The Indoor Riding/ Zwift/ TrainerRoad etc. Thread
- Thread starter randomshenans
- Start date
Caporegime
Just knocked off the first proper alpe du zwift for months and managed to sneak under 1 hour. Just. 59:25.
At one point when I was getting near the end and it started giving you your ETA I was struggling and it was saying 59.46 and I thought ****! i'm not going to make it. Luckily the estimate seems to forget the little flat bit at the end and I managed to dig deep.
Only another 350m of climbing to get the tron bike as well!
At one point when I was getting near the end and it started giving you your ETA I was struggling and it was saying 59.46 and I thought ****! i'm not going to make it. Luckily the estimate seems to forget the little flat bit at the end and I managed to dig deep.
Only another 350m of climbing to get the tron bike as well!
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Soldato
Ditched the usual Sunday morning ride out with it being so wet yesterday.
Managed a quick warm-up and joined the 08:10 Zwift race, got a couple of minutes in when Mrs Chris came to say we had a leak after the torrential rain overnight. So I jumped off to help clean up and assess. Whilst mopping up, we had an off/on power cut so I couldn't even finish the race as a steady spin.
I then joined the 09:00 Pretzelfest group ride. Settled into that at a sustainable pace but about 35 minutes in my PC decided to BSOD
If it wasn't lashing it down, I'd have binned it all off and gone for a run.
Managed a quick warm-up and joined the 08:10 Zwift race, got a couple of minutes in when Mrs Chris came to say we had a leak after the torrential rain overnight. So I jumped off to help clean up and assess. Whilst mopping up, we had an off/on power cut so I couldn't even finish the race as a steady spin.
I then joined the 09:00 Pretzelfest group ride. Settled into that at a sustainable pace but about 35 minutes in my PC decided to BSOD
If it wasn't lashing it down, I'd have binned it all off and gone for a run.
Soldato
so for a newbie.. what does one need to get this going? all I want is to get some training rides in when weather is crap and that's it. Don't need anything fancy. Got a spare bike with shimano 105 11sp sitting around that could be mounted on a trainer, anything for £500ish and under that can be had to work with this?
Soldato
It's a bit of a rabbit hole, but to get the most out of Zwift/myWHoosh etc...
Heart rate monitor, often a requirement for Zwift races results on https://zwiftpower.com/events.php
A "smart" turbo that can change resistance with virtual gradients, plus use ERG mode to use in workouts mode and try and make you match power targets
At least one good fan, for me that's blasting across my back, if I use a second one that blast's across my chest/face
A towel, or something like an old pillow case, to quickly get rid of excess sweat, usually face for me (I always use open end of pillow case for any nasal congestion, that way I know closed end isn't wiping it all over my face)
At least one bidon of fluid with rehydration salts in it, recently tried using powder with carbs for races
A trainer mat
A riser block for front wheel
A mobile holder
Could Zwift on Android mobile, or buy Apple TV4k, use pc
ANT+ dongle plus and extension lead to put dongle near turbo (if not using a mobile with ANT+)
May have missed stuff, but that covers essentials I think
I'm out of the loop on prices and neweer models, I got my Saris H3 for ~£360 iirc around Easter '22, replacing my semi-broken ~£600 v1 Elite Direto from Xmas '17. https://www.sigmasports.com/item/Wahoo/KICKR-CORE-Smart-Turbo-Trainer/J8SP looks a reasonable offer at a really quick look.
Soldato
legend! thank you, that gives me a good idea of what I'd need. I'm trying to figure out a setup for winter that I can use to keep training while the weather hits the fan..
Kickr core pretty hard to miss at that price, one of the best trainers there is. Leaves you open to upgrade to the Zwift Ride & Cog thing at some point if you wanted.
I'm on a KICKR v5 and love it. It's been bomb proof after a few years (bought Jan '22) of trainer hassle on Tacx units. As above, nothing to add really. If you've got a gaming PC and are riding indoors, use that. It'll run Zwift fine, just need a USB/Bluetooth/ANT dongle and whatever you want for display.
If you're got an iPad use that, but buying a specific device/setup can be a good excuse to get a gaming laptop, or budget end is an AppleTV. I've ridden mine hard for 3-4 years, really very good for the money but several limitations/compromises with it - which I've got used to, although frustrating at times, remind myself it only cost me £100 and doesn't randomly crash like a budget Windows device!
I'm on a KICKR v5 and love it. It's been bomb proof after a few years (bought Jan '22) of trainer hassle on Tacx units. As above, nothing to add really. If you've got a gaming PC and are riding indoors, use that. It'll run Zwift fine, just need a USB/Bluetooth/ANT dongle and whatever you want for display.
If you're got an iPad use that, but buying a specific device/setup can be a good excuse to get a gaming laptop, or budget end is an AppleTV. I've ridden mine hard for 3-4 years, really very good for the money but several limitations/compromises with it - which I've got used to, although frustrating at times, remind myself it only cost me £100 and doesn't randomly crash like a budget Windows device!
Couple of good (& hard) races in B2, got removed from the EVO team (for a few rounds) and got myself into a C1 team with R3R - first race with them last night (Scratch) and secured a 4th. Should be good with 1 other guy there to drag them into the top spots of their division by the end of the round... Hopefully!I've ended up in 2 B teams for ZRL, my current team from last couple of seasons being EVO Cyclones, got drawn into EMEA-E Western (North) B1 this time around (raced B2 last couple of rounds). Going to be brutal if they need me as a Cat C...! Second team I've ended up leading Race3R WASP in EMEA-W Southern (North) in B2... Again much higher in B than we'd hoped considering 4 of the 9 riders are Cat C's!
TTT B2 with R3R Wasp - https://zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=4504556 https://www.strava.com/activities/12377609748
Points B2 with R3R Wasp - https://zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=4510985 https://www.strava.com/activities/12435949369
Scratch C1 with R3R U2 - https://zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=4516593 https://www.strava.com/activities/12495080009
Couple of community races last weekends, tending to favour long 'Epic' ones, secured a 1st in C cat this weekend - my first race win in 12+ months! Somehow still having a nearly 1000W sprint at the end of a long 1.5 hour race!
Keep hearing good things about the Ride - even from users coming from Wattbikes and Stages bikes who I'd consider know their stuff.
How are you finding it?Ok Zwift Ride ordered, forgot about klarna so saves having to drop all the money out of savings in one goat least thats how i justified treating myself lol.
Had mine a few weeks now and absolutely love it, so many good features over having a bike/trainer set up
Associate
Nice one
That would help!Somehow still having a nearly 1000W sprint at the end of a long 1.5 hour race!
My fitness has taken a dive over the last 6 months, starting with a few injury niggles and then several periods away from the house and trainer. Power and stamina feel way down on what they were, and reflected in falling back to Cat B and FTP/VO2max plummetting. It's so frustrating how quickly you lose it and how long it takes to build it up again (or maybe that's an age thing?). Just tried a race earler though, and it felt a bit more comfortable so hopefully 'on the up' again.
Incidentally, I've been reading a few studies looking at the correlation between VO2max and longevity - another reason to keep pushing!
I've got myself very used to virtual shifting on IndieVelo, which is lovely as you just leave the bike in a middle gear and it's basically silent. My trainer doesn't support the Zwift Cog, so I think I'm stuck with IndieVelo for now (or I go back to loud shifting). Or I buy a Zwift Ride
Associate
Anyone doing this year’s Zwift academy? The workouts are awesome this year.
Soldato
On Zwift, Racing Score values have been reset to what your 30sec and 10min seed score from last 90 days gives you.
Formula and look back history haven't changed.
Category Enforcement public events will end after 6th October (Wtrl league being an exception).
On a more positive note, Tour of Watopia starts in October, with double XP.
No details yet, but community event organisers are sorting out the Zmonthly races for October and November.
Formula and look back history haven't changed.
Category Enforcement public events will end after 6th October (Wtrl league being an exception).
On a more positive note, Tour of Watopia starts in October, with double XP.
No details yet, but community event organisers are sorting out the Zmonthly races for October and November.
Same now and im really pleased with the purchase, the ability to have gear ratio setups and simulate chainrings as well has allowed me to hit over 1k watts again on my sprints which i was missing after i swapped from manual shifting to virtual with the zwift play, as my quietest setup was running my small chainring up front.
It also highlighted for me just how short my legs are, im 5'7" but on the saddle height ive had to align to the setting for people who are 5'4"....
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A mate wanted to make use of the free Zwift miles to get a rank for Zwift racing so signed us up to a outrageously early race. Unfortunately as we were uncategorised, we were both in group E and were racing each other. Despite my 2 hour trainerroad Z2-3 endurance rides being a bit uncomfortable on the weekend, I clearly still had some decent power in the legs with a PR for 20 and 30 minute power. Nice benchmark to start the winter build. My mate meanwhile disappeared into the distance as he is at least 1 category ahead of me.
I did want to revisit this post as it is the first time on the new category system and was glad to see the graphs are a lot tighter at the top of the pack. No more people coasting along in Z3 pretending to be a cat c rider when they are mid pack B. Was told it was tactics last year.
From what I can see, most people do this. I dropped off the lead group but managed to hold off the second group with a couple of others. I am top of C power/weight and had this heart rate graph:
This is what the podium winners looked like:
As you can see, one was working a lot harder then the other!
I did want to revisit this post as it is the first time on the new category system and was glad to see the graphs are a lot tighter at the top of the pack. No more people coasting along in Z3 pretending to be a cat c rider when they are mid pack B. Was told it was tactics last year.
Soldato
I still do not get Zwift racing.
I came 4th in a B race the other day (A wasn't available as I've not touched Zwift since all the new updates and categories, so must have put be back a category).
I am generally putting out about 60-70W more than most people finishing near me, and they all appear to have very similar weights (+/- 5kg or so). The guy who won averaged 90W less than me! Is it just making the most of being in the bunch and being as efficient as possible?
I came 4th in a B race the other day (A wasn't available as I've not touched Zwift since all the new updates and categories, so must have put be back a category).
I am generally putting out about 60-70W more than most people finishing near me, and they all appear to have very similar weights (+/- 5kg or so). The guy who won averaged 90W less than me! Is it just making the most of being in the bunch and being as efficient as possible?
Caporegime
Its all a bit confusing isn't it. I wasn't doing that different a power sitting in a small bunch at the front of a race vs being out in front on my own for periods so I never got the impression I could be super efficient vs the other guys in the race.
Soldato
Zwift Sauce will show me how many Watts I'm benefiting when drafting. In a big group, it's usually in three figures, if that helps at all?
Associate
On a flattish route, pretty much. If you try doing two pace partner rides, one pulling out front and another toward the back of the pack you should see a significant difference. Also, the pack dynamics are such that you can waste a lot of watts even when you think you're drafting efficiently in a group. As Andy just mentioned, Sauce for Zwift can show drafting efficiency (and I've still not got around to trying it).
Soldato
ordered a wahoo core with one year zwift plus the zwift play thrown in for free due to some 10 year celebration they're having. We'll see how I get on with it, I want to get much fitter for next year and want to maximize my training during the horrid weather months.
will be using my spare bike on it, looking forward to it to be honest!
will be using my spare bike on it, looking forward to it to be honest!