The Official ZWIFTING Thread

[weisan]

Originally Posted by cmbicycles

I'm curious whether you guys using zwift think it would be enjoyable for a 10 year old to use. My nephew is morbidly obese but was thrilled when I got him a bike when he stayed with us this summer... rode it everyday in 100+ degree heat index. He doesn't have a great place to ride at home so my wife and I tossed zwift around being it's kind of like a video game and bike riding all in one. He asked for a laptop for christmas and in all likelyhood will get it... sigh.

He obviously wouldn't be competing, but getting needed exercise and if I got on it, I take it, we could "ride together". I saw a "smart" trainer quobo b+ for $150 so it would be somewhat feasible if it would be suitable for his age/attention.
Thanks for the thoughts in advance, I'm just throwing this out on a whim.

Cm pal, here are some thoughts of mine.

Huge, I mean, HUGE kudos to you and your wife got getting your nephew into cycling, I hope it changes his life as much as it did for me. I was obese growing up until I caught the cycling bug when I was about your nephew's age. Judging by what you said about him riding everyday since even under 100+ degrees heat, he is smittened by the cycling cupid that's for sure, good on him! His life and his world is about to open up and take a dramatic 180 degree turn as he continues to engage in exercise, challenge himself physically and enjoy being outside interacting and discovering a whole new world and basically leaving his old lifestyle further behind and also being less of a hermit living in a cave and more of an extrovert. The new and better options and choices that he is now beginning to discover will continue to appeal more to him.

Now...about getting him involved with ZWIFT. I personally have mixed feelings about that. I understand where you are coming from, the local area challenges he faced and your desire to see him continue down this winning path....

I say, we wait and see.... Let him figure out how to overcome some of these challenges himself. When there's a will, there's a way. If cycling meant as much to him as it did for me when I was his age, he will find a way. Unless cycling outside put him in an immediate danger and harm's way, I say "don't worry about it", let the boy figure it out, part of the fun and part of nurturing that new found passion is overcoming imperfection conditions and rising above the challenges. Let's wait and see... don't rush in yet, trying to some every problem for him, let him figure it out....

Those are just my two cents.

Again... I am super excited to see the boy's life about to be transformed and changed... as it did for me some 35+ years ago.

[tigoat]

Originally Posted by fa63

In Zwift, you have to enter the rider's weight and it will adjust the resistance based on that with a smart trainer. So it is a lot more work for a heavier person to keep up with the skinny dudes, as it is in real life (I almost had a heart attack trying to follow someone up the Zwift mountain a couple days ago). Putting in a lower weight allows you to work around that.

No, not technically, the resistance is based on the terrain. The weight is used as part of the speed calculation. It is kind of a wash between a heavier rider vs. a lighter rider with climbing vs. descending, as the real gravity is not really there in Zwift. I only weigh 135 lb in real life and I had to jack it up to 145 lb to make my estimated speed more realistic to match my outside riding speed.

[shovelhd]

Smart trainer riders do pay a price for that realism when racing with others that don't have them. Yes, as a light guy, I can climb well versus the heavier guys, but they will blow by me on the descents if I'm not careful. There is an artificial gravity in Zwift. You have to watch for it.

I don't mess with my weight. I am what I am. What I did do recently was turn the trainer difficulty down a small amount, maybe 5-10%, from the default (50%). The more you turn it down, the dumber your smart trainer becomes. I know guys that drop it to zero for races so they can spin up faster. I won't do that. I'd rather lose. Where I have it now gives me a nice balance between the realism I paid for and not crushing myself to chase down every hill in races.

[R3awak3n]

I notice that the speed distance is not super accurate in zwift. Flat ride for example, about an hour of not pushing hard I will do like 15 or so miles (yes I am slow)but my speed is over 15mph average it makes no sense.

[fa63]

Originally Posted by tigoat

No, not technically, the resistance is based on the terrain. The weight is used as part of the speed calculation. It is kind of a wash between a heavier rider vs. a lighter rider with climbing vs. descending, as the real gravity is not really there in Zwift. I only weigh 135 lb in real life and I had to jack it up to 145 lb to make my estimated speed more realistic to match my outside riding speed.

Yes, the trainer resistance is based on the terrain. But the power required to maintain a given speed over a certain terrain is dependent on mass (bike + rider), among other factors like gradient, frontal area, drag coefficient, rolling resistance, etc. So the trainer resistance is therefore dependent on your weight (though not so much on the flats). Zwift does not have any wind resistance, which is probably why you had to increase your weight to match your outside riding speed.

[fa63]

Originally Posted by R3awak3n

I notice that the speed distance is not super accurate in zwift. Flat ride for example, about an hour of not pushing hard I will do like 15 or so miles (yes I am slow)but my speed is over 15mph average it makes no sense.

There is no wind resistance in Zwift, which of course rarely happens in real life. Hence the inflated average speeds, especially on flat rides.

[R3awak3n]

Originally Posted by fa63

There is no wind resistance in Zwift, which of course rarely happens in real life. Hence the inflated average speeds, especially on flat rides.

I am talking about the opposite. Less miles, more speed.

[fa63]

Hmm, not sure why you are having that problem. Here is my ride from last night:

https://www.strava.com/activities/800894084

15.1 miles over 46 minutes 11 seconds, which is 46.183 minutes, or 0.7697 hours. 15.1 miles / 0.7697 hours = 19.62 mph, which is what Zwift indicated as well.

[fiataccompli]

So, is the weight model supposed to be your weight + the weight of whatever bike you've chosen?

My experience is the overall speed seems slightly higher than I may expect in the real world, but I've never really worried about that. Actually I figured the model was intended err if at all in that direction so users would keep feeling good about their time there & stay subscribed.

If anything, it seems to me that my power output ends up a bit less and my speed a bit more than I'd expect. Then again, it's virtual....half the time I can't really visually perceive if I'm going uphill or down at <3% unless I look at the profile in the corner of the screen.


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[fa63]

For me, using a Wahoo Kickr, even a slight downhill or uphill is quite perceptible. Did you turn the "Trainer Difficulty" setting all the way down?

[belopsky]

I recently got ZWIFT and using the elite qubo Digital Interactive. I don't know how accurate the wattage is or anything else, but it gives me resistance and I am sweating and working hard. Going to pickup a HRM as well and I'm sure it'll be just fine come spring when it's warm out again.

I don't have anything to calibrate to a good power meter, but I also don't really care for how "real" it is as long as it keeps me in shape

[fiataccompli]

I have a kickr & I have the trainer difficulty (in truth I don't know what it means) set to max. I should elaborate; starting out, warming up, yes I do feel the shifts in terrain. However on what Zwift calls the "hilly" loop on Watopia, there are crest points on the roller sections where I find myself checking the % grade to know if I am going slightly uphill or down (usually pushing at a 4ish P/W and wanting to know whether I anticipate upshifting or downshifting)...maybe my point has more to do with the way my brain interprets the visual combined with resistance compared to real riding where I have the sensory experience to almost feel like I quickly perceive even the slightest changes in terrain. Just an observation, not a complaint.


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[fa63]

At 4 W/kg, things are just a blur for me so I probably wouldn't feel any changes in grade either

[commonguy001]

Trainer difficulty turned up to 100% is supposed to make it feel like a 6% grade is 6% where the basic setting would make it feel like 3%.
If it's not working like it's supposed to be they have a couple of things to look at for the Kickr.

I'm new to Zwift (only have 6 rides in) and have been messing with the settings a bit as at 50% (the starting TD setting) it didn't feel real enough. I'm set somewhere near 100% now and like it more even though you have to shift a bit more.

I've heard they're not doing more custom jersey submissions but man it'd be cool to have a Paceline jersey option on Zwift

[shovelhd]

I ride mostly in my club jersey unless the event module forces me into something else.

There is wind resistance in Zwift in the form of the draft.