Certainly try it, but it might not fit. How big is the tyre?

You can wind the adjuster out on the Snap so it has about 4″ clearance, so i’m pretty sure it will fit with ease… I have realised though i’ll need to pick up a 2nd 29er rear QR wheel now as i sold the rubbish Bontrager i had for the rear, which i could have easily used for this idea. But i’ll ideally find a nice cheap 29er/CX Tubeless compatible rear as i prefer to run without tubes if possible now.

I would hazard a guess that it would be an entirely different experience on a smart trainer and probably more beneficial when it come to real riding fitness.

Yes, Zwift is good anyway but with a smart trainer it’s 10x better. Just more immersive/fun & like you say more relevant to real world riding. No way would I want to go back now!

weeksy

@Nath, maybe mate, maybe… i just don’t want to waste my time at the moment riding it and being blown out in 1 lap… The segment i tried on yesterday and the time associated shows me i still have a lot to work on
https://www.strava.com/segments/9719730?filter=overall
Sure, i can sit here and get hung up on power, stats, times and figures and they don’t actually matter… of course, i get that… But the times i can do are indicative of my actual speed/abilty…so of course, they’re directly related to my ability to ride quickly.

You’re comparing against racing times there though, not individual attempts up it.

If you’re using Zwift as a benchmark for crit racing, I reckon a sub 6:20 lap of this would see you in the pack: https://www.strava.com/segments/14032406?filter=overall

If you’re using Zwift as a benchmark for crit racing, I reckon a sub 6:20 lap of this would see you in the pack: https://www.strava.com/segments/14032406?filter=overall

Currently Zwift is all i have to go on… None of the lads i know (You or CH) ride anywhere else that i’d ride other than Zwift.
CH does venture out at times and it would of course make sense for me to hook up with him for a ride or 2. It may not answer all of the questions, but if we’re on a flat section of road and he pulls away from me… I know there and then, i’m not ready.

Assuming that’s a lap i can put in on the drop down menu etc, i’ll have a try at it in the next few weeks… Of course, you have to remember though, one 6m 20 is ok…. but 10 of them on the bounce… is more like what’s potetntially needed.

My time yesterday was part of a general ride, sure i attacked it, but it’s not like i started the ride there and ended 3 mins later and got off the bike 🙂 But i do get your point.

Either way.. i’m still not convninced i’m ready or able.

@weeksy – Yeah it’s just called “Volcano CW Circuit” or something like that.

I reckon 9 laps on the TT bike at av 6:20 lap.

How I dervived that:
288W – 5:55
226W – 6:42
Hillingdon = 260W

We’ll have to get something sorted for when the weather comes good!

Finally got my classic trainer setup running with speed + cadence and a bluetooth heart rate monitor.

1st impression – revelation, first time I’ve spent more than about 15 mins on a turbo trainer as it was so boring

2nd impression – FTP threshold test was fairly horrific!

2.6 w/kg to start with.. I want to up that by April but I’m not sure of a realistic target. Also will be down about 5kg by then

I’ve been playing about with Zwift for a little while now and thinking of joining the KISS race on Tuesday eve.

After a test last night in a “Ride and Race” (ZwiftPower), I was pushing as hard as I could lost the pack and came in 44/48; had a 95% power output of 2.62 w/kg, so think I’m in the C class… will anyone else from here be on?

You’re likely to get a few STWers in for that mate yes…. It’s fairly common a race series/time/day for STWers.

I’m trying to stay away from racing for another couple of weeks…. but i’d expect i’ll be out on the course anyway as Liverpool are playing Chelsea and i’ll be watching while riding.

from twitter:

London calling! We’re on the look out for a male Zwifter, 20-35 yrs, to feature in a photo shoot this Wednesday. Are you our guy?

DM us for more details. We’ll provide kit, cover expenses and pay a day rate for your time. Ride On!

@GoZwift

thinking of joining the KISS race on Tuesday eve.

I have that pencilled in for tomorrow unless work gets in the way. Also in C

thinking of joining the KISS race on Tuesday eve.

I usually do the Tuesday 8pm Kiss race, CAT D, although last time I was 2.49w/KG and came 4th so it won’t be long until i’m in CAT C.

I have that pencilled in for tomorrow unless work gets in the way. Also in C

I usually do the Tuesday 8pm Kiss race, CAT D, although last time I was 2.49w/KG and came 4th so it won’t be long until i’m in CAT C.

Cheers folks – more incentive to get on it if I’ve got people expecting to see me there 🙂

Add STW onto your name so we can cry when you pass us!

Normally a bit late for me but might have a crack at the KISS tomorrow if there’s a load of us doing it!

EVR at 1940 tonight for me I think.

Add STW onto your name so we can cry when you pass us!

Yep – I’ll do that, Be good to see a few STW’s on there
… but suspect I’ll be the one being passed when my ‘hamster heart’ kicks in!

I’ll try do the KISS one tomorrow night too, not in my usual category though 😈

Yeah, I’ll do tomorrow too. Generally do Tues/Thurs KISS rides if I can. My last performance was terrible, I seem to be going backwards, I’ll be content with mid-D bracket.

EVR at 1940 tonight for me I think.

Boom. 10th on the live results. Might make up a few when the sandbaggers get DQ’d.

Is there a new Elites cat Nath? 😀

You’ll get DQ’d for down-catting 😉

I’ll be in the KISS ride tomorrow

boom boom. 6th. although I have the same time as 5th and he was clearly cruising with an FTP of 300w/3.8W/Kg. No wonder I got outsprinted on the line.

Slapped up the “difficulty” to max tonight and did volcano>mountain. About 15mins into the climb the Tacx Flow started cutting out at random intervals for a few seconds at a time. Jumping off and having a feel, the thing was red hot. I popped the difficulty down to about 3/4 and it seemed to sort it out, after it had cooled down. I guess the brake unit can’t handle the sustained high resistance 😐 Bit disappointing.

crosshair
Is there a new Elites cat Nath?

You’ll get DQ’d for down-catting

Elite? I’m going to B – that’s where I belong at the moment.

Good Nathan, i’ll try drafting you
i didn’t think you could “down grade” from A to B ?

Nope. KISS is strictly a one way street!!!!

We don’t want any old Tom Dick and Nath in the B Cat anyway 😀

CATS and what you need to know about them
—————————————————————

Since the early days of racing on Zwift we have had arbitrary Cats to subdivide the mass start races. They exist to help people to form into groups of approximately the same ability, give people an indication of whether the person in front is worth chasing etc. In short they are a mechanism to make the races more interesting and fun for participants.
FTP W/kg isn’t perfect but currently it is the best simple metric with good correlation to race time across different course types.

To identify which Cat you are in you need to know your FTP and your weight. Zwift gives you a couple of options here, it will estimate your FTP based upon the best 20 minute effort it sees and then multiplies this by 0.95 to give you an estimated FTP. There are also a couple of FTP tests in workout mode that will give you a more accurate estimate of your FTP. You simply divide your FTP in Watts by your weight. This will give you a figure between about 1 and 5 W/kg. Your profile on Zwift Power (http://www.zwiftpower.com/v2/ click on the riders tab at the top and search for your name) will also suggest an estimated FTP based upon the average of 95% of your best 3 twenty minute race efforts. Zwift Power will also indicate in the race results if your estimated FTP is over the W/kg requirement for your selected Cat as shown by the grey FTP icon below:

This isn’t an enforced upgrade, we understand that the estimate can be skewed by rides with bad set ups and incorrectly calibrated equipment.

The KISS categories are listed below:

Cat. A: 4.0 W/kg FTP or higher.
Cat. B: 3.2 W/kg to 3.99 W/kg FTP
Cat. C: 2.5 W/kg to 3.19 W/kg FTP
Cat. D: Under 2.49 W/kg FTP

There appears to be some confusion about how this works on a practical level within Zwift and KISS races in particular.

Firstly within KISS it is a one way system, you go up. That’s it (with the exception of a set up change e.g. going from Zpower to a Tacx Neo, in which case contact the race organisers first before changing your Cat.). Feeling out of shape is not a reason to drop a Cat, wanting an easy race is not a reason to drop a Cat. If spotted riding as a lower Cat you will be DQ’d in the results (and we are working on a way to do that automatically).

To spell it out plainly, I don’t expect people who know they are A’s and B’s to race in the starter races, obviously if it is your first race then it isn’t a problem but please upgrade for the next race.

Secondly the system is based upon your FTP value NOT your race performance, your race performance is a lagging indicator of your FTP. It is our only way of saying “well done you’ve been promoted.” We don’t have access to your FTP in Zwift and we rely on people to self police in the community to a certain extent. There is no way you should be getting anywhere near a 20 minute effort that will improve your FTP value as shown by Zwift in a 1 hour race, IF your FTP is entered correctly. Remember that the 20 minute effort in an FTP is an ALL OUT effort which will leave you empty and unable to continue if you are doing it right. If you are towards the top of your Cat based upon a 20 minute race effort you almost certainly are ALREADY over the boundary line into the next Cat and should consider upgrading. We shouldn’t have to nag people to upgrade, it is easy enough to find out your FTP in Zwift and we need racers to take responsibility for choosing the correct Category. As organisers it simply isn’t practical for us to check everyone manually.

boom boom. 6th. although I have the same time as 5th and he was clearly cruising with an FTP of 300w/3.8W/Kg. No wonder I got outsprinted on the line

6th ! Nice…. well done…

It seems i’ve got a lot of comeback work to match some of the STWer recent result.

Gentle 90 mins tonight for me, well, about 3/4 race pace i’m planning for overall.

Anyone else doing the 6:30 ZTR race tonight?

6th ! Nice…. well done…

I think the EVR cat limits suit me. C is limited to 3.2 W/Kg which meant I was near the front and competitive which was nice. plus there was a good strong group right up until the bottom of the KoM climb when it all splintered.

I think the EVR cat limits suit me. C is limited to 3.2 W/Kg which meant I was near the front and competitive which was nice. plus there was a good strong group right up until the bottom of the KoM climb when it all splintered.

I’m hoping with the new turbo i’m somewhere not a million miles away from that. I can certainly hope to be around that for 30mins… whether i can for 50 mins, not so sure yet… we’ll see in a few weeks. I have to admit, i’m missing the racing at the moment.

Apart from a freak 2.7 which was probably down to poor turbo set up most my races give me a w/kg of 2.4-2.5. I did managed to average 3.4 w/kg up Box Hill so I just need to translate that to longer distances…

Here’s a fairly random question.

What effect will lower pressure tyres have on performance ? I’m going to run my Parkwood with a Hybrid type tyre fitted for some longer distance practice rides, but that will only inflate i guess to somethign in the 70’s, maybe 80psi at a push… How will that affect things do you rekon ?
I won’t be timing or pushing myself as such, it’s just from a comfort perspective and to simulate some rides i have planned for the coming year.

does the wahoo do a rolldown calibration? as long as you do that it should compensate.

I assume you mean within zwift rather than IRL?

jam bo – Member

does the wahoo do a rolldown calibration? as long as you do that it should compensate.

Yup… That’s good then 🙂

GolfChick – Member

I assume you mean within zwift rather than IRL?

Yes, for this discussion. IRL it will be on gravel/Ridgeway, but i’ve got a couple of 100 mile events planned, so thought it makes some sense doing a certain amount of turbo work on the bike i’ll be using for the events. My road bike doesn’t go outdoors.

andeh – Member

Slapped up the “difficulty” to max tonight and did volcano>mountain. About 15mins into the climb the Tacx Flow started cutting out at random intervals for a few seconds at a time. Jumping off and having a feel, the thing was red hot. I popped the difficulty down to about 3/4 and it seemed to sort it out, after it had cooled down. I guess the brake unit can’t handle the sustained high resistance Bit disappointing.

While it’s not ideal, you could always get a little desk fan & aim it at the Flow Smart if you didn’t want to run it at max realism….

I was considering trying it on max realism, but perhaps I won’t bother…

I suspect the problem is that the Flow Smart can’t go above 6% I think in real gradient terms. So, if you put the realism up to max & go up a hill (the mountain) that maintains >6% the brake will be constantly at ‘max’ – which I guess is going to make it hot. There’s that little fan on the end of the motor shaft, but it doesn’t look like it shifts a lot of air.

Tyre up to max recommend pressure. X2 full turns once the roller touches. Then perform a normal spin down. I assume that you did an advanced spin down when you set it up the first time from new. Don’t repeat this.

I assume that you did an advanced spin down when you set it up the first time from new. Don’t repeat this.

No, the new Snaps don’t allow/need the advanced Spindown. The option has been removed from the App (I assume based upon your Firmware). I was looking for it and very confused when i collected and spoke to Wahoo on live chat and they informed me the Advanced Spindown is done in-house now.

@CH Was all that for me? 😆

I knew I’d be DQ’d, wasn’t racing for that, but to keep with some fellow STWers.

I’m bailing on tonight, doing the BRS TT at 7:05pm instead as 8pm is just too late for me.