Yeah, I much prefer riding outdoor. Generally I ride 2-3 times each week outside, but I work during the day, so my winter rides were pretty much only on Saturdays. Then, add in some bad weather, and often I wouldn't ride at all. Each year in spring, I felt like I was starting over.

With the indoor platform, I can at least maintain my level over the winter (though I usually improve), so when good weather comes along, I'm ready to pick up where I left off.

There are some things that are much easier to do on the indoor rides, with the controlled environment. For example, the last few weeks, I've been doing an "FTP builder" (functional threshold power - essentially, the power I can maintain for a long time, like 40 minutes or an hour) plan in Zwift. The workouts require specific power output for given intervals, which is harder to do outside. It can be done, but, there are hills (both climbs and descents can be counterproductive), bad weather, stop signs and traffic lights, etc., all interfering with whatever goal power you were trying to achieve. And riding in cold weather always gets my heart rate up, making the workout less effective.

I'm not saying indoor riding is easy; I find myself watching the clock a lot more, for example. But it's better than no ride at all. From spring to fall, I'll generally only use Zwift when it's raining outside, or if we have something going on that limits my time to ride.