Zwift is not my natural habitat. Neither are any of the similar virtual training platforms that provide stationary runners and cyclists with on-screen routes through fantastic landscapes. As a Gen Xer whose formative years included the uninspiring video gaming of Intellivision’s Astrosmash , I spent most of my play time outside. When it comes to exercise, I still prefer the outdoors to any virtual world, but I also live in a northern climate where winter temps often dip below zero. It’s possible to ride in sub-zero air, but it might not be everyone’s idea of fun.
Zwift is here to help you fight for your right to stay cozy. The company is best known for its virtual worlds—like the tropical archipelago of Watopia and its subsequent spinoffs—that provide creative and colorful distractions for runners and cyclists to explore while sweating through their training programs. Now, Zwift has moved beyond software and entered the hard goods space, offering its first-ever smart trainer, called the Hub . The Hub smart trainer attaches to the bike you already own. Direct-drive smart trainers have been around for almost a decade. These devices attach to your rear drivetrain, replacing the rear wheel. As you pedal in a stationary position, they transmit your real-world effort to the virtual training environment displayed on the app running on the phone, computer, or television in front of you.
The experience of riding on a smart trainer has evolved to the point that many of the frustrating connectivity kinks that originally […]
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