I have no experience with either system, but on a purely mechanical level, it looks like all you need to do for Zwift is to remove your rear wheel and attach your bike to a suitbale trainer. Cassettes aren’t really expensive so you would probably just keep one permanently installed on your trainer.
It also appears that Zwift does not come with the same level of ridicule as owning a Peloton: https://twitter.com/ClueHeywood/status/1089702015767179265
I have a swift setup and it really isn’t too hard to setup. If you have a bike to ride already it is so much cheaper too.
Heck, if you don’t have a bike yet you can get a nice bike and a smart trainer for less. I have one of these which is regularly available for around $450. There’s a lot of other options in that tier.
Heck, for less than a Peloton you can also get a motorized attachment that raises and lowers your front wheel when you go up/down virtual hills.
Once you get a connected trainer setup, there are a plethora of options available, not just Zwift.
I tried Zwift (video game cyclists on video game courses) but ended up preferring Rouvy (real video courses; now supporting projecting other cyclists/finish banners etc. on them video-game style). Zwift will always have more people on it, though.
Lol remind me in the morning to post a pic of my bike. Its a thing… :D
This is my bicycle. There are many like it, but this one is mine. I will take care of my bicycle and my bicycle will take care of me. Without my bicycle I am nothing, without me my bicycle is nothing.
Also kids. They have made all kinds prettifications to it, some of which still remain. Others fell off, washed off or otherwise disapeared.
I can carry not just the two kids, but at least 20kg of groceries along with them. The rack in front that holds the coats in this pic can hold a shit ton of shit, and there’s the two bags behind the saddle.
For local traffic it obviates the need for a car. It’s faster ; no need to follow traffic rules to the letter, easier to park and better for the environment/cheaper/healthier. I love it and it’s a part of Dutch culture I am a proud proponent of.
I first thought the jacket on the front was another slumped over child.
That’s not Schurem? I assumed that parenthood has made him wizened and shriveled, as it does to all of us.
That’s a beaut!
I don’t know anything about bikes.
Last summer, I got a single-speed commuter bike from Critical Cycles (now Retrospec). It’s been awesome just for riding around my suburban neighborhood and getting me off my butt and using my muscles.
This season, I’ve had a consistent problem with my front tire having a slow leak. In two or three days, it’ll end up flat.
Here’s the thing: It’s happened with multiple tubes now. After I got my bike ready for the season, I realized I had a leak in what was the bike’s original tube from last year. So I went to my bike shop and got a replacement, installed it myself. When I did, I checked the inside of the wheel to be sure there weren’t any sharp bits. The next day it’s getting a little flat again. I took out the tube and filled it up a bit and looked/listened for a problem, but couldn’t find one.
Took it back to the shop and told them what happened. They looked at the tube and thought it was fine. Suggested maybe I don’t know how to install it (kinda true). They did the install for me on a brand new tube. And I started getting the leak again the next day.
So… what the hell is happening? Below are the only things I can think of, although none of them seem likely. Which do you guys think is most plausible?
I’m going to take it back in to the shop (once the weather improves), but super curious to know if more knowledgeable folks than me have a guess what the heck I’m doing wrong.
Presumably you’ve got rim tape installed in the rim?
Also, when you checked the tube for leaks, did you do this under water?
This is the first thing I would do.
Secondly, what pressure are you inflating to? I’m wondering if you might be getting pinch flats due to underinflation. It could also be due to how you mount the tyre back onto the rim. If you use tyre levers to lever back on, you can end up pinching the tube. Hands are the right way. It is difficult if the tyre is brand new. For instance, I’m dreading my eventual tyre change because of the stretching required.
Yeah, the other possibility is quality of the tubes. Assuming the rim (protruding spokes) and tyre are both clear, try a different branded tube. With the tyre, don’t just visually check it, run your hand through it in both directions to check for anything there. All it takes is a small, fine piece of wire.
Are you screwing the presta valve top down?
Consider getting a $2 schrader valve adapter from the shop, a little brass thing. I had a a cheap pump and an adapter for years. Having bought an expensive pump… the adapter works fine and is arguably easier to use and more reliable.
Presta valves make me nervous every time. I did snap one once while trying to inflate one though, so it may just be I’m too clumsy for them
Thanks for the ideas, all. And apologies for the ignorance I’m about to demonstrate.
Re: Rim tape. I had to go and google this to understand what rim tape is for! What I can say (without having popped my wheel off yet, but I will to check) is that there’s a bright blue plasticky strip running down the middle of the groove the tire goes on. Probably rim tape, he asks dumbly? (Probably hard for you to say.) Also, my bike shop worked with the wheel, so if it was something that was missing, I would think they would rectify that.
Re: Presa valves. They make me nervous, too! I do think I (finally) figured out how the top of the stem screws down, so I’m doing that part, unless it’s a common mistake to over- or under-tighten them. But they seem fine. And I haven’t screwed up the rear one, despite refilling that on occasion. Thanks for reminding me that I do have an adapter, Scott. I got it before I figured out that my pump was switchable. It might be a more reliable method.
Re: Mounting. This last tube was installed by the bike shop, so I assumed they did a decent job, but maybe they whoopsied and pinched it, like you say.
Clearly next step is to check again even more carefully in the wheel and tire for something pokey and to give the tube a bath and see if it bubbles.
You could also try a leak detector fluid (Like this ) rather than trying to stick an inflated tube under water in a tub. Or use dishwashing soap to make a mixture if you don’t want to spend the money. Worth a try anyway.
lol
oh you americans and your very serious bike riding.
The way to check an inner tube for leaks is not water or some dumb expensive product. You get it out of the outer tyre. Pump it up good, not hard, but to a sausage-like hardness. Now listen. look. When you hear the hiss of a leak, but don’t see it, use your upper lip to feel the leak. Just over it over the suspected location of the leak like you are just about to receive a kiss from it. That’s how we Dutchies find leaks (or dunk it in a bucket, but my way is less wet).
I suspect your technique wouldn’t be great at finding slower leaks. I find the dunking to be the surest bet. It really isn’t all that difficult.
Dunking leads to a lot of false positives as bubbles of air that clings to irregularities in the rubber get released. Feeling rarely if ever misses a leak. If a leak is so slow you can’t find it, its better to replace the tube, as it most likely is becoming too porous to function.
You’d be amazed how sensitive a human upper lip is.
This is basically what I do. Run my fingers over it while rotating with my ear about 1” away from the tube. If I can’t see it, but know the general area, a little spit or water locally applied works.
I agree that if you can hear the leak, then you can usually feel it on your lip.
I’d use water though if you can’t hear anything. At worst, if you get a false positive, you can then check that area where you see bubbles.
I’m getting the impression from the story though that there might not be a leak at all.
So I finally got a chance to check out the tube and the puncture, though, small, wasn’t hard to find. I found it while carrying it to my sink to test underwater.
I’ve grabbed another new tube and I guess we’ll just see if the curse of the slow leak continues…
