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Is that the time already?! Yes, it’s undeniable that the nights are indeed drawing in and the leaves on the trees are beginning to take on a slightly muted brown tone instead of the vibrant green that accompanied your long mid-summer rides. It used to be the case that this time of year meant that preparations for training rides in poor light or total darkness were due, checking lights still work or spending time seeking out new, more powerful options. Wet weather gear and warmer cycling kit is brought out again and the mental barrier of negotiating another cold, wet, dark winter had to be overcome once again. Thankfully things have changed in recent years with the advent of some very sophisticated home smart trainers and of course the huge growth of the Zwift interactive training and racing App. Now there’s a legit alternative to those dark, wet evenings or early morning sessions with Zwift and smart trainers helping to keep you engaged and motivated through the more challenging months of the year.
We’ve seen a real boom in the popularity of indoor training over the past few years, particularly last year as the impact of Coronavirus and the uncertainty around how and when we were able to ride during the various different lockdowns really impacted our cycling outside. As the technology of smart trainers has improved and the Zwift App has gained global popularity, riding indoors on a static trainer doesn’t fill cyclists with dread the way it used to. The impact of Zwift on the indoor smart trainer market cannot be overstated; this brilliant interactive App brings cyclists from all over the world together to train and compete in a virtual screen-based cycling world.
If you’re a time-pushed cyclist using a smart trainer allows you to structure your training around your other daily responsibilities, it allows you to be more precise in the way that you train and enables you to focus on improving your weak spots in a safe and controlled environment. As you build up to the start of the 2022 season you’ll want to see yourself improving and again smart trainers are particularly helpful here, helping you to accurately record and analyse all of your training data which ends up motivating you more as you begin to see evidence of your fitness improving.
So as we move into autumn now is the time to get prepared to train productively indoors; maybe it’s time to buy your first smart trainer or perhaps you’re looking to upgrade your equipment so that you’re able to get more out of your training this winter? Typically, like any new technology there’s a lot of information to digest when you’re considering buying a smart trainer, including software compatibility, ride feel, power measurement, compatibility with your bike and even simple things like how much noise they produce. Below you will find all of the key information you’ll need from each model of smart trainer available this season at Wheelbase.
Written by Johnny Dodgin
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