Spec me a Zwift setup

spengos

spengos

spengos

Associate
Joined
11 Feb 2004
Posts
706
Location
UK
I've been given a turbo trainer(Cycleops Mag) and want to get my bike hooked up to Zwift as it looks more interesting than aimlessly pedaling. I'm completely confused with what gear I need to get it working though. I've seen speed sensors, cadence sensors, dongles and dangles but would love someone to just tell me what to get so I can just get it set up.

I have no real budget in mind. Just want it to work and work well.
 
If you don't already have a speed/cadence and HR sensor you will need these.

Presumably you don't have a Garmin (or equivalent) unit but it's not actually needed. If your S/C's sensors don't work on Bluetooth (if your Zwift machine did too) then you'd need an ANT+ USB dongle which is about £20.

Then it's just a case of a PC/Laptop capable of running swift.

Oh and a large fan.

And a pain face.

I used TrainerRoad lots about a year ago which is, or can be, incredibly structured with a periodised plan or you can just pick workouts based on what you feel and monitor progression. Considering Zwift myself for the winter but think I'll probably end up following a TR plan as the monotony of the turbo doesn't affect me. 3 hour stint once :/
 
Cheers for that. Yeah i'll be using my gaming laptop for Zwift and it has bluetooth. So in that case looks like I can just look for a speed sensor with bluetooth and that's all I need then? No need for a ANT dongle.
 
I should think there are Bluetooth speed & cadence sensors available, same for HR but I'm not certain.

If not then you'd need a dongle etc
 
The minimum you need is actually only a speed sensor. Your cycleops mag (I have the same turbo) has a recognised power profile in Zwift so as long as you have it on the correct resistance setting as specified by Zwift then with data from your speed sensor it can work out a pretty good estimate of power.
 
I Went the Ant+ dongle option with my GSC 25 or whatever it is garmin thing that came with my 510.

I really want a Tacx vortex or something like that. Anyone got one that's upgraded to it from a crappy mag/fluid/manual one.
 
I use ant+ and a Lot, it's pretty good even with a normal trainer but to get the most out of it you need a power meter.
 
Kimi said:
I use ant+ and a Lot, it's pretty good even with a normal trainer but to get the most out of it you need a power meter.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure I'd agree.

I used TrainerRoad loads last year using Virtual Power and whilst it transpires my settings caused the figure to be way way out it doesn't really matter a great deal because the values were consistent.

That's all you need, a consistent (but not necessarily accurate) number to use to establish a baseline, volume, intensity etc to then improve on :)

I've just got a PowerMeter and don't expect to gain any more benefit from using my setup in the same fashion, it's just more accurate now.
 
Agreed again. In terms of improving your fitness TrainerRoad at least (and I imagine Zwift - I only don't state as a definite because I haven't tried it yet) can provide consistent and comparable virtual power results.

You can make incredible fitness gains with TR/Zwift and virtual power. Yes, your power numbers might not be real but the improvement you see will be.

edit: It is vitally important to ensure that your turbo trainer setup remains consistent for the above to be true btw - tyre pressure, tension on the turbo, etc.
 
I agree with you, sorry i was half asleep last night, what i meant to say was a smart trainer not a power meter. When i was using it on the normal turbos it was still a fun way to train but when you have a smart trainer replicating the gradients it really goes to another level.

I used TrainerRoad for a couple of years with virtual power and a £50 turbo. That was excellent but the way Zwift is designed and after using both it lends itself more to a smart trainer.

Either way it is an excellent tool and you will get huge improvements to your riding.
 
I've been using Zwift a little with a smart trainer (Tacx Vortex) . it is quite fun but surprisingly hard, much harder than cycling outside. this is where it get complex because you are mostly cycling against a power, so speed is irreverent in zwift. When watching the screen it is very to get a feel for the incline which just gives you this feeling of putting in a huge amount if effort to not go very far. And the graphics on my macbook are quite basic so there is little sense of speed.


i also find it a little worrying that the effort levels seem to vary each time I set my bike up. Sometimes I can't average 120W FTP, other times I'll average 190 at the same effort. I think small changes to wheel alignment and tire pressure make a surprising difference to what happens. this kind of makes the whole competitive thing a bit weird, not least it is easy to cheat anyway by understating your weight.


you also get friggin hot and sweaty in no time. A big fan is a must, still deciding if I want a fan or a full blown portable AC unit to get ice cold air. My house has AC and I set it down a little but even then I need a bucket under me to catch the sweat!
 
D.P. said:
I've been using Zwift a little with a smart trainer (Tacx Vortex) . it is quite fun but surprisingly hard, much harder than cycling outside. this is where it get complex because you are mostly cycling against a power, so speed is irreverent in zwift. When watching the screen it is very to get a feel for the incline which just gives you this feeling of putting in a huge amount if effort to not go very far. And the graphics on my macbook are quite basic so there is little sense of speed.


i also find it a little worrying that the effort levels seem to vary each time I set my bike up. Sometimes I can't average 120W FTP, other times I'll average 190 at the same effort. I think small changes to wheel alignment and tire pressure make a surprising difference to what happens. this kind of makes the whole competitive thing a bit weird, not least it is easy to cheat anyway by understating your weight.


you also get friggin hot and sweaty in no time. A big fan is a must, still deciding if I want a fan or a full blown portable AC unit to get ice cold air. My house has AC and I set it down a little but even then I need a bucket under me to catch the sweat!
Click to expand...

A big fan would do the trick as it generally isn't the temperature that is the problem but the lack of air moving over you. I've used my trainer in the garage when it was low single digits outside and had steam coming off me but still feeling like I was on the verge of spontaneous combustion.

As for the competitive element... it is pointless. Set your trainer to minimum resistance or set your weight wrong and you won't see people for dust.
 
D.P. said:
i also find it a little worrying that the effort levels seem to vary each time I set my bike up. Sometimes I can't average 120W FTP, other times I'll average 190 at the same effort. I think small changes to wheel alignment and tire pressure make a surprising difference to what happens. this kind of makes the whole competitive thing a bit weird, not least it is easy to cheat anyway by understating your weight.
Click to expand...

You should calibrate (spin down) your trainer which each use. This will account for any changes in tyre pressure as well as roller pressure against the tyre being different.

Tacx have an app for this which calculates everything to give an accurate Virtual Power figure.

An AC unit would help but by the time the rooms cooled you're done. A big 20" floor fan is a minimum in the summer months. Currently about 24 degrees in my garage and I have 1 x 20" HV floor fan and one 10" desk fan. Still drips off me. usually get through 750ml of fluid an hour in those conditions. In the winter it's much different and more about staying warm!
 
Thinking about cycling again and been looking at Zwift and TR, would a smart trainer be more worthwhile to go with these?

Watching a few videos of Zwift and it looks very impressive.
 
Smart trainer it is then. The TR app looks very polished as well.

Will the Vortex Smart come down in price? Seen on DC Rainmaker there are new trainers being released this time of year, but are they just high end range mainly?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom