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How are you measuring that FTP @richardkennerley? Join zwiftpower, race in B, see how it goes, ride in the category is puts you in. Whatever: go hard from the start it'll settle.
@v7fmp zp has you in C now. Go win some races.
@savoyad - you totally correct, i was working from the cat that Rob puts me in during the STW zwift races. I dont feel so bad now! 😀
@richardkennerley, similar stats to me.
Don't bother with Cat 'D', Cat 'C' you should be at the front, Cat 'B' you'll be at the back.
I've been trying these on a Monday night "Team TFC Mad Monday Race Series (low-end categories) (B)", which is aimed at 3.2-3.6 w/kg, so gets rid of the faster riders.
Still come near the back though 🙁
P.
@savoyad FTP was initially measured at a gym I went to. It's them crept up a little over the past 2 years or so. Recent FTP tests have been done via trainer road and zwift. They've all been relatively close to each other so no anomalous jumps
Ride report! Started in cat c. Went hard from the start and led the way for about a minute, then wondered where everyone was and soon got overtaken! Kept in the pack for a while but knew straight away the pace was too quick for me.
Got dropped after a couple of laps. One group D rider caught me after a while, the rest stayed 3-4 minutes behind. I kept plugging away, then picked up on a group B rider dropping down the ranks so aimed to catch him, but he dropped out before I got him.
Finished 13 out of 18 in the end, but last in category. Although, zwift has now upped my FTP to 232! 🤓
Bonkers. Will try cat D next time, see what happens!
But you aren't cat D @richardkennerley. If you move down to cat D you are just ruining it for all the genuine Ds. You are a (fairly lightweight) B - that new FTP is pushing you into mid B even.
What course were you racing? Honestly you'll have a better experience if you join zwiftpower (filters sandbaggers from the results) and get a sense of what kind of course suit you.
@savoyad it was a flat route, volcano circuit I think. Just picked it because it was a convenient time. There was only 5 in cat C. There was no way I could keep up that pace for an entire race though, I could feel how it was easier when in the pack, but as soon as I was dropped, that was it.
I did start the log in process for zwift power let night, but there was more steps than I was expecting, I'll sort that out today.
Not bothered about doing racing for the competitive speedy, more just keeping it interesting, doing something different.
You're very light with decent power but to match your weight
You're racing with guys who also have 3+ w/kg but they're 80 or 90 kg. They'll kill you on the flat every time
Zwift racing is not just about FTP! (if it were, there'd be no point racing as Zwift could just automatically determine the results without anyone turning a pedal). There's a massive amount of racecraft which takes time to learn. Looking at ZP, in my last race (back in April!!) the 3 guys behind me all had 20 watts on me at a similar weight!Bonkers. Will try cat D next time, see what happens!
IMO being light with decent power is ideal (except dead flat races of course!) as you can usually hang on in the draft but then make some moves on the climbs. The trick is learning how to draft whilst conserving energy, and also maximising the effectiveness of powerups (if applicable).
Maybe try some Crit races? They're short & great fun and provide ample opportunity for strategy! Also some of them (Zwift HQ ones) have an "anti-sandbagging" feature which cuts down somewhat (not totally) on people racing in too low a category.
Also defo get involved with Robbo's STW Racing League which he's just announced on another thread! Great fun and normally some good racing as you'll find some similarly matched people to tussle with.
I joined a maap ride in cat c going by the numbers I'm lower end of cat. After 5 mins the red beacon was way past me and I'd been averaging 3.8 which should have put me at the top of the ride cat.
I thought Cat C in the MAAP rides series was all for women?
Nope, well they let me ride. That's not really helped my fragile male ego if true.
Not sure if this has been asked but trying to decide between Zwift and Trainerroad. I know trainer road you could shuffle workouts about (move days or shorten them from 90 to 60 minutes) but can you do this on Zwift now? Works gym is quite busy and to be honest anything more than an hour on a trainer kills me. For the flexability I'm thinking TR but if i can shorten the workouts and the timeline for the work outs is no longer ridgid in Zwift I might be tempted back to it.
I'm pretty sure in the back of my mind I know the answer from the last time I used Zwift but it keeps hiding.
Thanks in advance!
@daviek not been using zwift all that long so you'll probably get a better answer, but no one's bitten yet!
From my limited experience :
If you sign up to an actual training programme then you are given X number of workouts per week, it seems you can pick which order you do them in within the week, but once the week ticks over, you get the next lotmof workouts.
If you just flick through the individual workout menu instead, there are training programmes you can follow where you just pick the next workout from the list each time you go on.
When You're actually doing a workout, you can swipe away each segment you're on, skipping to the next one, thereby shortening the workout.
Can't say how this stacks up against trainer road, not had long term experience of that either!!
Thanks for the reply Richard, I'm also looking at the new Wahoo SYSTM set up which looks interesting and also has a 14 day trial so might give that a go.
@daviek - what it sounds like you want to do is a limitation of the Zwift workout plans & a lot of people grumble about it.
Once you start the plan, it just kind of rolls along with not many options to swap things round or pause them.
But, it is very easy to just search for individual workouts & make your own plan from these.
There is a website called whatsonzwift that allows you to search for workouts with filters (such as "<60mins")
https://whatsonzwift.com/workouts
It also has non-Zwift custom workouts that I think you can download & add to the Zwift folder on your device to do those as well.
Holy thread resurrection batman.
Finally got a rear wheel with a trainer tyre fitted for using with my Tacx Flow. No excuses now....
Couple of things; I need to do an FTP test, but my fitness is so poor I'll probably not complete it properly. Should I just do one anyway?
What type of rides should I be doing? At the moment I'm just picking a ride that is anywhere between 30m and an hour long, and fairly small elevation. I'm noticing that my avg speeds are quite high, it doesn't feel right compared to the effort that I would be putting in on an actual road ride. Will I be getting god gains over time by just doing random rides or should I do more specific rides?
I'd say my w/kg is about 1.7/1.8 or so on average.
@stcolin - have you calibrated the Tacx Flow using the Tacx app? It can make quite a difference if it goes out of calibration.
The app is a bit (very) crap as if the calibration is a long way out it will just tell you it's failed without telling you whether it was too loose or tight.
It is worth persevering with though.
Regarding the FTP test, just try a ramp test (within Zwift) & see how you get on. They are much easier to achieve than the standard test.
Or put the FTP value really low in your profile and do a hard ride for 30mins or so. Zwift will then workout your FTP based in that.
Regarding how 'easy' the trainer feels, Zwift defaults to trainer difficulty of 50% which I would probably leave there for the Tacx Flow. Because it can't replicate steep gradients (max 6% I think), if you set it much higher it will be maxxed out more of the time.
I used to have a Tacx Flow and while it is easier than being on the road, the constant nature of riding on Zwift should enable you to see good fitness improvements.
You should certainly be able to work hard enough to properly tire yourself out.
Regarding what rides to do....it's up to you really, but perhaps sort by elevation and choose something with a decent mix of climbing.
Are you currently free riding or choosing workouts? I used to mainly do free rides and get a workout through chasing people and then trying to stay ahead etc.
Thanks for the reply @stumpy01
Yes, I did have it calibrated but I think it was adjusted. I was amazed how difficult it was to clamp the roller with the correct calibration. I will redo it again.
I'll try a ramp test tonight.
I'm just selecting a place to ride and then selecting a route within that to suit what distance/elevation I want. I haven't dived into all the other training options yet.
Do rocker plates like the £200 Prime one significantly reduce noise and vibration to rooms underneath?
What dictates whether your avatar is on the tops or on the drops? Mine is pretty much always on the tops but all the avatars around me are on the drops. Doesn't seem to matter whether I'm faster/slower, more or less W/kg than everyone else, different bikes etc.
And is using the Apple TV remote to try and select a workout from the list of workouts the most frustrating thing ever invented?
What dictates whether your avatar is on the tops or on the drops?
You'll be on the tops when you're drafting someone and in the drops when catching up. It's a way to let you know when you're in the slipstream. I have no opinion on Apple TV though.
I think riding on the drops kicks in when not drafting above ~33Kph.
One exception is no animation for this happens on the Tron bike.
The Apple TV remote is a right pain in the arse. Far too sensitive even on the least sensitive setting!
What I've seen in large groups in the TDZ is that I'm on the hoods and everyone else is in the drops. I think that might be so that it's easier to recognise your avatar.
@stcolin - If you want to improve I really recommend you get into doing some workouts and races rather than just riding around.
The workouts are tailored to your FTP from the ramp test and you can choose them based on him much time you have available - even just 30mins. You can choose where you want to ride, then choose a workout so you can do the workout wherever you want. If you want to bring more structure to your training later, you can choose one of the workout programs with a progressive series of workouts to do every week.
Races are categorised by FTP per kW. At 1.8W/kg you’ll be in the easiest cat: D. But as a newbie you’ll probably improve quite quickly. Races are an intense workout but good fun, and there’s lots to learn about tactics.
Do rocker plates like the £200 Prime one significantly reduce noise and vibration to rooms underneath?
nowhere near as much as a decent thickess spongy mat, I suspect
Only just found this thread, it's answered so many questions 🤣
I wonder if/how much zwift get paid by the bike brands to make their kit better in-game? Does Cannondale not pay enough to get the Super-Six EVO up hills quickly, how much was in the brown envelope that gets an Aethos up the Alpe 5 seconds quicker than anything else?
One of the brand's apparently paid to make theirs slower. They requested a groupset upgrade which has a bug that makes it overly heavy.
That is odd. The way it's done doesn't really appeal to me.
Either/or, make it more game-like and work in the way Forza or GT does with a propper career mode (maybe racing against AI bots that have the same power curve as you so it's entirely tactics as long as you can match your best efforts) that rewards you with stuff in a less cringy way than just unlocking a new sock color for spending 20h in-game.
Or/ It would be cool if they had a custom bike builder (think, BikeCAD) where you could simply make the silhouette of your bike, get the tube thickness, colors, branding right etc. I could see myself wasting an hour transferring my real-life garage to Zwift. Because they're never going to build an On-One Scandal or an almost two decade old Cannondale CAAD4. Even if it gave zero in game benefits.
The actual just riding around bit I'm really enjoying surprisingly.
Given the groupsets have a weight there is a suspicion that the drop shop might go beyond frames and wheels at some point.
Do rocker plates like the £200 Prime one significantly reduce noise and vibration to rooms underneath?
nowhere near as much as a decent thickess spongy mat, I suspect
Posted 20 hours ago
I've got https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/TRPXSD8BLK/planet-x-super-deluxe-training-mat---8mm---black and https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07HFDXYXG/ under my Direto, but my better half says it makes hell of a noise when I race in our first floor flat over carpetted wooden floorboards, it's the main reason I won't do anything but a very gentle z1 turbo these days after dinner.
The Lifeline turbo rocker plate is currently £180 and "SALE10" brings it down to £162 https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/lifeline-indoor-cycling-rocker-plate/rp-prod198574 , making me think about this again for noise reduction and making 60min+ sessions less agony.
I bought a Pedivela rocker plate off eBay(half the Lifeline price) and got riser for the front wheel thrown in. I was skeptical when I unpacked it as it appeared to have no movement. However, once loaded, it certainly has enough to make a difference to comfort. I'm not sure it makes any difference to noise, but I have it sitting on a mat anyway.
Well searching for Pedivela on eBay brought up unexpected results
@scotroutes I've been peeping at the pedivela plates for a while.
What trainer have you got it on and do you rate it? Does it really make a noticeable difference?
I'm using it with an Elite Zumo.
Any "rocking" motion is pretty much imperceptible so it seems like it won't work. However, it definitely makes a difference on longer sessions. I've done some pretty long road rides (up to 240 miles) so I'm well used to being on a saddle for a long time, but I was finding that anything over an hour on the turbo was absolutely killing my arse. The Pedivella has sorted that.
Be aware that it does raise your rear wheel quite a bit and you'll need something under the front to level things up.
I had bought an Elite Sterzo steerer so ended up making my own front riser.
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Any “rocking” motion is pretty much imperceptible
A full rocker plate the tilt is very noticeable, you can properly throw the bike side to side.
I made my own rocker plate using…
One of these: https://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Non-Structural-Hardwood-Plywood---18-x-606-x-1829mm/p/207747
3 of these: https://www.screwfix.com/p/select-tpr-fixed-castor-75mm/449ft
It’s been fab. Highly recommended 🙂
There’s a Facebook rocker plate group which is full of ideas and different approaches. I looked at a few designs and they looked terrible, but after doing a bit of thinking I had mine together in about 40 mins.
I stuck it under my Kickr and it hasn’t been out since.
Something odd happened tonight, Zwift actual felt good for the first time this year. Like I was riding a road bike rather my Big Dummy with 48 cans of lager and two kids on the back.
I have really struggled in 2022 and had put this down to Dec xmas abuse and a 2 week hols with no cycling. However my wife has been working in the office / Zwift room today so it was hot for the first time this year 23C rather than 5C - could my trainer be sensitive to cold temps and adding more resistance? It is a Elite Qubo Smart B+ so only cheap and I cant work out how you check the calibration.
thanks
Question about whatsonzwift.com......
If I find a workout I like the look of on there, how the hell do I then find it on Zwift? Can't seem to find a search function.
https://whatsonzwift.com/workouts/less-than-30-minutes-to-burn/emilys-short-mix is in the "less than 30 minutes to burn" section in the game. 😉
Although I expect not all are as simple as that.
As some of you may know, ZwiftHQ begin testing a new category enforcement experiment tomorrow on Monday 21st Feb. During the test, W/Kg for your best three 95% of 20mins efforts go out the window, it's all about things like Critical Power and Maximum Aerobic Power based on your best efforts in a rolling 60 day window... With a bias towards 2-8min efforts, if I understand correctly. No raw Watt floors or ceilings at this time.
We were told in the Zwift forum that the category formula was going to remain the same, but if the coding worked, you could not enter a pen below your Zwiftpower category. But now they announced the test events and before we even start the events, there's some heated debate, part of which because ZwiftHQ aren't divulging their category allocation rules in full to the paying public!
First test race is 1800 on Monday 21st Feb, 3/4/5/6 laps of Champs-Élysées for D/C/B/A respectively.
https://zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=2776730
Sign up for first event (big field as new thing) is https://www.zwift.com/uk/events/view/2776730
"Category Enforcement" tests throughout the week show up using the "Zwift" option in series for races on Zwiftpower.
Anyone been bumped up or down a category compared to their Zwiftpower category?
With a bias towards 2-8min efforts, if I understand correctly.
I did a short race on Friday - think it was under 15 minutes. Averaged over 4w/kg.
It was my best race by far, (3rd) when I’m normally happy with a top half or finishing with the peloton. (In B which I have been since I joined)
If this makes me an A I am screwed.
If this makes me an A I am screwed
I think you will see 80% of cats D C & B bumped to A+ at that so I wouldn't worry, it wouldn't surprise me if A actually sees least change at all.