Stupid Zwift questions thread

You need the Zwift Companion app

Ah - right. Thanks!

I [I]think[/I] you can follow people you've interacted with during a ride (given or received Ride On) at the end of the ride from the main app, but yeah much easy from Companion as you can actively search them out for stalking purposes 😂

How do you give people Ride On though? And what does it do apart from giving everyone a warm glow?

Ooh ooh ooh, I have a stupid Zwift question!

I've seen that folks lie about their weight but can't get my head around why. Shirley it just falsely up's their W/kg and so makes them have to race in the higher class of race than the one they should be in, no? Or does Zwift actually make whippets faster and chubsters slower, everything else being equal?

The reason I ask is when I joined I put in the weight I was at the time - 85kg. Having weighed myself again yesterday it turns out I've lost 5kg somewhere along the way. So does this mean I've been cheating myself and been slowed down and I'm now going to effortlessly zoom up the Alpe?

No I don't do the races so it is of hee-haw importance to anything. It was just a general wonderment.

ratherbeintobago

How do you give people Ride On though? And what does it do apart from giving everyone a warm glow?

Warm glow, just as you say (like kudos in strava) - there are a few badges or whatever they are called, so you get one if you give 10 ride-ons in one session etc. But again, they don't really do anything.

There are several ways you can give ride ons.

In the game, you see the ride-on symbol appear next to someone's name if they complete a challenge or finished a workout, gets a PB etc. clicking on that will send them a ride-on.
You can select someone's name in the riders list in-game & this will then make you 'follow' them - so you see what they are up to basically. You can then give them a ride-on by clicking the symbol that appears. 'back to me' takes you back to your avatar.
That's all on a laptop. I imagine tablet is similar.
On the companion app you can see people you follow who are zwifting. You can either send individuals a ride-on, or if you select the ride-on symbol on the home screen that will send it to all people you follow who are currently riding.

Or does Zwift actually make whippets faster and chubsters slower, everything else being equal?

The reason I ask is when I joined I put in the weight I was at the time – 85kg. Having weighed myself again yesterday it turns out I’ve lost 5kg somewhere along the way. So does this mean I’ve been cheating myself and been slowed down and I’m now going to effortlessly zoom up the Alpe?

Yeah, Zwift takes into account your weight. You'll notice it mostly on hills.
If you weight 90kg and can generate 200W for an hour, your w/kg will be 2.22w/kg
If you decide to cheat & put your weight in as 75kg, then your w/kg will be 2.67w/kg - so you'll be faster in game.

Updating your weight by removing the 5kg you have lost will make you faster in the game.

The internets suggest deliberate weight underestimation is common in Zwift, though TBH I can't see the point.

cheaterz gonna cheat.... 🙄

annoyingly, even for kids the minimum weight is 45kg... so my last is punching above his class as he's only 38kg!

ratherbeintobago ... search "stw" in the rider list and you'll come up with a load of us, from the weeksy rides...

DrP

Here are mine:-

- when you are on a workout plan why can't you pause it?
- how do those riders who ride through walls or six inches into the pavement do it?
- how can you all type so fast when putting out 250+ watts?
- where are all the tubbys?
- does anyone honestly care about levelling up to get apparel?
- what does it mean when someone passes me with a turbo trainer still attached to their bike?
- why would you want to "just watch"?
- who are these people I don't know who give me a "ride on" every single ride I ever do?

Ooh! Those are good ones.

On a related note to the people with a turbo attached, why do some people appear to have a big map in front of their bars?

@DrP Ta!

Here are mine:-

– when you are on a workout plan why can’t you pause it?
Not that I've seen...
– how can you all type so fast when putting out 250+ watts?
Phone companion app mounted on bars
– where are all the tubbys?
*waves*
– does anyone honestly care about levelling up to get apparel?
Yeah, I bought myself a Pinarello for hanging with the cool kids
– what does it mean when someone passes me with a turbo trainer still attached to their bike?
When we do the meet ups, everybody is on a turbo before it starts - something like that maybe?
– why would you want to “just watch”?
Yeah, dunno
– who are these people I don’t know who give me a “ride on” every single ride I ever do?
Randoms.

On a related note to the people with a turbo attached, why do some people appear to have a big map in front of their bars?

It means they are doing a workout.

– does anyone honestly care about levelling up to get apparel?

I certainly do. It's all I live for at the moment.

On a related note to the people with a turbo attached, why do some people appear to have a big map in front of their bars?

That's the companion app I think.

edit

It means they are doing a workout.

Ah, you live and learn. That makes sense...

As a Zwift newbie this thread is an excellent source of answers (or soon to be answers to many of my questions).

Others:

- Where are the routes that 'require' a mountainbike?

- When are the best times to use the boosters?

- Does buying new frame / wheels actually translate to much?

Does buying new frame / wheels actually translate to much?

https://zwiftinsider.com/category/reference/frames-wheels

DaveB workout pause - I found this out last night. Press the up arrow and a series of options come up including pause ( no idea what any of the other options are). All your other questions are valid and a mystery to me.

Took me a whil to realise what the map/training plans on the handlebars were..initially I thought they were baskets and some people were playing with some form of shopping expansion pack

Why on FTP builder (with ERG automatically on) do I need to exceed 110 rpm to maintain 135 watts regardless of what gear I am in. Whereas in a race a more normal cadence of 85rpm in the higher gears generates 175 watts

Thanks

In ERG mode, If you drop to 85rpm, or less, you should still be putting out 135w. The faster you pedal, the less resistance it adds to get you to the target power/output. (I’m currently doing workouts that are the same power, at different RPMs. The lower the rpm, the harder it feels to get the same power output as pedalling faster.)

That’s useful info on a workout, I’ve wanted that functionality for ages!

If you’re feeling particularly lonely, you can ‘read’ the map boards as you go past to see what Zone the rider is in and how many watts they are putting out 😉

Yeah I do enjoy peeking at people work outs, what zwift needs is a pulling people's brake button, but only worked with people you're following .

I think you can pause the workout of you have it open in the companion app.

@jaminb - I've only tried workouts a couple of times, but I've found zwift's implementation of ERG to be a bit finnicky. Sometimes stopping pedalling and then restarting sort that. It's certainly not the same kind of experience I'm used to from TrainerRoad.

– how can you all type so fast when putting out 250+ watts?

This is my big question. Even using the app on my phone there's no way I can engage with the written chat at anything other than a low effort level.

When are the best times to use the boosters

They can be a huge help in crit city. 20 min red line effort, think it is 7 laps and in principle you can get one every lap (although you don't in practice). The draft boost is 30 secs which is like oxygen to a drowning man if you're in the red zone.

I think you can pause the workout of you have it open in the companion app.

I don’t mean while you are doing it. I mean so that you can have a break for a few days.

– when you are on a workout plan why can’t you pause it?

I think people saying about pausing are missing the question.

I'm doing a 5 week MTB training plan, I was nightshift for a couple of days and so didn't complete a couple of workouts before they expired. You can't, as far as I can find, tell it you need a couple of days off.

Just thought of another as I pedalled around NYC.

I currently have my 1x10 gravel bike hooked up.  It has a 38T front ring.  I suspect I am missing out on top end speed on long flats and especially DH as I seem to push more watts uphill and spin higher cadence than I'd like at time, especially going down.  I could be pushing a higher gear, thus more watts.  Would I be correct in this thought?

Not much I can change under the lockdown as using this bike as I have a spare seatpin I can swap out with my wife's big gel saddle for her spinning.  But longer term wondering if I'll benefit from getting a cassette compatible with my roadbike for higher gearing?

More of a tech support q from me.

I open the app (on MacBook), sign in and click ‘let’s go’. The zwiftapp opens and immediately closes, bringing an error message telling me thus. I click reopen, it opens and off I go for a session of virtual fun.

Except now it’s not reopening, I’m just stuck in a loop of clicking reopen, the logo flashing up and disappearing, showing the error message. I’ve restarted the MacBook, I’ve uninstalled and reinstalled the app, no joy.

What am I doing wrong?

(Weirdly, recently a couple of times it’s requested access to ‘my documents’ which I’ve declined. Why’s that?)

Edit: just done the update. Back to normal now (first paragraph)

– does anyone honestly care about levelling up to get apparel?

I apparently unlocked new socks today 😁

I just bought a Shiv and some 808’s.

Almost all my zwifting is done on a workout mode, will I feel teh awesumz of the aero advantage in ERG mode?

Obviously Strava bragging is much better if I could add a few kph to my activities.

You can get voice to text I think, not tried it though as I don't talk while on the trainer, just groan

was on zwift yesterday doing the Mountain Route, and when crossing the bridge just before Italian villas some dude comes past at, no joke, about 200mph.....
like a Hyabusa he was.

how/ why/ how/wtaf...?!

DrP

Almost all my zwifting is done on a workout mode, will I feel teh awesumz of the aero advantage in ERG mode?

Yes, you will, more aero virtual Zwift components mean you go faster for the same power output.

@DrP I think there’s some bug that takes air resistance out in certain circs. They apparently know about this and are going to address.

Next one from me - now I’ve worked out how to follow people etc. is there a way of sharing my profile on SoMe so other people can follow if so inclined?

– how do those riders who ride through walls or six inches into the pavement do it?

I'm pretty sure this is a lag issue. Your end or theirs though I don't know. Fortunately zwift doesn't yet have a way to produce real world consequences of hitting a kerb at 30mph.

– how can you all type so fast when putting out 250+ watts

My typing is rubbish, power output doesn't change that, however it turns out I can turbo "look mum no hands" pretty well. I'm not sure if this is considered to be taboo.

– where are all the tubbys?

Plenty of them, they just put their weight in at 60kg on July races. Do a flat race though and you'll find plenty of 20st+ folks ripping cats C and D apart.

– does anyone honestly care about levelling up to get apparel?

Well what else are we doing at the moment? Is rather be in the pub but you know, when life hands you lemons.

– what does it mean when someone passes me with a turbo trainer still attached to their bike?

Probably a lag thing, they'll be joining an event and zwift is still rendering them in the old world whilst they "hang on". That or you're going backwards and they're really stationery.

– why would you want to “just watch”?

It allows you to look at all that apparel you earned whilst you're in the office waiting for the phone to ring as your customers are on furlough.

– who are these people I don’t know who give me a “ride on” every single ride I ever do?

It's the zwift equivalent of making eye contact with and wiggling your eyebrows at a stranger in a bar. Basically you're being swiped right by some bloke who lies about his performance and gets sweaty sitting at home in front of his computer. It's just like the real world.

– Where are the routes that ‘require’ a mountainbike?

The MTB route with steering is off Titans Grove, accessed from the north, easiest way in I found was to start on Muir and the Mountains and it shows as a turning to the right with a ? in the box after a couple of miles. The steering sensitivity is way too high though so I suggest turning it right down.

The jungle loop is faster on a MTB than a road bike (and gravel bike I think) bit doesn't have the steering option.

Almost all my zwifting is done on a workout mode, will I feel teh awesumz of the aero advantage in ERG mode?

Yes, you will, more aero virtual Zwift components mean you go faster for the same power output.

Well! Results are in and that was a waste of a million sweat points.

Yesterday on climber: avg 182w 76m climbing 54:19 34.1kph
Today on Shiv with 808’s: avg 185w 51m climbing 1:01:04 33.6kph

Obviously the draft you pick up on the road outweighs the aero benefits. Looks like I’ll be saving up for that s5.

How do I get a SP refund? 🤣

does anyone honestly care about levelling up to get apparel?

No, was only interested in levelling up to unlock the Alpe, and when I got to level 12 they reduced it to level 6. I do wear my 100mile spin top with pride though. And extra grin as I did it on a route with 2k meters climbing (excuse the metric and imperial combination).

I've got one...some zwifters I see have a heart rate graph at the bottom of their screens, they can see when they are going into the red etc. Is that dependent on what version / platform you are using as I don't have it? Or is it something you can add by pressing a certain button?

Just curious...

Isn’t the graph at the bottom of the screen that goes from green to red the power based on ftp? There is a thin red line above that for HR. I’ve only done workouts though so this may be different for just riding.

Maybe it's a workout thing, I've not done those. All I know is that I don't have any graphs at the bottom of my screen on the laptop, some people seem to have it.

I can only see graphs once I review my ride in the companion app.

I'm sure I read somewhere that the trainer attached to your bike was a calibration test / spin down indicator.

But probably that's b******s.

The G key will toggle the in ride graph on or off.

Why is zwift so bad at rendering gradient? Everything between -2 & 2% looks flat, 3-10% all looks the same. A lot of gentle downhills actually look like up hills.

The G key will toggle the in ride graph on or off.

Cheers Mossimus, interesting...I'll try that out when I next ride

Does anyone know how you tell how far round a loop you are?

Does anyone know how you tell how far round a loop you are?

I don't think there is a way. It's bugged me for a while. I have to look up the route distance on Zwift Insider. Even then it's only vaguely accurate. The lead ins to the start of routes can vary so some routes end up a couple of km longer than stated.

Although some routes do have the little blue bar at the bottom of the central info box showing the amount completed. Like during group ride.

@10 Thanks, it’s a bit odd. The random lead-in doesn’t help, does it?

And on the randomness front, have just had a weird error where the speed and HR sensors declined to connect to my iPad, while the cadence one connected fine.

Anyone else seen this/have any suggestions?