke and technique.
For many years I used (still have one) a CompuTrainer PRO and this was THE indoor trainer to have in its day. They were bullet proof and accurate, had great software for the time but they lacked the versatility of the modern direct drive trainers.
Currently I have a Wahoo Kickr as well as an Elite Zumo. Both of these are great units even if the Zumo is a little tricky to set up especially if you have a power meter on your bike. Being direct drive trainers they offer the versatility for todays modern bikes and they are accurate enough.
Another area of improvement are the various software platforms that are now currently available. For sure the current flavor of the month has to be Zwift. I believe one of its biggest features is its ability to give the riders the opportunity to ride in groups and races. I'm not really a fan of the whole "avatar thing" as I much prefer video of the route or even simply just a digital display similar to what I would have on my head unit.
My platform of choice is PerfPRO 2020 as it's ideal when you want to link up 1-3 trainers (Basic) and if you purchase an unlimited license you can obviously add more. For me it gives me what I'm looking for in a clear, simple package. As with most platforms you can simply ride, create your own workout or use one of the 100's that are available from different websites. As a coach I use TrainingPeaks and therefor create structured workouts for my athletes (and myself). Having the agility to import my daily training into PerfPRO is great. Obviously on completion it simply uploads the completed workout to TrainingPeaks, Strava, Garmin etc.
If I'm looking for a more realistic riding experience another great app is FulGaz which offers really high quality training videos from well know rides / routes around the world. A downside to this app is that you can't have multiple trainers or group rides riding through a single account like you can in PerfPRO. That said its still a great app that offers a good training experience.
I would be interested to know what platforms you ride on and why? Looking forward to hearing from you...
Till next time, take care and be safe