The Indoor Riding/ Zwift/ TrainerRoad etc. Thread

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The bike is a 2014 giant defy( recommended by you good lot)
It is also a 10 speed. Tbh just want something compatible so I don’t have any faffing to do. Did I read right somewhere SRAM are a direct compatible cassette?
 
Soldato
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10 speed shimano/sram cassettes are all the same*.

Tiagra 4700's incompatibility is a question of cable pull ratios only, so it's the mechs/shifters that aren't compatible with anything else


*a few early dura ace ones had taller splines but iirc they'll fit on a standard hub, the pattern is the same, just the slots are deeper

oh god i'm in the turbo pervert thread again
 
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Haha we have Saytan now hooked, he can't keep away! ;)

Looking at the Giant spec sheet for the 2014 Defy (great choice, I've got a Defy 2015!), the only model with Tiagra is the Defy 2, looking at specs and pictures it's Tiagra 4600. The Giant site is useless, but reading here and looking at pictures (5 arm crankset and cables coming out of shifters) I've determined that.

A 4700 cassette will work fine on it though, as they're both 10 speed.
 
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Thanks Roady. Struggled like hell to find anything with 30 teeth so had to settle for a 105 28er.
I ordered one last night but it’s a 5700 10 speed. I figure it would be ok as the levers are 105 too and Saytan said any shimano will fit ( this amount of detail is all new to me)
Hope to pick the trainer up Sat pm, it’s been sat in the shop since Monday night. Just need to wait for the other bits to turn up and I should be ok to have a try. Not too fussed atm as the weather is still great
 
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Should be totally fine. 10 speed tooth spacing is generally backwards compatible (8-9-10 speed chains), it's 11 speed which isn't. Freehub (cassette) spacing is similar, most 11 speed wheelsets require a spacer when fitting 10 speed (or smaller) cassettes. Your Flux should have come with a spacer on it/with it.
 
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So, finally got an ant+ dongle today so proceeded to get everything set up, inc Zwift.
So, Zwift seems like a great piece of kit. Does anyone know of any promo codes before I undoubtedly sign up to it? Went on a couple of short rides and can see the attraction. Was great apart from a bit of a set up I need on rear mech

Now the not so good bit. Think I may have a bit of a dud flux. Worked fine for a half hour or so then started hearing a clanking and slight slipping. When I stop pedalling it’s like a loose hamster in a wheel thudding from one side to another. Hey ho, I’m sure it’ll get sorted one way or the other. I can see why people like indoor trainers. Very convenient and depending on the app plenty of data
 
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Uh oh! I’d get that looked at, back to the bike shop with it ASAP!

Zwift race tonight, riding in C. I am probably a little too strong for C but I want to improve short term power surge/recover. In B I’d be on the limit the whole time and second time it kicks I’d probably be out the back when riding the TT as it’s hard to stand and crank it and do gears! ;)

First 20 mins riding as easy as possible just to stay with the group, average 230w (2.9wkg when it’s supposed to be 2.5-3.0).

Getting a bit bored rolling round as nobodies doing anything, have a 2-3 min effort at 4.5ish which shells 10 people from a group of 40.

Roll around some more until the last lap... okay, another effort, get 5 seconds gap and pushing 4.5-5wkg for the next 3 mins, and can’t pull away.

Back to the bunch and nothing happens.

Speed ramps up a bit to the line with one small attack that’s shut down and a sprint finish.

Won by whoever has done absolutely nothing all race and managed to keep their wattage under 3wkg somehow.

And of the top 15 riders, only one of them was lighter than me (80kg).

Hmmmmmmmmm
 
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Won by whoever has done absolutely nothing all race and managed to keep their wattage under 3wkg somehow.
That's Zwift racing! ;)

To be fair only those who've registered and agreed with zwiftpower's privacy/GDPR policy even appear in the 'official' results (ZP) so out of that those 20-30 riders you probably finished top 3, have a look lol

Although just spotted that was the new WBR Super League series, so most will be registered & approved. Don't see you in the results so figure you need to approve ZP collection/display of your data. You where provisionally 5th (check unfiltered) until removed from results.

I'm going to get into riding that series, 7 races (2 completed already) with top 5 results in end of season standings. Probably entering C as well. Real prizes for winners, but also a 'lottery' chance each week for registered riders.

Now the not so good bit. Think I may have a bit of a dud flux. Worked fine for a half hour or so then started hearing a clanking and slight slipping. When I stop pedalling it’s like a loose hamster in a wheel thudding from one side to another. Hey ho, I’m sure it’ll get sorted one way or the other. I can see why people like indoor trainers. Very convenient and depending on the app plenty of data
Sounds the exact symptoms of an early Flux. Return it and get a replacement! Make a note of the serial number as I recall there being a check/database of them somewhere which helps to identify failure rates.
 
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I looked online and mine is a later model. Also didn’t realise there is a newer model coming out this month.
Taking it back to the shop at the weekend and will see how long a replacement takes. Not too fussed atm, still warm enough.
 
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It sure makes for dull racing though Roadie! Maybe not helped by the flat Richmond course, nothing to shake it up.

I’d rather try a few things and get DQ than roll about doing nothing.

At a 3.2w average I’d not keep up in B (I’ll admit I can be closer to 3.5-3.6 if it’s a steady effort) but that won’t be enough.

Backed up with the Swedish race tonight on Wattopia figure 8, similar power and NP but legs feeling it more, a lot less short kick but 2-5 mins no bother, kicked up the steep hill nicely to break away and getting a 30 second gap holding it (just) to the end with the help of 2 B riders I caught.
 
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There is a guy in the club up here who won some big crit Zwift thing down in London that was live streamed in a big studio and all sorts. He then went and raced some world champs thing in Vancouver on Zwift which again was a big studio affair with cameras and lighting etc. It's getting pretty big time like esports isn't it? I guess Zwifting could be described as an ACTUAL esport because it is gaming combined with sport.

I might give a Zwift race a go at some point over the winter. How is it policed? Can people lie about their weight? And is it only open to people with confirmed proper power meters that are calibrated and true or is it really as open to abuse as it appears to an outsider? I would only consider bothering with it if cheating is minimal and somehow kept on top of because cheating is one thing I will full on admit to utterly hating. Whether it be real or gaming world, cheating is cheating.

I am level 24 or something like that, should I have that fancy glowing up tron bike now?
 
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I figured quite a lot of this stuff out now. Connected my account to ZwiftPower and confirmed it all and can now see events and how to join them. So all making sense on that front.

The one thing I still don't understand though is how the races cater for people on the estimated zPower in game versus those with a power meter. AND, what about smart trainers like my Kickr? Is it more advantage or disadvantage to use it in controlled FE-C mode or to use it uncontrolled mode so it does not alter the resistance and purely is then being used as your power meter? To me that seems quite a big discrepancy between controllable and non controlled modes. do the A and B races have a mix of people choosing to use controlled and non controlled trainers?
 
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If you are racing using zwiftpower then usually people without a smart trainer are banned and you are required to use HR for some races also.

The only way you can cheat is by altering your weight, but this will be logged on ZP so others can see and you are only really cheating yourself.... if you race a grade down then you can find yourself getting DQ occasionally if you have a strong ride and break the category boundaries.

This happens to me occasionally, it does depend on the route used if it’s flat or hilly. The lower categories seem to have heavier riders who can pump big watts out and still have low power to weights.

It’s not perfect but it’s pretty good.
 
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There is a guy in the club up here who won some big crit Zwift thing down in London that was live streamed in a big studio and all sorts. He then went and raced some world champs thing in Vancouver on Zwift which again was a big studio affair with cameras and lighting etc. It's getting pretty big time like esports isn't it? I guess Zwifting could be described as an ACTUAL esport because it is gaming combined with sport.

I might give a Zwift race a go at some point over the winter. How is it policed? Can people lie about their weight? And is it only open to people with confirmed proper power meters that are calibrated and true or is it really as open to abuse as it appears to an outsider? I would only consider bothering with it if cheating is minimal and somehow kept on top of because cheating is one thing I will full on admit to utterly hating. Whether it be real or gaming world, cheating is cheating.

I am level 24 or something like that, should I have that fancy glowing up tron bike now?

Gavin Dempster I assume?

My boss just got himself an Elite Direto, big TV and all sorts of units to make a Zwift room. He's getting on ok for a dinosaur to be honest.
 
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I love the racing on Zwift - if it wasn't for the racing I just don't think I could cope with it.

The training plans and free riding just bore the ***t out of me. :(
 
Soldato
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Thanks @Berger - I will just try a B race that suits me time wise to see what it is all about. I think I will use my Kickr in FE-C controllable mode as well so when on the hills there is proper resistance and less need to control resistance by gearing myself. I think that will be slicker and "race" better than non controlled. I always spin down calibrate the Kickr and always use HR monitor anyways :)

@Jonny ///M - Yeah, Gavin. He seems to be right into Zwift stuff now. He is a proper strong lad!
 
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