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50% for a nice balance. Downhill is a pain on higher settings. And lower is pointless.
I used to have it at 50%, but now run it at somewhere nearer 75%. Not sure what I prefer to be honest.
If my not-really-cyclist wife uses my Zwift account, is it going to screw up some of my stats if I then want to do a race or two?
Shouldn't if she is only doing a bit of freeride around. it would only matter if she tried to do a race as would mess up your categories.
Tried that with my other half and she ended up getting her own account. Power to weight ratio with her on my account was so far off she could barely get anywhere.
Rouvy has a 'realism' setting that you can adjust to simply make yourself faster. Does Zwift have this in open riding or do you have to just mess about with the weight?
Trainer difficulty - All I have are rollers with resistance setting of 0,1, or 2, and I usually race on the highest resistance, otherwise I spin out before doing anything resembling sprinting but also anecdotally I believe the higher resistance helps to get higher FTP type effort because like climbing a hill in real life there being more resistance to push against helps to get smooth power output from the pedal stroke rather than it being an acceleration in the middle of each stroke like when going downhill.
Realism setting - I don't think Zwift has one, but it has a 'sticky' double draft setting which can be turned on for casual rides I think.
The boss complaining that the garage smelt a bit sweaty after I’d been on the turbo in there. Any suggestions for maintaining man cave freshness?
Got a fan?
I tend to leave the fan on for 30 mins or so after a session. Gets rid of the stink pretty well.
No fan. I might have to pick up a cheap one from somewhere.
Smell turned out to kids’ crabbing bait which they’d slung in the shed and forgotten about. Whoops.
^^ Lol 😂
Anyone else get caught out with the change from BST to GMT ? I assume I did as I signed up for a SZR ride that started at 17.03 in my calendar entry all sorted. 16.50 start warming up but no join event, check the diary all good, switch off and back on - still no joint event. Then disappears from the calendar so I go back into events on companion to see what else to join - there is the SZR ride at 18.03 - I had a nice ride but had to finish early as I was now late.
Any idea how you join another event once you come out of one ride - do you always have to log out and log back in?
Have another stupid question. This time about my FTP.
I did a ramp test back at the start of the Winter race series and it came out at 212 watts. Since then three trips up big Zwift hills have bumped that up to 242w, 266w and now 286w. So I am obviously able to put out a significantly more wattage out the saddle and stomping on the pedals with uphill resistance than I can while staying sat down on the flat.
I don't do races because there's no way I am actually a mid-to-high B cat (75kg puts me at 3.8 w/kg). Putting a lower FTP on Zwift feels like I'd be cheating, and I have no idea what to actually lower it to anyway.
Do you know of any way to balance this gap between flat v uphill FTP levels? Or any specific training I should be trying to do to focus on increasing my performance on the flat, if this is even possible?
Many thanks in advance.
Are you sure it's not just a case of your perceived effort during the ramp test? I.e. you thought you couldn't go harder, when actually you had a lot more in you?
I did a ramp test before the current series and during the TT managed to up it by 3w.
There is no way I could manage a 70w+ increase just on the basis of a hilly route.
At the end of the day, the ramp test is like going up a progressively steepening hill, so if you think it is a case of putting the power down better on a hill, it should be representative. I think it would be worth re-doing the test & seeing where you end up.
I suspect it will be nearer your current values, than the 212w you managed at the start.
I have another stupid question. If you are a big lump do you go faster downhill than a normal weight rider?
I am really fast downhill (without even pedaling) and much more understandably very slow uphill. I am convinced my avatar is larger and has more drag than the whippets around me or am I suffering from racer paranoia?
@svladcjelli putting a lower FTP in your zwift profile isn't cheating...because it doesn't make any difference to your performance in races. It's just a number in a database.[*] For the Tuesday series, @robbo1234biking uses your FTP to calculate your handicap, which informs one strand of the many ways he slices and dices the results after the event. So don't worry about it there either.
Neither does it make any difference on zwiftpower, where category enforcement (again, after the event) is based on your actual performance in recent races. If you are right that your performance will not live up to zwift's overestimate, you'll be fine to enter races and get full results where you feel you fit better.
[*] Its only role is to set the power required in workouts (do you do structured workouts?) so if they are too hard with that 286 you might want to lower it. But I'm guessing that doesn't affect you either?
FTP tests should be taken sitting down, sounds like you need to redo
I'd second that you bailed out too early on your ramp test. I had a similar issue when I first joined Zwift back in the first lockdown with my ramp test giving me 200w but the first race I did bumped me up to 220w. This winter I had to do a second ramp test as I knew I had more to give, first was 220w with the second moving up to 230w. The race series has pushed me gradually up to 257w as I've realised just how much harder I can push before collapsing in a heap!
The basic FTP tests on Zwift work well for most people but they're no comparison to a proper, lab-based full FTP test that measures loads of other parameters at the same time. Add in that you will naturally push harder in a race situation compared to a test scenario and you can see how the results can vary.
So I am obviously able to put out a significantly more wattage out the saddle and stomping on the pedals with uphill resistance than I can while staying sat down on the flat.
A) what's your cadence like on the flat?
B) what's your gearing like?
The hills are nothing more than additional resistance which is to say higher gearing. If you're topping out on the flat you need to either pedal faster or increase your chain ring size.
I'm a masher so find "high" (read sensible roadie) cadence hard to sustain. I'm happy mashing along at 75rpm in my highest gear for yonks though and winching up hills at 60.
Not being able to produce the same power on "the flat" vs "hills" is just your pedaling style not being suited to spinning along.
(further to the above, if you're a masher like me the zwift ramp test isn't great. It needs you to hold a steady 85-95rpm to be really effective, at low cadence you may find it difficult to produce enough power to keep the test happy before you simply spin out. The ramp test I invariably come out at about 20-25% down as I simply can't hold the requisite spinning. The mini ftp test gives me a much more believable result.)
I use my laptop for Zwift, so how do you navigate back to the main ride menu once you have finished or stopped a race or ride without having to restart Zwift . Every time I save the ride and the app closes down.
how do you navigate back to the main ride menu once you have finished or stopped a race or ride without having to restart Zwift
You don't. This seems like a really glaring oversight to me. Another one is that you can only access the garage bit from one place, which is surely the most inconvenient place.
@jimr80 - yeah, that's one of the annoying features of Zwift. I don't think there is a way round it.
You just have to start it up again.
That's a pita. Sometimes when I have pre enter a race/ride and the start notification fails to appear I end up missing the event due to the faff of restarting the App .Arghhhh
Don't restart when that happens @jimr80 - just use the companion app to cancel the event and then immediately enter again and that should prompt the notification to pop up. That works for me at least.
@savoyad- thanks for that info . I'll give it a go .
Some advice for a semi out of touch tech luddite please. Have been looking at getting into Zwift, have an old turbo that could use with basic ZPower setup, but may get a full direct smart if I get into it. Trouble is I have no spare screens for the mancave, was going to use an old iPad but it's gen 4 so not compatible.
So options seem to be:
a. Upgrade to new iPad 8th gen and mount it on a stand in front of noggin.
b. Buy an AppleTV system and a portable/ gaming monitor (I don't watch much TV though so AppleTV may be a waste...didn't even know what one was before yesterday).
c. Screen mirror from an iPhone SE with an HDMI to Lightning port lead..or a wifi dongle, to cheap monitor as above (battery life killer?)
Is there much difference in use between these setups? a.& b. would end up costing about the same...
Cheers
I've got an AppleTV into an old TV in the garage. When I started off, I used an iPad in a handlebar mount.
I really like the AppleTV setup. Bigger screen is a bit more immersive, I am not sweating into my iPad and I like having fewer things to carry out to the garage and set up before riding. If you have an old TV lying about - or can find one cheap on Gumtree etc - I'd recommend this route.
You don't need a gaming monitor, you just need any monitor (ideally with speakers) or a TV.
Monitors are stupidly cheap and if you root around on Facebook marketplace you might even find a free one. (GMP pricing is weird, it's either great value for money or people thinking their 10-year-old TV is still worth what they originally paid for it).
I have one .. as a Zwift virgin, do I actually have to start a Zwift subscription to take part in a group ride? Never used Zwift b4.
(ideally with speakers)
Ok, really stupid question...having never seen Zwift run in action. How much 'Sonic' content is there? is it just beeps and bongs and stuff? or is there an inspirational mood music option? some cheap monitors I've looked at don't have speakers....
You get a 25km free trial before signing up. If you go over that 25km in an activity it doesn’t seem to throw you out so you should be able finish the ride that you are on. So you could do one of the TdZ events as an example and you would get to to ride the whole thing. The free 25km renews at the start of each month as well.
I never both with the zwift in game sounds. There is some noise when you get ride ons and such like and some general back ground noise as well as a whirring which I think is supposed to be the bike but I just put music or a podcast on.
I'm a Zwift newbie, but have really enjoyed the last month trying some training programmes and event rides. Today I registered for Zwift Power and linked my Zwift account successfully. The question I have is: do my historic training/events carry over from Zwift, or only from the date I created the ZP account and opted-in via Zwift?
Ok, really stupid question…having never seen Zwift run in action. How much ‘Sonic’ content is there? is it just beeps and bongs and stuff?
Not a huge amount to be honest. I always use headphones but have some volume on because you get chimes at the end of climbs / sprints etc. Useful when doing workouts, but if you use Zwift Companion on your phone the sound comes through there as well.
So does anyone else have the same problem using a laptop where it keeps crashing mid ride. I tried three events/races today and they all crashed very early on. This has been happening for a while and I cannot resolve it. Updated windows 10 and made sure graphics card has the latest driver update. I restart start the laptop before each session so nothing else is running.
Below is my laptop spec , its a 2 months old Dell
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-1035G1 CPU @ 1.00GHz 1.19 GHz
Installed RAM 8.00 GB (7.77 GB usable)
System type 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
Intel(R) UHD graphics
I have seen you can send windows error log reports but thats way to techy for me.
Any suggestion or fixes
@bakey - ZwiftPower only works for rides you do from the time you register onwards. Annoying as I wasn't registered on it for a few of my recent races so I'm only now getting filtered results etc.
So after a long time (years) of whinging about Zwift I perserved and seem to have got it mostly working. Does anyone fancy having a go at answering my stupid questions?
1. I did an FTP test today, 211 average then at the end it said my FTP was 206. Why the difference and how to to now view my FTP, I can see it anywhere now the test has closed
2. What should I do now? I fancy a training plan rather than race, 3-4 times per week and no more than 1hr per session. What should I do and how do I sign up?
3. I couldn't get my Apple watch to link for heart rate even though it found the watch at the device discovery stage, any thoughts?
4. I couldn't get my MacBook to find my turbo at all. Not a problem as found it on iPad so used that instead. Any thoughts on why Mac couldn't find it?
I think thats all, for now! Thanks
Was the FTP test a 20 minute one? I think to get the result they subtract 5% to get the result, hence the difference.
To see your FTP you can go into the menu when in zwift (where you access the garage etc) and into your personal details at the top of the page....in there is your FTP.
Workouts and training plans are also in the menu section...tab at the right side for workouts. Go in there and choose eoth a single workout or a whole plan...loads to choose from.
Yep 20 mins so that makes sense. Thanks
I’ve completed a Zwift workout. Zwift is linked to Garmin Connect so the Virtual Cycling shows up there with all the power, cadence, etc data but for training effect Garmin says ‘0.0 No Benefit - Aerobic’. Why? I appreciate my efforts may be rather lame but zero? Anyone know how I can get Garmin to accept I made some effort? Do I have to unlink Zwift from Garmin and record the workout on my Garmin device with all the hassle of keeping everything paired to two devices without any dropouts? I’m really hoping one of you can suggest a simple solution
@rubber_buccaneer training effect in garmin is calculated on your garmin device, not on the garmin connect servers. So you only get it for activities recorded on the watch and not those pulled from elsewhere - even if they contain all the raw data necessary for a given metric. (Historically this was for licensing reasons - firstbeat licensed them on a by-device basis. But they bought firstbeat last year so there's hope it might change...)
So if you want training effect (and some other metrics), you need to record on the garmin device. That'll leave you with either duplicate records or you can stop syncing zwift which means you lose the virtual data internal to zwift (distance, speed, elevation). Or you can delete the garmin one but it remembers it or something, I forget the detail.
The fit file repair tool has a new function for merging the duplicates into one activity with all the data. But that costs money (and I haven't used it so don't know if it's a successful solution).
There's no perfect way out.
EDIT - I don't think you should fear dropouts pairing both though. ANT+ is broadcasting anyway. It doesn't make a difference if your watch/edge records what it's receiving or not.
Brand new to Zwift here too. Thanks for this thread. My first ride using it on Monday, just a couple of km trying to get my head around it and to test my set up.... Was causing the fans on my MacBook to go into overdrive.
Second and first proper go on it yesterday, this time used my iPad, no bother. Links up to strava fine, but even though I’ve linked it to my garmin connect nothing shows on garmin, I’ve tried uploading the .fit file to garmin from my iPad but I can’t select it in garmin connect.
I’ve found the GCN Zwift tips videos to be very useful, made me realise I need the companion app (I was looking for the app under its previous name!)
I’m still getting my head around the layout of the app and where to find routes, plans etc
Anyways, I’m in a whole new world of power and ftp, I’m slow, fat and extremely unfit.... So I’m fat/fit shaming myself on social media to kick my own arse.
Will jump on in a bit and hopefully do 20km today
There’s no perfect way out.
Thanks for the info. Damn 🙁
I’m still getting my head around the layout of the app and where to find routes, plans etc
I’m into week 4 of Dirt Destroyer and finding the training plan good for me. I haven’t got on so well with just riding along in Zwift as it feels a little aimless (I’m probably more of a Trainer Road follow the graph and get it done type) but find the scenery is at least a bit of a distraction. I really wish they’d expand on the steering in Repack Ridge as that definitely gives me something to think about other than ‘my legs hurt’ and ‘how much longer?’
I don’t find the interface on Apple TV exactly the best but it’s OK and all my syncing to Garmin and Strava (relax everyone, I keep them private) has worked flawlessly but I do always use the companion app
Well, having just completed the short ftp test (and being knackered after the warmup before the 20 minutes began 😣) my aim is to get my ftp score higher than my max heart rate
get my ftp score higher than my max heart rate
😀
Seriously though they are all just numbers. What matters is not what they are but seeing them go in the right direction...at least that’s what I tell myself
I'm thinking of buying a 2nd hand Windows laptop for Zwift use - and then hook it up to a decent screen.
Does something like a 2-3 year old i5 cut it and just what sort of graphics power do I really need for a low-res computer game?
What is the laptop going to cost and do you intend to use it for anything else? I decided to blow £180 on an Apple TV 4K since Zwift will aim to support that for a while where a windows laptop will be more variable. Hooked up to an old, cheap 32” TV and the companion app on an Android phone I can’t see what more I’d want.
The i5 will be fine but if it doesn't have a separate graphics processor don't bother. Bang for buck (and if you can find a graphics card) an old desktop will be a better zwift machine.
I decided to blow £180 on an Apple TV 4K since Zwift will aim to support that for a while where a windows laptop will be more variable. Hooked up to an old, cheap 32” TV and the companion app on an Android phone I can’t see what more I’d want.
Do I also need the Apple TV subscription or just the hardware? And given I have no Apple devices, can I do whatever I need to do with it from an Android phone?
Bang for buck (and if you can find a graphics card) an old desktop will be a better zwift machine.
Yeah, makes sense but I'm thinking of neatness (wires etc) and portability should I actually want to take a laptop with me anywhere.
Do I also need the Apple TV subscription or just the hardware?
Just hardware unless you want to watch some Apple TV content. Plenty of other apps on there for paid or free content though iPlayer, Red Bull TV, YouTube etc, etc.
If you’re interested in an Apple TV, b-grades (although I’ve bought a couple & they’ve been perfect!) regularly come up £129 in the BT shop, so worth setting an alert via HUKD. Last time was only a couple of days ago though so may be another month or so till they do it again. Got to be the cheapest/easiest way to run Zwift (even if the UI is doubly awful on it!)
Pretty sure you can use one without any other Apple kit (iPhone etc) although obviously you’ll miss out on a lot of features.
A couple more stupid questions. I cut the first/introductory ride short, is there anyway I can go back and complete it?
And not really a Zwift question but a setup question..... Due to confined space I’m running my bike with the bars straight but the wheel turned 90 degrees, obviously it isn’t stable, does anyone do a qr fork stand/support? I’ve spotted some that are for use on rollers, but I can’t find anything for turbo use
Thanks!
Not a question but definitely stupid🤪 on my 5th week of zwift build me up.... only just discovered the 100% plus or minus under the workout details increased the difficulty... I thought it was the font size for old buggers! Wondering why it doesn't get easier to read!
On the bright side I'm working 10% harder so must be getting better?
@scotroutes My laptop (10th gen i5) will run zwift at 1080p but I have to drop down to 720p to capture it to video. I'm sure it's picking up on one of the lowest graphics settings, but I never notice any substandard visuals. I'd only upgrade if I was much more fussed about the fancy graphics that are available if you get a proper GPU (I don't care) or if I wanted to record/stream in full HD (I might do this incidentally, but not as the sole motivation). So a recent 2nd hand laptop is in principle fine for zwift.
BUT especially if it's just for zwift, it'll be more economical to get a used small business desktop (HP LFF thing, ebay is flooded with them permanently) and stick a Nvidia gpu in it. Total cost can be pretty low if you are patient.
If you select a Zwift course and complete it what happens when you reach the finish and carry on riding. Does it take you around the same course again?
@shinton yes usually it will continue on a second lap unless you manually select a different direction with the arrow keys on the app or screen, when you are approaching a junction.
@oopnorth cheers for that. Daughter did Greater London Loop yesterday and wants to do a similar work out around New York tomorrow. Looks like 2 laps around Park Perimeter Loop should do it.
Latest questions from new!
I’m running Zwift on iPad 7 with Companion on iPhone
1. What is ERP? Zwift says i should turn it off for sprints using companion app but I can’t see how to do this? Does it matter?
2. On the left under the intervals is a green star and number like 3/25. What does this indicate?
3. Is it normal for Zwift to burn 50% of iPad battery in one 50 min session?
4. What sort of witchcraft do I have to employ to get a heart rate readout from an Apple Watch which says it’s connected in Zwift app but says unpaired on the actual watch
5. How does Zwift know my cadence? I’m using a taxc trainer that doesn’t have cadence sensor on it? Is it magic?
Cheers
1. ERG - ergonometer mode. Trainer sets resistance. Obviously can't work for all out sprinting.
2. How well you stuck to the target power.
3. Yep.
4. Dunno.
5. The trainer estimates cadence by looking for power peaks.
I've a question, why when on the turbo do my strengths and weaknesses seem to swap?
Being over 96 kg, in real life I'm stronger on the flats and downhill than climbs obviously. I'm not a terrible climber and when I had a singlespeed I could stomp up most stuff but obviously I'm definitely stronger on the flat.
In Zwift I seem to be way stronger on the climbs than on the flat, it's like I run out of gears.
I also struggle on a climb when the trainer goes past it's maximum gradient the resistance feels too low and I have to spin faster than I'd want to maintain power.
It's a Tacx flow, I have noticed the cadence is no where near correct, which made the MTB low cadence training impossible.
Are you using your MTB on the trainer?
Ultimately you might need to change to a smaller cassette.
On my road bike, unfortunately. I think I just need a better than entry level trainer.
It’s a Tacx flow, I have noticed the cadence is no where near correct, which made the MTB low cadence training impossible.
I've got a wheel-on BKool, and had the same problem which I solved by getting a cheap Ant+ cadence sensor. The BKool estimation was way off and basically completely useless. I'm not sure if it's the case with the Flow, but the BKool is also pretty crap if you stand up - the back wheel slips on the roller and the power sensor takes a couple of seconds to adjust.
@Houns - get something like this and mount it on a block of wood?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/VOSAREA-Mountain-Release-Bicycle-Transporting/dp/B08DV742CV/ref=sr_1_3_sspa?crid=151EJSLRZ8MUP&dchild=1&keywords=quick+release+fork+mount
Couple of questions from the session I’ve just done. I rode knickerbocker, I haven’t changed any of my settings however on some of the descents the trainer resistance really kicked in, then the opposite on some of the climbs the resistance really backed off. How come? My previous 4/5 rides since I first started haven’t done this
Secondly is there anyway of seeing how many km you have left on a ride?
Mogrim I think that’s going to have to be my solution
Hmm do I need to RTFM? I’ve just done a workout/training plan, ‘back to fitness up and down’. The cool downs were harder than the actual ramps... I had to stay a steady 70 watts for 5 minutes, however the resistance on my trainer cranked right up that I had to shift in to 1st gear and pedal at 28rpm (counted whilst using the timer) and I could only manage to get my watts down to the high 80’s due to the resistance being so high. What’s going on here? Same with my point above, I would’ve thought the resistance would’ve backed right off? (I was in erg mode for the training)
You're in erg mode, the slower you pedal the harder the resistance gets. It's stupid and I hate it. Speed up, and the resistance will fall away.
Erg mode doesn't keep the resistance constant, it keeps the power you need to generate constant. So if you slow down, it has to increase the resistance.
Ok I get that for the training plans (even though that means pedalling for 70 watts is a harder effort than pedalling for 150 watts) but for my previous post it was happening on a normal route, I hadn’t changed any of the settings since the previous rides where I didn’t have this issue at all....So now when I hit the descent and expect a breather I’ve got to really crank the pedals to move along
0-100W is a really difficult range for most turbo trainers. It sounds like it might be worth re-calibrating it because 70W as a target seems unusually low - it's the bike equivalent of a very slow walking pace.
You could try a custom workout with some steps ranging from 50W > 200W and see if it behaves as you'd expect.
Erg mode problems can be powered through usually... or anticipated so change gear just before cadence change required... I was in same boat pedalling squares and ready to sell turbo but with a bit of practice you can overcome it!
Cheers for the tips, I’ll have another spin later and have a play around with it
Anyone running a mini PC for Zwift? Just wondering what sort of graphics performance I'd need.
Houns, dump the erg mode - it's kack. What you were in there was a death spiral, saved by only needing 70 watts. Imagine what it would've done if you'd needed double/treble that.
Scotroutes, graphics is pretty much all zwift needs, I believe, although I think they advise/require a certain level of chip too. Should be some minimum spec up somewhere if you google (they used to have a sort of checker page where you could type in your kit)
Agreed re the erg mode, I only use this during training, it makes my training plan impossible as I just have to skip past the cool down/rest periods (or just keeping spinning along at 100+ watts for a rest) I have since done a calibration via the Tacx utility app, the calibration on Zwift just doesn’t work, the issue I was getting during regular route riding seems to have improved
How do you add a pace partner mid ride?
If you are riding a route used by Pace Partners, you will get a pre-warning up the top of your screen that a PP juggernaut is approaching, for instance the ~2.5W/Kg Coco Cadence on the Tempus Fugit course. Simply join the juggernaut and if you want the XP multiplier, don't stray too far ahead or behind the pace partner (which I find is easier said than done).
I have two followers / friends on Zwift. Get me, Mr Popular. I'm quite happy for them to follow me and, I guess, at some point we might do a social ride or race together. I was pretty surprised last night though to learn that they get a notification on their phones the second I hop on my turbo.
How on earth do I turn this off? I don't wear a tinfoil hat but there is no reason why I would want to share with them the second I start a workout.