Setting Up The New Pain Cave: What's First?

Big thanks to www.wattbike.com for hooking me up with the ATOM Wattbike. Excited to get underway on these, data heavy insights coming.
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[@DaaanG73]

I really hope this means we get a Chanel Wattbike review video in the near future.

[@clairerogerpembery2920]

I have a pain cave with 2 smart bikes. What I notice is that the heat generated really ramps up when both bikes are going at the same time. Also, the bikes really do not like getting damp from sweat over the long term: it'll creep under the hoods, the salt will crystallise and your electrics will eventually fail (I peel back the hoods after each ride and give them a good drying out). Remember that the moisture needs to go somewhere, so ventilation is key even with a fan. I have a dehumidifier, portable aircon and huge floor fan. I run the dehumidifier after each session to dry the room. Everything is voice activated so I can adjust what is running without having to get off the bike. Plus, most importantly, you will want coloured LED lights and space lights.

[@davidnicholson6680]

I have the Stages SB-20 smartbike, it's great. Like you said, it's always available and it works every time with issue. Also, these bikes don't have to be designed for lightness like road bikes so they're incredibly overbuilt and durable.

[@trailrunplanet]

If you add a humidifier like Lionel Sanders uses - with the heat from the roof and window you'll be able to do all your Kona simulation sessions before the both of you go to the IM World Championship.

[@10ktube]

The coolest thing for me, as an endless fiddler, is the turbo bike let's you mess with your bike fit SO easily. Even crank length. Imagine what would be involved in doing stuff like that on a real bike, or all of them for that matter. It's a dream.

[@jimmoody4815]

Crank length is adjustable??

[@10ktube]

@@jimmoody4815 on my Tacx it is, same for stages and wahoo. I'd guess wattbike does it but didn't check.

[@jimmoody4815]

@10ktube Thanks for the reply. I appreciate it. I'd love to experiment with crank length...but as you say...what a hassle...

[@robbybeauchamp]

My wife and I went with smart bikes in our pain cave for the same reasons. Zero faffing about getting a bike on a turbo trainer, adjusting gears to the trainer cassette, etc. Just hop on and connect to Zwift and off we go.

[@1989srjones]

I think you'll want an air conditioning unit in there. Loft spaces get very warm when the sun is hitting the roof

[@Second247]

Yup. Alex changes altitude camp for heat chamber 😆

[@mstrasser]

bike (and studio) look great! I don't have a wattbike, but got a Kickr Bike when they launched and they're amazing. The Kickr felt like a real bike, bars, shifters etc vs the Tacx which felt like a spin bike - clunky, plastic - and Wattbikes I can't get here (easily). LOVE having it, always set-up, always ready. Both my wife and I use it, and I'm a good foot taller than her and it just takes 5s to switch set-ups. Love it. Such a smart purchase

[@colinhicks749]

Have a look at Martin Coopers ‘Omnirocker’ rocker plate. It’s transformed my experience on the Atom, although you would have to reconfigure your pain cave!

[@nevmann]

For the window, I recommend some solarfilm which you put on the inside of the window. Put that in the kitchen and now we don't need the blinds anymore

[@318ishonk]

Recipe for sound panel (requires DIY, does not work in your fancy foodprocessors): wooden frame (made from wood & screws, e.g. 60cmx120cmx5cm) rockwool (make sure it's not glassfiber, e.g. 5cm thick) maybe glassfiber mesh to hold rockwool fabric to put over the whole thing (reqiures stapler gun) All available in your favourite DIY store I made some in a few hours and they were cheap and very effective. In that room you'll need quite a few of those panels though. Maybe start with six panels in rectangular shape of your liking.

[@stevemawer848]

Or find a sponsor who makes acoustic panels?

[@simondavis697]

Great choice! I absolutely love my Atom, it is literally plug in and go and saves so much time. The ability to link with your Garmin also allows you to minimise the number of applications required to record data. 👍

[@wendysuperfan1014]

Looks good Alex!

[@buzzman4860]

I don't see a big fan so everybody is gonna bake. And the fridge freezer is gonna add 5-10 degrees

[@patricknolan6319]

Looks great. Love the intro for the videos. Is this your doing ?

[@shills112000]

Sufferfest/ systm has been my main stay using the watt bike. If ever you get the urge for some madness I recommend their knight challenge, which is 10 sufferfest videos back to back. Not for the faint hearted as it's all scaled to your ability 😜

[@davidblackburn1672]

I'd love to see him doing Full Frontal

[@daisyslater2886]

I think my WBA is garbage. Trying to to any dynamic interval on it is very tough as it’s so slow to change resistance and the seat won’t hold its position. Anyway enjoy the pain cave

[@poly_hexamethyl]

5:51 Funny they would make the seatpost so thin? I mean, it's really important to be aerodynamically efficient on a stationary bike! :-)

[@AlexDowsettOfficial]

Aero is everything ;)

[@stevem2939]

Did the wattbikes come with ear defenders ??

[@samson40a]

Huge investment for two. Oh wait. Freebies.

[@johnthebiker300]

A look at the pedalling analysis available on the Wattbike screen would be good

[@DazznetITServices]

The Atom is great for indoor training, all those sessions you've set me over the last three months were done on an Atom. You're bang on about the over/unders, the Atom responds great on those. The responsiveness of the ERG mode, accuracy and quantity of data are all great. Have clocked up nearly 20,000km on mine and has been a solid piece of kit.

[@pg15702]

Would love to see you on a fast UK 10 or 25 course, to see a few course records broken 😎

[@fatbloaterdave]

Don’t put the freezer in the room. They kick out heat.

[@ZwiftDude]

Pretty sure you're stuck with 170 cranks. Plus forget fans, get one of those portable aircon units.

[@chrismadge7292]

Isn’t a small room at the top of the house with one small window going to be a bit hot for turbo training? Even with a fan?

[@Ian-ki6lv]

I've had a wattbike for 2 years now and love it but it sometimes makes me lazy and not go outside as much.

[@robbybeauchamp]

@Ian, Same. It's so easy to just hop on the smart bike and go that I find myself choosing indoors over outside even when I shouldn't.

[@benfinesilver2250]

You are cycling again! Great to see 🎉 Wattbikes are great. Very reliable. Please consider joining my Zwift team! Innovation Cycling, you’d be very welcome and if you get the racing itch, you can ride for us in Oceania Zwift A1 against some very high quality riders :D p.s I was talking with Shane Sutton yesterday showing him local roads for his team. He mentioned you and said that he always liked you when you came through the academy because you are a “very nice decent nice guy”. Thought you might like to know….If he pays someone a compliment he truly means it…you know him 😂

[@notmyrealname6272]

What about handle bar width..?

[@AlexDowsettOfficial]

Handlebars are easily interchangeable.

[@notmyrealname6272]

@@AlexDowsettOfficial oh that’s cool. Looks fab!

[@russellcarter6699]

Why is tv behind the Wattbikes?

[@AlexDowsettOfficial]

Very, very good question. We'll be doing lvestreamed indoor trainign rides soon and the tv wall is a prettier backdrop than the other way round. Going to have a sore neck when Zwifting by myself clearly...

[@sanjaynayyar]

The Wattbike pro at my gym thinks my pedalling dynamics are awful. Its probably right but I have no idea how to improve it. I would love to get a beautiful oval so some hints would be great :-)

[@AlexDowsettOfficial]

Watch this space!

[@SwanWillTearYouApart]

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[@whitehorsebricks2670]

Have you got enough room on that wall for two Zwift screens? I assume you were shooting the video from the doorway?

[@falklevien]

Bike? What bike? 🤣(Okay, that one was bad, even for me)

[@Lacking_something]

£2k is the sweet spot price wise. A few hundred quid more than a high end turbo and low end bike.i can't be fagged taking my bike on and off.

[@MrKostaja]

1. Don't call it a pain cave, that actually hurts your performance.