I’ve been using TR since mid December as a means of staying consistent with a primary training goal to get into good enough shape to enjoy mountain biking on my favorite trails here in Ohio and Michigan.
That being said, I’ve been using a Tacx Vortex which has been fine, but doesn’t have any lateral movement, and I’m not always sure how consistent the power feedback is with the required calibration (which I do before every workout).
I have been considering buying a Tacx Neo 2T as most of my riding is done indoors. Realistically, I will only be able to ride my MTB once a week on the weekend (probably Saturday as that is the day prescribed as an “Endurance” workout). I do not have any means of recording these rides, and have been considering buying a Garmin device to record the duration, distance, speed, and HR so it can be fed into TR.
What I’m debating is the relative merit to buying the Neo 2T which I’ll be using three days a week vs. buying a Garmin for a single workout each week. I’m leaning toward the Neo 2T, but I’m worried I’ll be missing out if I don’t track that Saturday workout and feed that info into TR.
My big “goal” is a 45 mile mountain bike ride in September, and that is what I have my next training cycle set up to prepare me for. This starts in April, and mountain biking season is nearly upon us!
Where would you prioritize your dollars in my situation assuming you could only choose one “major cycling purchase” for this year?
I would definitely buy a reliable trainer since that’s the majority of your rides.
From your comments though, it sounds like you don’t have a power meter on your Mtb and will just use HR for those rides. Is that true? If so, you could just connect your hrm to your phone and use Strava on the mtb. Or buy a cheap used Garmin computer?
That is correct, I do NOT have a power meter on my MTB and will be relying on HR for those rides. I have a Garmin HRM, but wouldn’t have any issue with buying a bluetooth HRM to work with my phone. I guess I wasn’t aware I could use Strava to record rides.
Yah. Def get a solid direct drive smart trainer. Neo is good, but there are equally good trainers for significantly less. The Kickr Core 2 is $550 and was recently on sale for $400. There are others. The difference is almost enough to enable getting a PM for the mtb. Data can be recorded on various phone apps. Strava is good but doesn’t record bike sensors. The Wahoo app, RWGPS app, and some others do.
I’d agree with others on getting a trainer, but I’d split the difference.
A) Get a cheaper trainer, like the KICKR CORE 2, or if you can find that NEO 2T on sale, that’s great too. By and large, the NEO’s are indestructible.
B) Then, get a slightly older Garmin. The Edge 540/840, or the Garmin Edge Explore 2 is down to like $220ish right now. The only slight downside of the Edge Explore 2 is that you can’t do structured workouts on it, but honestly, for most people doing outside structured workouts, they tend to be relatively non-complex anyway, so you can probably just remember the pieces if you ever do that.
Thank you for the advice. I found a used Neo 2T for around $500 with approximately 1000 miles on it that I’m planning on buying this week.
I’m not planning on doing structured workouts outdoors, but rather, will use the MTB for the “Endurance” rides that TR has allocated as the fourth workout for the week. I’m not training for a race, and am primarily using TR as a structured means of making sure I actually stay active and fit enough to ride my MTB. I’m not all that worried about having a power meter on the MTB for now in accordance with these goals.
Good call on finding a used Garmin device. I’ll do that. Thanks again for all of the advice!
The principle value of having a PM on the mtb is that it provides the data needed by TR’s AI to properly account for your unstructured rides. In my case, the WX has been uncharacteristically good so instead of doing my plan’s workouts I’ve mainly been doing unstructured mtb and gravel rides. I have PMs on both. So far, the plan keeps cooking along making adaptations and predictions even though few of my rides have been structured workouts.
I think you’ll be well served by the advice already given.
My thought was for power meter pedals - depending on how deep you’re into cycling, I got mine 8yrs ago and they are handy to get the same power measure in any scenario. In many ways you don’t have to care much about the trainer or the bike you’re going to ride when you have them.
That said, the tipping point for me was that I race to power which is important in time trial and triathlon, but not so much for MTB.
I had thought about power pedals, but I’ve had issues in the past with foot and toe numbness that I finally have under some degree of control. I haven’t had much luck with anything other than pedals with more float than usual, and I’m fearful of laying out for a set of pedals that may cause more problems. Definitely a good idea though.
At this point, I’m mostly just interested in training regularly with TR telling me what to do so I can go ride the MTB in a recreational manner and enjoy the woods.
It’s so nice when the weather finally breaks after the winter. I am really looking forward to getting out onto the XC trails!
I’ve thought about getting a power meter and using that with TR instead, but with how infrequently I’ll be riding outdoors, it doesn’t seem worth the cost at this point in time. The closest MTB trail is an hour away, and I work 10 hr days M-Th, so there’s not really time to go after work. Doing the trainer workouts is doable, and is something I’ve been able to do consistently which as been great.
I love not having to think about what ride to do (since I also have no inkling how to even go about creating my own training plan) and just being able to hop on the trainer and buzz around in the Zwift world after work. I’d love if TR and Rouvy would interface since I don’t care about the game aspect of Zwift at all. I just like the distraction of having something to look at.
Just one comment on your plan. As someone who used to mtb quite a bit, those rides can be much more taxing than the prescribed TR Endurance ride would be. If you’re on easy, flat, fire roads, it might be somewhat similar, but as soon as you start hitting roots or jumps, or short/sharp steeps, you can find yourself muscling the bike around and getting your HR up there. I don’t mean to discourage you from having fun on the mtb, just keep an eye on your fatigue level and decide whether you should replace a structured hard ride instead so that your easy days stay easy. Have fun!
Yeah, I wasn’t sure how the MTB would factor in, since they aren’t easy rides. My favorite trail is 25.5 miles and has 1600’ of climb/descent. The easier trail is 10 ish miles with around 400’ climb/descent and I’d like to do a couple of laps there at an easier pace.
The goal ride for the year is 45 miles and will have a couple thousand feet of climb/descent.
Thank you for the response! I was considering the Kickr Core as well. I found a Neo 2T that I’m planning on buying used - $500 which is much more palatable than retail.
I do have a smartphone, but I wasn’t sure which apps TR will pull data from. That’s something I’ll have to look into.
As already stated I think its all been answered but just my 2 pence, as I am basically you, but a few years on
I ride MTB once a week, approx 3 hours, its far from easy.
I went from a Tacx Vortex to a Tacx Neo 2T.
I have a Garmin 530 and a Garmin Epix, which I record the MTB rides on.
Over the years and along with the changes in TrainerRoad, I’ve currently settled on the following:
Sunday: MTB
Monday: Easy TR
Tues: Off
Wed: Hard TR
Thur: Off
Fri: Hard TR
Sometimes the MTB ride makes Monday a red day, which sometimes I’ll adhere to and sometimes I’ll feel ok and do an easy TR, I dont stick to this 100% as life generally throws spanners into the plans but its generally based on that structure. Seems to work well for me.
I’d buy yourself the Neo 2T, I love mine and its a huge jump from the Vortex which really isnt very accurate compared to the 2T.
I’d also splash out on a Garmin Smart watch if poss too (Or headunit + HR strap).
Thank you for your response. I think I’ll start with just using my phone with Strava and the HRM strap, and will look at computers later on. I like the idea of a watch, but I have a watch my Dad gave me that I’m pretty loyal to, so I don’t really want to splash out for a nice shiny Smart Watch
The Base building plan I’m finishing has been going on since December, and has been M, W, F. The Plan for this 45 mile ride I’m doing starts at the beginning of April and is M, W, F, and Saturday “Endurance”, but as @Pbase has pointed out, this probably won’t work well given my goals with the MTB, so it will likely need to be changed up; probably to something like what you’re doing.
Cheers, and happy riding. I was just visiting family in Blandford. Need to rent a bike there some time and have a ride!
(Or headunit + HR strap).