Zwift is the most amazing thing since sliced bread. After a long day of work staring at a monitor there's nothing better than staring at a different monitor doing something that resembles something I love.
I had a wall to stare at, then a TV, then a computrainer, then ZWIFT. Zwift brought me back from an injury that had me in the hospital for a month. In 1 season I had relearned to walk, started competing and won a district tt champ. Zwift was the game changer. I ridden it since BETA, it's the best.
I started on Zwft in early 2018, and it has been my training platform of choice ever since. No traffic, no red lights… simply, no interruptions and perfect repeatability. Plus, the community per se, and especially the group rides. The social component of riding with thousands of like-minded people is a big plus. Not just during the pandemic - due to where I live and work, I can literally not ride outside for around 6-7 months, unless I put everything in my car and drive for an hour (and sometimes two - we have something callled ‚winter‘ up here in the Austrian Alps). So, in my free time, I can ride my bike in the heat of Tempus Fugit and watch the guests walk back to their hotels through a white-out-level snow storm. Ride On.
As a rower who trains on my Concept2 rowing machine by myself in my house with nothing but some music and a TV nearby I am so extremely jealous of Zwift and the cycling community. The only attempt at something similar is EXR and it's got a long way to go to be anything even remotely close to this. Doesn't help that rowing has absolutely no professional scene whatsoever. Not all endurance sports are loved equally, and rowers always get mad that cycling keeps taking all of our athletes, but the more I learn about the cycling community and the things you guys have, the more I can't blame them at all for making the switch.
I just ride indoors with an interval screen counting off the seconds and a TV with Netflix on. Not gonna lie, I don’t see the appeal of zwift at all when the TV feels so much more entertaining than whatever zwift has to offer 😅😅. I already think riding outdoors is so boring and dirty compared to the clean indoors ; the last thing I would want to do is bring the drudgery of outdoors, indoors 😂
I would be over the moon if Zwift somehow added rowing support. I mean, there’s plenty of water around Wattopia right? I too have a Concept2, and while I love it it’s nowhere near as fun and inclusive as Zwift. As for the person who prefers the TV and doesn’t see the appeal of Zwift, that’s fine of course, but I still say why not both? I routinely have something on my display while Zwifting via iPad. Or, if Zwift is extra critical for that session, I’ll have it on the display and perhaps something casual ŵon the iPad. Zwift is more than just the entertainment or even immersion. It’s riding with community and friends, it’s a fitness planner/trainer, it’s tracking and analysis, it’s racing or learning to race, and more. It’s got many of the benefits of Strava (which also isn’t strictly necessary relative to, say, music) while enabling you to do more with others.
I stopped cycling in 2016 and had never used Zwift - came back to cycling this year but now am partially sighted - decided to see what the hype was about and I’m blown away by the platform they’ve built - truly a game changer, not just from being more enjoyable but making cycling more accessible for folks who can’t necessarily always join the club runs or head out on busy roads ❤
Sunday is my one year Zwiftaversary and I can honestly say it’s changed my life. I went from a non cyclist to putting in many miles and feet of climbing each week. It helped my husband get through one of the hardest years too
I started Zwifting in 2021 and haven't looked back. Great platform and I don't have to worry about cars running me over. I can just concentrate on the ride. Hoping they are around for many more years to come. HBD Zwift!
Mat Hayman was really interesting - said that he didn't have a fan when he was doing his Zwifting in 2016 so thinks he was inadvertently doing heat training like the pros are doing now. Anyway, hope you enjoy the video! Dan
I've been on Zwift since the beta days and have loved and supported it since....it has been a life saver and a life enhancer! Thank you Zwift for all you have done for me - no - for all you have done for US!
The indoor wheel off trainer combined with Zwift has given time crunch riders time to train with a lot more realism. I love my Wahoo and Zwift offers so many training sessions and plans.
I started using Zwift when Wahoo closed RGT. It's been a serious change in how I ride and when I ride. I now race, something I wouldn't do given my age and the number and severity of real world injuries. I found groups of riders that have real world similarities to who I am. This wouldn't be possible id I remained where I was before I "found" Zwift. I'm rueing the day I didn't pick up Zwift about six years earlier.
Broke my arm 7 weeks ago. Have ridden ~1,400 miles with Covid break in the middle leaning on a foam roller strapped to my bars. Sure, I've definitely lost some fitness. But I would have lost far more w/o Zwift. Wish me luck on my first outdoor ride back tomorrow!
Best of luck, and have FUN. I wish you the BEST weather, NO mechanicals, and a GREAT stop at the mid point, whether it be a café, or a little something you packed in you back pockets. ENJOY!!!
Same here, broke my wrist and dislocated my hand 2 months ago, I'm almost back in riding form again due to indoor training and a set of aero bars. I just need to be able to tolerate the pain in my wrist for longer than 20 minutes on the bike so i can go back outdoors again.
Me, too. I’m recently back in the saddle, thank the good Lord from 4 fractures in my arm and a compressed nerve at the elbow. My first ride again after 10 weeks brought tears to my eyes. Wishing you great success!
Same here, I've been given an old wheel-on trainer by a relative who's upgraded. I'm sure there will be plenty of Scottish winter days that will make me not want to go outside, so going to be great to have the option.
It was thanks to GCN featuring Zwift back during the Vuelta in 2017 when I decided I needed to get myself a smart trainer and a Zwift subscription. I finally started in February 2018. I just turned my 10k mile mark in February this year. No dogs, no cars, no potholes, no oblivious pedestrians, and more recently no e-bike clowns. No u-turns for dropped bottles. However far I decide to ride, the shower is ten steps in one direction and the fridge ten steps in the other. I can take as many coffee stops as I want and never have to worry about locking up the bike. Needless to say, I'm a Zwifter for life.
Since breaking my leg last year I’ve been using zwift to help with recovery and I’ve ridden over 10, 000kms in the past year and I’ve never been more motivated to ride then now. So thank you zwift
Started using Zwift last October. Trained entirely indoors using Zwift and a Wahoo Kickr bike. In April I completed the Mallorca 312. Indoor training works.
Congrats! At age of 58 I lost 10kg in 12 weeks with a Zwift training program, but the best is: I am keeping the same weight for 6 months with no specific diet
I found out about smart trainers and zwift in late 2018 when my dentist showed me that he had a set up in a side room at his office. He used it between patients. It was the coolest thing ever. I bought one and signed up in October of 2018. I’ve had some lapses in riding.. work, travel, two major health setbacks… but zwift has always been part of the solution. While I still think of it as helping me be a better rider outdoors, I do love it. Best of all, none of the embarrassing wrecks in the doorway I had back in the old days when riding rollers.
Zwift is a way for me to connect with other cyclists, something I have struggled to do locally. My only criticism is the lack of adaptive training, the training plans overall are not very good, but it is a relatively minor quibble. I use TrainerRoad and Zwift I know it’s expensive but compared to a local gym it isn’t at all bad. Thanks Dan again great reporting, missed you on the cycling commentary this year!
Cost me NZ$2.5K to setup a Tacx Neo and Zwift in 2016. There is and was nothing you could buy for that money that would have improved my enduro race times by that amount.
4 years now. A great option for the bad weather or early mornings when it is too dark to ride outside. Not as good as riding outside, but WAY better than any other alternative.
Wednesday June 10th 2020 saw me downlaod the 7 day trial of zwift after being a long time "Sufferfest" user. Been an avid user of zwift since. Not into racing on it - but i do like to dream up my own stupid challenges. 21 bends for 21 days (ADZ 21 days in a row) Ven Two - Ride Ven Top twice back to back Alp Deux Ez - Ride ADZ twice back to back TDF stage Mimic - Using Climb Portal (Aspin / Tourmalet / ADZ) all back to back. ADZ / Ven Top - Ride them back to back. I also use it heavily for doing intervals on as its much safer than the roads here in the UK. Not a big fan of being deep into the red with cars / lorries around me.
Started Zwift three years ago. I have more “imaginary” Zwift riding friends than real life riding companions now. Funny thing, when I do meet them in real life, conversations flow same as they would on line-only with interruptions for traffic and road hazard call outs.
I was using the Tacx i-magic well before Zwift was even though off. You said for the 1st time ever, that gradients were simulated when Zwift came out but the I-magic was doing this year's before Zwift. You had the choice of riding real roads like Rouvy or Virtual reality like Zwift. So more of a evolution than a revelation. 😊
Thanks Dan and crew , I used it for 3 months , then they raised the price . I have free apps that are similar , and I'll use em' , as I am on as fixed income ." Square and fair" , Jens is awesome !
Sadly, this is my experience. Zwift is definitely the better of the platforms out there but it's really hard to justify the cost for my using it once a week or so since they hiked the rates by 40% or so. If they had a scaled pricing structure where I could pay a couple of bucks a ride then I'd be back in a heartbeat.
I started riding in 2012. Zwifting when it was still jarvis island. I refuse to take off the beta kit in-game so I can just flex to all the other riders. I'm pretty casual and there have been a lot of ups and downs (injury, moves, kids) but I just surpassed more km ridden indoors than I have outdoors. That's pretty impressive considered I had 3500km ridden outdoors before I started riding zwift. Now, with a kid, I'm a lot more nervous to ride outside. I'll do it on rare occasions whenever the weather is perfect or there's an event.
I started indoor training with the "unofficial" Sufferfest videos - absolutely loved them. They were a critical tool in rehabilitation from an ACL reconstruction during my elite rugby career. I started on board with the Sufferfest during it's early days and I thought it was fantastic. I didn't have a power meter so never really got into Zwift. Nowadays, I ride my indoor trainer several days a week, but still stick to my Garmin sensors / computer and GCN Training or CTXC videos. I do watch Zwift's progress (great work, I say), but, honestly, I am still called by the raw thrill of those original Sufferfest videos while training for a sport I'd built my life around.
Like many I hadn’t ridden a bike for well over a decade and then boom……Covid. I bought a bike. Fell instantly back in love with cycling and very soon after discovered zwift… being out of work due to the Covid lockdown I wasn’t prepared to spend much so found the cheapest possible smart trainer on eBay and used my iPad as my screen. without doubt I would never of suffered hour long workouts in the spare room without the data zwift offered…. il just do another few kms…il just do another few minutes…. Il just do another few feet of elevation…. I’d always finish dripping with sweat and out of breath,, sure signs of a great workout. thanks Zwift!
I somehow never got along with indoor training. Even with Zwift I just can't stomach sitting inside on the bike staring at a screen. It's so much more boring than cycling outside that I found myself just choosing not to use my nice smart trainer. I don't get the changing scenery that being outside offers, don't get the fresh air, and no matter what settings or trainers I tried, none of them ever felt like what it feels to actually ride on the tarmac. I'd say I spent a total of under 10 sessions on the actual trainer over the 3 years I owned one. Maybe it would be different if I had the whole setup with the incline machine, controllers, etc, but I couldn't justify that money.
I got the Kick r Snap version 1. Which has been very good. Easy to setup. But the new zwift bike is very tempting! thanks for the history lesson Dan GCN 👍😁
Been using Zwift for almost 3 years now... before that I was using a cheap wheel-on trainer while watching TV... no comparison! Indoor training is actually enjoyable now.
I joined zwift just at the end of the original ghost figures era, when there were less than 500 - 600 users. I remember the first group ride that GCN organised and it cause the zwift servers to crash, because more than 1000 users tried to join at the same time 😀
I'm thinking about buying a smart trainer this winter if it does indeed get cold and snowy. I see some people in the comments prefer it to real life cycling, but this sounds ridiculous. The reason I got back into cycling after my teenage years was the feeling of freedom and interaction with the outside world. I like the sensation of speed, leaning into corners, slaloming around potholes and the added bonus of keeping myself fit. No matter how good simulators get, I'd always prefer the real thing.
I also prefer the real road, but you can't beat indoor for optimal training. Unless you have really nice quiet roads or live near a velodrome doing something like a 2x 20min threshold interval is almost impossible. It also allows me to get stronger even if I finish work late and there's less reasons to not cycle since I don't need to prep a lot of gear. Usually just put on my bib shorts and go. This allows me to enjoy outdoors even more as I get stronger and faster when I do ride outdoors.
I'm a new Zwifter, I bought the Zwift ride a month and a half ago and it was a game changer for me, in fact what I didn't like before was the thought of having to mount and dismount my bike every time to be able to train indoors. As other people have already said, perhaps the cost is a bit high (200,00 euros a year here in Italy) and what I hope is that Zwift will soon decide to create a family account, because my wife is also getting passionate about it but, honestly, 400,00 euros a year is really really too much... considering that we are not professionists and we train for fun and to stay fit and healthy.
I'm pretty down on Zwift right now given the preposterous pricing but I will say they basically single-handedly made indoor cycling a good option and that's important.
I love racing on zwift, the large community means i get matched to people around my ability. My local irl cycling club is just too advanced for me, with a young family i just can't put in the hours to compete with them.
I'd order the new Swift Ride if Swift wasn't so expensive. You're locked in to Swift and they don't even offer a family subscription. So no, I won't become a "swifter".
I tried indoor riding three times... I concluded that I'd rather eat my bike piece by piece. Granted, the circa 2000 turbo trainer made a racket that'd wake the dead, sweat was pi&hing everywhere, despite it being Winter in Scotland, with the window ajar, and nowt to look at but the curtain ahead. Despite indoor riding having, apparently, moved on in leaps and bounds, over the almost quarter century since, I'll stick with the 'whole-istic' experience that comes with riding in the great outdoors, regardless of weather, except icy days.... I'm much less gallus and break much more than bounce, these days. Wherever you want to ride, though, all power to your elbow(or should that be legs, in this case?).
Honestly I ride more indoor than outdoor. The streets are not good for safe roadcycling around where I live currently. At the same time it is super easy to just hop on my bike indoors and do a quick 45min to 1 h ride in between.
I joined almost exactly 5 years ago and as a Canadian I would always find my fitness, mood, and health would start to plummet around this time of the year along with the temperatures. I've had a trainer of one sort or another for about 15 years but it was torture to use. I now have a decent smart trainer and with zwift the basement sessions are significantly less painful and tedious. Before I was lucky to make it though 30 minutes I can now commit a solid hour or so to zwifting. I still don't understand those that are on for 3+ hours however
One thing you didn’t mention is the relative safety of Zwift. I did once crash my trainer doing a GCN workout back in the day😅 but I also had a good system of bike paths. Then we retired to a place without those bike paths and Zwift became my refuge from giant pickup trucks. In the more than six years since then, I’ve met online a good many people who can’t or shouldn’t ride outside for reasons like balance issues or too many concussions. There’s at least one recumbent group on Zwift for people who can’t sit a double-triangle bike. There may be handbike groups that I just don’t know about. In any case, I’ve been able to ride and race safely inside while talking and chatting with people from Norway to New Zealand and U-23s when I’m 76.
Just checked and I've been Zwifting since 3 July 2015. Think that means I'm one of the Open Beta users. Get to celebrate my own 10yr anniversary in 2025!
Sorry I'm 100% 'The Sufferfest' (still refuse to call it Wahoo). But I fully agree on the massive benefits of inside training on a smart turbo (and 55" TV) in the garage. Spent several years just riding inside until I friend got me out on the road. Due to the hours of training on the turbo i was able to put in a reasonable performance. These days I enjoy both, but as the weather gets more rubbish here in England I will be riding more and more indoors. If you fancy a challenge try ' The Kitchen Sink' video - 3 hours of constant riding (no free wheeling - no where to hide).
I cancelled my subscription when they put the price up. I might get a couple of months worth for the depths of winter but it’s not worth it for me the rest of the year, I don’t care about races or the group stuff. I wish they had a lower tier where I could just ride around the courses without the other stuff.
A couple of decades ago? How about 6 months ago (last winter) for me! BUT!!! My new JetBlack Victory trainer is on it's way to the USA and I look forward to joining all the kool kids in Watopia!
Zwift or no Zwift, I still get bored riding indoors. It’s why I bought a velomobiel so I could ride year round in any weather. Much more fun than riding the trainer. Respect to those of you that can stand riding inside.
wish it was cheaper, after all just to gain access to zwift you need to spend hundreds on equipment if not over a thousand.... Then the rider needs to do al the work in the pain cave.... Outside is free.
Zwift have been fine and everyone is thankful as it is colourful. But it needs competition like any free market. With Whoosh, Indivelo and Rouvy etc. The indoor space has never been so great.
I just started using Zwift after buying a Zwift Ride with a Wahoo Kickr after watching Connor review the ZR several weeks ago. I started road and mountain biking decades ago and am trying to get back into a riding routine after many years off the bike. So far so good! My only issue with the Zwift platform is when I try to ride my Zwift Ride near my husband who is also Zwifting on my old road bike mounted to a Zwift hub. His computer picks up my bluetooth signal, my gears go haywire and visa-versa. One of us has to quit out of Zwift and basically "go away" (so sad!). Can't find a good fix online but see other users suffer the same glitch. It is definitely discouraging while I am still trying to figure out the controls on the Zwift Ride handlebars. Luckily I can still ride outdoors in California until winter arrives, so I hope to find a fix by then. Back to GCN Thanks - Great video tribute to Zwift's 10-year anniversary.
Thank you for your comment! We’re sorry to hear about the issue you’ve had with your setup. Have you tried reaching out to the Zwift team on their social media? They might have a solution to your problem.
@@gcn Zwift customer service read my post here and reached out to me BEFORE I could reach out to them. Further proof they are a great company that cares about their customers. They provided some troubleshooting suggestions that I hope work once I get time to give them a try. Thanks!
Started Zwift in Lockdown. I absolutely love it, but still not as good as riding outdoors but way better than all other indoor options. Racing is super fun, being able to plan your own workouts is amazing. You can even do FTP tests to make sure your training in the right zones. I think it would be super cool with a VR headset but it might be quite sweaty! The groups rides a super nice for an easy ride. However I think it would be better if they had a large range of paces as they are sometimes slightly too fast or too slow for zone 2, but this is marginal! Not a big problem at all. The best thing about zwift is it’s easier to stay in zone 2 as where I live is very hilly, meaning there is a decent bit of zone 4 as well!Overall made my indoor training so much more fun, would recommend, wish they hadn’t increased price though!
Hayman has a workout he used on zwift on the platform, its about 1:20. Even based on your ftp it is still really hard to get through. Normally takes me 3 attempts to build up to 100% workout difficulty. It certainly increases your endurance and most of it is green ... but don't be fooled!! Nasty!!
@@zwiftingwithdemonhunter Me too- plus graphics from a PC with i5-13500 and GTX4060. 55" TV on a swivel wall bracket "In your face" !! Rouvy would be OK but heard you still get close passes by cars lol
You're not wrong there! For me there's only so many times you can go up alpe de zwift. Admittedly you can't beat the racing on zwift but if you fancy a change of scenery (quite literally) and aren't. Fussed about racing like me, it's a refreshing change trying something different
I switched to Rouvy early on because I more enjoyed the real videos that other guys filmed of their rides. Its fun to see what other guys are encountering on their rides. The craziest seems to be the South Koreans, who even include their pee breaks at gas stations. I've now started filming my outdoor rides as a second hobby, though I edit out all the stops.
I acknowledge that I'm the odd one out here, but I've never felt that connected to Zwift. Having had a membership from when Wahoo SYSTM dropped RGT, I worked my way to level 10 last winter, but won't be paying for a renewal. I just prefer do my workouts in SYSTM and recovery rides with a good documentary, or GCN videos and still have the choice of strength and yoga sessions. It is great though reading some of the stories here of how Zwift has got people active and in to cycling.
Zwift helps the indoor sessions be less boring, but "community" is stretching it. Every ride in Zwift is a race and riders are virtually flicking eachother constantly
Maybe swift would be affordable if they didn't license a million bike frames and wheels. At $20 a month it's ridiculous and doesn't have the value to price
Cycling is not just about sitting and pedaling something. Cycling is the air rushing through your helmet the cold hands and feet the pot holes the near misses the half hour spent choosing what jersey to wear before a ride the hospital visits after a car knocks you off your bike the recovery and total joy of again been able to enjoy all of the above I would rather not ride than zwift.
10 years on and a good few more cycling apps to choose from yet there's still plenty of anti indoors people on Strava who will give you kudos for a ride round the block but refuse to give you kudos for a 100 miler or an Everesting on an indoor trainer!
At least Strava acknowledges you, if I take my KTM E-MTB out and up the local Munros here in the Cairngorms for an 80km ride,30 of which I've pedalled with zero assistance(like treacle) to conserve battery wherever I can, it counts for zilch on the Strava monthly goals!!! (And I suppose someone on Tempus Fugit for 4 laps claiming to be 25kg lighter than they are is fairly allowed to count lol!! BTW I do 9,000km a year on the road and gravel bikes but maybe 800km on the E-MTB, it's a wee treat to get up mountains I'd otherwise be walking with the rest of the "real" mountain bikers ha ha)
Indoor cycling? You should see what has happened to Virtual Reality flight simulation. It's a LOT better than sitting on a turbo-trainer. Even so, both flying and cyclind IRL, are irreplaceable.
Didn't Bkool come before Zwift? I was certainly using Bkool before I joined Zwift. Loved the old Bkool pro trainer, was very generous with the watts haha - had to switch to a Kickr when I switched to Zwift in 2015 as the Bkool trainer was unfair!
I have used indieVelo, free to use now & while not as graphically rich as Zwift - - Just road and some trees, no dinosaurs, the "physics" of indieV are - I have to say, are significantly better than Zwift .
Zwift is great for people who enjoy it or who live in inhospitable climates. But I saw that something was seriously wrong when back in 2020 the pros went on it and were being destroyed by random accountants from Delaware. In the end it's just a video game where you need to save your power-ups (or whatever) for the right moment. If you want to actually improve your cycling skills then buy some rollers instead.
5yrs a member and love the Zwift platform but, don’t use it much, if at all in summer. Even so, I maintain my subscription which is $30 AUD/PCM in Australia which is expensive! That’s the common thread for all users I think. It’s great even awesome, just expensive! If only it was cheaper, membership numbers would likely increase, potentially having only a small impact on revenue. To illustrate, surely it would be better to have 1000 members at a $1 each rather than 10 members at $100 each? At the end of the day if my personal finances got tight, this is what I’ll be cancelling and that might be the same for many others and the undoing of Zwift’s future. It’s free to ride outdoors after all. Shame really, but the considerable funds to sponsor the tour de france femmes avec Zwift has to come from somewhere. I’ll enjoy it while it lasts as my usual winter fitness recovery tool and hope they improve membership access with more moderate or at least, variable pricing plans. PS Great video Dan 👍🏻
Danke! Great content!
Thank you so much for the support! ❤️
Zwift is the most amazing thing since sliced bread. After a long day of work staring at a monitor there's nothing better than staring at a different monitor doing something that resembles something I love.
Underrated comment
It sucks
I had a wall to stare at, then a TV, then a computrainer, then ZWIFT. Zwift brought me back from an injury that had me in the hospital for a month. In 1 season I had relearned to walk, started competing and won a district tt champ. Zwift was the game changer. I ridden it since BETA, it's the best.
I started on Zwft in early 2018, and it has been my training platform of choice ever since. No traffic, no red lights… simply, no interruptions and perfect repeatability.
Plus, the community per se, and especially the group rides. The social component of riding with thousands of like-minded people is a big plus. Not just during the pandemic - due to where I live and work, I can literally not ride outside for around 6-7 months, unless I put everything in my car and drive for an hour (and sometimes two - we have something callled ‚winter‘ up here in the Austrian Alps).
So, in my free time, I can ride my bike in the heat of Tempus Fugit and watch the guests walk back to their hotels through a white-out-level snow storm.
Ride On.
Deepest condolences for such pathos
You have my upmost sympathies
As a rower who trains on my Concept2 rowing machine by myself in my house with nothing but some music and a TV nearby I am so extremely jealous of Zwift and the cycling community. The only attempt at something similar is EXR and it's got a long way to go to be anything even remotely close to this. Doesn't help that rowing has absolutely no professional scene whatsoever. Not all endurance sports are loved equally, and rowers always get mad that cycling keeps taking all of our athletes, but the more I learn about the cycling community and the things you guys have, the more I can't blame them at all for making the switch.
Take some heart from the fact you don't have to share your natural sporting environment with drivers 😄
I just ride indoors with an interval screen counting off the seconds and a TV with Netflix on. Not gonna lie, I don’t see the appeal of zwift at all when the TV feels so much more entertaining than whatever zwift has to offer 😅😅.
I already think riding outdoors is so boring and dirty compared to the clean indoors ; the last thing I would want to do is bring the drudgery of outdoors, indoors 😂
I would be over the moon if Zwift somehow added rowing support. I mean, there’s plenty of water around Wattopia right? I too have a Concept2, and while I love it it’s nowhere near as fun and inclusive as Zwift.
As for the person who prefers the TV and doesn’t see the appeal of Zwift, that’s fine of course, but I still say why not both? I routinely have something on my display while Zwifting via iPad. Or, if Zwift is extra critical for that session, I’ll have it on the display and perhaps something casual ŵon the iPad. Zwift is more than just the entertainment or even immersion. It’s riding with community and friends, it’s a fitness planner/trainer, it’s tracking and analysis, it’s racing or learning to race, and more. It’s got many of the benefits of Strava (which also isn’t strictly necessary relative to, say, music) while enabling you to do more with others.
@@rhythmace1 We only have to deal with the far less abundant but far more entitled motorboat and jetski owners stirring up huge wakes 🤣
@@GilbertTang As I understand it, they were developing rowing to add to zwift some years ago but canceled it unexpectedly and without explanation
I stopped cycling in 2016 and had never used Zwift - came back to cycling this year but now am partially sighted - decided to see what the hype was about and I’m blown away by the platform they’ve built - truly a game changer, not just from being more enjoyable but making cycling more accessible for folks who can’t necessarily always join the club runs or head out on busy roads ❤
Thanks for the comment! Makes total sense to us! Ride On!
Sunday is my one year Zwiftaversary and I can honestly say it’s changed my life. I went from a non cyclist to putting in many miles and feet of climbing each week. It helped my husband get through one of the hardest years too
I started Zwifting in 2021 and haven't looked back. Great platform and I don't have to worry about cars running me over. I can just concentrate on the ride. Hoping they are around for many more years to come. HBD Zwift!
just plug into the Matrix, why don't ya
Zwift sucks
I had a static trainer back in the day and used to watch old VHS recordings of LeMond/Hinault Tour de France battles. That was my Zwift at the time.
Mat Hayman was really interesting - said that he didn't have a fan when he was doing his Zwifting in 2016 so thinks he was inadvertently doing heat training like the pros are doing now.
Anyway, hope you enjoy the video! Dan
Not sure about that. I was a fan of Mat Hayman in 2016.
@@LegSpinna 😂
I've been on Zwift since the beta days and have loved and supported it since....it has been a life saver and a life enhancer! Thank you Zwift for all you have done for me - no - for all you have done for US!
The indoor wheel off trainer combined with Zwift has given time crunch riders time to train with a lot more realism. I love my Wahoo and Zwift offers so many training sessions and plans.
I started using Zwift when Wahoo closed RGT. It's been a serious change in how I ride and when I ride. I now race, something I wouldn't do given my age and the number and severity of real world injuries. I found groups of riders that have real world similarities to who I am. This wouldn't be possible id I remained where I was before I "found" Zwift. I'm rueing the day I didn't pick up Zwift about six years earlier.
Broke my arm 7 weeks ago. Have ridden ~1,400 miles with Covid break in the middle leaning on a foam roller strapped to my bars. Sure, I've definitely lost some fitness. But I would have lost far more w/o Zwift. Wish me luck on my first outdoor ride back tomorrow!
Best of luck, and have FUN. I wish you the BEST weather, NO mechanicals, and a GREAT stop at the mid point, whether it be a café, or a little something you packed in you back pockets.
ENJOY!!!
Same here, broke my wrist and dislocated my hand 2 months ago, I'm almost back in riding form again due to indoor training and a set of aero bars. I just need to be able to tolerate the pain in my wrist for longer than 20 minutes on the bike so i can go back outdoors again.
Me, too. I’m recently back in the saddle, thank the good Lord from 4 fractures in my arm and a compressed nerve at the elbow. My first ride again after 10 weeks brought tears to my eyes. Wishing you great success!
Currently level 53 on Zwift and love it as much as I did as a level 1 rider
I'm planning to start Zwift for the first time this fall. I was finally able to afford an indoor trainer
We have loads of videos explaining features and how to use it, in case it’s helpful to you. Good luck!
Same here, I've been given an old wheel-on trainer by a relative who's upgraded. I'm sure there will be plenty of Scottish winter days that will make me not want to go outside, so going to be great to have the option.
@@gcn I've already watched them all and will probably rewatch them. Thanks!
It was thanks to GCN featuring Zwift back during the Vuelta in 2017 when I decided I needed to get myself a smart trainer and a Zwift subscription. I finally started in February 2018. I just turned my 10k mile mark in February this year. No dogs, no cars, no potholes, no oblivious pedestrians, and more recently no e-bike clowns. No u-turns for dropped bottles. However far I decide to ride, the shower is ten steps in one direction and the fridge ten steps in the other. I can take as many coffee stops as I want and never have to worry about locking up the bike. Needless to say, I'm a Zwifter for life.
Since breaking my leg last year I’ve been using zwift to help with recovery and I’ve ridden over 10, 000kms in the past year and I’ve never been more motivated to ride then now. So thank you zwift
Zwift is awesome. I struggle to stay in the saddle for as long as I do outside but it’s better than commuting to a gym and doing intervals all alone.
0:39 the herd moves mooooooooooooo!!!!!!
Started using Zwift last October. Trained entirely indoors using Zwift and a Wahoo Kickr bike. In April I completed the Mallorca 312. Indoor training works.
Zwift has “cost” me 40 pounds in lost weight… that’s an extremely competitive price. Ride on!
Congrats! At age of 58 I lost 10kg in 12 weeks with a Zwift training program, but the best is: I am keeping the same weight for 6 months with no specific diet
I found out about smart trainers and zwift in late 2018 when my dentist showed me that he had a set up in a side room at his office. He used it between patients. It was the coolest thing ever. I bought one and signed up in October of 2018. I’ve had some lapses in riding.. work, travel, two major health setbacks… but zwift has always been part of the solution. While I still think of it as helping me be a better rider outdoors, I do love it. Best of all, none of the embarrassing wrecks in the doorway I had back in the old days when riding rollers.
Zwift is a way for me to connect with other cyclists, something I have struggled to do locally. My only criticism is the lack of adaptive training, the training plans overall are not very good, but it is a relatively minor quibble. I use TrainerRoad and Zwift I know it’s expensive but compared to a local gym it isn’t at all bad. Thanks Dan again great reporting, missed you on the cycling commentary this year!
Cost me NZ$2.5K to setup a Tacx Neo and Zwift in 2016. There is and was nothing you could buy for that money that would have improved my enduro race times by that amount.
I've gotten back into cycling after a couple of years off, thanks to the Zwift Ride. It's only been a couple of months, but it's been fantastic
Welcome back!
Thanks for being a big part of the comeback! Hope to join the crew for a group ride if schedules align
Started in 2018 joined Team Vegan and today at 59 i am fitter than in my 30's, thanks to the community who encourage and motivate to get better.
4 years now. A great option for the bad weather or early mornings when it is too dark to ride outside. Not as good as riding outside, but WAY better than any other alternative.
Wednesday June 10th 2020 saw me downlaod the 7 day trial of zwift after being a long time "Sufferfest" user.
Been an avid user of zwift since.
Not into racing on it - but i do like to dream up my own stupid challenges.
21 bends for 21 days (ADZ 21 days in a row)
Ven Two - Ride Ven Top twice back to back
Alp Deux Ez - Ride ADZ twice back to back
TDF stage Mimic - Using Climb Portal (Aspin / Tourmalet / ADZ) all back to back.
ADZ / Ven Top - Ride them back to back.
I also use it heavily for doing intervals on as its much safer than the roads here in the UK. Not a big fan of being deep into the red with cars / lorries around me.
Started Zwift three years ago. I have more “imaginary” Zwift riding friends than real life riding companions now. Funny thing, when I do meet them in real life, conversations flow same as they would on line-only with interruptions for traffic and road hazard call outs.
I was using the Tacx i-magic well before Zwift was even though off. You said for the 1st time ever, that gradients were simulated when Zwift came out but the I-magic was doing this year's before Zwift. You had the choice of riding real roads like Rouvy or Virtual reality like Zwift. So more of a evolution than a revelation. 😊
Love Zwift! I don’t participate in the community, but I enjoy getting on and turning my old legs over, regardless of what’s happening outside.
Thanks Dan and crew , I used it for 3 months , then they raised the price . I have free apps that are similar , and I'll use em' , as I am on as fixed income ." Square and fair" , Jens is awesome !
Thank you for sharing your experience!
Sadly, this is my experience. Zwift is definitely the better of the platforms out there but it's really hard to justify the cost for my using it once a week or so since they hiked the rates by 40% or so. If they had a scaled pricing structure where I could pay a couple of bucks a ride then I'd be back in a heartbeat.
I started riding in 2012. Zwifting when it was still jarvis island. I refuse to take off the beta kit in-game so I can just flex to all the other riders. I'm pretty casual and there have been a lot of ups and downs (injury, moves, kids) but I just surpassed more km ridden indoors than I have outdoors. That's pretty impressive considered I had 3500km ridden outdoors before I started riding zwift. Now, with a kid, I'm a lot more nervous to ride outside. I'll do it on rare occasions whenever the weather is perfect or there's an event.
Matty Hayman winning Paris-Roubaix is still one of my favourite memories of watching pro cycling bar none.
I started indoor training with the "unofficial" Sufferfest videos - absolutely loved them. They were a critical tool in rehabilitation from an ACL reconstruction during my elite rugby career. I started on board with the Sufferfest during it's early days and I thought it was fantastic. I didn't have a power meter so never really got into Zwift. Nowadays, I ride my indoor trainer several days a week, but still stick to my Garmin sensors / computer and GCN Training or CTXC videos. I do watch Zwift's progress (great work, I say), but, honestly, I am still called by the raw thrill of those original Sufferfest videos while training for a sport I'd built my life around.
Great video, Zwift has been a game changer for winter riding over here in Canada BC 🎉
Been using Zwift since 2021. Love it.
Awesome vid guys great to hear about the history of Zwift 😊 Pete 🚴🏻👍
Like many I hadn’t ridden a bike for well over a decade and then boom……Covid. I bought a bike. Fell instantly back in love with cycling and very soon after discovered zwift… being out of work due to the Covid lockdown I wasn’t prepared to spend much so found the cheapest possible smart trainer on eBay and used my iPad as my screen. without doubt I would never of suffered hour long workouts in the spare room without the data zwift offered…. il just do another few kms…il just do another few minutes…. Il just do another few feet of elevation…. I’d always finish dripping with sweat and out of breath,, sure signs of a great workout. thanks Zwift!
It’s a fascinating story, but for me “indoor cycling” will always be an alien concept!
I started in 2017-18. It's ace. It should be on the NHS in the UK as a means of tackling obesity issues.
I somehow never got along with indoor training. Even with Zwift I just can't stomach sitting inside on the bike staring at a screen. It's so much more boring than cycling outside that I found myself just choosing not to use my nice smart trainer. I don't get the changing scenery that being outside offers, don't get the fresh air, and no matter what settings or trainers I tried, none of them ever felt like what it feels to actually ride on the tarmac. I'd say I spent a total of under 10 sessions on the actual trainer over the 3 years I owned one. Maybe it would be different if I had the whole setup with the incline machine, controllers, etc, but I couldn't justify that money.
I got the Kick r Snap version 1. Which has been very good. Easy to setup. But the new zwift bike is very tempting! thanks for the history lesson Dan GCN 👍😁
I'm 64 on Monday. I would quite like time to stand still thanks.
Been using Zwift for almost 3 years now... before that I was using a cheap wheel-on trainer while watching TV... no comparison! Indoor training is actually enjoyable now.
Good summary. I converted to Zwift about a year ago and it's a life changer in terms of fitness. Anyway, the sun's out so I'm off out on my bike.
I joined zwift just at the end of the original ghost figures era, when there were less than 500 - 600 users. I remember the first group ride that GCN organised and it cause the zwift servers to crash, because more than 1000 users tried to join at the same time 😀
I'm thinking about buying a smart trainer this winter if it does indeed get cold and snowy. I see some people in the comments prefer it to real life cycling, but this sounds ridiculous. The reason I got back into cycling after my teenage years was the feeling of freedom and interaction with the outside world. I like the sensation of speed, leaning into corners, slaloming around potholes and the added bonus of keeping myself fit.
No matter how good simulators get, I'd always prefer the real thing.
I always said the same --until I hit 70, and got more fragile 🙂
I also prefer the real road, but you can't beat indoor for optimal training. Unless you have really nice quiet roads or live near a velodrome doing something like a 2x 20min threshold interval is almost impossible. It also allows me to get stronger even if I finish work late and there's less reasons to not cycle since I don't need to prep a lot of gear. Usually just put on my bib shorts and go.
This allows me to enjoy outdoors even more as I get stronger and faster when I do ride outdoors.
I'm a new Zwifter, I bought the Zwift ride a month and a half ago and it was a game changer for me, in fact what I didn't like before was the thought of having to mount and dismount my bike every time to be able to train indoors. As other people have already said, perhaps the cost is a bit high (200,00 euros a year here in Italy) and what I hope is that Zwift will soon decide to create a family account, because my wife is also getting passionate about it but, honestly, 400,00 euros a year is really really too much... considering that we are not professionists and we train for fun and to stay fit and healthy.
I'm pretty down on Zwift right now given the preposterous pricing but I will say they basically single-handedly made indoor cycling a good option and that's important.
I love racing on zwift, the large community means i get matched to people around my ability. My local irl cycling club is just too advanced for me, with a young family i just can't put in the hours to compete with them.
I'd order the new Swift Ride if Swift wasn't so expensive. You're locked in to Swift and they don't even offer a family subscription. So no, I won't become a "swifter".
I tried indoor riding three times... I concluded that I'd rather eat my bike piece by piece. Granted, the circa 2000 turbo trainer made a racket that'd wake the dead, sweat was pi&hing everywhere, despite it being Winter in Scotland, with the window ajar, and nowt to look at but the curtain ahead. Despite indoor riding having, apparently, moved on in leaps and bounds, over the almost quarter century since, I'll stick with the 'whole-istic' experience that comes with riding in the great outdoors, regardless of weather, except icy days.... I'm much less gallus and break much more than bounce, these days. Wherever you want to ride, though, all power to your elbow(or should that be legs, in this case?).
Having had such a bad experience with indoor trainers in the past I was skeptical. However it’s been the best investments I’ve made in cycling.
Thanks!
Wow, thank you so much. Dan
Honestly I ride more indoor than outdoor. The streets are not good for safe roadcycling around where I live currently. At the same time it is super easy to just hop on my bike indoors and do a quick 45min to 1 h ride in between.
I really appreciate this one. I need help, and this might just be the help I need.
Very interesting too:)
Love this! Love Zwift as well!
I joined almost exactly 5 years ago and as a Canadian I would always find my fitness, mood, and health would start to plummet around this time of the year along with the temperatures. I've had a trainer of one sort or another for about 15 years but it was torture to use. I now have a decent smart trainer and with zwift the basement sessions are significantly less painful and tedious. Before I was lucky to make it though 30 minutes I can now commit a solid hour or so to zwifting. I still don't understand those that are on for 3+ hours however
One thing you didn’t mention is the relative safety of Zwift. I did once crash my trainer doing a GCN workout back in the day😅 but I also had a good system of bike paths. Then we retired to a place without those bike paths and Zwift became my refuge from giant pickup trucks. In the more than six years since then, I’ve met online a good many people who can’t or shouldn’t ride outside for reasons like balance issues or too many concussions. There’s at least one recumbent group on Zwift for people who can’t sit a double-triangle bike. There may be handbike groups that I just don’t know about. In any case, I’ve been able to ride and race safely inside while talking and chatting with people from Norway to New Zealand and U-23s when I’m 76.
Just checked and I've been Zwifting since 3 July 2015. Think that means I'm one of the Open Beta users. Get to celebrate my own 10yr anniversary in 2025!
Sorry I'm 100% 'The Sufferfest' (still refuse to call it Wahoo).
But I fully agree on the massive benefits of inside training on a smart turbo (and 55" TV) in the garage.
Spent several years just riding inside until I friend got me out on the road. Due to the hours of training on the turbo i was able to put in a reasonable performance.
These days I enjoy both, but as the weather gets more rubbish here in England I will be riding more and more indoors.
If you fancy a challenge try ' The Kitchen Sink' video - 3 hours of constant riding (no free wheeling - no where to hide).
I cancelled my subscription when they put the price up. I might get a couple of months worth for the depths of winter but it’s not worth it for me the rest of the year, I don’t care about races or the group stuff. I wish they had a lower tier where I could just ride around the courses without the other stuff.
I’m a loner, I prefer FulGaz. And the realism and HUD on FG is hands down so much better.
I watch this video while on the indoor trainer.
Great video! You should do one for GCN and parent company!
A couple of decades ago? How about 6 months ago (last winter) for me! BUT!!! My new JetBlack Victory trainer is on it's way to the USA and I look forward to joining all the kool kids in Watopia!
I cycle in all weather conditions the UK can throw at me...I just can't ride indoors 😫
Zwift or no Zwift, I still get bored riding indoors. It’s why I bought a velomobiel so I could ride year round in any weather. Much more fun than riding the trainer. Respect to those of you that can stand riding inside.
wish it was cheaper, after all just to gain access to zwift you need to spend hundreds on equipment if not over a thousand.... Then the rider needs to do al the work in the pain cave....
Outside is free.
Zwift have been fine and everyone is thankful as it is colourful. But it needs competition like any free market. With Whoosh, Indivelo and Rouvy etc. The indoor space has never been so great.
Once I upgraded to a smart trainer it was a real game changer
Anyone else see Eric's gray Zwift Ride? 🔥
I just started using Zwift after buying a Zwift Ride with a Wahoo Kickr after watching Connor review the ZR several weeks ago.
I started road and mountain biking decades ago and am trying to get back into a riding routine after many years off the bike. So far so good!
My only issue with the Zwift platform is when I try to ride my Zwift Ride near my husband who is also Zwifting on my old road bike mounted to a Zwift hub. His computer picks up my bluetooth signal, my gears go haywire and visa-versa. One of us has to quit out of Zwift and basically "go away" (so sad!). Can't find a good fix online but see other users suffer the same glitch. It is definitely discouraging while I am still trying to figure out the controls on the Zwift Ride handlebars. Luckily I can still ride outdoors in California until winter arrives, so I hope to find a fix by then.
Back to GCN Thanks - Great video tribute to Zwift's 10-year anniversary.
Thank you for your comment! We’re sorry to hear about the issue you’ve had with your setup. Have you tried reaching out to the Zwift team on their social media? They might have a solution to your problem.
@@gcn Zwift customer service read my post here and reached out to me BEFORE I could reach out to them. Further proof they are a great company that cares about their customers. They provided some troubleshooting suggestions that I hope work once I get time to give them a try. Thanks!
Started Zwift in Lockdown. I absolutely love it, but still not as good as riding outdoors but way better than all other indoor options. Racing is super fun, being able to plan your own workouts is amazing. You can even do FTP tests to make sure your training in the right zones. I think it would be super cool with a VR headset but it might be quite sweaty! The groups rides a super nice for an easy ride. However I think it would be better if they had a large range of paces as they are sometimes slightly too fast or too slow for zone 2, but this is marginal! Not a big problem at all. The best thing about zwift is it’s easier to stay in zone 2 as where I live is very hilly, meaning there is a decent bit of zone 4 as well!Overall made my indoor training so much more fun, would recommend, wish they hadn’t increased price though!
Hayman has a workout he used on zwift on the platform, its about 1:20. Even based on your ftp it is still really hard to get through. Normally takes me 3 attempts to build up to 100% workout difficulty. It certainly increases your endurance and most of it is green ... but don't be fooled!! Nasty!!
I'm over zwift and it's cartoon graphics. Made the switch to Rouvy and haven't looked back. Way more immersive if you like good scenery
Hmm, my graphics look just fine on my 4K TV.
It’s perfect for me that my indoor trainer doesn’t try to provide “immersive scenery”, because nothing will beats outdoors.
@@zwiftingwithdemonhunter Me too- plus graphics from a PC with i5-13500 and GTX4060. 55" TV on a swivel wall bracket "In your face" !! Rouvy would be OK but heard you still get close passes by cars lol
You're not wrong there! For me there's only so many times you can go up alpe de zwift. Admittedly you can't beat the racing on zwift but if you fancy a change of scenery (quite literally) and aren't. Fussed about racing like me, it's a refreshing change trying something different
Could you please start featuring Rouvy as well? They sponsor La Vuelta and have an increasing number of users. Thx!
Rouvy is an interesting app as well but I think Zwift is a sponsor of GCN so....
I switched to Rouvy early on because I more enjoyed the real videos that other guys filmed of their rides. Its fun to see what other guys are encountering on their rides. The craziest seems to be the South Koreans, who even include their pee breaks at gas stations. I've now started filming my outdoor rides as a second hobby, though I edit out all the stops.
Love it.
I acknowledge that I'm the odd one out here, but I've never felt that connected to Zwift. Having had a membership from when Wahoo SYSTM dropped RGT, I worked my way to level 10 last winter, but won't be paying for a renewal. I just prefer do my workouts in SYSTM and recovery rides with a good documentary, or GCN videos and still have the choice of strength and yoga sessions.
It is great though reading some of the stories here of how Zwift has got people active and in to cycling.
Zwift helps the indoor sessions be less boring, but "community" is stretching it. Every ride in Zwift is a race and riders are virtually flicking eachother constantly
Maybe swift would be affordable if they didn't license a million bike frames and wheels. At $20 a month it's ridiculous and doesn't have the value to price
Just switched to Rouvy for half of the price 👍🏼
Used it since 2016 but once they hit €20 per month.....not a chance!!
Can you recommend a very very cheap book and very useful and informative please 🥺 🙏
i just started zwift 2 days ago ;)
Cycling is not just about sitting and pedaling something. Cycling is the air rushing through your helmet the cold hands and feet the pot holes the near misses the half hour spent choosing what jersey to wear before a ride the hospital visits after a car knocks you off your bike the recovery and total joy of again been able to enjoy all of the above I would rather not ride than zwift.
Indoor is good for competition and recovery
- but for me, it takes all the FUN out of cycling 😅
10 years on and a good few more cycling apps to choose from yet there's still plenty of anti indoors people on Strava who will give you kudos for a ride round the block but refuse to give you kudos for a 100 miler or an Everesting on an indoor trainer!
At least Strava acknowledges you, if I take my KTM E-MTB out and up the local Munros here in the Cairngorms for an 80km ride,30 of which I've pedalled with zero assistance(like treacle) to conserve battery wherever I can, it counts for zilch on the Strava monthly goals!!! (And I suppose someone on Tempus Fugit for 4 laps claiming to be 25kg lighter than they are is fairly allowed to count lol!! BTW I do 9,000km a year on the road and gravel bikes but maybe 800km on the E-MTB, it's a wee treat to get up mountains I'd otherwise be walking with the rest of the "real" mountain bikers ha ha)
Indoor cycling?
You should see what has happened to Virtual Reality flight simulation.
It's a LOT better than sitting on a turbo-trainer.
Even so, both flying and cyclind IRL, are irreplaceable.
Didn't Bkool come before Zwift? I was certainly using Bkool before I joined Zwift. Loved the old Bkool pro trainer, was very generous with the watts haha - had to switch to a Kickr when I switched to Zwift in 2015 as the Bkool trainer was unfair!
TACX preceeded both ..
Shout out to IndieVelo
I have used indieVelo, free to use now & while not as graphically rich as Zwift - - Just road and some trees, no dinosaurs, the "physics" of indieV are - I have to say, are significantly better than Zwift .
Zwift is great for people who enjoy it or who live in inhospitable climates. But I saw that something was seriously wrong when back in 2020 the pros went on it and were being destroyed by random accountants from Delaware. In the end it's just a video game where you need to save your power-ups (or whatever) for the right moment. If you want to actually improve your cycling skills then buy some rollers instead.
Is it only me thinking that Zwift graphics now are not better or even worse than 10 years ago? 😅
bikes getting heavier and more expensive.
5yrs a member and love the Zwift platform but, don’t use it much, if at all in summer. Even so, I maintain my subscription which is $30 AUD/PCM in Australia which is expensive! That’s the common thread for all users I think. It’s great even awesome, just expensive!
If only it was cheaper, membership numbers would likely increase, potentially having only a small impact on revenue. To illustrate, surely it would be better to have 1000 members at a $1 each rather than 10 members at $100 each?
At the end of the day if my personal finances got tight, this is what I’ll be cancelling and that might be the same for many others and the undoing of Zwift’s future. It’s free to ride outdoors after all. Shame really, but the considerable funds to sponsor the tour de france femmes avec Zwift has to come from somewhere. I’ll enjoy it while it lasts as my usual winter fitness recovery tool and hope they improve membership access with more moderate or at least, variable pricing plans.
PS Great video Dan 👍🏻
What forum do I follow for Black Friday sale rumors on Zwift ride?
The biggest things in indoor cycling in the last 10 years were:
1-smart trainers,
2-rocker plates,
3-elite rizer,
4-fulgaz/rouvy.
As a California resident, what is this indoor cycling of which you speak??!?
Love zwift