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Fox hill - https://www.strava.com/segments/12744396?filter=overall
The mall sprint - https://www.strava.com/segments/12749402?filter=overall
The zwiftblog verified should be the in game ones.
P.s. New wheels arrived yesterday - new Hillingdon tactic is to deafen everyone around me then take the victory. 😆
Nath, Fox Hill is the reverse KOM.
The one going the normal way around the course is "a load of Chinese letters KOM" I think. Not sure what the Chinese letters say, Box Hill probably 😀
Here you go 🙂
Box hill: https://www.strava.com/segments/12744502
More here: http://zwiftblog.com/verified-zwift-strava-segments/
Hey Zwifters!
Rode with Weeksy before Christmas and he guided me a little on this, and i now have on order an ANT+ dongle, and a speed / cadence sensor - but as they're coming from CN it'll be a few weeks possibly until they're here.
In the meantime, will be collecting tonight or tomorrow a new Smart turbo (Tacx Flow 2240) to replace the basic Mag+fluid variable resistance one that i've been beasting myself on to various sufferfest and GCN videos.
What can i do with the Smart (and eg: Zwift) without having the speed and cadence sensor (I realise without the ANT+ dongle i can't do anything but that should be here sooner)
Without either - i assume I can still use it but just add resistance with the bike's gears for now, or can i still adjust resistance on the trainer?
got an ipad or macbook? control the trainer directly via bluetooth?
got an iphone/android? control the trainer over bluetooth/wifi using the zwift mobile link.
@theotherjonv - if you're getting a Smart then you don't actually need the speed/cadence sensor. You can certainly use them, but the Tacx flow provide this data as well (you only NEED the speed/cadence sensor if you're using a dumb trainer, like your old one).
zwift doesn't work with a PC directly over bluetooth. only a mac.
on a PC you have to use the mobile link app which needs to be on same wifi network.
Yep PC bluetooth isn't BLE compatible, or at least you need VERY specific drivers etc.
Zwift mobile as per above is the solution to using it with a PC.
@jambo/nathb - ah, I hadn't realised that (Mac user here). I've edited my post to remove the erroneous final comment. The rest still stands. He'll still have to wait for the ant+ dongle or use mobile link to bridge from bluetooth to wifi (!)
Interesting - will have to have a google about using mobile as both the PC and the Trainer can both be on the same wifi (didn't know you could connect both to Wifi, is it obvious once you start to set it up?)
How does the Trainer measure cadence? Does it actually measure it or guesstimate?
Zwift mobile through Android - would that work on Chrome / a chromebook?
(sorry, total connectivity numpty here.....)
I think I found out - so you connect Flow to phone via Bluetooth, phone to wifi, wifi to PC and as long as you are logged in on the PC and the phone app with the same account then it sorts itself out. Correct?
Jeez, this is getting very achievable!!
I compared the cadence figure from my Tacx smart trainer to my actual cadence sensor and the trainer is pretty close, although not perfect, and there is a slight lag. No idea what witchcraft the trainer uses to work out the cadence!if you're getting a Smart then you don't actually need the speed/cadence sensor.
i think the cadence must be extracted from the wheel speed. even with the smoothest power delivery there must be a cadence signal in there like a pulse.
OK..... so how does it measure wheel speed (i assume by the speed of the Trainer's flywheel?)
I ask this because currently I use my road bike with a 700C front but the rear is an old 26er with a dedicated cassette and TT tyre. It's what i have and it also means that i don't need a front wheel riser block. I guess I'll eventually need a 700C TT tyre too, if i want to keep up while racing??
it knows the circumference of the roller and will effectively have a wheel speed sensor on there. in theory the size of the wheel you have on their shouldn't matter.
there is a calibration function in the TACX app to make sure you have the roller tight enough.
Anyone on this evening?
Aiming to get on for a 30 min leg stretch at around 7pm if anyone fancies joining - gentle pace as saving my legs for tomorrow (fully booked in) and testing the rented power meter vs my tacx.
Gentle spin @ 18:00 before TFC TT @ 19:00 🙂
NAh, did an hour and 15 earlier, set my target for 130bpm average and stuck to it pretty darn well. Was about 180-200w depending on slight relaxing in pace/HR etc...
@crosshair - might tag along or join you mid ride, on a normal bike so I can draft you 😆
@weeksy - sorry was that some structure? 😆
@weeksy - sorry was that some structure
Been a hard week, i've got Swinley tomorrow. It's also a fasting day, along with the article posted earlier regarding enhancing fat burning techniques, thought i'd give it a whirl when on fasting days at least.
Good man!
Taking the turbo up to swinley to warm up? See loads of folks at hillingdon on turbo trainers in the car park. 😆
HAhahahahaa. No buddy... there's limits to my nerdiness and i've already WAY surpassed them.
Never know Weeksy, you might start off a nationwide trend of turboing in trail centre car parks 😀
even better, if you could get Zwift to recreate Blue-Red-Blue so you could go to swinley, then ride swinley without getting stuck behind a family on BSO's (Strava!!!) and then get a cup of rubbish coffee after.
It would almost be worth trying it once or twice to see if others copied ....
Haha do it. It seems to be perfectly acceptable/the norm at hillingdon.
Even see folk facing away from the carpark, looking into a field, must make them think they're out in the countryside or something. 😆
First time Crosshair went, there was a E123 rider who was warming up for the WHOLE duration of Crosshairs race, he had music on headphones and the wife sitting in the car reading a book and drinking tea.
If i suggested that to Mrs Weeksy, i'd be met with a look of "you saddo, have a word with yourself"
Although, you could argue that she thought exactly that the first time i tried Zwift i guess.
I started with a dumb trainer and recently got a smart one; wouldn't be without the variable resistance now - it makes it so much more entertaining. Sorry!
Evans made up my mind for me by getting the delivery wrong again (sending the turbo to the wrong address (again!) so I've told them to stick it and bought one of the Flow Smart's from a local Halfords instead.
So hopefully will be giving Zwift a first try tonight. Not sure what it'll do about power calcs with the bike having a power meter broadcasting as well as the trainer info.
You can eaily tell it which of the 2 to use.
Cool - ideally I'll want to use the power data from the power meter as that'll compare better to when I'm riding the bike outside.
weeksy
First time Crosshair went, there was a E123 rider who was warming up for the WHOLE duration of Crosshairs race, he had music on headphones and the wife sitting in the car reading a book and drinking tea.
Wow, that is commitment! There's some wifes/girlfriends that scream and shout at their partners for pretty much the entire 4th cats. But that guy MUST be taking her out for a very expensive dinner afterwards or something. 😆
Mine is having none of it & is starting to get annoyed at all my hours on Zwift too 😆
Well, I finally got my turbo etc all set up and did the "short" ftp test today - you guys must all be so fit, I found it really hard 😳 As I'm on the 7 day trial, if I join after that, will it save my data?
I think an FTP test is supposed to be hard - if you found it easy it'd just mean you weren't pushing hard enough!
It will save your data - I joined 2 days ago after a trial.
I was about 10secs from a spew after the FTP test
phew, at least I won't have to repeat that ftp test straight away after the trial week then...
Zwift warned me ("Yikes!") that my graphics card driver was so old it might not run properly - I checked for an updated driver, but the newest one is from 2012 and resulted in another "Yikes!" from Zwift. I guess the fact that the graphics don't look brilliant is down to my ancient driver? Unfortunately my ipad is also 5 years old and not compatible with the Zwift iOS app......
Nath&Weeksy- It's the norm at any races now. Gorrick, XCRampage, Wessex CX especially and of course Hillingdon- I've seen folks warming up on rollers or turbos at the lot of them.
Must be some kind of sense to having a warmup routine eh Weeksy?? 😀
I personally don't add too much intensity- I'm not fit enough and it means I start burning matches but 30-45mins easy spinning with a bit of tempo gets me close enough.
Must be some kind of sense to having a warmup routine eh Weeksy
Sure, if you're a super athlete, not if you're some fat 45 year old though 😉
@crosshair I guess so, but the circuit is open for 30+ mins before the start so that's surely enough time? It's a 6 mile cycle journey for me, then hopefully get 3/4 laps in after sign on. Last time I spent 20 mins getting the bloody number on my jersey then realised it was on the wrong side. 😆 Nervous already, particularly as first time out on carbon hoops. 😳
Seen quite a lot of negative comments about Zwifters from "real" cyclists on facebook/forums, so I don't want to knock folk who cart trainers & rollers to an empty race circuit to warm up now as that makes me as bad.
I guess the fact that the graphics don't look brilliant is down to my ancient driver
Well I can't judge what it looks like for you, but I had no such warnings and find the graphics equivalent to a 20 year old console game.
.Seen quite a lot of negative comments about Zwifters from "real" cyclists on facebook/forums,
Elaborate?
ah just the usual @weeksy - if it's not outside it ain't real, it's just a game, folk can't do anything without a laptop/screen infront of them these days, cycle clubs mocking users etc etc.
Nothing worth going into detail about.
It's a tool like any other. Turbos have been around for a very long time but now Zwift has unlocked them- made them not just bearable but entertaining.
Look at Nathan Guerra- almost all of his training is indoors and now on Zwift (whilst playing other computer games at the same time too 😀 ) and he's pretty handy!!
Road cyclists ain't the most progressive of folks 😀
Right, i'm interested in doing Zwift so what do i need?
I have a dumb trainer - Elite Volare and a Win7 laptop. I have a Mio gps with ANT+ and speed/cadence sensor.
I can run a wifi signal extender via the wiring into the shed, do i need a USB thingy to pick up the signal?
How does it work with a dumb trainer? Do you change the resistance manually when prompted?
I've no idea how all this will work so any help much appreciated.
muddy:
find out what model triner your is from the sticker and go [url= https://support.zwift.com/hc/en-us/articles/204151529-Which-Elite-Classic-Trainers-Does-Zwift-Support- ]HERE[/url] and see what zwift will want to call it
On a dumb trainer you don't change the resistance at all. You can change gear on the bike if you want, or just plough on in the same gear if you're just wanting to churn out some training time
What follows is pretty much guesswork (AKA "largely wot I did"):
If your trainer doesn't broadcast power or speed then you'll need a speed sensor for the back wheel (garmin do one, not sure who else). The GPS one is unfortunately useless as you're stationary - unless it's an actual sensor on the wheel already
I guess you'll then need a ANT+ dongle for the laptop so it can communicate directly with the speed sensor (and cadence too if that's a broadcasting sensor) or just maybe directly with your Mio - I'm not sure about that as I paired the speed sensor direct to PC