Setting Up Zwift with a “Dumb” Bike Trainer

Setting up Zwift has been an experience, to say the least. If you aren’t familiar, Zwift is all the rage right now within the cycling community. It is an app that allows you to set your bike up to an indoor trainer and ride virtually, along with other riders (or players, if you think of Zwift as a game, which it kind of is).  Setting it up was kind of a headache, but worth it to be able to ride indoors without wanting to stab myself in the eye from boredom. Zwift offers a free one week trial. When that’s up, a monthly subscription is $14.99 per month.

You can pick an avatar and customize it, complete with kit! The more you ride, the more kit choices you can unlock. It’s an awesome concept! I’m still learning the program, as it seems there are tons of options and things you can do within the game, like different types of races and workouts, etc. I’m sure you can find much more detailed posts re: setting up Zwift, so this one is just about the basics from a beginner’s standpoint.

I’m sure having a smart trainer makes the experience a lot better, but because I’m using what I already had and didn’t want to shell out tons of money to start using Zwift, I’m settling with my ancient “dumb” trainer, a Cycle-Ops that I purchased used from my friends a few years back. I’m pretty sure it’s an old version of the Fluid-2.

First, my Diamondback gravel bike was tough to get on the trainer. I had to purchase a thru-axel adapter that would fit on the trainer since my bike’s thru-axel bolt was too big to fit. My bike has a 142 mm thru-axel which is bigger than most road bikes. I found the Cycle-ops adapter on Amazon for around $50. Then I watched some youtube videos on how to set my bike up to the trainer. It was pretty straightforward.

Next, I purchased a Bluetooth Speed and Cadence sensor for $30 on Amazon. Since my dumb trainer doesn’t have a power meter (nor did I want to buy one), this was the least expensive option. There are tons of different options for sensors but I found this one to be the cheapest. It was also fairly easy to set up after watching some Youtube videos and tinkering with the placement of the sensors.

I downloaded and installed Zwift to my Apple TV in the basement (you can also just use an iPad or mobile device) and installed the Zwift companion app to my iPhone which serves like a remote for Zwift while you are riding. I created an account and set up my profile. Then I paired my speed and cadence sensor, along with my apple watch’s heart rate monitor to Zwift. At first, on my first ride, my rider wasn’t moving on the screen. Soon I realized my speed sensor was in the wrong place. After adjusting it, my rider started moving! The heart rate monitor pairing can be spotty, but it does work most of the time.

With a smart trainer, Zwift can change the elevation of the course you are riding in the game. Because I don’t have one, I just have to pedal a flat road for the entire ride or get off and manually adjust the resistance on the trainer. I find I still get a decent workout just increasing my RPMs as needed. After your ride, Zwift can automatically share your ride on Strava, among other riding apps, which I really like.

To make my virtual riding a little more fun, I set up a Bluetooth speaker next to the TV so I can blast some music while riding. Overall, setting up Zwift is going to make indoor training a lot more bearable this winter!

Cost to set up Zwift with dumb trainer:
Thru-axel adapter: $50
Speed and cadence sensor: $30
Zwift membership per month: $15
Total: $95

VS

Cost of low-end smart trainer (Wahoo Kickr Snap, for example): $600 on REI

Anyone have experience setting up Zwift with a dumb trainer or think I should shell out $$$ for a smart one? Leave a comment below!