Spec me a Zwift setup

Jono · 31 Aug 2016 at 16:41

Can the vortex measure power? Presumably it can... fairly accurately?

#Chri5# · 31 Aug 2016 at 16:52

Azza said:
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?

Sufferfest have a Windows app coming in October (they are going subscription only via the Windows / Mac apps in the future anyway) which gets you access to all the videos

https://thesufferfest.com/blogs/the-sufferfest-blog/the-sufferfest-is-going-app-only-and-heres-why

BennyC · 31 Aug 2016 at 18:35

randomshenans said:
^^ for the price, if you can pick it up in the sale too, it's a great piece of kit for the money.

I paid £260 back in July but seems to have shot up a bit since! :eek:

Jono said:
Can the vortex measure power? Presumably it can... fairly accurately?

To a degree yes, the Virtual Power is reasonably accurate. Consistency is more important than accuracy with a turbo. Spin down calibration helps this hugely and is very quick.

I do have a PM but haven't checked the variance between the two readings but I'm sure googling will bring plenty of results.

Nursie · 31 Aug 2016 at 18:57

The price of the vortex went up again in about the first week of August (I was just about to buy one.)

I'm probably going to get the Tacx Flow which is Halfords and Decathalon only. Max power and gradient are a bit down on the vortex but its only £200.

Jono · 31 Aug 2016 at 21:24

Hopefully the Vortex will be down to about 250 again (?) nearer Christmas, then I'll snap one up.

Hank_Marvin · 8 Sep 2016 at 14:27

I'm looking at the vortex but what I can't find is that when in zwift do you get zpower or real power?

I wouldn't want zpower as it seems to be looked down on.

Cheers

randomshenans · 8 Sep 2016 at 14:49

I think I paid 299EUR! Now they're way more!?

#Brexit

Lethal` · 8 Sep 2016 at 15:09

I noticed that... they're now marginally cheaper than RRP

Should have bought earlier in the year.

BennyC · 8 Sep 2016 at 15:33

Hank_Marvin said:
I'm looking at the vortex but what I can't find is that when in zwift do you get zpower or real power?

I wouldn't want zpower as it seems to be looked down on.

Cheers

If the figures are the same what does it matter? :confused:

It's not 'real power' by definition by I'm guessing you mean is it just shown as 'power'.

Lethal` said:
I noticed that... they're now marginally cheaper than RRP

Should have bought earlier in the year.

Seasonal variation in pricing for the lose.

I did buy mine back in July and motherofgod it was hot in the garage using it occasionally then.

It was priced really competitively for a mid-range trainer but I'm not sure if this is still the case and if it still offers as good value at £100 more?

I'll report any variance between VP and real power shortly for those interested.

#Chri5# · 8 Sep 2016 at 15:44

BennyC said:
motherofgod it was hot in the garage using it occasionally then.

Even in the middle of the winter in an unheated garage, 10 minutes into a good TT session should have you steaming like a train!

DCR has looked at new Kinetic trainers

http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2016/09/kinetic-smart-control-trainers.html

Doesn't support the common standards...

Now this is where things take a bit of a left-turn off the road of normalcy: The unit doesn’t support ANT+ (any variant, including FE-C), or even standard/open Bluetooth Smart. Rather, it only supports a closed/private Bluetooth Smart protocol instead. This would make for the only major-retailer electronic trainer on the market that lacks such support for both protocols, let alone either.

Kinetic counters that they’ve got the apps that matter to users on them ready to roll, such as Zwift and TrainerRoad. Further, Kinetic says that they’ll work with other app partners that request access. Even going as far as offering an open SDK that they’ll be publishing to Github as open source. That’d be great if they did that in addition to just using the normal ANT+/Bluetooth Smart protocols.

So why does this matter to you as a consumer? Well, I outlined a lot of reasons in the ANT+ FE-C post in this section, which actually has nothing to do with ANT+ FE-C. But rather, all about understanding how software companies work. See, in this case they convinced TrainerRoad and Zwift to add support. They’ve got a big enough user base to sway them. But the challenge is what happens to the other 20+ apps out there? Sure, they could add support, but it’s house to house firefighting. Each app has to ensure that these trainers work, versus just using one of the standards.

Crackers.

The Tacx Magnum looks like a recipe for a trip to A&E - bike treadmill!

http://www.bikeradar.com/road/news/article/tacx-magnum-trainer-47787/

Hank_Marvin · 8 Sep 2016 at 16:13

BennyC said:
If the figures are the same what does it matter? It's not 'real power' by definition by I'm guessing you mean is it just shown as 'power'.

Well I just mean in Zwift zpower seems to be very inaccurate from what i've read and in a race your are kind of discounted for having zPower.

But essentially yes, will the Vortex provide Power or will zwift create zPower?

BennyC · 8 Sep 2016 at 16:21

Hank_Marvin said:
Well I just mean in Zwift zpower seems to be very inaccurate from what i've read and in a race your are kind of discounted for having zPower.

But essentially yes, will the Vortex provide Power or will zwift create zPower?

I haven't used Zwift (Trainer Road) so can't help I'm afraid :/

One More Solo · 8 Sep 2016 at 16:53

I expect Zwift will give you the choice between Zpower and using the Vortex's power if it's anything like TrainerRoad.

On a somewhat related tangent, the FulGaz app and Tacx Neo combined to make one of the least boring training sessions I've done in ages last night. So cool to be riding up a mountain with the video in front of you and the resistance varying as the grade changes. Managed 90 minutes total and an hour of that without music after my headphones died which is unheard of. Smart trainers are a great investment!

D.P. · 9 Sep 2016 at 18:56

Not an expert on Zwift but it uses the vortex's power reading for me. May be some way of forcing it to use Zpower.

Hank_Marvin · 9 Sep 2016 at 20:21

Thats good, cheers!

I don't think you'd want to, you just want power from trainer or powermeter ideally

How have you found the vortex and zwift combo?

BennyC · 12 Sep 2016 at 16:26

BennyC said:
I'll report any variance between VP and real power shortly for those interested.

BennyC said:
I did a quick check this weekend when tweaking position to see how the Vortex Smart VP compared to my P1's RP and have to say it was pretty close. I should have really set the 5-10s avg display on my Elemnt so it matches the refresh intervals on the Tacx app rather than being 1s/instant.

With a completed calibration I couldn't see that it was far off the mark at all. Definitely single digit watts so within 2-4%.

I'll keep tabs on both when I next get a turbo session in and compare the two files

Hank_Marvin · 12 Sep 2016 at 20:32

Sounds pretty good, think it's what I'll go for.

A few limitations but for the money it looks ideal

Conanius · 1 Jan 2017 at 14:19

thought I'd bump instead of doing a new thread.

Having two young kids, training at home on a turbo seems like a more flexible option - so I can pull a few rides at night when they've gone to bed.

I like the idea of using something like Zwift so I'm not just aimlessly peddling, and I'd done a bit of research but would appreciate some help

1 - The rig to run it - I had heard there was an iOS app you could use, and I've got an iPhone 6S+ that I thought could be easily mounted on my handlebars... thoughts?

2 - Yoga matt - I keep reading reports of people saying this helps cut down noise and adds to stability. Worth considering?

3 - Smart Turbo - I've seen some good reviews for the Elite Qubo Digital Smart B+ turbo, and that seems to come in at about £270. I don't really want to spend much more than that, is anyone else using one of those?

4 - Additional bits needed - I guess I don't need a cadence sensor as it appears this smart trainer has one built in ( however, recommendations gratefully received if I'm wrong - apparently the Bontrager Interchange Combo Sensor that does Cadence and speed and is ANT+/BTLE is good for the price) and I really would like to track my Heart Rate too (Wahoo TICKR looks good and will also work for Runkeeper).

Have I missed anything?

Bear · 1 Jan 2017 at 16:58

Nope, looks like you have it covered. You can run on iOS, I do it all be it by iPad but I connect the iPad to a tv, it's a bit more immersive but not essential. Are you still relatively local to me (Watford way) or have you moved?

Conanius · 1 Jan 2017 at 19:02

I moved a while back matey.

Left Watford in err, 2010, lived in bromley for a while, back in Gloucestershire 2011, moved to Wiltshire in 2014, and now back in Gloucestershire !

Been a bit all over the place, but hopefully settled for a while. I imagine the S14a is long gone ?

(I've ordered that turbo in a pack with a matt and wheel support, the HRM and a quad lock case and mount)