Zwift, my journey, my weight and my fitness.

Mine connected with both my iPhone and Surface via Bluetooth the other day when I set it up. Tonight the Kikr was showing as connected on the Surface, but Zwift couldn't pick it up at all.

I tried to Join and pay on the iPhone and got an error message. I paid on PayPal in a browser and and then managed to get the iPhone working and start an FTP test in erg mode. Did the whole warmup routine and then erg mode cancelled itself when the FTP test started, all the resistance fades and the most I could spin it up to was about 135 watts. I'm using a 29 hardtail frame with a 36 front ring but 36-11 for 20 minutes flat out would be a lot more than 135 watts.

Gave up and did The Gorby in erg mode with 135 watt rests and 245 watt work intervals, found the 5 minutes at 245 tough enough.

Overall I'm pleased with it, I really only need it for a couple of sessions a week maximum and I can make them targetted with the planned workouts and erg mode, which is great.

I won't be doing any racing unless I can figure out why it's not giving me any resistance unless I'm in erg mode.

I may do a race this evening using my boys account set at 80kg as an incentive for weight loss. I think I'd do ok in B at 80 and may give me the push

A quick ask if i may...

When performing workouts, is there a shortcut key to skip / move along to the next interval?

Ta.

I may do a race this evening using my boys account set at 80kg as an incentive for weight loss

Been having a few technology issues after standing on, and breaking, my Ant+ dongle.

Last night managed to use the zwift app to use my stages PM but the bluetooth was pretty temperamental and eventually dropped out for good. Obviously had no variable resistance as the Trainer was not twinned.

Today I tried a different tack and twinned my Tacx T2240 via bluetooth on the zwift app, but I had power, cadence and varied resistance.

So is my stages actually adding any functionality to the experience or can I just pair my trainer for cadence and power when my replacement ant dongle arrives?

Would save me having to keep swapping out my stages off my good bike.

Would save me having to keep swapping out my stages off my good bike.

It would, but then you are training with inconsistent power - the Trainer and the stages will not be the same to a point - and it could be a very wide or very narrow variable. Its only an issue if that bothers you of course.

@shandy (from yesterday)

Did the whole warmup routine and then erg mode cancelled itself when the FTP test started, all the resistance fades and the most I could spin it up to was about 135 watts

I've barely ridden since my op a fortnight ago but, on the spins I've done I finished the attention-seeker tronbike everest challenge and got to level 23 too

looking to start gracing the very very back end of some races by end of Jan

Kryton57 - Member

A quick ask if i may...

When performing workouts, is there a shortcut key to skip / move along to the next interval?

Tab key skips workout block. Never used it so no idea what constitutes a workout block.

I tried to Join and pay on the iPhone and got an error message. I paid on PayPal in a browser and and then managed to get the iPhone working and start an FTP test in erg mode. Did the whole warmup routine and then erg mode cancelled itself when the FTP test started, all the resistance fades and the most I could spin it up to was about 135 watts. I'm using a 29 hardtail frame with a 36 front ring but 36-11 for 20 minutes flat out would be a lot more than 135 watts.

As above, it'll switch out of erg mode for the FTP test. I don't use workout mode in Zwift, but the Kickr allows 7 slope mode settings - I use either 2 or 3 for tests on Sufferfest - but upping the number should allow you to push respectable power even with mtb gearing. I don't know if you can change the slope mode setting from within Zwift or if you can pre-set it using the Wahoo fitness app and, if so, it'll default to that in Zwift. Have you changed the trainer difficulty level in settings?

I'd suggest dropping a line to[url= https://support.zwift.com/hc/en-us ] Zwift support [/url] they were really quick getting back to me when I had a one-off problem with a crash when exiting the programme. There's also a [url= https://support.zwift.com/hc/en-us/articles/205486705-KICKR-Troubleshooting?section=201145295 ]Kickr Troubleshooting[/url] page. Could be something to do with the way it's paired, but maybe drop them a line if you can't sort it.

Yes, you can pair with the Wahoo fitness app and use 3% slope mode for the whole workout. Just let Zwift see your power but not control the trainer. There's an ERG button to switch it off too.

Krytron- not sure if you use the mobile app but I think there's a skip interval button on there when you enter workout mode.

exciting news ! (particularly if you own or fancy an Elite machine and had seen my previous comments)

my pedals and my turbo are now in agreement - pedals just a couple of watts higher than the turbo, as you'd expect. I'm still on restricted power due to the surgery and so haven't been up to bigger numbers but previously there wasa big discrepancy at low power and that's now resolved "totally"

Think is, I've no real idea why. I've been in touch with Elite, who said that my machine had been tested on release and had been very accurate. I sent them some data but haven't yet heard back (this was just before Christmas).

Either they've sent something secretly across the www to update my machine, probably via zwift ( 😯 )

or it's the removal and reinstallation of the pedals that somehow did it - there's no "trick" to them, you just screw 'em in and snug 'em up.

or else it's the different bike (originally was on an old P-X superlight frame and now on my current road bike. Changed them over to see whether a weird clicky creaky was from the P-X - it was)

None of the above seems plausible to me but there you go. Something has changed. I didn't imagine it; I've even got a video of both figures in view simultaneously

Just want to say thanks to all on Nye for the last 12 months motivation. You guys have helped push me along time and time again and it's very much appreciated.
I'm planning a final 2017 ride at some stage of today, but unsure yet if race or pootle

I will be on the Maratona at 3pm for the pretzel at 3pm if anyone fancies a final 2017 ride - I’m staying in bed until then.....

Just want to say thanks to all on Nye for the last 12 months motivation. You guys have helped push me along time and time again and it's very much appreciated.
I'm planning a final 2017 ride at some stage of today, but unsure yet if race or pootle

+1 (except I have already been out in real life today and there is only 10 minutes to midnight here and in my current state there is no way I am riding anywhere)

Cheers for the kudos scardey - I was in no mood to ride that today... went too hard tanked at the end

Anyone doing the Pretzel today deserves a medal... Or sectioning 🙂

Well done sir.

I was on for a top 150 finish until the end - just ran out of gas....

Pissed off, 20 miles in and had a brief power cut 👿 had to be today the first time I try to do an event on Zwift.

First off - Happy New Year to all STW Zwifters!

I meant to do a race yesterday to finish off the year but a long road ride on Saturday and a hard swim yesterday blunted my enthusiasm.

As I'm a SoG I didn't take part in any festivities last night so I thought I would start the year as I meant to go on with a 4-lap flat race in Richmond. I started steady and got into what was effectively the C group on the road of about 15 riders. On the last lap the pace increased to around my FTP so I was hanging on the back of the group. When the sprint started after the last turn I was caught napping slightly and a gap opened. I put the hammer down and found myself flying through the middle of the group and hitting the front. However, I died with about 50m to go and a couple of riders came past me. I felt like I was going to puke up when I finished and realised that I had gone a bit too hard but you've got to give it your all haven't you? 😀

I was pleasantly surprised to find I'd bagged bronze in Group C in ZwiftPower obviously losing out to the two guys who came past me but beating 7 others from the group. If only I could have kept the sprint going – LOL!!

My stats for 2017 though were 6187 miles (9957km) covered of which 411 miles were on Zwift since joining in November. I'm looking forward to covering even more miles in 2018 with lots of Zwift training to supplement my road and MTB miles.

Great result Forza, first trophy of the year in the bag already. Also well done on the miles this year, thats an impressive amount.
This year i need to try and do more outside miles, zwift really was far too dominant this year. I think a combination of time and excuses meant zwifting was easier to do. I hate riding in breezy conditions on the road and this year it just seemed like every day was windy but i am sure i could have still gone out. I think a couple of long sportives might force me to go out more for training purposes. Goal for this year is 4w/kg, i am about 3.5 so not far off but i need to improve my strength and drop about 3-4 kg and i will hopefully be close (got to do some core work as well as i dont have one).

Cheers blader1611, doing the mileage is easier if you are retired and don't have a young family. 😀 I definitely find having at least one or two event goals is very motivating especially in the Spring to kickstart the year.

One event that I had always fancied entering was the Dunwich Dynamo. I realised that if I started from home in Essex, rode the route and then rode back home it would work out to close on 200 miles. Not only that, it would be an epic ride which it actually turned out to be. The night leg was amazing and arriving at Dunwich just before the dawn was spectacular. The ride home was great too really, seeing all the sights we'd missed in the dark!

Best of luck with your 4.0 W/kg goal in 2018. I'm aiming for 3.2W/kg myself (from 3.0W/kg) to scrape into the B group.

Forza i have finished a fair few races at 3.2 in B group and that has been easily mid pack, i guess it depends on how many in the race and the group you end up in plus thats at 80kg for me. The Dunwich race sounds really good but that mileage is huge. I havent actually done a century yet so that is on the agenda for the year.
I zwift at least 4 times a week and whatever else i do on the mtb but i still have problems with saddle comfort. So my rear is well accustomed to cycling so i am assuming i have the wrong saddle so this winter i am am determined to find a saddle that i can sit on relatively comfortably for 5-6 hours so i can do a century.

Blader, I see that you were looking for a 155mm saddle in the Wanted section. I use a 155mm Specialized and it is good but I still get a bit of numbness - so it may not be the complete answer to your problems.

Recently I built up a new bike and instead of slamming the stem, I've got a 100mm MTB stem with a decent rise on it. Just been outside for a New Year's Day ride and it was lovely. Not as comfy as lying on the sofa, but only a small amount of hand and backside discomfort.

Blader I'm 6' 4" and 80kg and use a 150mm WTB Pure or Rocket saddle successfully for years on both road and MTB. I've fancied trying a Specialized Power Expert in 155mm as well but haven't got round to buying one yet.

I just checked back on ZwiftPower and I am now being filtered out of the results. Looks like anyone using ZPower is filtered out. Is that something new that ZwiftPower are doing because I never noticed it before?

In the unfiltered result I am promoted to silver as well.

quick question - what is your w/kg over 1 hour in 2017?

Has zwift changed at all in the past 12 months? What is zone 2 training like, is it still just pottering around a dull blocky computer generated landscape with people wizzing past you, or is there a way to make not racing on zwift more interesting?

Apologies if answer is elswhere on the forum. I have a new Bkool Smart Pro 2 trainer fresh from Santa Claus. Pairs OK with the Bkool simulator, but zwift won't recognise it. I have tried every solution I can find on the internet. Anyone get the same gift this year and making it work on zwift? PS On a fairly new Windows laptop, using the provided Bkool ANT+ dongle.

Eemy - i have always used stock saddles which have always been too narrow but these days with longer rides in mind i want more comfort. Widest saddle i have is 140mm and my homemade sit bone measurer says my bones are about 125-130mm. I dont suffer numbness its more bruised/tender feeling and generally starts after about 2.5hrs. Trying a bigger size is just the 1st stage.

quick question - what is your w/kg over 1 hour in 2017?

Assuming you mean me mashiehood, I haven't measured it over one hour but my 20 minute FTP test on Zwift yielded 247W. At 80kg that puts me at 3.09W/kg

#notetoself - check length of race before start.

Just did the EVR C, 45 bloody km!!! Nearly jacked it in halfway through as my ass was going numb and it was a little tedious but then it sped up a bit in the last couple of laps. One of our group of 5–6 kept attacking so covered all of those and then took the group sprint by a bike length. 6th in C it looks like with a fairly easy 2.7w/kg but there wasn’t much point trying to TT off the front of the group.

Took a software update on my Kickr tonight and ride straight after was terrible - way down on power/speed. Recalibrated again after 30mins but still the same. Probably just my fitness, but wondered if anyone else has had problems?

Blader, hadnt seen your wanted post but I have a specialized romin in 155mm that I should get around to selling.

For me I'm really looking forward to 2018 training. I started with zwift at the end of October and have seen my ftp jump from 210w to 251w when I thought I was already doing relatively ok IRL. Looking back at last year's riding there were quite a few 2 week blocks with no riding so I'm hoping even if I can only do zone 2 work then that'll at least maintain current fitness. Watching the numbers change though and geeking out after a session is oddly rewarding and addictive. I'm trying to put together a training plan for this coming year to improve efforts on the flats, can anyone point me in the direction of a decent programme?

Game on again then.... 2018 here we go.

My Zwift mobile App isn't working correctly and only showing races for the next couple of hours... Is it just me who's getting that ?

Back on the 5-2 again after Xmas to kick-start the training/diet. Lets see what the next few weeks/months bring 🙂

My Zwift mobile App isn't working correctly and only showing races for the next couple of hours... Is it just me who's getting that ?

Mine seems ok, it did seem to take a little while to load the later events though.

My Zwift mobile App isn't working correctly and only showing races for the next couple of hours... Is it just me who's getting that ?

My app is doing that on my tablet but zwift.com/events is working fine.

that's good then... I can also see the events on ZP website, which is good. But i can't see how many are pre-entered on either of them. I like to pick and choose my events sometimes based upon how many are in there.

Today may be the KISS Europe at 8pm, but i don't want to get to 8pm only to find there's 10 people... My other option is the 15:05 for 4 lapper with WBR.. But again, i don't know how many entries are in there...

But i must admit, part of me is tempted by 16:30 and 17:15 for a double header of 1 lappers which would be interesting to see if i can manage back to back. Should be about 15 mins racing each, so would have 30 mins recovery time between races.

I’ve had events/races not show up on the app. IOS.

Mobile link on ios seems ok this morning, i am going for the road to ruins race with MGCC at 10.55 as my first ride this year.

I'm trying to put together a training plan for this coming year to improve efforts on the flats, can anyone point me in the direction of a decent programme?

There are some free on the BC website, if you're a member there's a link to some Training Peaks ones too...
https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/knowledge/training-plans

Really though it's just about getting consistent initially. Set yourself a realistic weekly target (one that's achievable and not going to break you), maybe base it on hours or zwift miles, and plan riders around that. Depending on how much time you have available maybe one zwift race a week, then pick a couple of the workouts with long tempo efforts (40 min tempo, 2x20 SST, that sort of thing*) and maybe one longer steady z2 ride. When you're consistent it's then about progression.

* on watopia I quite like to do a flat lap in one gear and let the turbo vary the resistance over the terrain so I get a bit of variety of effort in a lap (avg in z2), then change up a gear for the next lap and do the same (which avgs z3), then back down a gear for the next lap and repeats a few times.

Just completed first race this year and that was tough. Road to ruins was my road to ruin after xmas excess and a couple of weeks off the bike. I was in B group and going nicely, first up the big climb and cruising well but then the continuous 2/3% gradient just sucked the life out of me about 2/3rds of the way round i just fell out of the back of the group. Lack of riding time and having to do it indoors when its 20c plus it was a pretty fast pace sapped me and i fell back and just TT’d painfully to the finish. Having reset my ftp to zero a few weeks back, this race put it to 281w so it was deffo a quick race. New ftp test in April so hoping to build fitness to then to see if i can beat 310w of last year.

Top work buddy!

I don't know how you can be first over that hill and not win the race! Every time I've done that course the winner is in that first group. I'm left dying in the second group.

I bloody hate that map

Firstly, regarding the Android Zwift events problem

Thank you for reaching out!

This is a known bug affecting Android users that we are currently working on fixing.

Expect a hotfix patch in the very near future.

So i jumped on the WBR 1 lap flat... in B...

Went off hard as you'd expect and hung onto the B's mostly.... It went as you'd expect really. I hung on well up the small inclines putting out 4ish w/kg and then down into the village/sprint, under the banner in prime position and then BOOM ! Up the hill they destroyed me... just insane... 6.5+ for everyone.... I was left floundering with 1 other guy at 4ish again and they just blew us away. I tried to break earl from him, but i didn't have it in me... he caught and passed me with 200m to go.

Power was decent, pace was decent... just missing that killer climb.

Shocked to see 6/17 on the results, thought i was further back than that in honesty.

Well done weeksy - decent, that

lucky i found you when you were knackered 😀

I'm still miles from B though. As you're aware, they've got them 500-600w bursts at will almost, I can sometimes kick for 10s like that, but after 10s I'm done. Along with their ability to hold way higher flat power than me.
Good thing is, I know what I need, bad thing is, it means dropping 10+kg.

That’s not a bad thing, that’s a hard thing.

Actually, I need to lose 11kg, that feels pretty bad :-/

Although that’s at the limit of what I’d want to lose, any more is too much.

I think I could easily lose 15 without it being too much, even that would only take me to 80.

First job is to get shifting the Xmas/winter stuff and get down to where I feel I ought to be. That's going to take till at least March I guess.
After that, we'll see.

weeksy, I don't think many of them mash out 5-600 watts for any long period - they may be on 6W/kg but might only weigh 70kg, so 400 or so would do it for some of them

I reckon you'll be wanting to beat 'em up on the flats, even downs - just to see what they've got in terms of pure power with no weight factor. Might not be so frisky on the climbs after a minute or two of you riding at even 4 w/weeksy 😉
And it'd be great interval training too !

It's a good point... Looking at the actual W produced by the guys around me, i'm bang on the money for actual power, 296w for yesterdays, the guys around me (ahead of me actually) were 281, 288, 300, 320... So i'm in the right ball park power wise. But i'd need to be 400 for a good few mins to scare them i rekon. Even with just a bunch of 5-6 chasing.

I'll get there... one day. But i was happy with hanging on mostly yesterday, just hanging in and getting the legs and HR working again, i've had a few weeks of Z2/3 to get the KMs in for the target i'd set myself, so wasn't really pushing things along.

Not sure on the plan today on Zwift... There's nothing really that jumps out at me as far as an event goes. 16:55 with KISS AT base may be the one, but that's generally at a pace that's too high for me and right up at my FTP, which i wasn't planning on doing today.

It's a shame in some ways that CVR doesn't allow rest days in that context. It would be nice to jump into a D race for an afternoon, even bailing out on the sprint in the last KM for example. But then not losing points for it all...

Hi Everyone

Total newbie here, after some advice.

If I buy a Tacx flow, get a zwift subscription and hook up my laptop (with a dongle?) I'm good to go? I'm just looking to improve my fitness rather than a structure plan at the moment, so is it possible to enter races with people who are similarly out of shape? Getting dropped by everyone would be pretty demotivating...
Cheers.

[quote=weeksy ]
It's a shame in some ways that CVR doesn't allow rest days in that context. It would be nice to jump into a D race for an afternoon, even bailing out on the sprint in the last KM for example. But then not losing points for it all...

do group rides count on CVR?

is it possible to enter races with people who are similarly out of shape? Getting dropped by everyone would be pretty demotivating...

There’s 4 race categories to choose from A,B,C, and D.

Most cyclists with a modicum of fitness should be able to hang in their with Cat D. Helps to pick a well subscribed event as it increase the chance of finding a similar ability group.

so is it possible to enter races with people who are similarly out of shape? Getting dropped by everyone would be pretty demotivating

The simple answer is.... it depends...

If you do the KISS First base race, that's techincally D only, catagories are ABCD D being the lowest power/performance. However that depends on how 'out of shape' you actually are as to what's likely to happen in the race. The answer you'll find out really when you do a couple of rides and you can work out your FTP (it's done automatically after a 20 mins ride) and if you come here and say "My FTP is 200 and my w/kg is 2.5" then you'll be OK to jump on a D race, you may not win it... but you'll get to 'race' with others for sure.
If you come on and say "My FTP is 100 and my weight is 100kg, giving me a w/kg of 1.0"... Then i'm afraid you'll struggle to get other riders to race against.

IMO if you're a regular rider in the real world, MTB or road, you should be around the 200w to start at a minimum.... You'll soon find ouy.

Others who have the Flow will be along to answer showtly. But i'm guessing you'll want an ANT+ dongle from Amazon etc.

do group rides count on CVR?

Nope, just races.

I was thinking of a group ride today, but nothing really suits my timings.

I buy a Tacx flow, get a zwift subscription and hook up my laptop (with a dongle?) I'm good to go?

Different to my set up as I don’t use a dongle, but assuming your laptop is up to spec that should work. I found I got better responses to what set up I wanted by starting a specific thread. Sometimes these questions get lost to easily on this thread.

you can use an ANT+ dongle with the flow smart, or use the mobile link app as a bluetooth bridge. needs to be on the same wifi network and works pretty reliably. chews up battery though, particulary in map view so either needs to be plugged in or fully charged.

^thanks both.

Hi Everyone

Total newbie here, after some advice.

If I buy a Tacx flow, get a zwift subscription and hook up my laptop (with a dongle?) I'm good to go? I'm just looking to improve my fitness rather than a structure plan at the moment, so is it possible to enter races with people who are similarly out of shape? Getting dropped by everyone would be pretty demotivating...
Cheers.

I've got the Tacx Flow and it's hooked up via dongle. I'd definitely recommend you get a USB extension cable so that the dongle can be positioned right next to the turbo.

Other than that, a heart rate monitor is useful too. I use the Wahoo Tickr.

If you sweat like me, invest in the biggest fan you can afford too.

I've got the Tacx Flow and it's hooked up via dongle. I'd definitely recommend you get a USB extension cable so that the dongle can be positioned right next to the turbo.

Other than that, a heart rate monitor is useful too. I use the Wahoo Tickr.

If you sweat like me, invest in the biggest fan you can afford too.

I'd guess so, yes.

This is the bargain extension cable I bought, if you're interested. I tried it the first time without and it was constantly dropping out.

[url= https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00DX5C94Y/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 ]Amazon[/url]

6 days riding on the bounce for me, Only 120km or so but just not enough rest/sleep.

I think i'm going to do the 2for1 @ 19:55 if anyone else fancies a gentle 2w/kg spin before my absolutelydefinitelyarestday tomorrow (it was supposed to be today but I ended up riding into the office)

Funnily i was thinking about the 8pm TT race... 19:55 ain't showing here ?

[img] [/img]

Confused... not showing on my list... If it's on... i'll be up for that instead of the TT race as i wanted a more gentle/longer one ideally tonight.

Oh... that was 18:55 i was looking at... LOL

I'm in then 🙂

I have a desk fan too

I've finally got Zwift all set up on my iPad - only had a very quick play but very impressed. Looks to be just what I need to get motivated.

Hooked up to my Kinetic Road Machine with the smart dongle thing and all looks good (lovely trainer btw for anyone looking for a turbo - good price and supremely well built).

Will no doubt be hooking in to some group races once I've got my fitness from zero to a bit 🙂

I'll give you a week before there's a massive floor fan in there !

I rarely do the fan, you end up with hypothermia and can never get warm again.

Can anyone enlighten me on what is going on in ZwiftPower? I entered a WBR 4-lap race a couple of days ago and the initial result right after the race showed me finishing in bronze position in Group C (where I entered). Now I have been removed from the filtered result altogether but am placed in silver position in the unfiltered result.

I know they don't allow zPower users to win a category but why are they removing all zPower users from the filtered result altogether regardless of finishing position? I use a HR monitor and am linked to my Strava account as well. I would ask ZwiftPower direct for an explanation but don't have a Facebook account.

Best off joining [url=

WBR[/url] on Facebook and asking there as it'll most likely be down to the race organisers not ZP that long after the race has finished.
They are a friendly crowd on there and lots of the posts on their group are people asking why they have been DQ'd and they either sort it or give thorough explanations as to why.
Edit: missed the bit about not having FB, sorry.

Tis a question i was wondering yesterday too matey.

I had a guy yesterday i battled and lost in a race to the line Michael Schiffarth (C) He's showing as not there in results, but is in 'unfiltered' but for the life of me i don't know why. He was on a smart trainer... He didn't exceed Cat limits.... etc.

I rarely do the fan, you end up with hypothermia and can never get warm again.

Planning to dip my toe into the zwift market, mainly to recover from illness over the last two months.

Can currently get the Tacx Flow from Halfords for like £150 with BC discount and vouchers from work. I have the Garmin 520 on my Domane and my iPad for the app, will i need anything else?

bigger lungs 🙂

bigger lungs

One thing I'm trying to fix after a chest infection and only having 1/4 lung capacity from what i should have 🙁

I rarely do the fan, you end up with hypothermia and can never get warm again.

When it's cold I have the heater on as well as the fan (when warmed up!) Just feels wrong not having the airflow, plus I think it makes me overheat no matter how cold it is!

I'm just looking to improve my fitness rather than a structure plan at the moment, so is it possible to enter races with people who are similarly out of shape? Getting dropped by everyone would be pretty demotivating...
Cheers.

Weeksy- if he hasn’t clicked the new terms and conditions yet then he will get filtered out of the results.

I’ve given up chasing w/kg and regularly looking at my weight. Watts trump w/kg for the riding I want to do.

If I do hit my old goal of 4w/kg, I’d rather it was 360/90 than 320/80- it will get me a lot more points 😉

Thanks for the advice the other day folks I will look to add some gradient in settings.