Hi all. I recently bought my first road bike and am loving it. Want to get set up with an indoor trainer for over the winter period and someone is selling a Tacx Vortex in good condition for £280.
What are peoples thoughts on this for someone wanting to use it exclusively with zwift and who is a beginner cyclist? Would I also be able to fit a MTB on it too if my wife wanted to use it also?
Thank you in advance for your help!
Stefan
Indoor training set up
Re: Indoor training set up
This type of trainer provides resistance through a drum in contact with the rear tyre. They therefore wear through tyres quickly. They can over heat and delaminate. You can get specific training tyres such as
https://www.wiggle.co.uk/continental-ho ... ainer-tyre
Or when your standard tyres are looking too worn for the road you can use them on the Turbo Trainer. if doing either of these you may want a spare wheel so you can swop between riding on the road and trainer set-ups.
Also suggest a well ventilated room with a fan and a towel at hand. A solid floor rather than floor boards or your neighbours may think you are flying a drone in your house.
When I used such a trainer I would need to have everything set up in advance; bike in the trainer, fan in place, bottle in the fridge and music set up so that I could use it as soon as I got in from work. Any form of faffing about and I would find a reason not to do it. I used to do short 'intervals' between one and four minute with rest periods inbetween or occasionally 20 minutes high end efforts rather than a substitute for 'regular' riding. See British Cycling for training plans. It's all down to what you like and can put up with. I knew someone who could ride 4-5 hours steady, in silence staring a garage wall on a Sunday afternoon if it was raining and if that's what his training schedule said.
https://www.wiggle.co.uk/continental-ho ... ainer-tyre
Or when your standard tyres are looking too worn for the road you can use them on the Turbo Trainer. if doing either of these you may want a spare wheel so you can swop between riding on the road and trainer set-ups.
Also suggest a well ventilated room with a fan and a towel at hand. A solid floor rather than floor boards or your neighbours may think you are flying a drone in your house.
When I used such a trainer I would need to have everything set up in advance; bike in the trainer, fan in place, bottle in the fridge and music set up so that I could use it as soon as I got in from work. Any form of faffing about and I would find a reason not to do it. I used to do short 'intervals' between one and four minute with rest periods inbetween or occasionally 20 minutes high end efforts rather than a substitute for 'regular' riding. See British Cycling for training plans. It's all down to what you like and can put up with. I knew someone who could ride 4-5 hours steady, in silence staring a garage wall on a Sunday afternoon if it was raining and if that's what his training schedule said.
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mumbojumbo
- Posts: 1525
- Joined: 1 Aug 2018, 8:18pm
Re: Indoor training set up
By setting up indoors you cannot ride outside-winter can be great for real training.
Re: Indoor training set up
I've become a convert to Zwift this year. It's worth looking at as a basis for riding with a trainer. There are alternatives (e.g. Rouvy uses real-world videos, whereas Zwift is virtual reality). I use a basic set-up, more so than what you propose, on the patio outside (which is a bit weather-sensitive, but avoids the need for ventilation!) You can spend loads more, but basic is good enough for me. My screen set-up is also basic - a fairly ordinary Android tablet. You can use training programmes in Zwift, or just ride routes, or set yourself challenges, or take part in group rides - my club did virtual club runs while real ones were not allowed.
For me, it's a substitute for commuting miles because I'm working from home. But yes, don't forget the real world.
My particular trainer is supposedly not too hard on tyres. We'll see. And yes, most will take a range of sizes of bike, so no problem swapping in your wife's machine. This gives you an idea of features.
For me, it's a substitute for commuting miles because I'm working from home. But yes, don't forget the real world.
My particular trainer is supposedly not too hard on tyres. We'll see. And yes, most will take a range of sizes of bike, so no problem swapping in your wife's machine. This gives you an idea of features.