As much as I want a new climbing bike, I really don’t need one. So I’m going to wait for at least a year. In fact, the only reason at all to get a climbing bike would be to keep up with people in a group ride, but I don’t do group rides. I generally hate them. Honestly, I really don’t like road cyclists in general. My experience is that almost all of them are fucking assholes (or at least not the type of people I would ever want to hang out with, at all). I just made enemies of them all. Oh well.
I should probably warm up to doing group rides (even with people I despise) because they are definitely safer—especially when going out a distance away from civilization. If something goes wrong, the group is there for support even if I were to get knocked out somehow. As I age, I hate to say it, but I have to consider this kind of stuff.
Or, I just have to Zwift the entire time and forget the outdoor riding completely, at least, riding outdoors with people I don’t like.
In fact, I’ve been loving Zwift so much that I’m now actively planning to get a Wahoo KICKR Bike instead and set it up with exactly the same specs as the Aethos or Emonda (which I actually ride right now in the virtual world). The KICKR bike is more than 4000 dollars cheaper than a carbon climbing bike and is optimized for virtual riding and racing. That way I would be really competitive in Zwift and could just keep the slow touring bike when outdoors.
Plus, bombing down hills is fun but probably not best for a guy my age (with a lot to lose). After all, I got back into cycling to increase my life expectancy and health and keep health care costs in check, not make them worse. Hitting 100kph in Zwift is not the same but a lot safer (and less expensive). The Marrakesh touring bike keeps it real and safe and gives the option of going on long slow group tours with people eventually (much more fun than riding in a pack and not even looking at the scenery). And I can take my Twitch friends with me more easily when I’m not so focused on getting new PRs on Strava segments.
I’ll get a rocker plate eventually like the https://www.turborocks.com/collections/all/products/realplate-react-stealth as well to keep things comfortable but I should be fine for now without it because I never plan on riding longer than two hours at a time. With the KICKR Bike I can get on it three times a day for an hour each time and have much better recovery while producing the same effects. And I can still go outside any time I want with the touring/gravel bike.
By the way, the Wahoo KICKR Bike includes elevation changes simulation as well. Other than the traffic and headwind and very real danger this makes virtual bike rides virtually identical to the same ride on the road in ways that directly translate to power on an outdoor bike as well. In fact, this is how pros train in the off season.
Did I mention there’s no massive expense for all the different types of outdoor kit I’d have to buy and maintain?
Or that I can ride with my regular glasses instead of 500 specialty sunglasses?
Or that I don’t have to fight pollen allergies and bee stings?
People can call me a wimp all they want, at least until we compare fitness weight, power, and FTP numbers. I’ll always be able to blow away any cycling purist who only trains outdoors because one simply cannot maintain the same training consistency (unless maybe you live in Girona during the off season). This is why even the pros use indoor trainers for so much of their training of and off season.