Finally Getting Smart

After a long debate with myself, today I committed to a smart trainer and a Zwift subscription. The cheapskate in me said no but the cyclist in me said yes. The compromise, if you can call it that, was the trainer itself. I went with the Saris M2, which is pretty basic and inexpensive as smart trainers go but far superior to anything I have had before.

Saris is a Wisconsin company that offers great American-made products in an industry dominated by imports. The M2 smart trainer has the same look and feel as my old CycleOps Magneto, and that’s no coincidence. Saris trainers used to be branded as CycleOps. But the addition of “smart” technologies to the M2 changes everything.

I installed the Zwift application on my laptop, to which the M2 connects wirelessly via Bluetooth. There was no add-on ANT+ dongle to buy and no mandatory cell phone app such as those required by some of Zwift’s competitors. Installation of the Zwift software was a little buggy, but I make my living in IT. Despite one or two nuisances I was able to get the application talking to the trainer in just a few minutes.

And then it was time for a test ride! Zwift has a script for a new user’s first ride, so I followed that and then tacked on a few extra minutes exploring the virtual world of Watopia. It was cool to feel the resistance of the trainer changing as I moved up and down hills in the simulation. I had not felt that sensation since the last time I rented a CompuTrainer for an hour. Remember those? They were great in their day, but now you can have an even better virtual riding/racing experience at home.

My recent record with indoor training has been poor. Today’s investment in a trainer and a Zwift subscription could turn out to be a huge waste of money. I don’t think it will, though. Zwift’s visual presentation is nice, but it’s the statistics that will motivate me. I won’t have to track my time anymore. I won’t have to do intervals with a piece of paper and a wall clock. The application includes a large variety of workouts and even lets me configure my own. And for the first time ever, I will be able to track watts. I’ve never had a power meter before.

Each winter I gain a lot of weight and lose a lot of fitness. A new approach to indoor cycling should be good for me. In the days to come I will establish baseline statistics and create plans to improve my performance. Eventually, Zwift could become a racing platform for me. My overnight work schedule, which includes Saturday and Sunday nights, makes real-world racing difficult. Zwift makes racing a possibility on any day at any hour. It also pairs well with Garmin Connect, opening a new path for points and badges on that platform.

Every little bit of motivation helps. During the first rides, much of my motivation will be proving to myself that I have not thrown my money away. But I like what I see so far, and I think this new direction will prove to be the right choice.