Be wary if she is called Emily, her short mix 30min session can be brutal if you are using an FTP near or just above your known figure, approx FTP +20% will give you a new 20min interval that will increase your FTP. 😉

ooooh I dream of a hot chick with an accurate power reading!

Still I’ll settle for my Dutch wife cos she might not have a power meter but she has in the past carried me back from the pub on the back of her roadster!

Be aware that might actually underestimate your ftp as a one off which might depress you further!  My test on mine gave me a figure of 182 which isn’t as bad as it looks given I’m 55kg  but I’ve averaged higher than that for rides over an hour so I think I’d have a better ftp figure if I were to redo it with a better understanding of how the test works and where I went too hard and where I went too easy.

So I got the chance to do a ramp test last night. Totally disappointed and dejected this morning.

Are you somehow slower and less fit because there’s a different number on a screen?

Just measure it in an obscure unit like BTU/hr.lb if you dont want to compare your mediocrity to the average.

So I got the chance to do a ramp test last night. Totally disappointed and dejected this morning.

If you’re on ZPower you can request that your data is reset so you can go down a category if needs be. Does that help ;0)

Direto here and echo everything above and personally stuff the 100% reality 50% is more than enough rather than having to grovel around in the 28 while sat indoors.
My power meter matches near enough.
My outdoor numbers are similar for similar efforts.
I was slightly irritated by the slowness of the response to inclines but it’s a good point about how momentum would make it easy in real life at the start so I’ve got over that.
The beeping from the adjustments is also handy as it’s obvious on the odd time it’s not connected properly that it’s not adjusting to gradient changes.

So I got the chance to do a ramp test last night. Totally disappointed and dejected this morning.

I suffer from this also, but races are not won purely on numbers.  My FTP has dropped 10% as I focused on Marathons for two years, but I can climb hills faster and for longer due to increased Vo2Max and muscular endurance – for example.

Keep at it.

My FTP dropped when I moved from an Elite Qubo Power Fluid to a Kickr Core – you shouldn’t even be comparing the numbers

Not a Direto owner, but a new Zuma owner and I’m just getting into the swing of things with these here smart / interactive trainers – even had a go on zwift at lunch today, not signed up yet – probably will.

One thing though, the zwift resistance seems quite low and as I’m on my CX bike with a single ring, I’m pedalling at around 90-100rpm in the hardest gear, 40-11 and speed seems very variable, any pointers?

Is it on ERG mode?

One thing though, the zwift resistance seems quite low and as I’m on my CX bike with a single ring, I’m pedalling at around 90-100rpm in the hardest gear, 40-11 and speed seems very variable, any pointers?

Which trainer did you pick to pair with zwift? I have a list of two or three options and get a very different experience depending which one I pick.
Also, have you run the calibration in elite app?

For power input in Zwift, you want the option that mentions “FE-C,” I often get at least one other option when using my Direto, the other options give no slope emulation.

Sprint power is my major weakness, but in 50/16 gear and ~40% “trainer difficulty,” I was able to average ~500W (with a peak of ~550W) up the final incline to the race finish at the Laguardia 10 lap crit race at 1150 this morning while doing ~109rpm cadence… A snapped rear mech cable does not help in races, plus in hindsight I maybe should have used a slightly higher “trainer difficulty,” but I was wary of how 10 of those lap finishing inclines would kill my legs. Even in 34/16 gear, my only other current option, I was still averaging ~275W, just above my FTP.

40/11 gear on the Zumo ought be more than capable of high power numbers on Zwift, unless you are blasting down a long steep descent. Its slope emulation is up to 12%, so if you set “trainer difficulty” at ~60%, you should feel the full range of gradient changes (as the max slope in Zwift is ~20%). Any higher and all slopes >12% will all feel the same, but it would mean lower gradients would feel more like real outdoor hills.

I think n0b0dy might be onto something with their suggestion – my wheel-on Elite trainer seems to have two identities – if it ‘recognises’ the non ‘FE-C’ identity, the slope feedback doesn’t work at all.
Might be worth try.

seems very variable, any pointers?

Which trainer did you pick to pair with zwift? I have a list of two or three options and get a very different experience depending which one I pick.
Also, have you run the calibration in elite app?

The only one that comes up under Zumo, yeah done advanced calibration via the app

For reference I’ve got 1299w peak out of my Direto and still got gears and cadence to go on 54 / 13

You’ve no Ide how irritating that number peaks watts number is.

Steve_b – there is mode in the Zwift settings which establish % difficulty factor of climbs, is that set to the middle at least?  Also on the initial screen where it finds all the devices, on the “Power” square once it connects to your Zumo a little spanner will appear for you to calibrate – have you done that?

Steve_b – there is mode in the Zwift settings which establish % difficulty factor of climbs, is that set to the middle at least? Also on the initial screen where it finds all the devices, on the “Power” square once it connects to your Zumo a little spanner will appear for you to calibrate – have you done that?

I’ve seen that, is it only available when you subscribe? I haven’t yet.

I’ll look at the power square and see what I can figure out.

As a note I’m only using it via the app as I don’t have the dongle thing yet. It works well with the Elite My E-training app

I haven’t tried the Direto but switched from a Qubo to a Neo and the Qubo was definitely a little flattering in its estimation of my ability. The Neo is far nicer to ride though so I’ll forgive it!

Rather than clog up the Zwift thread, I came across this specific Direto one through google, so I thought I’d post an update about my Direto.

Yesterday afternoon, I late-joined a TDZ stage 5 group ride and tagged along with them for just under 20mins, in order to warm up the turbo (and me) before attempting to tighten the belt, using the YT video @mooman posted a link to the other day.

I launched the Elite turbo app, ran the “calibration” check and the offset figure reported was 6029, while the factory sticker shows 6036. Out of curiosity, I had done the check before that TDZ warm up too, where it reported 6030.

As per mooman’s response to my question, I loosened the “tightener regulator lock” (multiple comple turns, at least 3+) before touching the belt tension bolt, even though Elite’s own video does not show this step (which to me makes their official video a bit farcical, as 4min2secs into video it states “Once you find the right offset code, the direto is perfectly calibrated. Don’t forget to screw the tightener regulator lock.”

The belt tension bolt was much stiffer the turn than the tightener regulator lock, at best I could manage approx one-quarter turn at a time. After ~75% of a turn, I ran the “calibration” check on the app and it was now ~6032.

It took a lot of further ~25% turns and running the “calibration” checks to finally get 6036, the same as the sticker, many more than it took to get that initial +3. I then tightened the tightener regulator lock back to stem bolt tight, ~4nM. Job done?

Well no… When I ran the calibration check again, it had dropped to 6032! 😆

So now rather concerned, I loosened the tightener regulator lock less than first time and did multiple ~25% belt tension bolt turns and calibration checks. Eventually (a good 10mins+ after I started this whole process), I got to a point where I got 6035 after tightening the tightener regulator bolt and decided to call it a day on this operation.

The result… The Direto power figure more closely matched my 4iiii power meter, but it was still approx -8W lower (before messing it was approx -10 to -15W lower). When 4 months old and the 4iiii was brand new in April 2018, they matched pretty much perfectly.

However, I accept that power readings from the crank could be higher than at the rear axle, due to losses through the gearing. I’ll also put my hand up and state the chain is due to be replaced and the chainrings especially could do with a clean off of the Muc Off Wet Ceramic lube “gunk” that builds up.

The Cube has done over 10,000 miles now (many in virtual world) in ~2.75 years, I have an 11-34 cassette and R7000 GS rear mech in the spares box (along with DA replacement gear cable set in bike-matching orange outers) and I’m keeping an eye out for a sub £100 7000 34/50 172.5mm crankset (current one has some life left).

I might have another play to see if I can get a perfect match to the 6036 sticker, will certainly be running the calibration check later after a 10min+ effort to see where the offset is today.

n0b0dy0ftheg0at

Member
… to finally get 6036, the same as the sticker, many more than it took to get that initial +3. I then tightened the tightener regulator lock back to stem bolt tight, ~4nM. Job done?

Well no… When I ran the calibration check again, it had dropped to 6032!

Yes – mine was the same. After tightening belt it showed the value on the sticker – after tightening the regulator lock it had dropped down 2-3 points. I figured 2-3 points out is well within the norms expected.
As you state – maybe there are other factors involved beside the actual belt. After tightening the belt on mine it gave more consistent and expected power outputs.

“a little spanner will appear for you to calibrate – have you done that?”

I have a Direto and was under the impression that the Elite App was all that is required for calibration . Does anyone know if the “spanner icon” on the Zwift set up actually does anything for calibrating the Direto.

If yet to try the Zwift “spanner icon” but I believe it’s exactly the same as the “calibration” option on the Elite app.

It does not calibrate the Direto, it simply gives you a figure, settings are not changed in the turbo’s hardware or software as a result of producing a figure above or below the figure on your turbo’s underside on a sticker.

This video is calibrating the Direto, using that produced figure to then tighten the belt and try to get the figure to match what is on the sticker.

So at the end of that video it says to “tighten the regulator lock” but didn’t show it being loosened at the beginning.

Do you have to undo it before adjusting the belt/offset?

That’s what I asked mooman about in the big Zwift thread and he said he did loosen it, so I followed suit.

It makes sense that you loosen it if end of video says tighten it (at least to me), so presuming you are supposed to loosen it, why are Elite using a poor instruction video over two years on from when the Direto hit the market?

Thought I would check mine. Sticker says 6692 and the calibration value is 6690 so think I will just leave it alone at the minute. Useful to know though.

From the email response I had off Elite:

A difference of +/- 7/8 points is completely normal unless you will feel any slippage during training

As posted on the Zwift thread. I did the short steep Bologna race and whilst on the flat leading to the climb things were normal in regards to power; soon as I started the climb the power showing in comparison to the effort was all wrong .. cant say I noticed the belt slipping, but definitely felt different from other climbs.
I tightened mine and done other races and courses with climbs and everything seems predictable.