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Have just got green light to get indoor bike to replace Watt bike pro which got sold during lock down.
Plan A is Wattbike Atom or Peloton. (My wife will also be using it)
Is the Atom more user friendly than the Pro especially with third party apps?
Can a Peloton be used with Zwift, Sufferfest etc
any thoughts on the Tracx bike thingy (on sale at Chainreaction).
Any steers or personal experience/preference on this appreciated.
I have a Wattbike Pro, the lack of erg mode is annoying. Watt bike atom has this feature and proper gear changing. Based on the reliability of my Watt Bike Pro, the atom would be my choice.
You’ll get lots of different experiences based on what people have. So as I always say to this type of question, have a look at what DCRainmaker has to say:-
https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2020/10/wattbike-smart-review.html/amp
Review from DC rainmaker on kickr bike vs atom vs Tacx neo bike. No peloton in there.
Edit - I don’t think peloton plays well with Zwift and Trainerroad- you can load them but it doesn’t transmit power data unless something has changed.
Thanks - reviews really helpful
I considered both for the reasons you are mentioning, in the end went for the wattbike atom. As mentioned peloton only does peloton and I believe you have to pay a monthly premium too. It will work out the box though and not really need owt else. Wattbike can be a faff with what to use with it, laptops, dongles, Apple TV etc but that aside I've been pretty happy with ours. Only had two issues, one was the seat post clamp failing, could still be be used, but its a known problem. I also lost power reading and had bother contacting wattbike, in the end live chat worked. Still glad we got it, the peloton stuff looks like it would be boring after a while and there is so much out there to try with the wattbike. Currently zwifting but was happy with the hub for a while.
Original Wattbike Atom here, lots of positives and couple of major negatives: 1) the erg mode in original Atom reacts slowly to changes watts, this has been mentioned in most reviews. This issue is problem especially in Zwift but I don’t Zwift at all 2) we have three users and the adjustability is not as quick as in some spinning bikes etc. I ended up buying a second seatpost - the proprietary model - as seat position adjustment are not very easy except for height. Stem length adjustments need hex key too.
We have a Peloton and have had it for over two years now (Dec 2019), my wife ignored me and bought it. Best thing she ever ignored me on. I love it. Yep its not Zwift but I like it for this reason. I really like spinning classes and I get shouted at with added music of all different types.
I am stronger more than I have been for almost 10 years of riding. I use it more than I have ever trained indoors, plus the app is portable - lots of non cycling classes. I am currently in a 75 week run. I have never done this before.
Ask away if you have any questions.
Oh forgot to mention some of our friends have bought a Peloton, non cyclists and the difference has been pretty amazing..
I got an indoor bike just before the first lockdown (lucky timing), had a spin bike in the garage for years and did some of the original Sufferfest videos so was looking for something Sufferfest (now SYSTM) compatible as that's all I knew. Started looking at the Wattbike Atom, then came across the DC Rainmaker reviews (which are excellent and very helpful I found) and decided the Tacx Neo bike was for me. Spent about 3 months waiting for them to release it, gave up and got a Wahoo Kickr bike. Very pleased with that, have spent a LOT of time on it.
Started out with Zwift but not really into gaming so went back to Sufferfest/SYSTM which works well for me.
I never really considered a Peloton as it seemed a bit gimmicky but interesting comment above as I used to love circuit and spinning classes at our work gym, purely because it's structured and someone shouts at you to work harder.
I guess first things first would be decided between Peleton and A.N.Other - what will work best for you and your wife. If you think you'd prefer Zwift/SYSTM/Rouvy/etc then rule out the Peloton. After that it's probably down to budget and any brand preference you may have as I think the main contenders (Wattbike Atom, Tacx Neo, Wahoo Kickr bike) are similar enough to meet the needs of most people
I don't have the bike but I do gave a wahoo kickr 2021..if your looking for a great real to life cycling app then I highly recommend RGT ...half the dollars of Z but there are free roads to use....after years of me being a freeloader I am now signed up...I love the mountains best..worth a try if imo
I've never tried anything like this but I am curious. I keep reading these threads and getting lost in the jargon.
There's dozens of Wahoo Kickr's for sale on Marketplace.
Can I just buy one of those, a cheap road bike and check out some free trials to get pedalling in the garage fairly easily?
Can I just buy one of those, a cheap road bike and check out some free trials to get pedalling in the garage fairly easily?
Almost. You'll need a device to run Zwift/whatever and you'll want a fan (a powerful one).
Have you considered a Stages smart bike?
Love my Wattbike atom, I know people (not cyclists) who have peloton and they love them too, fwiw my take is the Wattbike atom is more for cyclists, the peloton for ‘regular’ people who just want to keep fit rather than cycling specific fitness, that said, both will do both obviously, but the peloton has higher monthly fees than a Zwift or similar subscription.
We looked at those the the OP mentions & very nearly ended up getting an Atom but got a Kickr bike for the following reasons;
1) Neither of us were that interested in spinning classes.
2) I was already an advocate of Zwift & had a Kickr.
3) Although my GF isn't really super fit, she's competitive af so basically races absolutely anyone that comes past her (she's an idiot).
4) I'm 6'2", she's 5'2", it seems to have just enough range of movement.
5) We both have different saddles & a free second hand 27.2 seatpost was a better option than the then unavailable spare proprietary one for the Atom.
6) Kickr bikes have 5 different crank lengths & the 165mm setting is fine for me & probably better for my GF as well.
7) I like that i can fit any width of bar & length of stem.
8) You're not locked into any one 'ecosystem'.
If you're unsure what you want from a trainer, buy a second-hand kickr or similar, give all the free trials a whirl & if you don't like any of them then bung it back on ebay, depending on which way the wind is blowing you could sell it for what you paid for it.
You'll need at least 170mm travel at both ends
As of a few minutes ago, I am (or will be) the owner of a Tacx Neo Bike.
Spent the past 4 years on and off a KickR trainer with an old mtb sat on it. Never really got the gears or position set up perfectly although it was plenty good enough for Zwift and all the other software that got played with under lockdown.
Decided to bite the bullet and get a new trainer last week and ended up with a Neo 2 special edition. Have just arranged to send that back and went for a Neo Bike instead. Not really sure why if I’m truly honest, as I could/should just have sorted the KickR out as it performed brilliantly when set up properly.
Still, looking forward to a new toy. 😄
Silly money tbh but I couldn’t justify another £1000 on the KickR bike when it looks like a bit of box section and gets crap reviews for quality control etc.