Bikerdrummer

I just got a new kickr. My first indoor trainer. It was heavier then I thought I would be but makes sense because it’s holding a lot of weight up.

I do wish they came with a 10 gear hub (especially for what I paid) because I wanted to put my 10 bike on there but for now my 12 is on there. (To put the 10 hub on I need to buy the hub and 3 tools which isn’t ideal, they can’t figure out a way to make it easier??)

The bike and trainer paired up pretty well but the derailleur needed a small adjustment. I have a shimano 105.

I paired the trainer with zwift. I downloaded the app my my iPhone, then paired that with my Samsung TV via a mirroring app called mirror Samsung which was $4.99 in the App Store but works great. It does have a 1 second delay from my phone to the tv. I have my phone next to me so I can use any of the prizes I get by touching the screen. I have to keep the phone plugged in when using zwift as it drains the battery quickly. In fact it drains it so badly that I think it’s affecting its overall performance during the day so I might get a second old phone to keep plugged in just for this setup.

I have a large fan pointed at me which is needed.
It’s a pretty amazing experience. For me it’s a much different riding experience then my street riding because I live in a city and do a lot of stop and go. The zwift is nonstop which I’m not accustomed to so my legs get a burn pretty quickly.

The most difficult track so far has been a 6 mile uphill mountain ride which took me an hour. I had to take 2 breaks. To go 6 miles. Lol

Anyway I love this thing I know it will make me much better rider by the Spring. Can’t see any negative aspects at this point. I have a radio I can blast Spotify next to me.

Weekdays I like to ride early (6am) but now I’m waiting but til 8am so my neighbor downstairs doesn’t complain. I have a yoga mat on the floor, then I bought some interlocking exercise foam squares on amazon which I put on top of the yoga mat. So there’s a nice padded barrier between the floor and bike. Its quiet but when you switch gears it’s what it is, clink.

Hope this post helps anyone interested in getting one of these.

atwl77

Congrats on your purchase.

If you're considering another phone for this, might I suggest an Apple TV instead? While I don't have one, but I believe a number of Zwifters on this forum do have one and that seems like a better purchase overall. Or perhaps a laptop (used gaming laptop, maybe?) instead. Either way, both Apple TV and laptop should be able to handle Zwift better, plus a direct HDMI cable connection would eliminate the visual lag that you're getting with your phone.

Thomas15

Yes Zwift will drain the iPhone battery, I keep mine plugged in also and I only use it (the phone) to run the companion app. I also use Apple music and sometimes Discord to talk to other Zwiffers. You have to come to a complete stop to change bikes or kit which you will probably want to do if you are in Watopia Jungle where a MTB or Gravel bike works better.

The first time I used Zwift and at that point I wasn't in very good shape, I let the game decide where to put me and it put me on the Watopia mountain route. I didn't get very far up the mountain before calling it a day. So bad I didn't save the ride. The next day it put me on one of the glass roads in NYC, I got something like 12 miles, 900 feet ascent, I saved that one and have save every ride no matter how short since. I kept plugging away at it though and got the Tron at level 24 in about 4 months. But 6 miles I think you did quite a bit better than me first time. Make sure you are signed up for the Everest Challenge.

I went into last winter really a novice and very bad on my local hills, by spring my riding was totally transformed but I spent a lot of time on my trainer, social rids mostly but did a lot of climbing. So good choice if you want to be a better rider next year.

a great resource is zwiftinsider.com

Ed Wiser

Yes a Apple TV connected to a tv and use the companion app that Zwift has for in game functions like ride on and txt.
Start a workout program on Zwift to increase your fitness level.

Thomas15

^^^Very good idea. I wish I had done that when I started. I'm doing one now, "Build Me UP". This has a lot of interval workouts. Most weeks it has 4 days, some even 5 . I'm only doing 3 interval workouts per week and then a few other things to augment it.

AdkMtnMonster

Buy the HDMI OUT/charger for whatever you use, iPhone or iPad. AppleTV is way overpriced for Zwifting, and only allows a small number of Bluetooth devices to pair simultaneously. Get the HDMIout adapter. No lag, it’s cheap, it allows you to charge your device while connected to the tv, snd there is no lag. Did I mention that it also has the benefit of eliminating lag? It’s true- there’s no lag.

jpescatore

I've done both the HDMI/charger cable approach with an iPad and AppleTV. Both worked great on Zwift but I found the AppleTV experience better, and I like running the Zwift companion app when I ride. it also solved another problem for me - I eliminated a cable TV box on the TV in the basement that served my wife's treadmill and the Kickr SNAP trainer for me. Essentially Apple TV paid for itself after a year.

The BT limitation on AppleTV is not an issue if you are going to run the Zwift companion app while you ride - it handles all the pairing for you.

AdkMtnMonster

Good points. I run Zwift on my iPad (cabled to the television, out of reach but quite visible on the shelf under the tv, about 4' away) and I run the companion app on my iPhone, set on a towel/drink stand next to my bike. It works really well. The only thing I haven't done yet is move my music (an old iPhone acting as an over-productive iPod) closer to change tunes mid-ride. It would be so easy to do, but I just crank it up and start riding. Good times, good times...

Bikerdrummer

I had credit card rebates to get $100 apple gift certificate so I think I’m going to order apple tv and use my phone as the companion app. I wish amazon fire stick had zwift as its so much cheaper.

zacster

I use my 27" iMac to run Zwift with wireless kb and mouse to control it. I can also control everything else on it that way, music, texts, whatever. I have an ANT+ dongle plugged into the wired kb that I sometimes forget is there because it just works, until I took that KB to use for something else one time and couldn't connect! The only thing I have to do is turn the computer towards the bike instead of the chair I'm sitting in right now.

jadocs

Apple TV is the way to go.

Bluetooth ports are irrelevant as you would use the companion app on your phone to connect anything over 3 sensors anyway. Using an adapter to hard wire the phone also doesn't solve the issue of the phone working too hard running the main zwift app.

Apple TV loads quick....The only thing to keep in mind is, if you find that your Bluetooth HR or cadence sensor is not pairing.....just close out of any background apps running on your phone and restart it. Sometimes those sensors will try to connect to a different app (like Strava, or MapMyRide, or basically any cycling app that you have connected to before)...causing you to get frustrated when they don't connect to the Zwift Companion app like they should.

mr_pedro

I also recently got a Kickr. Started riding on Zwift, had fun in a couple of races, soon started one of the workout programs on Zwift, the Build me Up. After a couple of months I switched to using Trainerroad, which is dedicated to workout programs and provides an annual schedule.

zacster

I've never been able to keep to any training programs. I'll start them, do a few rides, and then have to miss a few days due to whatever. Usually when I'm ready to go I want to select what I'm in the mood for, not what the plan says. The only exception has been the Tour of Sufferlandria where I've stuck to the plan, but that's only a long week's worth of rides.

mr_pedro

And that is fine, I have also had much fun riding my bike like that for years.
For me, I can get off the couch and ride for 1-2 hours with an average of 200W and with an FTP of something like 220W. By riding a couple of times per week, but without much of program, I then start going faster and get my FTP to 250W. But that is as far as I got through the years. Now the plan is to see how far I can get with a structured program, goal is 300W.