AgentDBCooper said:I pretty much had to break bank to get this Kinetic Road Machine. I'm committed to this. It's been working really well actually. I'm loving the burn. Totally different experience compared to the road. The Kinetic inRide sensor, I believe has a speed and cadence sensor. It's got lots of great info with it.
Zwift looks fun. Lots of people are telling me about it. Not sure it is something I can afford.. will look into it though.. so far, just been watching shows off my phone mounted to my bike. So far so good! But I'm only 4 days into it.
I hear you! Only so much money. The high-end wheel-off / direct drive smart trainers certainly are not inexpensive, but considering the time spent on an indoor trainer the cost/benefit ratio can easily be justified over a couple years of workouts.
Zwift was $10/month all last year. They just increased the price to $15/month. That's still pretty cheap IMO when you see how it eliminated the 'boredom barrier' of indoor training.
If you use the free trial periods from all the various programs (Rouvy, Road Grand Tours, Virtugo, FulGaz, etc.) it can get you through the Winter! LOL!
Also, since you are on a Road Machine based trainer, if your backside starts giving you pain problems, look into researching a 'rocking plate'. You can build one for around $50 and the comfort increase you get from having a bike that moves side-to-side under you is amazing. I can do 4-hour rides in complete comfort on my Rock & Roll trainer...same as yours, but it rocks.
The inRide sensor can be quite accurate at estimating your Watts / power output. If you haven't already done so, read the spin down calibration procedure and follow it exactly. You don't need a trainer-specific rear tire and many riders have achieved better Watt level correlation using a conventional cheap road tire (inRide compared to calibrated strain gage power meters). Do keep your rear tire clean. It helps! Do inflate per calibration procedure instructions. Doing all that will keep your power readings consistent and as close to accurate and real world as possible.
As far as cadence goes, the inRide sensor works well at higher RPM and power output levels. At lower RPM's the reading can be on the inaccurate side. Most riders will add a separate cadence sensor and pair that device to record their pedal RPM's.