Wahoo Kickr Snap Club?

[Rural Rider]

Cheers folks ...

So I just bought myself a Wahoo KickR Snap ... planning to get much more serious about my Cycling and training during the Winter months here will be important since at 950 mtrs elevation and down to -7 in Winter here can hamper rides from time to time, I'm also keen to keep the legs pumping in spite of all that tries to stop me. I'm very keen to get stuck into the Zwift/Sufferfest world also ...

Anyone else in the Wahoo KickR Snap Club?

RR

[MattyK]

Elite Rampa here but same same... though it's for my wife so I've only used it a couple of times. Zwift is fun.

[Rural Rider]

Hey mate ...

The Rampa was a unit I nearly bought also - from memory it has the gel roller which means you are better able to use your standard road tyre without heat build up destroying it or squaring it off. In my case, the Snap comes with the steel roller so I'll be needing to buy a spare wheel and cassette + a Trainer specific Tyre - it never ends the amount of extra things you always need to buy, have or do! But I'm really looking forward to using it as a dedicated training platform, not just fitness but I'd like to get a little more social and competitive if I can and work towards that as a goal in any case.

RR

[MattyK]

You don't need those things. We've had a dumb trainer with an aluminium roller for years with no significant issue. Use an old tyre if you're concerned...

[hamishm]

You don't need those things. We've had a dumb trainer with an aluminium roller for years with no significant issue. Use an old tyre if you're concerned...

I was using an old GP4000s and I got a bunch of punctures on trainer - seriously. Before that had a Conti trainer tyre and now using a Tacx trainer tyre, both without issue.

On hint though, it's good to remove the roller from the wheel in between sessions else you do get flat spots eventually. The Tacx Vortex Smart has an easy handle for doing this, my previous Kurt Kinetic trainer did not.

[Rural Rider]

You don't need those things. We've had a dumb trainer with an aluminium roller for years with no significant issue. Use an old tyre if you're concerned...

There are many who would argue you do in fact need a trainer specific tyre ... they are a different compound and designed to disperse heat more easily, they are made to run quieter also than a standard tyre. Many people get significant wear and have squaring off of the rubber on their tread. I'm OCD enough to want to run it by the book and go by the general consensus for this Trainer I suppose ...

I was curious to hear from other Wahoo Kickr SNAP owners however in terms of their feedback on reliability of the unit and long term review ... there have been some recent reports of people having problems with the roller of the SNAP causing vibrations and noise due to the roller being out of true. I am hoping this is an isolated problem limited to a small batch ... and that I don't end up with one of the jenk units ...

RR

[Rural Rider]

Well I feel a bit better now - rang and talked to Pushy's Sales where I have bought the SNAP from and the bloke reported that they haven't had any returns for excessive roller vibration, which is the issue I was most concerned about. Looking forward to joining the virtual training world!

RR

[MattyK]

My Rampa has some decent roller vibration... not sure if it's isolated or common, but cbf sending it back to wiggle...

[clint66]

I bought a kickr last year.

I owned a couple of sufferfest vids that I would do on my old fluid trainer and I did enjoy the fact that it gives you a purpose and script to follow.

However, the sufferfest have now put out an app, which you need to subscribe $10 a month.

But the app then controls the trainers resistance, displays your actual and target HR, cadence and power. Plus gives you a visual graph of what intervals you have coming up. If you do the rubber glove fitness test, everything is then based around your FTP.

I think it's great and has added a new enjoyment to the indoor training. With the ability to manage your resistance on the trainer, the app does it all for you, you just pedal and try and hit the intervals.

I just finished the tour of sufferlandria which was 9 days of sufferfest vids, which I surprisingly enjoyed.

[Rural Rider]

I bought a kickr last year.

I owned a couple of sufferfest vids that I would do on my old fluid trainer and I did enjoy the fact that it gives you a purpose and script to follow.

However, the sufferfest have now put out an app, which you need to subscribe $10 a month.

But the app then controls the trainers resistance, displays your actual and target HR, cadence and power. Plus gives you a visual graph of what intervals you have coming up. If you do the rubber glove fitness test, everything is then based around your FTP.

I think it's great and has added a new enjoyment to the indoor training. With the ability to manage your resistance on the trainer, the app does it all for you, you just pedal and try and hit the intervals.

I just finished the tour of sufferlandria which was 9 days of sufferfest vids, which I surprisingly enjoyed.

That's awesome Clint ... exactly the kind of thing I'm looking for and looking forward to on days when the wind and weather are inclement or it's perhaps late at night and I feel light training. How have you found the overall mechanical reliability of your unit? I take it you have the wheel off KickR and not the Kicker Snap, right?

RR

[Kumungi]

I was curious to hear from other Wahoo Kickr SNAP owners however in terms of their feedback on reliability of the unit and long term review ... there have been some recent reports of people having problems with the roller of the SNAP causing vibrations and noise due to the roller being out of true. I am hoping this is an isolated problem limited to a small batch ... and that I don't end up with one of the jenk units ...
RR

I purchased the Kickr Snap 8 months ago and have had no issues with the roller, vibration or noise and no issues with connectivity either via ANT+ or bluetooth direct to an ipad or iphone. It's a great solid unit.

I don't use a trainer tyre, I just pop the bike in. Sure the rear tyre does end up with a flat spot down the middle, but a few KMs riding on the 'real' road soon rounds it off again.

As mentioned in the other post I always unwind the roller to release pressure on the tyre if I leave the bike in the kickr for extended period of time unused.

K.

[Rural Rider]

I was curious to hear from other Wahoo Kickr SNAP owners however in terms of their feedback on reliability of the unit and long term review ... there have been some recent reports of people having problems with the roller of the SNAP causing vibrations and noise due to the roller being out of true. I am hoping this is an isolated problem limited to a small batch ... and that I don't end up with one of the jenk units ...
RR

I purchased the Kickr Snap 8 months ago and have had no issues with the roller, vibration or noise and no issues with connectivity either via ANT+ or bluetooth direct to an ipad or iphone. It's a great solid unit.

I don't use a trainer tyre, I just pop the bike in. Sure the rear tyre does end up with a flat spot down the middle, but a few KMs riding on the 'real' road soon rounds it off again.

As mentioned in the other post I always unwind the roller to release pressure on the tyre if I leave the bike in the kickr for extended period of time unused.

K.

Well that's a good sign, thanks for the feedback mate ... it also seems to be a mixed bag out there with people using Trainer specific Tyres and others using their stock wheel - I have absolutely seen the warnings against leaving the tyre engaged to the roller and that it can cause a flat spot on the existing tyre which leads to other problems and noise on the roller. With regards to the connectivity ... I've got Android on Samsung 4 and I have heard that people with Android have had a harder time getting things to communicate, but I also have Bluetooth enabled on my phone which I use for my Garmin Edge 520 ... so should have no problems running the unit via Bluetooth should any problems arise.

What programs are you using ... if any? Zwift ... Sufferfest ... Trainer Road?

RR

[Kumungi]

What programs are you using ... if any? Zwift ... Sufferfest ... Trainer Road?
RR

Zwift only at this stage, been thinking about TR.....but haven't succumbed yet

[Rural Rider]

Well a big box has just arrived at my door ... weighing in at 23kg ... I'll assume that's my new KickR Snap then! Great service from Pushy's by the way ... I placed my order on Wednesday and arrived today (Friday) ... from Brisbane to Country NSW ... not bad! That was the FREE Shipping option also ...

This should be fun ...

RR

[clint66]

Yes I have the wheel off version.

Due to an addition to the fleet, my winter bike got bumped down to my trainer bike. My old trainer bike has been retired.

I went with the wheel off, as I liked the idea of it a bit better. My old trainer had an old spare wheel that I ran a trainer tyre on. Never had any issues with the trainer tyre (I had trashed an older GP4000 on it before, hence why I went to a trainer tyre). Although I did notice that when I retired the trainer bike the wheel was way out of true. I wasn’t running brakes on that bike so I never noticed it (It just lived on the trainer).

I’m lucky and have a large garage, so I have room for my trainer bike to sit permanently on the trainer. That is the problem I see with the Kickr, if you are wanting to swap bikes out it is a bit of a pain. The kickr is bloody heavy so moving it around and seting it up with the bike each time would be a little difficult. Plus you have a bike to move without a rear wheel.

Other downside if you want to call it that. I run campag, so had to spend $89 on a conversion kit to take my rear cassette. The cassette that came with it is useless to me, so if you plan to swap your bike in and out and you run campag, you will also need another cassette as it only comes with a 11spd shimano cassette.

I have done 47 sufferfest workouts on it since I got it late last year. They would probably average around the 1 hour mark, so at least 40-45 hours on it. No troubles at all.

For the sufferfest App, you need, to get a HR and cadence senor (maybe a speed sensor for the snap). Plus a USB Ant2+ adapter ($10-15 on ebay, don’t buy the overpriced garmin one). That will then get it all to work on your PC or Mac or Ipad. Ant is the better way to connect it to the Mac. Plus you need FE-C (which is transmitted via Ant) to get it to control the resistance on the trainer. It won't do it via bluetooth.

https://thesufferfest.zendesk.com/hc/en ... patibility

I also bought a wahoo elemnt computer as I thought I would use that to run the trainer. I was a bit sick of the garmin 1000 in the sunlight and liked the look of the wahoo (which kicks the garmins ass in terms of usability on the bike). But I have never used the elemnt with the trainer. I only use the sufferfest app.

At the time I also bought the wahoo cadence and HR sensors. These can connect via bluetooth or ant. I was initially connecting via bluetooth with the cadence and HR. However, I used to have dropouts or they wouldn’t connect at the start. I have since changed to connecting them all via ant. Just select it in the app. Since changing that I never have any troubles with it connecting or dropping out (from what I have seen on the sufferfest facebook page it is better to connect via ant). Occasionally I get the cadence bouncing around. I put this down to the whaoo cadence sensor. I have the wahoo cadence sensor on my other road bike and I find the cadence drops in and out at times.

I would suggest buying garmin cadence sensors. Also I liked the garmin HR strap better than the wahoo one.

Sufferfest has a 7 day free trial. I would say give it a go. Vids to try are Omnium, do as your told and 9 hammers and I do like wretched for climbing.

I would also suggest doing the FTP test, it is unpleasant but worth it. That way you get your targets set correctly. A lot of the vids are done so that you are just on the edge of being able to complete them, particularly 9 hammers.

Note you need to do the FTP (fitness test) in slope mode (Basically you manage resistance via gear changes). Then change it to ERG afterwards).
https://thesufferfest.zendesk.com/hc/en ... ahoo-KICKR

Other one I had planned to try was Fullgaz.com. I liked the idea of the iconic climbs. But I had to draw the line at monthly subscriptions somewhere. The sufferfest I think gives you a good quality workout within an hour or so. Up to 2.5hrs if you want to take on it seemed like thin air.

[clint66]

other tip, if you get the wahoo utility App (I assume there is one for android). Make sure you turn it off when you are using the trainer with another app. Took me a while to work that out as I was having connectivity issues. Problem with Iphones having everything running in the background, so not sure if it applies to android.

[Rural Rider]

Cheers Clint!

Thanks for the long considered reply mate ... I need help getting this thing organised and set up, Smart Trainers are brand new to me.

I have done 47 sufferfest workouts on it since I got it late last year. They would probably average around the 1 hour mark, so at least 40-45 hours on it. No troubles at all.

That's fantastic ... maybe it's my age but I wish there were a few software programs you could actually buy and own - rather than having to subscribe like Zwift and Trainer Road. I suppose I come from an age where I physically owned things I used rather than rented them.

For the sufferfest App, you need, to get a HR and cadence senor (maybe a speed sensor for the snap). Plus a USB Ant2+ adapter ($10-15 on ebay, don’t buy the overpriced garmin one). That will then get it all to work on your PC or Mac or Ipad. Ant is the better way to connect it to the Mac. Plus you need FE-C (which is transmitted via Ant) to get it to control the resistance on the trainer. It won't do it via bluetooth.

I have the Garmin Speed, Cadence and HRM sensors that came with my 520 ... I'm assuming these will all work? I noticed also that I can't pair my Kickr Snap to the Garmin 520 as I don't yet have an ANT2+ Adapter - seen the Garmin for $53 AUD. Is it only the ANT2+ USB I need or do I need some extension cable to go with it? I've seen people plugging one end into the USB slot on their PC and then running the cable back to their Trainer with the ANT+ stick on the end ... (Shane Miller et al)

Sufferfest has a 7 day free trial. I would say give it a go. Vids to try are Omnium, do as your told and 9 hammers and I do like wretched for climbing.

Apparently they aren't selling physical videos anymore and they are moving to a purely APP based system with everything online ... but I assume this is what you mean.

I would also suggest doing the FTP test, it is unpleasant but worth it. That way you get your targets set correctly. A lot of the vids are done so that you are just on the edge of being able to complete them, particularly 9 hammers.

Yup, will absolutely being doing FTP's and VO2 MAX tests etc ... I want to use the Trainer as a serious tool for improvement.

Note you need to do the FTP (fitness test) in slope mode (Basically you manage resistance via gear changes). Then change it to ERG afterwards). https://thesufferfest.zendesk.com/hc/en ... ahoo-KICKR

Right ... ok, thanks for the heads up. What are your thoughts on running in ERG mode generally? There are some who don't like it apparently.

Other one I had planned to try was Fullgaz.com. I liked the idea of the iconic climbs. But I had to draw the line at monthly subscriptions somewhere. The sufferfest I think gives you a good quality workout within an hour or so. Up to 2.5hrs if you want to take on it seemed like thin air.

[/quote]

Awesome, thanks mate ... quite a lot to choose from. I may ease my way into things with Zwift and once I settle down and get comfortable with how it all runs, I'll give Sufferfest a shot.

Best RR

[clint66]

yeh subscription model is sort of good and bad I guess. I owned 3 old sufferfest vids from before. But they have improved the quality of all the vids and the App really is very good.

I thought you should be able to pair the snap to the 520. You dont need the adaptor, as the 520 is ant and so is the snap.
You only need the adaptor to get your computer to communicate with your HR, speed and the snap. Maybe try and add the snap as a power meter. You should be able to get power readings. But I think that is all you will get on the 520. i dont believe it will control resistance.

I bought my ant from this seller

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/USB-ANT-Stic ... SwofxUbW4u

I find it works fine on the Kickr. i have my bike set up with an old Imac sitting right in front of my front wheel. I dont have any trouble with it connecting. you can just buy a USB extension cable if need be.

they still sell some of the older vids. But they have updated most of them for the App and the new vids are only available on the App. The new vids are a lot better quality than the older ones I think. Yes I was referring to doing those vids on the App.

I always leave it in ERG. You dont need to think about it then, just pedal and try and hold your power. It just manages it for you. Plus you get consistent power on the intervals. There is a slight 5-10 sec delay on the power coming up from say a 3/10 to a 9/10 when the interval moves from recovery to full on for the sprint. So it is not quite as quick as a gear change to ramp up, but that doesnt really bother me that much.

The only other issue with ERG, is if you are at full power and stop pedaling or slow down too much, it can be hard to get the pedals going again. Its a known issue with the app. But you just start pedalling backwards for a few secs and it will reset. But that only happens when you crack on an interval.

the Global cycling network guys have put out some training programs for zwift too.

[Rural Rider]

Well I tried to pair the SNAP with the Garmin 520 again tonight and did as you suggested by using (search all) in ADD SENSORS ... and the SNAP was found with a number I.D listed under the POWER protocol ... so the 520 recognised it essentially as a Power Meter. Jumped on my Bike and went for a basic ride on the SNAP and was getting speed, distance and cadence and calorie readings as per a usual outdoor ride. I have yet to even perform a Spindown test on the SNAP - this was just to see if the 520 and the SNAP were communicating information and they must be because my Speed Sensor is on the front hub, not the rear and I was still getting Speed readings on the 520. I ended up riding 8k's ...

What was more interesting is that when I uploaded the data to Garmin Connect on my Samsung 4 in one area it was giving me additional information I don't get from the regular outdoor ride such as Watts Power avg and max values and another field gave me Power Zones etc ... that was a nice surprise! What a great tool ... I want to make sure to run a proper Training Tyre though and will getb the ANT+ USB and all that set up before I perform a proper spindown test. Thanks for the link to the ANT+ usb on Ebay ...

I was trying to update the Firmware for the KickR Snap on my Samsung 4 and it keeps timing out and failing when attempt to Flash data completion ... I've tried numerous times now and not sure why it won't complete ... more teething issues! Could it be due to other apps interfering in the background perhaps?

Cheers RR

[clint66]

I'm not sure if you have seen this. He has a heap of other stuff on wahoo stuff too.

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2015/06/wah ... -snap.html



Yeh it is interesting looking at the power outputs. Using the kickr convinced me to get a powermeter. It is surprising the disconnect between your perceived effort and the actual effort when taken off your FTP. Also the lag you see in HR to power. The revolver vid on sufferfest is 22 intervals. 1 minute on and 1 minute off. When you look at the graphics either on the app or strava, you see these nice little columns for power with the troughs for recovery. The HR is almost a step out to the right. With it in ERG mode you get a consistent power effort too.

I ended up buying the powerpod ($300 delivered) off the back of DC rainmakers and a review on here. Whether or not the actual power reading is accurate to other strain gauge based ones? per DCR he thinks yes. But as long as it is consistent that was all that matters to me, DCR and other reviews suggest it is (seems that way to me too).

But it is interesting riding with power as there is no real hiding. I really notice it on longer climbs, especially when you get the false flats. You watch the gradient drop off on your bike computer and the power drop off too, but psychologically you are still thinking you are on the climb so you don't end up shifting up. At least I do. With the PM I find myself pushing harder as the gradient drops off and perhaps better managing my effort on the higher gradients too. anyway I digress...

I have apple all round, so cant help you with android or windows. You are running the wahoo app though? Maybe turn off the garmin and try? any anything else that is connected to it.

There are multiple wahoo apps too.

Wahoo utility, which will update your trainer and I think let you do the spindown.
Wahoo fitness, that will control the power on your trainer.
wahoo elemnt - used to manage your elemnt (which is great by the way)

Trainer tyres are worth it I think. I killed a gp4000 pretty quickly on mine which was an elite fluid trainer, with the Gel grip/roller (not sure if it was the gel roller that was the culprit??). But then I had a permanent trainer bike, so I wasn't swapping it in and out. But you could just pick up a cheap rear wheel second hand and stick the trainer tyre on it.

[g-boaf]

Cheers Clint!

Thanks for the long considered reply mate ... I need help getting this thing organised and set up, Smart Trainers are brand new to me.

I have done 47 sufferfest workouts on it since I got it late last year. They would probably average around the 1 hour mark, so at least 40-45 hours on it. No troubles at all.

That's fantastic ... maybe it's my age but I wish there were a few software programs you could actually buy and own - rather than having to subscribe like Zwift and Trainer Road. I suppose I come from an age where I physically owned things I used rather than rented them.

For the sufferfest App, you need, to get a HR and cadence senor (maybe a speed sensor for the snap). Plus a USB Ant2+ adapter ($10-15 on ebay, don’t buy the overpriced garmin one). That will then get it all to work on your PC or Mac or Ipad. Ant is the better way to connect it to the Mac. Plus you need FE-C (which is transmitted via Ant) to get it to control the resistance on the trainer. It won't do it via bluetooth.

I have the Garmin Speed, Cadence and HRM sensors that came with my 520 ... I'm assuming these will all work? I noticed also that I can't pair my Kickr Snap to the Garmin 520 as I don't yet have an ANT2+ Adapter - seen the Garmin for $53 AUD. Is it only the ANT2+ USB I need or do I need some extension cable to go with it? I've seen people plugging one end into the USB slot on their PC and then running the cable back to their Trainer with the ANT+ stick on the end ... (Shane Miller et al)

Sufferfest has a 7 day free trial. I would say give it a go. Vids to try are Omnium, do as your told and 9 hammers and I do like wretched for climbing.

Apparently they aren't selling physical videos anymore and they are moving to a purely APP based system with everything online ... but I assume this is what you mean.

I would also suggest doing the FTP test, it is unpleasant but worth it. That way you get your targets set correctly. A lot of the vids are done so that you are just on the edge of being able to complete them, particularly 9 hammers.

Yup, will absolutely being doing FTP's and VO2 MAX tests etc ... I want to use the Trainer as a serious tool for improvement.

Note you need to do the FTP (fitness test) in slope mode (Basically you manage resistance via gear changes). Then change it to ERG afterwards). https://thesufferfest.zendesk.com/hc/en ... ahoo-KICKR

Right ... ok, thanks for the heads up. What are your thoughts on running in ERG mode generally? There are some who don't like it apparently.

Other one I had planned to try was Fullgaz.com. I liked the idea of the iconic climbs. But I had to draw the line at monthly subscriptions somewhere. The sufferfest I think gives you a good quality workout within an hour or so. Up to 2.5hrs if you want to take on it seemed like thin air.

Awesome, thanks mate ... quite a lot to choose from. I may ease my way into things with Zwift and once I settle down and get comfortable with how it all runs, I'll give Sufferfest a shot.

Best RR[/quote]



You can get PerfPro, should be able to download a heap of workouts for it, and you own it, rather than subscribing.

[queequeg]

Not in the Snap Club, but bought the Kickr2 and have been getting into the training program on Zwift. I haven't bothered with anything else so far, as the monthly subscriptions add up.
I am finding that Zwift is more than enough for me right now. It links directly to Today's Plan, so my coach gives me a Workout on the Calendar, all I have to do is go into Zwift, choose Workout Mode, pick today's workout straight off the top of the "Today's Plan Workout" list and click "Ride".
When I am done, it uploads directly back to Today's Plan.
I am noticing the difference just having the structured plan, which includes Recovery days (as opposed to my previous "Recovery Commutes"), so can track when I am getting too overloaded. I'm sitting on my lowest CTL in about 8 years at the moment and getting some balance.
I have a 3 week event in Aug/Sep that I am specifically training for, so the trainer will get heavy use over winter!

[Rural Rider]

Cheers Clint!

I'm not sure if you have seen this. He has a heap of other stuff on wahoo stuff too.

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2015/06/wah ... -snap.html

Yes, found Ray (DCRM) a while ago now, he has some very interesting stuff - good tech info - I really enjoy Shane Millers channel on YT as well.

Yeh it is interesting looking at the power outputs. Using the kickr convinced me to get a powermeter. It is surprising the disconnect between your perceived effort and the actual effort when taken off your FTP. Also the lag you see in HR to power. The revolver vid on sufferfest is 22 intervals. 1 minute on and 1 minute off. When you look at the graphics either on the app or strava, you see these nice little columns for power with the troughs for recovery. The HR is almost a step out to the right. With it in ERG mode you get a consistent power effort too.

I've only done 3 rides using the Garmin 520 so far and I'm already addicted to the data and output readings and graphs - it has made me want a proper Power Meter now so I can atleast get accurate readings. The obvious choice for many people seems to be the Stages Power Meter, but this is money as well. I have not heard of the PowerPod so will definitely check it out!

I have apple all round, so cant help you with android or windows. You are running the wahoo app though? Maybe turn off the garmin and try? any anything else that is connected to it.

I'm running both Wahoo Utility and Wahoo Fitness App - when I try to update the KickR Firmware it auto switches me to the Utility App. It just won't complete the last sequence in time - it basically times out and the APP says it failed to respond in time. No idea what is causing this ...

Trainer tyres are worth it I think. I killed a gp4000 pretty quickly on mine which was an elite fluid trainer, with the Gel grip/roller (not sure if it was the gel roller that was the culprit??). But then I had a permanent trainer bike, so I wasn't swapping it in and out. But you could just pick up a cheap rear wheel second hand and stick the trainer tyre on it.

You've got me on another topic right now also ... I'm looking to upgrade the stock Tyres on the Allezx which are the Espoir Sport Blackbelts - I was looking at the Cont GP4000 S II's ... they seem to have been the go to for some time now but a few reviews and reports I have seen of late say they don't last too well and fail on side wall protection. The Specialized Turbo Pro Comps get a huge wrap but I wonder if they are a bit fancy for a training (Road not indoor) Tyre?

Cheers RR

[Rural Rider]

You can get PerfPro, should be able to download a heap of workouts for it, and you own it, rather than subscribing.

Ta G ... I'll check that one out!

RR

[Rural Rider]

Not in the Snap Club, but bought the Kickr2 and have been getting into the training program on Zwift. I haven't bothered with anything else so far, as the monthly subscriptions add up.
I am finding that Zwift is more than enough for me right now. It links directly to Today's Plan, so my coach gives me a Workout on the Calendar, all I have to do is go into Zwift, choose Workout Mode, pick today's workout straight off the top of the "Today's Plan Workout" list and click "Ride".
When I am done, it uploads directly back to Today's Plan.
I am noticing the difference just having the structured plan, which includes Recovery days (as opposed to my previous "Recovery Commutes"), so can track when I am getting too overloaded. I'm sitting on my lowest CTL in about 8 years at the moment and getting some balance.
I have a 3 week event in Aug/Sep that I am specifically training for, so the trainer will get heavy use over winter!

That's great to hear ... my plan is to do exactly that to start out - start with Zwift and use it as a dedicated training tool and then perhaps try Sufferfest or Trainer Road at some point on trial.

RR