The I love Zwift thread

[tab123]

Originally Posted by cash05458

if anyone is interested in rockers...SBR makes very nice ones...a bit pricey...but really well made...love mine...and I believe they have a kit as well if you want to do it more yourself...swim bike run out of st louis if I remember rightly...

I have a first generation SBR rocker plate. The set up was easy, and it works perfectly with the Climb. I've noticed having the rocker has helped relieve pressure on my hands during longer sessions and makes standing climbs feel more natural.

I've found Zwift a bit twitchy lately (lots of dropped signals with no problems on Sufferfest or FulGaz). I need to do my periodic test of my time up the Volcano Climb soon.

[wallymann]

Originally Posted by cinco

..One thing I noticed with these longer rides that wasn't really apparent on a dumb trainer and no Zwift was that I would suffer saddle sores much more. I tried several saddles only to conclude that it had more to do with the static nature of the trainer + extended time.

it is. stand up for a few seconds every 10-15 minutes.

[Andy sti]

Three days of zwift races in a row. Each day was about 2 hours total for 5 races total. I'm cooked! Like doing a crit stage race - Superweek, TOAD, etc.

Today was 64km race that was about 10km too long for me. Oh well, great workout that didn't stress me mentally but instead hit me with competition endorphins. Can't go wrong with that.

I really should do some structured training but I'm not in a good mental place for that so I continue with my winter of no structure.

[redir]

Neat! I never heard of a rocker plate before. I think if I was riding a trainer I would most certainly want one of those. But I like the rollers on Zwift and could never go back to a trainer

[andrew+]

Originally Posted by saab2000

That’s quite an achievement! I’m lowly at level 13 about to hit 14. The levels are mildly motivating, I’ll admit.

I don't really care about any of the in-game items but the cycling cap. I need that cap!

[kppolich]

Anyone here running this dual TV mount or something similar with stacked dislays? We have 2 older 32 inch TVs that I'd like to mount high and low for Zwift/Netflix/Youtube combo.

Thoughts?


Link:
https://www.amazon.com/VIVO-Rolling-...4630346&sr=8-6

Pic:

[Andy sti]

That looks like a sweet setup. Takes up less space than side by side on the wall, obviously. I really only race on Zwift (so I don't watch something else) but if am using TR or just cruising having both screens would be so nice.

I've been really lazy getting my setup/space optimized. I really need to work on it. I plan to just mirror my iMac to a TV on the wall in front of me but I need to organize my space more.

[Andy sti]

More Zwift - The alp de Zwift is a great route for putting down the power. The long and steady resistance is excellent. Doing it with a group ride or race pushes you even more. The stage 3 of Tour of Watopia was perfect.

https://www.zwiftpower.com/events.php?zid=355635

[fignon's barber]

Just bought a Tacx Neo 2 yesterday. I figured I'd have plenty of time over the next few weeks to set it up. If anyone is looking to get one, Competitive Cyclist has them for $909, plus if you use ActiveJunky you can get another 8% off.

[Alaska Mike]

I rode the trainer for years in a cold garage six months out of the year (when the roads were covered with snow/ice), watching DVDs of Spring Classics while doing structured training assigned by my coach. I made great progress.

Then Zwift came around.

I joined during beta, when there were more translucent virtual riders than actual users. It was a game changer for me. Instead of reciting the commentary word-for-word with Phil and Paul, I was jumping for sprints and KOMs on Jarvis (Watopia). Structure went out the window and I flamed out before the road racing season started. I developed a pretty good sprint, but I consistently got trashed in time trials and anything longer than a couple hours. The next year was only worse.

These days I don't do much structured training, but I'm still very careful about how I use Zwift. I ride the trainer to be better for the pavement. If I could ride on the pavement year-round, I would happily light my trainer on fire. However, due to my occupation and location, the trainer is a necessary evil. Zwift just makes the time pass a little quicker.

[carpediemracing]

Originally Posted by Alaska Mike

I rode the trainer for years in a cold garage six months out of the year (when the roads were covered with snow/ice), watching DVDs of Spring Classics while doing structured training assigned by my coach. I made great progress.

Then Zwift came around.

I joined during beta, when there were more translucent virtual riders than actual users. It was a game changer for me. Instead of reciting the commentary word-for-word with Phil and Paul, I was jumping for sprints and KOMs on Jarvis (Watopia). Structure went out the window and I flamed out before the road racing season started. I developed a pretty good sprint, but I consistently got trashed in time trials and anything longer than a couple hours. The next year was only worse.

These days I don't do much structured training, but I'm still very careful about how I use Zwift. I ride the trainer to be better for the pavement. If I could ride on the pavement year-round, I would happily light my trainer on fire. However, due to my occupation and location, the trainer is a necessary evil. Zwift just makes the time pass a little quicker.

Like you I've been a trainer rider for many years although mainly by choice. My sweet set up was in my old shop, 4 full size speakers at the corners of a 60x25' rectangle ("surround sound"), a big TV a roommate left behind (old projection TV that lowered into its own cabinet), and a VCR and CD player pushing sound through an amp/receiver. The latter's circuit boards literally melted during one high (sound) volume, high intensity, couple hour ride.

20+ years later I still have those speakers but only have two hooked up to a much milder amp, and usually I use headphones to save the Missus and Junior sleep.

I find myself chasing sprint KOMs. If I need to do some actual steady training (think base miles) then I'll choose either Alpe, the other big climb, or a loop that has no sprints. For me, for whatever reason, the long climbs really motivate me to push a bit. On flat roads it's not as motivating. I don't even have a smart trainer, so it's just in my head.

My best "after Zwift" year was in 2015, when I did a series of VO2Max intervals (I was on Zwift but ignored the screen) for a study that was posted here. I'd lost some weight, my FTP was back up to about what it gets to (218w), and I had some good results.

Since the demise of SUNY Purchase Tues Sprints, and moving away from doing Thu Night Summer St Sprints, I haven't really done regular sprint efforts. Now, on Zwift, I do them all the time. I think it's helped my sprint since I can go out on the road pretty much at any time and hit solid numbers/speed without any adaptation.

The biggest thing with Zwift is that I've forced myself to do longer sprints - it takes a solid 20-25+ seconds to contest a lot of Zwift sprints (Watopia green, Richmond Green LightBlue Purple, Innsbruck green, London green... I think I'm missing one.. Even NY green is about 17-18 seconds minimum). I used to be good for 10-12 second full on sprints and preferred 8-10 second sprints; now 14 seconds seems short and 18-20 seconds is about where I feel like I can maximize my efforts. I had at least one sprint where I'd jump really early, do a 20 second sprint, then soft pedal for another 15 seconds to the line, still clear of the others. They weren't used to going so far out so jumping early would catch them off guard.

[Alaska Mike]

I’ve lost more than one green jersey to you on Watopia.

I used to use the world hack and stick to the classic Watopia loops, hitting the forward and reverse sprints 3-4 times an hour. These days I stick to Sand & Sequoias, with its longer sprint (~30 seconds) and steady line of triathletes that you can draft off of and play games with. Simulations of of how I actually race- get dropped, bridge gaps, latch back on, die like a dog just to hang in the draft...

I still have to watch my TSS and CTL pretty closely to avoid cooking myself, although thanks to the current pandemic, what am I training for? For me, this year is going to be all about just riding around as much as possible. Chances are, it will yield better fitness than I’ve had in years.

[bigbill]

Originally Posted by Alaska Mike

I’ve lost more than one green jersey to you on Watopia.

I used to use the world hack and stick to the classic Watopia loops, hitting the forward and reverse sprints 3-4 times an hour. These days I stick to Sand & Sequoias, with its longer sprint (~30 seconds) and steady line of triathletes that you can draft off of and play games with. Simulations of of how I actually race- get dropped, bridge gaps, latch back on, die like a dog just to hang in the draft...

I still have to watch my TSS and CTL pretty closely to avoid cooking myself, although thanks to the current pandemic, what am I training for? For me, this year is going to be all about just riding around as much as possible. Chances are, it will yield better fitness than I’ve had in years.

Sand and Sequouias is my favorite interval loop, it forces me to stay on the wattage into the dip and then sprint out of it. And I like dinosaurs.

[Safepants]

I just bought a Kinetic road machine smart something, T-6400.
I love zwift so far after 3 rides. I’ve just picked each of the rides which shows up at the top when I log in. Not really knowing the terrain is fun so far! Well, Innsbruck was a bit more climbing than I was anticipating today haha.
I have a sheet music stand I’m using to hold up my phone. The screen is small but it’s working well enough for now.

I haven’t done much trainer riding in the past as I never had the motivation to stick with it.
The smart trainer changed everything for me. Having the watts and the changes in resistance really helps me want to continue riding on it.

I was pretty proud of myself for a little trick I came up with to cool me down.
My basement is a little chilly, like 14 Celsius. I knew I wouldn’t be too hot until about half way through my ride but didn’t want to stop to turn on the fan.
Sure there are fans with remotes etc, but I had an extra google home mini and a Wemo smart plug.... “hey google turn the fan on” is much more fun than clicking a remote button!!

[mcfarton]

Originally Posted by Safepants

I just bought a Kinetic road machine smart something, T-6400.
I love zwift so far after 3 rides. I’ve just picked each of the rides which shows up at the top when I log in. Not really knowing the terrain is fun so far! Well, Innsbruck was a bit more climbing than I was anticipating today haha.
I have a sheet music stand I’m using to hold up my phone. The screen is small but it’s working well enough for now.

I haven’t done much trainer riding in the past as I never had the motivation to stick with it.
The smart trainer changed everything for me. Having the watts and the changes in resistance really helps me want to continue riding on it.

I was pretty proud of myself for a little trick I came up with to cool me down.
My basement is a little chilly, like 14 Celsius. I knew I wouldn’t be too hot until about half way through my ride but didn’t want to stop to turn on the fan.
Sure there are fans with remotes etc, but I had an extra google home mini and a Wemo smart plug.... “hey google turn the fan on” is much more fun than clicking a remote button!!

I turn on my fans at the start but I also put on a jersey. Once I warm up and my heart rate rises I lose the jersey and the fan is just right. I actually have a second tower fan in arms reach for when things get a bit silly in the basement. I am never cold when I am finished


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk