My Zwift Set Up | SPLURGE OR SAVE tips?! 

Brilliant video and so well timed for me as I navigate my way round what I need to get going with Zwift. I’d love to see you setting the bike up from removing the wheel etc to getting ready for a ride if poss

love this Katie! i always see zwift setups with the fancy big screen monitors and expensive setups that make you think you have to have all that stuff. thanks for showing us the cheaper options!

I was part of your group ride Tuesday night on alpe de zwift . Really pushed me and managed to beat my pb by 4 mins and also increased my ftp! ............I thankyou!

I’m enjoying Zwift and For my lap top table I pop up the ironing board, you can pull it close our use it by your side for drinks and towel. I also use a bean airplane neck pillow in front of the handlebars for my phone rest. Thanks for the video Katie 👍

Great content thanks Katie, Ive been thinking recently about starting some indoor wahoo training , At first I didn’t fancy it , but it seems really popular now, I think it’s time for some indoor action and one of them good wahoo Fan units to keep my head cool , thanks for sharing your wahoo training experience Katie , hope you have a good weekend 👍🏼

Splurge on really good bibs (the pad) , since being in a much more static position than when riding outside

Great video, and being on Zwift for 6 weeks now I fully support your choices: The trainer is important, and the fan is important. I got the same setup as Katie, and it's great. The rest is rather unspectacular: 2 towels (one four yourself & one for the bike), headband (super important!!!!, got myself some neon ones because WTF), ANT dongle (important if your bike is a few feet away from your computer), floor mat (got the wahoo mat, it's OK) and a heart rate monitor to control the headwind fan. Enjoy your ride up Leith hill! :-)

Just one hack from the USSR :) A cheap and versatile table is an ironing board. 🤣

For the monitor, I agree to save on that, but if you have an extra TV, use that! It's so much more immersive than a laptop/tablet/phone screen! For my setup, I use a 20" shop fan that pushes a lot of air, a painters step stool with some boxed as the table surface for food and water, and a projector on a white wall I had laying around. The projector is incredible, as it makes Zwift almost full size!

Just start Zwifting last weekend, using just a 25 years old rollers with cadence and speed sensor and a baby chair to put my laptop on, for the fan... well using the garage's fresh air and most importante... 2 good legs!!

Great video! My tips are... piece of old carpet under the trainer to deaden the noise and stop any oil/lube getting on your floor. Open a windows as well as having a fan, if you can have the window behind you to expel the hot air instead of circulate it. If your zwifting, add some friends, use your free call time on your phone and make a regular thing (with a strava group)of it so its motivation to get on. Can be good to film yourself on the trainer to help review and adjust your body and cleat position. Finally, sign up for a training plan, its all great having all the gear but need some help to get on it and spin the legs.😎🦾🦿

Katie, great youtube channel and superb advice. Subscribed mainly as I am starting to think about longer rides this year, but wanted to get an indoor training setup as it is not always convenient to get out. Got my rollers setup with ant + and working okay but want the hills and to be honest I havent 'hammered' out of the saddle on the rollers yet! I will look at your advice on direct drive trainer. Keep up the great work!

As a newbie to cycling after a 30yr hiatus from childhood to now, I totally agree the turbo is king. I had a decent wheel on trainer using cadence and speed sensors attached to the bike but just couldn't get on with it. I then dropped really lucky on a second hand Tacx flux s for half price with 6 month warranty left. What a difference. Although power output is lower than the top end ones and the gradient is 10%, for my level off cycling it is more than adequate and is giving me a fantastic Zwift experience and more importantly for me, it's keeping me motivated for my weight loss and fitness regime.

I use a 6-peice interlocking floor mat to reduce vibration/noise as I live in a flat. Currently in Halfords for £10

Nice video - some good tips on what to save/splurge! Top tip for saving a bit of money on a standard fan is to get a cheap wifi controlled plug socket and plug your fan into that. You can then control the fan with your phone without having to leave your bike!

Agree on the trainer, I’ve tried wheel-on and there’s no contest! There’s no way I would spend 200 quid on a Headwind though, I do have one but it was a gift from Wahoo after I had issues with the infamous KICKR ‘18 trainers (3 of them!) I Zwift in my garage and have a cheap 32” TV wall-mounted in there showing my laptop display - couldn’t go back to anything smaller now. I have a Bluetooth speaker for music, but use some Anker earphones (Bluetooth with a short cable that goes round the back of my neck) for Discord chats if doing a Zwift meetup with pals. A couple of extras, a cheap floor mat to go under the bike and trainer and a cheap sweat guard to protect the top surfaces of the bike.

The box the kickr comes in makes a good desk. Somewhere to keep the original container and extras just in case. :)

Great video, yes some sort of fan is essential. I find a towel across the front is essential to stop sweat getting to bearings. A carpet offcut under bike and trainer stops sweat and tyre dust staining your floor. I also find padded cycle mitts help as my hands get sore as you don't change position as often on a trainer. As my sight is nolonger eagle-like, and have the room, £100 for a large 2nd hand TV works better for me.

I use a TV as my monitor with Apple TV 4K for zwift. A great cheap way into zwif t if your PC or lap top isn't up to the job. I also have the Wahoo climb and as you like those hills Katie I can honestly say it's amazing. It really does had that extra element to the indoor training and will simulate up to a 20% climb.

Managed to get myself a Kickr Snap 2 weeks ago so 2 weeks into zwift and gotta say I loving it, quite jealous of your room though, I'm stuck in a damp dingy basement garage with a laptop perched on my recycling bin - needs must and when I'm inspired to ride (your fault btw) I take all opportunities no matter the conditions. Big garage doors help with cooling although a small desk fan adds to it.

For long Zwift sessions I use a Flexi iPad stand, to position it in-front of the bars. Watching some RU-vid is a great way to past the time one those 3+ hour Zwift sessions. Cheap too!

Thanks for the video. You've probably answered many questions that we've all had in our minds but nobody to ask, and I agree with most of your recommendations. Some other things to consider that I'll add... I'm using a dinosaur laptop. It works, but it does take a long time to load Zwift, which means I have to plan that much farther ahead, especially if I'm joining an event at a certain time. I've actually missed some events due to extremely slow loading. Also, I splurged a bit for a trainer specific table with adjustable height. Definitely makes accessing the laptop keyboard much easier than before when I was just using a small bookshelf. Next thing I'll probably invest in is a proper floor mat under the bike. Currently using a towel, which inevitably gets scrunched up over and over with on and off the bike activity. Thanks again!

I have the Kickr Core, and to be fair I think it's a really good alternative to the Kickr if you want to save some money. A 16% climb is more than most people are used to and 1800w is well enough for mere mortals like myself 😂 One thing that is lacking on the Core, which is on the Kickr, is a handle. If you don't need to constantly move it in and out of storage this is not a problem but it's a bit of a pain otherwise.

The vacmaster airmover is a fantastic fan, as good as the expensive Headwind but without the connectivity.

I use a Yoga Mat Thick Non Slip under my trainer and under my rowing machine. the sound difference is really good. I to live in a apartment and have had no complaints. nice setup.

Awesome beats in the background !

I used to have back pains on the wheel on turbo after I got off because it was such a stiff ride. The Wahoo kickr v5 has completely changed that for me and makes it well worth the extra €

Great music for workouts id deffo reccomend hall and oates , or even some of janelle moanes stuff .

I splurged on the trainer (Wahoo Kickr) and saved on the table (ironing board). Works well for me!

I too have an ikea stool as my drink/snack/phone table, it also doubles as a seat for when I’m shattered after a hard ride ;) I love my Kickr and it was 100% the best health investment I have made. I don’t have a fan as I open all my windows in the flat and train next to the window, and I got an interlocking floor mat set from Aldi (meant to be for kids play at, but its enough for resting my kit on and also 3 more for stretching afterwards)

Apple tv for zwift, also play music through the tv while zwift is running. totally agree with the stand/table, think my adjustable music/laptop stand was £20ish from amazon, hold extra bottles, snacks, tv remote, towel. My 18" floor fan is £40 from screwfix. Also have foam gym flooring under my trainer mat and fan just to lower any noise pollution as I have wooden flooring. And a bike thong to catch the sweat. Another good hack is a garmin mount attachment for my phone, £3ish on ebay. great vid as always

Good job Katie. Just got my new Kicker and looking forward to using it. Have you tried the kicker climb? With your love of climbing I would like to get your feedback.. Also love the Aftershokz- was an original buyer when they were on Kickstarter and have bought a few over the years and have my cycling buddies all using them as well- so important on the road to be able to hear the ambient noise and yet still listen to music or answer a call etc.

A mini wireless keyboard is a handy item. For starting, stopping rides as well as messaging etc. Presuming you are running zwift on a PC. Also if running on a PC a decent graphics card is a must, especially in large events to avoid glitches etc.

Great vlog skinny k do u use big ring or small ring on zwift just wondered haveca Great weekend x

I purchased a music stand on Amazon for like 17 quid, holds laptop perfectly and room for phone also.

I use Concept2 BikeErg, Vornado fan, Window sill, iPhone, Apple TV and Jabra elite sports earbuds that detect my pulse. Love my rig.

Lovely video 😎 definitely going for the best kicker then

This makes me think I should do a video on my pain cave!🚴🏻🚴🏻🚴🏻🚴🏻🚴🏻🚴🏻🚴🏻🚴🏻🚴🏻🚴🏻🚴🏻🚴🏻🚴🏻🚴🏻🚴🏻🚴🏻🚴🏻🚴🏻🚴🏻🚴🏻🚴🏻🚴🏻🚴🏻🚴🏻🚴🏻🚴🏻🚴🏻

Hello from dubai - managed to escape stalyvegas and UK lockdown for a working winter in UAE - that said I hate turbo’s bought a whisper drive (pre smart trainers) used it 4-5 time

Just got a proper handlebar phone mount, so I can run companion app. Rubber bands before was the cheap option but not really stable enough. I run Zwift on my computer through TV/monitor that is on a desk.

I recommend to invest on a good floor mat . Reduces noise a lot and it levels the turbo trainer .

Great advice! :)

love a bit of one direction whilst on zwift haha! or 90s cheesy pop!

Desk or overlay table highly recommended. Place a vortex type fan on the desk less than a metre from the head. Add a fan at the rear. 2 laptops on the desk,one for Zwift,other for distraction eg Netflix,learn Mandarin etc.

I own the Kickr Snap. Every day I wonder what my downstairs neighbors are thinking. I do ERG mode but I feel like thats holding me back.

how long does it normally take you to remove the rear wheel and setup for a zwift session?

Product owner of a kickr since yesterday 🚲🚲🚲 my PC is connected with my TV (big screen) for zwift. A thing to mention eventually: my PC needs a USB Ant+ connector so that it could connect with my kickr. Also a nice cheap feature: a washing machine pad (underlay) for noise reduction (trying to have a good affair with my neighbors 😅). Happy zwifting/ indoor cycling 🚲🚲🚲

I would recommend a small bar table, not on the front but on the side of the bike for towels, water, snacks, remote control of the fan. The monitor size depends on the distance to your eyes, your Macbook is too far away, I recommend an inexpensive 28 inch monitor with stand, 30 degrees flat angle at handlebar height, replaces a large screen that is further away.

To have my phone handy, I got a cheap phone case, and sticky back garmin mount thingy, so I can stick my phone on the garmin mount...

Great info! What is the intro/background song?

I love my aeropex, expensive but I use them every day so have had my money's worth

Any chance of seeing some zwift vids of you racing or taking a group up adz maybe livestream it so we can ask questions not the race obviously

Probably mentioned somewhere already but you can get some pretty cheap reasonable sounding Bluetooth earphones rather than splurging there. Also helps drown out the on wheel turbo if you don’t splurge there.

Which Wahoo mount do you have there on the bike and which Wahoo are you using it with? Looking for one for a Roam that has a GoPro attachment point and this one looks like it might :)

Omg Katie I just bought a trainer from Facebook market couple hours ago, And you uploaded this at the same time. but today I got my period so I am in bed all day resting I haven’t yet started zwifting but I will start my first swift ride hopefully tonight or tomorrow, if I manage to set up the turbo trainer I have never done it

I have the wahoo kickr snap (wheel on) and it's so quiet! The sounds from my actual bike are WAY louder than the trainer itself. I was a little concerned when ordering because i have watched a couple of reviews saying ist was pretty quiet but i've always heard everyone saying that wheel on ones are super noisy. Turns out, the reviews are right, thankfully! I live in a tiny apartment and it would have been hell but i just couldn't afford a direct drive trainer. So if you don't have a huge budget, the kickr snap might be a good option too! :)

It's very possible that with the right cable you could hook your laptop up to your TV if you want a bigger monitor. Zwift doesn't take much to run.

KICKR is great - I had one last time. Now on a Saris H3; advantage with the Saris is you can often find good deals - I saved hundreds over the equivalent wahoo for the same experience

Just starting a zwift setup, thought about going with the Kickr Bike, no idea about the fan, and an iPad on my dresser as screen ;)

Katie do you have any recommendations for newbies like me who havent been cycling for long. I'm trying to cut costs down and cant afford the wahoo kicker but trying to find something else that will work. Do I also need a trainer tyre?

I’ve also seen some people use their ironing board as their stand with their laptop etc

Had too many issues with Wahoo, in the end went with Saris H3. Did have my eyes on Tacx Neo 2t but couldn't justify the extra few hundred quid. With regards to the fan, I'd prefer to buy several Honeywells rather than 1 wahoo fan.... Spend the money on the honeywell and get a few smart plugs controlled by Alexa

Looking to get into zwift but do i need to spend a lot on a bike? I kind of just want to buy a cheep road bike and then get the wahoo smart kickr or something. How important is the bike?

im lookim ng for a smart trainer but am torn between the v5 or the core ?

Recently discovered the Vacmaster fan, £70 so not the cheapest or quietest but very good. I'm old school when it comes to indoor training, no Zwift (or any other expensive subscription services) just a Kinetic fluid trainer and Jetblack R1 aluminium rollers. I'm following a British cycling training plan for structure. They used to be free but now they charge although I did manage to search some out! I listen to music or podcasts and have TV on for added distraction! BTW, not knocking Zwift, just saying there are alternatives for those on a tight budget.

I can't do indoor trainers. Even if it's -20 degrees outside I'll rather ride my winter bike where it's possible. The only thing that I could get excited over is a stationary bike that can generate power to run household items or the lights. However, I recorded and uploaded an 18 minute ride that might be ideal for someone on a trainer.

I use an over bed type table that is split in two so I have my water bottle on one side and tilt the other side for my phone with the companion app open. Was only around £12. I also use apple TV to run zwift on my TV which cost £180 if you don't have a laptop.

Great video and perfect timing ... planning to purchase my first trainer next month ... Elite Suito. Is the cheaper “Honeywell” fan linked to the trainer or just a simple stand alone fan? Thanks.

Do you use anything to attach your phone to your bike when your zwifting?

I listen to audio books from Libby or Audible. Find time passes easier listening to stories versus music. May be just me but find it relaxing

We bought a second-hand music stand for $30. Works perfectly for two laptops - one for Zwift and one for Netflix haha.

great video thank you definitely have a new subscriber .

Everyone needs to try a headband. It made a huge difference for me. Towels were a hassle and a cause lack of attention to the game. I like the poshei headbands from Amazon. They are thin and yet hold vast quantities of sweat. Also I run three fans including the kickr fan shaped in a semi-circle in front of me. Also, depending on the temperature, I either start with no shirt or remove it shortly after starting. Keeping the core temperature down is the name of the game. I like the bone conduction headphones as well but a decent alternative for a very inexpensive headset are the Mpow flames V5.0 at Amazon. They are less than $20 US and have 35K reviews.

Katie, You have tremendous cadence, what is your lowest gear on the wahoo kickr

Like Conor I perch my laptop on a music stand that my wife gifted me last year, its height adjustable, stable, perfect and affordable. if you are interested, mine is a Proline but i think any decent stand would do

omg I adore that you listen to one direction 😌✨

I’m so glad I’ve found your channel, common sense talking and beautiful face 👍

I am confused about trainers I have seen there different kinds of them. Also, It's almost winter here in Chicago (Thank god for 1 good week of September weather in November) and I am confused whether to SPLURGE on the trainer yet, Coz this is my first year cycling (hardly six months), and was wondering what if I don't like it.

Nice video for those who want to stay back home in the current situation.

If you don't have one already the best thing to splurge on with limited funds would be a power meter in my opinion. This combined with a dumb trainer where you adjust the resistance yourself will give you a solid workout you can take out and data you can compare with your road riding. This also allows you to accurately compete in Zwift races without compromising with an okay trainer using ZPower. Also if you are looking to save money you probably have in your pocket a device perfectly capable of playing Zwift in the form of your smart phone. A simple fan plugged into a cheap smart plug allows you to start them by asking Alexa. -Power Meter rather than Smart trainer -Cheap second hand dumb trainer -Smartphone running zwift -5 quid wifi smartplug from Amazon linked to Alexa -Cheap large fan Then when you are hooked you can upgrade to a smart trainer to experience resistance changes from zwift. Any old laptop pretty much will run zwift and a HDMI cable to try it on a larger screen.

I go for a Wahoo Kicker so Katie kan kick my ass on Zwift to! :)

That was all smooth sailing until I heard one direction... 🥶😱🤕🧹☢ Ahhhhhhhh let me bring forth the only tip I can spare you, a piece that smells like freedom🌅; that's gonna make you fly over zwift sessions: The midnight - Los Angeles May the ensuing weekend be a gratifying one for you Katie 😃🎧🙂🌼 P.S. I own that same stool, mine is 🔴 though

And a towel to cover your bike from all your sweat, maybe this helps with a good fan too (do you sweat as much????!)

Do you have a dedicated bike set up in your kicker or do you use your ribble?

Can you give us a list of the equipment for your Zwift setup and what you recommend? Thanks!

my zwift set up is wahoo kickr ( had the tacx neo2, but kickr is better) x2 honeywell fans,TIP FOR SMALL ROOMS, ONE FAN OFFSET POINTING TOWARDS YOURSELF, THE OTHER POINTING TOWARDS AN OPEN WINDOW, THIS HELPS CIRCULATE THE AIR... lifeline trainer mat( a must for sweaty rides). ikea shelf with laptop and google nest mini / spotify for music.... no 1D....LOL

Cheapest way to get onto zwift is getting a set of rollers. Takes a while to learn and master, but they a cheap and gives you a great workout. Turbo trainers can damage your carbon bike, whilst biking on rollers is just like biking outside.

If you don't want to splash out 200 on a headwind, industrial floor fans can be had for 35-50, and chuck out a decent amount of air.

Just a thought is a remote plug for a normal fan so you can turn it on when you need it in a ride rather than at the start when cold. www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07SRXZ5DZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and a wee sweat cheap band that goes from the bars to the seat in a triangle.

No Companion App Katie ? How do you control Zwift without it ? Presumably you store your bidon on your bike ?

One Hack......I picked up a stand used for holding music sheets at a second hand store; telescopic height, large multi directional platform for your laptop etc. tripod stand.....all for $25.00 (Can). Great addition.

Perfect review,right on time:Less free time( easier to zwift for 30min only)+ Covid+Politics ( only for US.) forced me to reactivate zwift .Price on the kicker seemed to be going down also.

Splurge on a good front wheel block. Getting your bike leveled out so you're not leaning forward or to either side is hugely important. I've tried cheaper options and they would slide around during efforts -- no bueno.

Great vid; I’ve heard wheel-on trainers wear your tyres - no idea if that’s true, I’d be keen to hear everyone’s thoughts!

Tacx iPad handle bar holder key

As someone else said, a cheap music stand is perfect for a laptop .while on the trainer ..

What was those headphones called again ? Could do with a pair of those myself 👍🏻

Are you effing kidding me ? That Zwift "fan" is like $250 !?! 🙀 For that price, the fan better fetch me my drinks during the "ride" & also clean my bibs ! 🤣

I'm the most average, average rider but I get soooo warm. I've got 3 fans and one of them is industrial sized and I still get hot, I want more fans 😂 I started with a Honeywell fan and it just didn't do anything. I want to cycle in a hurricane 💨

Having splurged on the Kickr Bike to avoid having to keep removing and re-installing rear wheels, I couldn't bring myself to spend £200 on a fan, but I did find a nice one with a remote control here: smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07TF81QDG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 AFAICS the Honeywell one you mentioned didn't have RC. I'm a non-racing Fulgaz garage rider, so I figured I'd want max cooling under my control when hill climbing. I'm guessing the Wahoo fan simulates road speed and I would prefer to be cooled when climbing rather than descending.