First proper ride on zwift this morning for a few months,nice to see they've added the ticks to show what routes you've done and haven't. Ride reminded me I need to sort out my fan position but as it's almost summer that'll no doubt get left once again for another 6 months...
The Indoor Riding/ Zwift/ TrainerRoad etc. Thread
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Soldato
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Completed the 6 week dirt destroyer plan a couple of days back, and did an FTP test today - I was at 210w FTP as of mid December (set based on a ramp test of 227w in September, only 46km ridden between that and December, and ramp tests normally over estimating slightly).
FTP from the 20 min test: 246w
Currently I'm at 82.7kg so that puts me at 2.97w/kg.
I'm starting the 12 week build me up plan this week, hopefully I'll be into the 270's/280's at the end, with weight loss down to under 80kg (still got a decent bit of belly fat to get rid of).
FTP from the 20 min test: 246w
Currently I'm at 82.7kg so that puts me at 2.97w/kg.
I'm starting the 12 week build me up plan this week, hopefully I'll be into the 270's/280's at the end, with weight loss down to under 80kg (still got a decent bit of belly fat to get rid of).
Associate
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Anyone have any advice regarding indoor training bikes?
I had sign-off from the other half for a new road bike but had always liked the idea of a dedicated training setup and with a 9 month and 3 year old it does give more training chances. My wife wants to try using the bike for exercise and her brother came off his bike last week (thankfully ok), so I now have the green light for an indoor trainer. I would sell my smart trainer as part of this.
I have discounted the Kickr bike as it is too expensive. So it’s between the Atom, SB20 and Tacx offering. From what I’ve read the stages and Tacx are the better two and are closely matched price wise. I’m not that bothered about the motor support when downhill, but the feel of gear changes and display of the Tacx seem a big plus. The build quality of the stages does give me confidence that it should be working well in 5 years and clearly at this price it has to last well beyond the 2 year warranty they both come with.
Anyone have or used either?
I had sign-off from the other half for a new road bike but had always liked the idea of a dedicated training setup and with a 9 month and 3 year old it does give more training chances. My wife wants to try using the bike for exercise and her brother came off his bike last week (thankfully ok), so I now have the green light for an indoor trainer. I would sell my smart trainer as part of this.
I have discounted the Kickr bike as it is too expensive. So it’s between the Atom, SB20 and Tacx offering. From what I’ve read the stages and Tacx are the better two and are closely matched price wise. I’m not that bothered about the motor support when downhill, but the feel of gear changes and display of the Tacx seem a big plus. The build quality of the stages does give me confidence that it should be working well in 5 years and clearly at this price it has to last well beyond the 2 year warranty they both come with.
Anyone have or used either?
I plumped for the SB20 just over a year ago and no regrets, and it's had almost daily use with Zwift. I suspected a teething problem initially and Saddleback promptly sent someone out to check it over.
The StagesLink app is a bit crap, but you don't have to use it other than initial set up, and there is meant to be a new version soon. There's a StagesPower app which is better for doing the zero reset of the power meters. It can be a bit frustrating sometimes connecting to the bike / power meters from Android devices, but I think this is more to do with Android's bluetooth implementation as it seems reliable using iOS. I've only ever had a couple of connection problems with the PC I run Zwift on, and these have been quickly sorted with a reboot.
The lack of gear display doesn't bother me at all tbh (which I couldn't read without my glasses on anyway) - you know if you're in too high or low a gear, and with "Dream Drive" you can configure a rear virtual cassette of up to 50 gears so you don't have to think about chainrings.
The TACX might be just as good, but one probable advantage of the SB20 is that it would be quicker to change the setup between you and your wife. Saddle and handlebar adjustments can be done by hand and there are laser etched scales.
Hope that helps. Happy to answer any questions.
The StagesLink app is a bit crap, but you don't have to use it other than initial set up, and there is meant to be a new version soon. There's a StagesPower app which is better for doing the zero reset of the power meters. It can be a bit frustrating sometimes connecting to the bike / power meters from Android devices, but I think this is more to do with Android's bluetooth implementation as it seems reliable using iOS. I've only ever had a couple of connection problems with the PC I run Zwift on, and these have been quickly sorted with a reboot.
The lack of gear display doesn't bother me at all tbh (which I couldn't read without my glasses on anyway) - you know if you're in too high or low a gear, and with "Dream Drive" you can configure a rear virtual cassette of up to 50 gears so you don't have to think about chainrings.
The TACX might be just as good, but one probable advantage of the SB20 is that it would be quicker to change the setup between you and your wife. Saddle and handlebar adjustments can be done by hand and there are laser etched scales.
Hope that helps. Happy to answer any questions.
Associate
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Amazing! Thank you. The ease of changing position is really important so not needing tools is a big plus.
Tacx is the same, has 4 hand wound quick release adjustments. Seat horizontally and vertically, and bars the same. They supply a screw instead of the handle so you can make it more permanent if it suits.
Gear display is good although as said above, you know if you need to change up or down so the display is somewhat immaterial. However when you look for a lower gear and there isn't one left the machine gives a vibrating feedback to let you know.
See previous page for quality issues though but I am expecting Garmin to come through with a replacement under warranty. Other than that admittedly pretty major flaw I can't fault it. It's great.
EPIC catchup reply coming. As I've been Working from home/Based from home the last 2 years I've really not been frequenting forums very much. I think it's becasue I'm taking a bit of 'personal' time other parts of the day (hanging the washing out, seeing what the dog is doing, or brief 5 mins with the family) that I'm more conscious about it. Now I'm back in the Office a set couple of days a week I'm kinda back on here... LOL
I broke my Tacx Neo OG during the winter. It was second hand and a week before I'd cracked my frame. Sent that back to the LBS for a warranty replacement (result!), so then fitted my Thru Axle main bike on the Neo. But in doing so had to take off the 'ReAxle' which was an aftermarket addition to firm up the internal spindle in the Neo. The old ones get a little wobbly when they wear a bearing. Then because my Neo didn't have that, I did a sprint/surge in a group ride and the flex dislodged a couple of magnets on the disk itself. I can go into the depths of that if anyone wishes, but just to cut a long story short... A guy online who fixes dead Neo's with a 100% record now no longer has a 100% record.
For a month I rode my old Tacx flux. It's needed a new bearing for a while (can't get the freewheel teeth out of it to do it!) and given me erratic readings the last few years of ownership. So I was riding it alongside a 4iiii crank arm and using that as my power source. Was working well and given me some good solid progress, could even 'trust' the numbers! Then I killed the 4iiii. It just won't Zero Offset/Self Calibrate any more! It quite happily reads 300% more power than it should, I fixed a bunch of rides outside by using a .fit tool to reduce the power by 75%. The numbers about right, so it's at least consistently out. Switched my Stages crank arm over to use that intead.
When I heard back from the Neo guy about my lack of repair... I had a weak moment and went to buy a reconditioned Kickr Core. But then thought why buy something largely comparable to the Flux. Looked at refirb Kickr 18's instead (all from Wahoo). Then someone pointed out Zwift had a sale on their site, so I got myself a KICKR 2020 and I'm really liking it!
Yes, within 6 weeks, I cracked a frame, broke a Neo and broke a powermeter!
I broke my Tacx Neo OG during the winter. It was second hand and a week before I'd cracked my frame. Sent that back to the LBS for a warranty replacement (result!), so then fitted my Thru Axle main bike on the Neo. But in doing so had to take off the 'ReAxle' which was an aftermarket addition to firm up the internal spindle in the Neo. The old ones get a little wobbly when they wear a bearing. Then because my Neo didn't have that, I did a sprint/surge in a group ride and the flex dislodged a couple of magnets on the disk itself. I can go into the depths of that if anyone wishes, but just to cut a long story short... A guy online who fixes dead Neo's with a 100% record now no longer has a 100% record.
For a month I rode my old Tacx flux. It's needed a new bearing for a while (can't get the freewheel teeth out of it to do it!) and given me erratic readings the last few years of ownership. So I was riding it alongside a 4iiii crank arm and using that as my power source. Was working well and given me some good solid progress, could even 'trust' the numbers! Then I killed the 4iiii. It just won't Zero Offset/Self Calibrate any more! It quite happily reads 300% more power than it should, I fixed a bunch of rides outside by using a .fit tool to reduce the power by 75%. The numbers about right, so it's at least consistently out. Switched my Stages crank arm over to use that intead.
When I heard back from the Neo guy about my lack of repair... I had a weak moment and went to buy a reconditioned Kickr Core. But then thought why buy something largely comparable to the Flux. Looked at refirb Kickr 18's instead (all from Wahoo). Then someone pointed out Zwift had a sale on their site, so I got myself a KICKR 2020 and I'm really liking it!
Yes, within 6 weeks, I cracked a frame, broke a Neo and broke a powermeter!
Hi @Shadowness Yeah I am leading a R3R team called 'Wasp' in EMEA South C2. We're doing well and top of the league but going to be low on riders for the rest of the season unless I can drag a few more out of the woodwork!Anyone racing in the WRTL?
Our team finished joint 2nd in our A division. Bloody brutal race though! 4 sprints, and a KOM section
Doing well though, second season leading the team. Just R3R short on CAT C riders is my usual issue. Always lose a few to injury/work as the seasons progress...! So now seeing if we can field even 5 riders and just hang on...!
Pretty much the latter, jump in some races and get experience!
There's a graphics bug in Zwift on Apple if you're in 'View 1' (standard 3rd person) it'll crash there. If you change view to another it'll carry on. It's been an issue for months, not sure why they've not fixed it yet...After going through the finish line chose to stay in Watopia to get some free KMs on the way back down, game froze on me at the start of the descent. Completely locked up so couldn't save it or upload it which was disappointing however it has registered me as completing stage 2 when I log into the companion on my phone and I've unlocked the glasses. Great.
I had a real laugh at this one, haha!
I realised when it cropped up in the race series over xmas why I hadn't raced it before, or even really ridden it very much. It was utterly grim, especially as a 5/6th ride/race in 7 days! Brutal!
Flamme Rouge Racing series - FRR - is fairly new. Proper stage racing on Zwift. Good series by one of the 3R organisers and well worth a look. He's got extra/more accurate rider classifications to split things (scoville scale of chili hotness?). Neutralized starts. Points racing and some long hard routes which really make it interesting.
Incorrect. Had my Flux v1 apart multiple times, replaced tension arm, bearings and the drive belt. Lots of information online about it and a whole community around repairing/servicing these things yourself. Mostly Facebook group driven. Same for the Neo. I've had both apart and stripped them right down.
I've got such a mix on my Strava I wouldn't like to say who was OCUK anymore lol.
Happy to share admin if that is such a thing. We have an old google sheet with a bunch of Strava names / forum names but it's quite out of date. Could start putting that together if people think it's worth doing again? I'm probably not prepared to take it on (involved with too many things already so very little time), but happy to help out.
Lots of problems with all the Smart bikes. On Tacx it tend to be crank based, had a clubmate who's on his 4th bike and just stripped the pedal threads on it for a second time so waiting for his replacement.
On your particular one, the plastic cap doesn't 'hold' the crank on, there's pinch bolts at the sides which do. The plastic cap is to pre-load the bearings, screw it on by hand, then use the specific Shimano tool to tighten it until it cams out (why it's plastic), then tighten the side bolts (to correct nM, usually 12-14) to hold the crank on the splines.
Exactly the same on all Shimano Hollowtech cranks - https://www.parktool.com/blog/repai...o-piece-compression-slotted#article-section-3
Yours is the 'same' even though technically not Shimano the fitting looks similar. Probably different nM/sizes of tooling, but the fundamentals should be very similar.
Soldato
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Some rotten timing with all those failures!
A long shot, but have you tried reversing polarity of the CR2032 in the 4iiii for a while? I've only done it once myself and can't recall how long, think I found info about it online at the time, don't think it was long (10secs???).
4iiii numbers can go erratic when the battery is about to die, I did an outdoor ride in Nov '19 which suggested I should get a call up from Sir Dave about joining Sky!
The plastic screw that is damaged is what pull the crank onto the spindle to the correct depth and then the pinch bolt is what locks it in place. Without the plastic screw you would need to probably knock the crank onto the spindle reasonably gently and then use the metal bolt to tighten. If its like shimanos hollowtech cranks the splines will have a specific position that need to match up but I'm sure you would have noticed that if it was the case here.
If the crank came off and has damaged either of the set of splines then that might be it and require a full replacement.
Associate
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Getting my Kickr 2018 replaced under warranty for the second time. It's developed a vibration that I mostly feel but also hear as a background noise. Wasn't sure if it's really an issue but I've only got a month left on my warranty.
To be fair to them their customer service has been spot on both times.
To be fair to them their customer service has been spot on both times.
Yeah thats it. I think the splines are damaged from my prolonged use after it came lose the first time. You can put it back on but its never super tight. The plastic screw falls off first then the crank eventually works itself off. Its in the right spot as can only go on at 180 degrees to the right side or at 0 degrees. Cant pedal too well if its at 0
Just having a whinge on here really as should be better for the cost.
Yeah thats it. I think the splines are damaged from my prolonged use after it came lose the first time. You can put it back on but its never super tight. The plastic screw falls off first then the crank eventually works itself off. Its in the right spot as can only go on at 180 degrees to the right side or at 0 degrees. Cant pedal too well if its at 0
Just having a whinge on here really as should be better for the cost.
Yeah, understood. I assume it was poorly fitted from the factory because if it's fitted properly (barring any manufacturing fault) it should be bomb proof. I have this style of cranks on my MTB and I'm 83kg and do jumps and other stuff that puts a hell of a lot more force through the cranks than Zwifting will and never have an issue.
Associate
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Stages SB20 down to 1599 this weekend. Man maths going in to overdrive to justify the purchase!
Soldato
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Any idea why riders I'm riding with don't appear on the list of riders nearby?
Jumped on the turbo after 3 hours sleep and missing a virtual reliability and got spat from the front group pretty fast. Found a decent group went hard AF up the climb on the 3rd lap then my mate logged off, the group went hard up it again the 4th lap and 4 of us got away but only one of the other riders was on the list.
Here is what I could see for example.
anonymous pictures website
O'Grady is the only one I could see, the 20s gap back to the group we split from. I got dusted by them on the last climb and I couldn't see if they were kicking or not.
Edit: Looks like they are C riders. Weird that I can't see them.
Jumped on the turbo after 3 hours sleep and missing a virtual reliability and got spat from the front group pretty fast. Found a decent group went hard AF up the climb on the 3rd lap then my mate logged off, the group went hard up it again the 4th lap and 4 of us got away but only one of the other riders was on the list.
Here is what I could see for example.
anonymous pictures website
O'Grady is the only one I could see, the 20s gap back to the group we split from. I got dusted by them on the last climb and I couldn't see if they were kicking or not.
Edit: Looks like they are C riders. Weird that I can't see them.
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Yeah, that one always confuses me. I think maybe it's the entire course that you're on, you move along as a marker, so you might be anywhere on it at any given time really? It also marks sprints and KOM's I think.
Using SYSTM I've gotten used to looking for workouts based on their IF and duration and picked one last night looking for something of average difficulty, but close to an hour. It was quite hard, but I made it through. I was interested when I realised after that I'd done the same workout exactly 2 weeks ago and it's pretty much the only session I've ever thought I actually 'failed'. (In the past I have dropped percentage, even down to 90% perhaps, but this one I literally stopped after each 'set' and skipped 2 mins of the last 4½ min rep) Isn't it funny how you can just have bad days and good days...?
After the session I was worried I found it so hard, but then when I saw I'd failed it two weeks previous, I felt quite good
Using SYSTM I've gotten used to looking for workouts based on their IF and duration and picked one last night looking for something of average difficulty, but close to an hour. It was quite hard, but I made it through. I was interested when I realised after that I'd done the same workout exactly 2 weeks ago and it's pretty much the only session I've ever thought I actually 'failed'. (In the past I have dropped percentage, even down to 90% perhaps, but this one I literally stopped after each 'set' and skipped 2 mins of the last 4½ min rep) Isn't it funny how you can just have bad days and good days...?
After the session I was worried I found it so hard, but then when I saw I'd failed it two weeks previous, I felt quite good
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Soldato
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The orange blip is the you. When doing laps it does change as you go through the end.
I'd just come down the petit kom and the gradient coming up was the other shorter climb on the route.