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I've been looking at indoor bikes. Needs to fit two riders, 5'6" and 5'1".
On the market is the new Zwift Ride, and soon the Elite Square.
So, is it possible to do it on the cheap? I think some city bikes with very slack seat tube are designed to increase the reach when the post is raised to fit different adults, but I guess what is acceptable on a shopper bike might not make the grade for stomping away on a trainer on a rainy sunday morning?
If each rider had their own seatpost/saddle with big offsets, would that move you away from the BB too far? But perhaps with one of those adjustable stems etc could it be made to work.
I don't know, just thinking through in my head. I look forward to more choice of indoor frames in the future (but open standard so you can choose Zwift or another app) A few years of two riders paying a Zwift subscription adds up, especially if you are only using it as your gears won't work with Rouvy or Mywoosh!
I do like the idea of trainer and separate frame as it makes it so much easier to move around or stash away in the summer compared to a 50kg smart bike.
I was actually thinking about this earlier and remembered the bike-fit frame we had in the shop in Edinburgh. It had all sorts of adjustable stem/seatpost etc. It probably cost more than the Zwift and Elite frames combined 🙂
Why not use a turbo & two cheap road bikes from marketplace? Your could make a mount to replace the front wheel to save space and just hang the one you're not using on the wall.
You could start with the smaller one & make a funky homebrew extending seat post if you want to experiment before committing to two frames.
Small frame, Zwift cog, Zwift play shifters, replace the bars. You don’t need brakes or shifter cables with the cog. So an old frame with a threaded stem is what you need for fast bar changes, just move the game controls across. And a two seatposts of course with his and hers saddles, marked for depth with a QR bolt for insertion and locking You could use a thread less aheadset and unclamp and swap stem/bars too. Not as fast as a bike fitting bike, but fast.
A set of rollers and your own bikes. Trying to not fall off adds a whole new dimension to it all.
Butterfly bars and a long seatpost work, the flat bar position nearer to the saddle works for the shorter person and the forward one for the taller, either can use the other positions reasonably well.
I'd say a smart trainer, which gives you the option to connect to all platforms, and 2 x 50 quid road bikes off Facebook marketplace as said above.
Could share the same front wheel so you're only storing an extra frame. Or even make a cradle for the forks so no wheels at all.
A few years of two riders paying a Zwift subscription adds up, especially if you are only using it as your gears won’t work with Rouvy or Mywoosh!
But if you're going to get a new frame anyway?
If you're sticking with Zwift then why can't you just swap bikes and use the zwift-cog.
Thanks for the comments, we have two suitable frames and I'm probably placing too much emphasis on the faff of swapping them over. The only issue is I think mine has less gears and if they can't share a cassette I might need to buy some second hand drop shifters.
Someone has however found this at work this morning, if only I had the welder and skills to chop bits of this off and weld them to an old frame!
