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Hi all, i'm toying with the idea of trying Zwift to make the turbo a bit more interesting, however there is know way on earth that i can stretch to a smart trainer even second hand at the moment, however i have just realised that if i get a Garmin speed sensor and cadence sensor for the bike then Zwift can use the data from these to make the system work, obviously not optimum but i'm not too bothered about the data as i'm not too serious about it. Just wondering how the overall experience is. Current trainer is a Tacx Blue matic if it matters.
Thanks and a Happy new year to all.
You can't do erg mode, nor will it feel "harder" when you go uphill - you just go slower.
It's not as engaging as using a smart trainer (in my mind) but it's more engaging than nothing...
I used a dumb trainer with speed sensor and HRM strap on Trainer Road for a
Month initially to try it out. I then bought a Kickr Core.
The dumb trainer was better than nothing - but I feel like the one I had didn’t seem to have enough resistance. Maybe it had seen better days. I’m not some kind of power beast that would trouble a decent turbo trainer - my ftp is only somewhere around 235 watts ish.
If yours has enough resistance then using virtual power via an app with the speed sensor and hrm should make it more interesting for you.
Yes, I use an elite dumb trainer with a sensor to provide power and cadence. Once calibrated its been very consistent. As said above, it doesn't increase the resistance on hills but does adjust your speed to match your power output with the incline. You just change gear to go faster, which also makes it harder. Feels quite realistic and a LOT cheaper.
I'd always been curious about this, so when you hit a hill do you effectively need to change into a higher gear to increase your power output?
Does Zwift recognise your power increasing and thus you keep pace with other people on the hill?
so when you hit a hill do you effectively need to change into a higher gear to increase your power output?
Yes, otherwise you slow down.
Does Zwift recognise your power increasing and thus you keep pace with other people on the hill?
Zwift recognises the power increase as your rear wheel spins faster with higher gears.
I've done lots of events on Zwift with this set up and it works really well. Also works fine with Pace Partners.
Thanks for the replies, i'll likely end up getting the sensors anyway seeing as i have an Amazon voucher to spend on something that i wouldn't usually buy, and i can trial Zwift for a month for free to see if i get on with it.
I wouldn't rule out 2nd hand. Prices have dropped massively now that everyone's bought one over lockdowns and we're no longer locked down.
I was looking at barley used Elite Drivos going for £200-£300 on eBay. Then ended up being given a BKool wheel on smart trainer for free (the go for peanuts on eBay)
N.b. if you get a Bkool they're a pain to update the firmware on to get the ANT+Fe-c to work if BKool no longer supourt then (even if the newer firmware exists). You have to find some old software, then hack it so it will let you log in without auto updating.
The Bkool took the best part of an afternoon to figure out the firmware, the power reading is probably no more accurate than than the estimate of the dumb trainer. But it's still realistically hard work up the hills.
I used Bkool for a long time before moving to Zwift. Bkool seems to go by power where Zwift goes Watts per KG for a lot of the time which I found much better as a low power/low wieght rider.
You can usually tell when a rider is using a dumb trainer without even the little lightening bolt.
Usually any half way decent rider on one they are last seen taking off into the distance on group rides.
Usually any half way decent rider on one they are last seen taking off into the distance on group rides.
What do you mean? There is a delay in the power reading?
I tried Zwift on a set of dumb rollers and the cadence/speed linked via the companion app. I didn't persevere very long but effort put in didn't seem to result in the rider speeding up, and either the cadence or heart rate would rise and then not fall back down again. Could have been an issue with sensors to phone, or phone to Zwift, but whatever it was made it frustrating to use.
I do this occasionally with a standard planet-x trainer and it's absolutely fine - it helps if your trainer is in the zwift database - or is a copy/rebranded version of one that is, (It needs to know the trainer characteristics to convert your speed to a power measurement) but yeah it works and it's better than just using the bike computer (not sure if it's £12.99 a month better - but that's a different story).
I don't Zwift with a dumb trainer but I cycle with an idiot sometimes...! HTH.
I used a really old Tacx dumb trainer for a few months - long enough to convince myself it was something I was likely to use & justify the outlay of a smart trainer.
Have you looked on eBay lately?
When I was looking to sell my Flow Smart they could be had for around £60-80.
But, it's definitely OK to start with a dumb trainer & see how you get on.
I used Bkool for a long time before moving to Zwift. Bkool seems to go by power where Zwift goes Watts per KG for a lot of the time which I found much better as a low power/low wieght rider.
The BKool trainers will work with Zwift, its just a hastle as they originally used a proprietary protocol and needed a firmware update when any+Fe-c came out.
If you or the original owner didn't then updating it is now a pain. Because it will still work with the latest Bkool software, but it won't update the firmware anymore to work with Zwift.
There's a guide on zwiftinsider of how to do it that gets 90% there but I think Bkool seem to have closed that route off. It does still work, you just need to figure out the extra step (change version.dat to have the up-to-date version number. Then the alphanumeric key on the next line which you can get by downloading the latest Bkool copying the key, uninstalling it, reinstalling the old versio then pasting it into the version.dat file).
Depending on what bike you use and crank length, you could pick up a crank arm power meter cheap ish and use that with your current set up.
Most Shimano ones are the same interface so as long as you get the right length it shouldn't matter too much which one you get.
Having said that, I'd save and buy a wheel off smart trainer as they make the whole experience much more pleasant and a lot quieter.
I have two XT M760 cranks with either an Avio or Stages PM on if anyone is looking for a low price power meter to get started with!
You get a free trial when you sign up. 60 days if you are a member of british cycling.
Personally I wouldn't have thought it would be worth the money without a smart trainer but try for yourself. Maybe something like the GCN workouts would be better. Again you can get a free trial to test it out.
https://www.globalcyclingnetwork.com/category/train-with-gcn