Don’t fret the equipment side too much. Kinetic or Cycleops off of Craigslist, some cheapo speed sensor, keep the rear tire pressure consistent and do the spindown calibrations and you’ll get pretty much 100% of the benefit. Dropping $1K on a fancy trainer, spending another $600 on an on-bike power meter, all this fluff is entirely optional.
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Ramp Test while streaming in an adult cam website. It’s like you have some pression on yourself and you give these extra watts… Also they compliment you. Haha not joking.
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It’s definitely not the sturdiest. Cheap and lightweight, and the fact that the front overhangs is nice as front wheel fits under it. I watch entertainment on my iPad, so it goes on the front shelf and a fan on the back.
That said, it’s designed to support a computer on the back shelf so as long as your TV isn’t enormous and you don’t need to move the whole desk around much I think you’d be OK. And there are tons of other cheap adjustable height desks on Amazon. To me $250 for the Wahoo desk is just kind of ludicrous.
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Any recommendation for wireless sweat-proof headset?
What headbands do you like?
I like these of the several I have tried. And they come in colors so they don’t get lost in the sea of black spandex
Mens Headband - Running Sweat Head Bands for Sports - Athletic Sweatbands for Workout/Exercise, Tennis & Football - Ultimate Performance Stretch & Moisture Wicking
by Tough Outfitters
Learn more: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01G4RQC2M/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_Q47gEb5X788S8
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Easy at 1st very hard latter on. In the last 18 months I’ve lost over 100 pounds(290-175) but also went from a 200ftp to 305(thanks tr) but now it’s a struggle to do both at the same time. So I believe both statements are true
I prefer a thin buff to a headband.
May sound silly question…but many here mention alcohol wipes to help prevent saddle sores… when are people using them for indoors rides. Common sense says straight after ride, but I jump in the shower after a workout so always in the shower less than 10 mins after…so can’t see alcohol wipes would do much? Wipe before ride maybe to pre clean area???
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Depending on my schedule, eating or other chores are placed ahead of the shower.
For my evening workouts: I get home, suit up, work out, get out of kit (which can include the aforementioned wipes) and into post-workout sweats, cook & eat my dinner, crash on the couch for an hour, then shower and right to bed.
It’s all about timing and priorities. I don’t always follow the above, but the wipes are useful in any event that you aren’t hopping right into the shower after getting off the trainer.
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Here are some things I do and use that some might find useful.
Entertainment:
- TV with Netflix / Plex / You Tube
- Watch shows during aerobic through sweet spot training
3 Created watch list on you tube based on some of the threads here pointing out great race footage and either listen to the commentary or listen to music off my phone via Bluetooth ear plugs - If possible mount TV lower so it is in your line of sight while riding
Cooling
I have 2 of these, one in the front and one in the back. It really reduces sweating up through sweet spot workouts but still do a decent amount of sweating during VO2 intervals. Once the ride is done i tilt the fan down and it dries up the sweat on the mat in like 10 minutes
https://www.amazon.com/STANLEY-655704-Velocity-Blower-Built/dp/B006O6FA22/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=blower+fan+yellow&qid=1579123893&sr=8-3
Bike Protection - I use pipe foam covers that i get at home depo for a few bucks for like 6 feet and cut it to length to place on my top tube, and handle bars to avoid the large amount of sweat from getting in my bar tape etc.
- Wipe down frame immediately after i ride
SHOE & FOOT CARE - After every ride indoor or out i put my shoes on the shoe dryer. The dry in like 15 minutes and smell fresh and clean all the time. I actually use this to dry socks and gloves as well as needed
https://www.amazon.com/DryGuy-Forced-Boot-Dryer-Garment/dp/B010A5J5FU/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=shoe+dryer&qid=1579124225&sr=8-5 - i only use merino wool socks. They never smell. Jonathan got me hooked on SwiftWick pursuit socks a long time ago on one of the early podcasts.
CONVENIENCE
I have an amazon cube to control my TV and allow me to control other devices in the house. My entire training room is smart so i can tell Alexa to turn off the lights, turn on ceiling fan, turn on trainer fans etc. You dont know how huge this is until you get on the trainer a few times and it is a bit chilly for the fans to start. You can even build routines to do multiple actions. For instance i have 2 routines. One where i say “Alexa it is time to train”. This turns the lights off and all my fans on. Then when i say “Alexa, training is done” the lights go on and all but one fan goes off (this fan is used to point to the ground and dry the mat.
Anyway probably more than anyone wanted or cared to know, but it has taken me about 2 years to get tho this point and really wish i would have thought about all of it much earlier on.
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Even making a quick shot of espresso is a bit much for me at 5:15am…I’ve gotten to the point of keeping a water bottle and a pack of caffeine pills on my nightstand…as soon as I wake up, pop one and wash it down, by the time I’m kitted up, done the morning routine, fed the dogs, and turned on my training setup it’s starting to hit. Then pop in my headphones and get some music going and I’m ready to roll.
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I get into the shower when I finish my workout, wash my entire body normally with regular body wash, then I wash with Hibiclens surgical scrub on my undercarriage. After drying off, I used to use alcohol wipes if I had an active saddle sore, but since I started with the Hibiclens, I have not had any issues requiring alcohol.
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Great tips, thank you for sharing.
I’d like to stress the point
SHOE & FOOT CARE
As I found out the hard way leaving sweat-soaked cycling shoes to dry in a cold room after training is ideal for growth of bacteria and fungus… Do dry your shoes one way or another and clean them from time to time!
- Assos chamois creme
- Noise canceling headphones
What do you do with the wipes?? I’m genuinely interested
I found a thorough post-shower alcohol wipe of the old undercarriage helped prevent any sores.
I’ve since switched to almost exclusively riding my road bike (as opposed to TT bike) and I don’t experience any issues any more, so I’ve stopped my wiping regime! 
I wish you hadn’t. Next time how about private messaging?
I’m surprised anybody wanted to know, but it would have been rude to gloss over the gory details!
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