I started Zwifting in January of this year after selling my other exercise bike. (I can’t decide if it rhymes with telethon or not). My first Zwift setup was a dumb trainer with cadence and speed sensors added, hooked to an old Apple TV and an even older TV. And it worked just fine. Really. I sat on my bike and pedaled while watching the tv screen.
Secretly though, I hoped to like Zwift enough to justify jumping into the 4K, smart trainer arena. I’m kind of a gadget weenie so I knew if I liked Zwift, many new dingles, dangles, and dongles were in my future.
Well… I liked Zwift. A lot. So I upgraded to a Wahoo KICKR, an Apple TV 4K, and a new 4K TV. And that’s when the real trouble started.
My lovely wife also rides and runs. A lot. But she tried the telethon bike (exactly once) and said it wasn’t for her. Add to that the fact that she’s not a PC gamer, and I simply never imagined she’d like Zwift. So I started to create the Zwift ecosystem that made the most sense to me.
I got used to the new smart trainer and video setup, and to my surprise I could tell my wife was interested in trying Zwift. So she did. And she liked it. A Lot. Trouble.
Apple TV and Zwift work just fine. Really. But I’ve been playing PC games since before there were graphics, and I knew there were better Zwift visuals and performance possible on a PC with a beefy graphics card. More trouble.
My wife didn’t understand why I would ever want a better video experience because “it looks just fine to me.” But I just couldn’t stop thinking about a better system so I bought a refurbed PC with a strong graphics card and hooked it all up. Better Zwifting ahead!
I couldn’t wait for her to do her first ride on the new rig and experience the new buttery smooth 4K graphics. The first time I rode I was blown away by all the new details and the smooth scrolling scenery as I rode around just taking in all the visual goodness.
So she did. And she said with a sniff and a shoulder shrug, “Looks the same to me.”
“What? The same!? No way! It’s TOTALLY different!” I blurted as I pointed out all the new things to look at. I was shocked she couldn’t see it too!
“Well… maybe, but I never look over there anyway…” Oy. How could she not see it?
It really bugged me. A lot. How could she not SEE IT? Puzzled, I went back through every setting on Zwift, the PC, and the new TV to make sure all were set to highest performance specs and true 4K resolutions. Just in case I’d missed something, because I knew it wasn’t “the same.”
And that’s when I saw it.
The new TV was only a 1080p TV, not 4K. WTF? How did I make THAT mistake? Crap. So, I did the only thing I could do. I hopped in the truck and headed off to buy a real 4K TV! (She was really going to see the difference now!)
An hour later, it was hooked up and I was riding through Tempus Fugit in REAL 4K! What a difference this makes! I couldn’t wait to get my wife back on the trainer so she could FINALLY see what all my fussing was about. She shook her head as she got on the trainer and began her ride. I was in shock when she said, again, “Looks the same to me…”
Awww come on! “But look at the rocks and birds and the trees and the leaves and the shadows and cracks in the road and the cute little fishies and ohhhh!! Look at her pink socks!! and…”
“Looks the same to me…” Oy.
I tapped out.
Having met my match in her once again, I realized that I still dearly love, and am still married to my wife of 34 years. And she’s still right.
And I have a kickass true 4K smart trainer PC Zwift setup in the garage I get to ride every day.
And it’s all her fault.
wpDiscuz
