I do a lot of power training on the Peloton (had it for 4 years now, been doing power training for.. 2.5?)
I agree that "serious outdoor riders are not really Peloton's market", and it comes across in literally every piece of snobbery about how a spin bike can't simulate real road feel and you'll never get your proper position and couldn't possibly train the same muscles and so on. I just smile and nod. The bike world is full of snobbery.
The older Pelotons do NOT adjust their resistance dynamically, you're right. I wouldn't call it baffling. I only change my resistance a handful of times (okay maybe 10, including little tweaks) during a class. Honestly it's kind of nice having those micro-steps. What else are you doing? It's sort of like people who can't be bothered to use their turn signal. I'm just sitting there pedaling away. I might as well turn a knob from time to time.
>it comes across in literally every piece of snobbery about how a spin bike can't simulate real road feel and you'll never get your proper position and couldn't possibly train the same muscles and so on. I just smile and nod. The bike world is full of snobbery.
None of that is actually WRONG, though. A spin bike is its own thing, with its own set of desired features and aesthetics and behaviors. It's not snobbery to say it's different from training done with cycling trainers and "real" bikes.
Your final paragraph is kind of odd, since the questions you asked were already answered. Power interval training for competitive cyclists involves longish (45-120 minute) workouts with many intervals set at different percentages of your functional threshold power.
Manually adjusting for each one is a tremendous pain in the ass. For example, on my workout last night, I would've had to manually adjust it 16 times in 55 minutes.
Smart trainers have more or less taken over for serious riders precisely because they remove this problem.
If this isn't a problem for YOU because you prefer the way spin-type workouts go, that's awesome for you, but it really just points out that serious outdoor riders are mostly looking for a different experience than Peloton sells. Again: not snobbery. Just an acknowledgment that spin <> outdoor cycling.
I agree that "serious outdoor riders are not really Peloton's market", and it comes across in literally every piece of snobbery about how a spin bike can't simulate real road feel and you'll never get your proper position and couldn't possibly train the same muscles and so on. I just smile and nod. The bike world is full of snobbery.
The older Pelotons do NOT adjust their resistance dynamically, you're right. I wouldn't call it baffling. I only change my resistance a handful of times (okay maybe 10, including little tweaks) during a class. Honestly it's kind of nice having those micro-steps. What else are you doing? It's sort of like people who can't be bothered to use their turn signal. I'm just sitting there pedaling away. I might as well turn a knob from time to time.