Yet Another Cycling Forum
General Category => The Knowledge => Health & Fitness => Topic started by: rafletcher on 31 October, 2020, 08:53:41 am
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Following on from the smart turbo thread, I was wondering about people’s experiences with the various VR apps for use with them. Like many I’ve a Zwift subscription, just because when I got my turbo (Elite Direto) 3 years ago that was what I’d heard of (along with Trainerroad, which was not for me). Now, thanks to the other thread, I’ve found out about Velo Reality, and today from a Twitter post, Rouvy (which sound similar). At the moment Rouvy appeals as it isn’t all iconic mountains to climb (which seem the staple of many of the apps), has RL video of many routes, plus you can create your own VR route using a google maps overlay, with or without GPS data.
So, what do you / have you used, and what would you recommend?
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I didn’t like Rouvy. The scenery was fine, but the avatar looked like it was being generated on a ZX Spectrum. It was also a lonely experience; I like Zwift because there are always plenty of people around you.
I’d like to try Bkool but I don’t think they have an Apple TV app.
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I’m not bothered by the social side of the apps nor online racing, I’m just looking for something with a bit more variety than Zwift. I’d not heard of Bkool before (I’ve not researched the variety of these apps) so thanks, it look interesting.
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I did 3 years of TrainerRoad which was very good at improving my TT times. That was after picking it from my shortlist of 3, TR, Zwift and Sufferfest.
After my big smash I used Veloreality for nice steady rides and Sufferfest was used to ease back into hard training. But SF was great fun and had enough video workouts that matched my needs so I never went back to TR. This year I also tried Rouvy and RGT for a few weeks each but they never quite did it for me.
Extra benefits of SF is their Strength & Conditioning videos which I also use, plus their Yoga videos which I have given up on!
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I’ve currently got Zwift and Rouvy. Zwift I find like I imagine a Grand Theft Auto game would be. Maybe if I’d grown up with on- line gaming.
Rouvy I use mostly. I like the real scenery, and it’s especially nice when one actually knows the roads in reality. I use it mostly in training mode.
For both, my perception is that racing brings out the worst in people, with accusations of cheating and moaning about races in certain time zones etc.
I’m sure that, for some people, virtual racing promotes engagement and motivation. For me it’s about doing some SQT with a nice backdrop.
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I train, race & socialise on Zwift. My team are also racing on RGT, having been invited to their women's league. The women racing there don't like it as much as zwift - but that could just be what we're used to.
I did a bit of trainer road and found it incredibly dull. I couldn't manage more than about 40 minutes, less than I managed with nothing but a list of intervals on a dumb trainer.
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Socialise, eh? This Covid-19 probably came as a bit of a blow to you, then.
My favourite is Sufferfest, for the music, engaging in the "race" and the structure. On the down side, they are not kidding about the first part of the name if you run them at the levels you are supposed to.
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Huddling about, I came across this
https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2020/03/cycling-indoor-trainer-app-guide.html
Not a recommendation, but a pretty comprehensive guide. I shall have a good read through, but usefully there are free trial periods of some to play with one cold and wet day.
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One bonus with Rouvy is that you can have more than one user per account. I like that.
I also like the idea of creating your own routes and even adding action cam footage. A future potential project.
Huddling about, I came across this
https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2020/03/cycling-indoor-trainer-app-guide.html
Not a recommendation, but a pretty comprehensive guide. I shall have a good read through, but usefully there are free trial periods of some to play with one cold and wet day.
DCRainmaker does a good review in my opinion.
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Zwift I find like I imagine a Grand Theft Auto game would be.
Not quite as much gratuitous murder and hookers in Zwift.
I’ve tried Bkool (because I have a Bkool trainer) and Zwift. The problem with Bkool for me is too much choice - and no easy way of knowing which are the good “routes” to use. On the other hand, the lack of real variety is one of the shortcomings of Zwift... I think I prefer Zwift of the two, but I’ve never really taken to either. Thinking of making more of an effort to get into Zwift over winter/lockdown. Main advantage is not needing to clean the mud off the bike afterwards.
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I’ve currently got Zwift and Rouvy. Zwift I find like I imagine a Grand Theft Auto game would be.
Funny you should mention that...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bl17P_mpHI0
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Thinking of making more of an effort to get into Zwift over winter/lockdown. Main advantage is not needing to clean the mud off the bike afterwards.
Does not compute - surely there's more than one bike to choose from? ;D
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I’ve currently got Zwift and Rouvy. Zwift I find like I imagine a Grand Theft Auto game would be.
Funny you should mention that...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bl17P_mpHI0
I'm waiting for the Potholeman 3000 mod.
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Thinking of making more of an effort to get into Zwift over winter/lockdown. Main advantage is not needing to clean the mud off the bike afterwards.
Does not compute - surely there's more than one bike to choose from? ;D
Not sure what you mean. Outdoor rides entail post-ride cleaning at this time of year, but indoor rides don’t. This is true however many bikes I have at my disposal.
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Surely the mod we really want is for Cycling Manager?
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Funny you should mention that...
That looks fun! Bit too easy to get wiped out though.
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Surely the mod we really want is for Cycling Manager?
I've not played Cycling Manager on my PlayStation for years.
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Thinking of making more of an effort to get into Zwift over winter/lockdown. Main advantage is not needing to clean the mud off the bike afterwards.
Does not compute - surely there's more than one bike to choose from? ;D
Not sure what you mean. Outdoor rides entail post-ride cleaning at this time of year, but indoor rides don’t. This is true however many bikes I have at my disposal.
It must be a lot dirtier where you are than here in mid-Bucks, which is mostly rinsed clean atm!
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Zwift I find like I imagine a Grand Theft Auto game would be.
Not quite as much gratuitous murder and hookers in Zwift.
That was my greatest disappointment :-)
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Zwift I find like I imagine a Grand Theft Auto game would be.
Not quite as much gratuitous murder and hookers in Zwift.
You haven't been looking in the right places then ;D
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I don't think FulGaz has been mentioned yet? Mr fimm has had a go in their free trial. So far he's cycled to an Austrian mountain hut, past the Golden Gate Bridge, somewhere near Lake Garda, and this morning he rode to Cape Formentor. Video looks good and the climbing seems realistic. I think he's had one or two hiccups with it but has sorted them. I then signed up for a free trial too and rode round Albert Park (the Australian F1 circuit) which wasn't that exciting (but would make a good warm-up).
https://fulgaz.com/
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Bigringvr is the other option. A bit smaller in capitalisation I suspect but turning out new rides at a rate of knots including U.K. rides (hardknott)
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+1 for BigRingVR, I've even managed virtual rides where I'd have been going on my cancelled holiday.
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Zwift I find like I imagine a Grand Theft Auto game would be.
Not quite as much gratuitous murder and hookers in Zwift.
You ought to be able to push other riders off on hairpins and put sticks in spokes as you pass. Plus pubs where you can get drunk and have fights with other riders.
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Those of you who use Zwift, what do you recommend workout-wise?
I dug the Bkool out of the garage this afternoon, set it up and had a little test ride on Zwift. It was fine, but it all felt a bit aimless and lacking in structure... I think I need well defined start and end points, and probably a planned route with a bit of variety of terrain (even if the gradients are only virtual). Feels like I could get into it though, and hopefully it will be useful for maintaining fitness over winter when I can't be bothered to go outside.
Can you plan your own routes in advance like you do for real life rides?
There was a 20-second sprint section on the bit I rode today. That was quite fun. Are there lots of those?
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I've got into collecting the badges for the different routes. As you may have worked out, there are a range of "worlds". Watopia is the base one, and is completely imaginary. Two others are also available at any one time, such as London, Richmond (USA), and Paris. So lots of routes to collect, and a range of distances.
My club's time trials have also moved to Zwift, as well as some club runs. And tomorrow I'm riding a sportive. So lots of planned routes to go at.
Try Zwift Insider (https://zwiftinsider.com/) for background, information on routes, and much more.
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Three ways you can add structure to Zwift:
- Select a workout. The downside of these is that the routines in no way align with the terrain, making the visuals a bit pointless.
- Join an event (https://zwifthacks.com/app/events/). Essentially a big ride where everyone starts simultaneously. Kinda like doing a sportive where you can join groups or pick randoms you want to keep up with.
- Select a Pace Partner (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=117103.0), which is kind of like a big group ride. It's a new feature I haven't tried yet.
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If I’m doing a workout (from the pre-installed workouts - https://whatsonzwift.com/workouts/ - or one I’ve created myself or found on another website) I tend to do them on one of the flat courses like Tick-Tock or London Flat, so that the virtual speed makes some sense.
For general riding, I’ll normally join a group ride like PACK (look in Zwift Events in the Companion App). On these, there’s normally a Discord channel allocated so you can chat along with other riders - much more interesting than trying to text while riding. Though it can get a bit noisy if there’s 600+ riders, as is not uncommon in the cold, dark months!
Races can be bloody good fun, though you need to get verified on ZwiftPower (a separate race results website) to filter out those who pretend to be 30kg while putting out 1200+ watts!
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Those of you who use Zwift, what do you recommend workout-wise?
I dug the Bkool out of the garage this afternoon, set it up and had a little test ride on Zwift. It was fine, but it all felt a bit aimless and lacking in structure... I think I need well defined start and end points, and probably a planned route with a bit of variety of terrain (even if the gradients are only virtual). Feels like I could get into it though, and hopefully it will be useful for maintaining fitness over winter when I can't be bothered to go outside.
Can you plan your own routes in advance like you do for real life rides?
There was a 20-second sprint section on the bit I rode today. That was quite fun. Are there lots of those?
I’m new to Zwift as well but the simplest way to add some structure is to follow one of the predicted courses in whichever world you’re in. The mistake I made first time was to just start riding which was a bit aimless. Or you could sign up to one of the workout plans; in doing the 28 day FTP builder. As others have mentioned there’s also the group rides and races but I haven’t tried those yet.
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In contrast to Tim, I used to always do my solo workouts on hilly routes- it makes getting the Tron bike faster.
I can't remember the last time I 'just rode'. I'll always have signed up for something. In the last couple of weeks I've done
- ladies only easy ride (1.5w/kg but with sprints) with ZHCC
- tried to match the halloween pace partner and got very irritated
- Team Time Trial as part of Zwift Racing League
- Banded meetup with my vTeam to do a workout
- Scratch race as part of Zwift Racing League
- Academy Group Ride
- solo workout on a route
I've done workout plans before but they're not necessarily terribly good- not enough recovery for an old trout like me, and not enough freedom for the other stuff I want to do - riding outside for example.
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Thanks for the replies. Obviously I need to spend more time investigating all the options...
Zwiftinsider and Whatsonzwift both look well worth delving into. :thumbsup:
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I'm also completely new to Zwift but have no interest in riding around on my own aimlessly on there. I've been joining both group rides and banded meetups (set up by FB groups I'm on) and really enjoy them especially if there's a Discord channel to chat on.
I suspect structured training is not going to be for me (especially if it doesn't allow for enough outdoor riding) but I might give it a go just to make sure.
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There are various group challenge rides and virtual sportives. Here are two I've been sent recently:
- Garmin Never Stop Cycling (https://zwift.com/events/series/garmin-never-stop-cycling-tour)
- Zwift Fondo series (https://zwift.com/events/series/zwift-fondo-series-2020-21)
I had a go at the second one last night. Good fun, and I spent half the route riding with one other person whom I've never met before (or at all IRL). Pity something went wrong and I didn't get credited with completing the event...
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I've realised that part of the reason for the feeling of vagueness with Zwift is that when you're follow a route, it doesn't tell you when you cross the finish line to complete the route. I did a ride this morning and only realised I'd finished my selected route because I passed a distinctive landmark.
Haven't tried the pace partners yet, but they look like they're worth investigating. I need to get a better idea of what I'm capable of though - probably should try one of the FTP tests as well.
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It usually puts a badge up, although that's first time round and it may not make quite such a show of your finish on repeat visits. The real issue is that routes can have lead-ins, sometimes of one or several miles, and it's hard to know where they start.
And it doesn't tell you which route you're on, which can be confusing if, for any reason, you've chosen the wrong one. There's a particular issue with changing from one route to another without restarting the programme. Making it easy to be on the wrong route and failing to confirm the current route on-screen is a bit of a bad combination that you really have to get used to.
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Another way to see where you are is the “progress bar” under the map in the top right pane - at least on my iPad. The dot moves along the track and shows top of climbs and sprints.
Not perfect by any means but if it flips back to the start of the route you k ow that you’ve completed it. Although confusingly on yesterday’s route it was running from right to left.
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+1 for BigRingVR, I've even managed virtual rides where I'd have been going on my cancelled holiday.
Yesterday I did Teide from the south in Tenerife on BRVR, which is precisely what I would have been doing if my flight hadn't been cancelled. ::-) ;D
I tend to go for climbs on the VR apps as I'm packing in more training for the time spent. Don't see much point in sitting twiddling air. Yesterday was 2h10m of continual (simulated) climbing at 95% FTP, followed by 25m of "downhill" at low wattage which was effectively a cooldown.
I've just started dabbling with VR apps after a few months with TrainerRoad. Not sure what effect this will have on training or improving FTP but it's good fun and breaks the monotony. I think I'll be taking out monthly subs on various platforms over the winter and mixing it up before going back to a structured TrainerRoad programme in the spring.
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Firm fan of Rouvy here. I use it on AppleTV, or on my phone & ride 4-5 days a week on it...
I set it to 1st person view, so I don't see my Avatar, but will see those from others I'm chasing down or getting overtaken by ::-)
I also like to choose virtual riders to race against, sometimes I'll chose my previous best as a virtual opponent & race against that.
I like:
1) The variety of routes,
2) How well most work with my Kickr to adjust the difficulty on grades
3) The career structure, pushes me to try online races, different routes & their challenges
4) Any 'races' are small, maybe 100people, so you're not crowded after the first 5 mins. This generally feels more like Audaxing to me, which is great :D
I dislike:
1) Some poor usability on the app, though they are making improvements. For example you use the website to find routes from challenges then add to favorites, in order to see them simply in the app.
2) Occasional technical issues - mostly mitigated by downloading the routes first.
3) Confusion in the community over new AR app vs old Workouts app - looking forward to them consolidating on just the AR app. I've not bothered trying their workouts as I get enough workouts on the AR routes :thumbsup:
This weekend I've added a Kickr Climb (luck me, birthday prezzy) to the setup - that'll be interesting on the alpine challenges this week :)
With AppleTV, I tried Zwift (hated the gamification), Fullgaz (power on routes seemed choppier than Rouvy), RGT Cycling (crashed on my first 2 attempts, so I didn't try again).
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Another way to see where you are is the “progress bar” under the map in the top right pane - at least on my iPad. The dot moves along the track and shows top of climbs and sprints.
Not perfect by any means but if it flips back to the start of the route you k ow that you’ve completed it. Although confusingly on yesterday’s route it was running from right to left.
Ignore all that; it made sense on Ventop which is essentially a climb but on this morning's ride it became apparent that it related to the current climb
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Another way to see where you are is the “progress bar” under the map in the top right pane - at least on my iPad. The dot moves along the track and shows top of climbs and sprints.
Not perfect by any means but if it flips back to the start of the route you k ow that you’ve completed it. Although confusingly on yesterday’s route it was running from right to left.
Ignore all that; it made sense on Ventop which is essentially a climb but on this morning's ride it became apparent that it related to the current climb
On the desktop app, there is a progress bar under the top section, which I didn't notice at first. But it's hard to gauge from that how far left you have to go - by 16km into my ride the other day, I'd completely forgotten what the total distance of my selected route was. Tbh, I imagine that much like in real life, I will start to get more of a feel for distances when I've ridden the same roads a few times.
I've definitely not seen the badges for completing routes that drossall mentioned.
Must give the pace partners a go - I have very little idea of my ability in terms of power numbers so that would be a good way to test myself and give the rides a bit more focus. Should probably also do an FTP test.
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FTP test is a good idea I think just to gauge which group you should be in. I'm half way through the Zwift 28 day FTP builder. Will be interesting to see how much impact it has.
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I've definitely not seen the badges for completing routes that drossall mentioned.
When you're in a ride, you use the menu button to bring up, among other things, a list of your current badges. See for example the video at section 35 here (https://turbocyclist.com/featured/indoor-cycling-zwift-tips). It's yet another quirk of the Zwift interface that the obvious time to check your badges is when you're not riding, but you have to start a ride to see them. But you can always abandon the ride and bin the record of it, without pedalling a stroke.
With regard to earning the badges, I think I mentioned that the issues are usually that
- there's a lead-in that doesn't count in the distance - this can be anything from a hundred yards to, exceptionally, some miles
- you need to be sure to go under the finish banner when you've completed the course distance plus the lead-in
- it's not that easy to keep track of how far you have to go, especially on my small tablet screen, so you don't really know where you are up to on the course, except if you memorise the distance and check out the likely lead-in from the route map before you start
This is exacerbated by the bizarre way that Zwift can fail to change courses from your initial choice, even if you've completed that one, unless you completely restart the program - which is especially an issue on tablets, which don't like closing programs and want to keep them running in the background. So sometimes you aren't even on the route, and therefore the distance, that you think you're riding. (Tip - kill the Android app between each ride, using the Android task manager approach.)
When you do complete a route, there's a bit of a song and dance as you go under the banner, so it's hard to miss. Try something short, such as the 2.5-mile Volcano Circuit in Watopia, to get the hang of it. But that one has a 1.5 mile lead-in - the actual route starts at the banner inside the volcano - so again you'll have to ride 4 miles to get the badge.
And never run Zwift on your PC and tablet at the same time. The one you're not actively using will block the other from saving badges and so on.
But it is all easy enough once you get into the way of it. They just find some cunning ways to make it harder than necessary!
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When you do complete a route, there's a bit of a song and dance as you go under the banner, so it's hard to miss.
Righto. I've not been aware of anything telling me I've officially started the route, ie at the end of the lead-in, so I've probably been finishing my rides before I cross the finish line!
I'll have to pay more attention next time!
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No sorry, to be clear it doesn't tell you very explicitly that you've started, but the first banner under which you pass is usually the start. In the volcano, the "banner" is a kind of arch made, as best I recall it, out of stone. In London, it's usually a representation of the kind of rectangular-shaped "arch" that gets used at some sports events. The song and dance comes at the end, when you finish. The volcano also has a few arch-shaped relic things dotted around that have no obvious function at all, just to make things a bit more unnecessarily confusing. Those are mostly if you do the volcano climb.
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No sorry, to be clear it doesn't tell you very explicitly that you've started, but the first banner under which you pass is usually the start. In the volcano, the "banner" is a kind of arch made, as best I recall it, out of stone.
Righto. This is what I have failed to grasp so far. I did the Sand & Sequoias route the other day, and looking at this description, it seems I definitely stopped before the finish line (not realising that I hadn't "started" when I thought I'd started!) - https://zwiftinsider.com/route/sand-and-sequoias/
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Yes, that banner gets used quite a bit. It's on a right-hander, a mile or two into the ride, next to an outcrop that you can see for some distance. So, on sand and sequoias, you come back into the desert and then do several miles before you finish.
I had exactly the same issue when I started a few months ago. Drives you nuts. I've no idea why they don't take a few simple, obvious steps to alleviate the issue. But it still gets quite addictive, in spite of the learning curve with which they try to drive you away. Finishing routes just takes a bit of determination, none of it connected with the actual effort of pedalling ;D
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Makes sense though - encourages you to treat the first few km as a proper warm-up rather than throw yourself straight into it full gas.
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Yes, although as I said some lead-ins are only 100 yards or so. I reckon there's something about needing fixed points for finishes and other fixed points for "spawning", which is the term that seems to have been inherited from wider gaming. There's no obvious logic of a standard one-mile warm-up or anything. For events where you specifically want to warm up, you do it on another route, and/or on the virtual rollers provided at the start.
(Sorry everyone, we're dominating this...)
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Annoyingly races have a section labelled "lead-in" on the dashboard, but it's not neutralized or anything, so it's just confusing.
On the topic of races/events, is there a way to jump straight to them from the pre-ride screen, rather than spending 5 seconds in one of the open worlds so you can click the banner?
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What's even more confusing is that the Zwift Companion counts the lead-in in the total distance, but Zwift itself doesn't. So you can end up with a result for a 10-mile TT that's 20 seconds longer than the time that was on the screen when you finished. Presumably, if you don't pedal too hard in the lead-in, you can also end up several places lower down the finishing order.
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Annoyingly races have a section labelled "lead-in" on the dashboard, but it's not neutralized or anything, so it's just confusing.
On the topic of races/events, is there a way to jump straight to them from the pre-ride screen, rather than spending 5 seconds in one of the open worlds so you can click the banner?
No.
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This all sounds rather complicated. Think I'll stick with Rouvy and BigRingVR.
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It's only complicated because it offers more ;)
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Had another go on Zwift last night and made a point of looking out for the start banner, and keeping going until I crossed the finish line. Think I'm getting the hang of this!
However, there are still a few other things I need to get to grips with... There was a sprint segment on the route and I went for it. And was quickly reminded that 300m is a Very Long Way at full gas. My legs and lungs expired when I was still about 80m from the line. :sick:
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Had another go on Zwift last night and made a point of looking out for the start banner, and keeping going until I crossed the finish line. Think I'm getting the hang of this!
However, there are still a few other things I need to get to grips with... There was a sprint segment on the route and I went for it. And was quickly reminded that 300m is a Very Long Way at full gas. My legs and lungs expired when I was still about 80m from the line. :sick:
Ah, the lure of the sprint. You'll soon get the hang of it; beware though, it's quite addictive... (Yes, I'm looking at you, fboab! :-*))
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Does anyone use the Zwift Companion app? I tried to use it today but the connection kept sporadically dropping out. Very irritating.
Did a long, hard session today but had to stop before the end of my chosen route because of saddle discomfort. Sitting in the saddle without an opportunity to stand up for 90 minutes is quite hard on the posterior.
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Yes, and I have exactly the same issues with it dropping out.
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For me, it takes a long time to realise I'm riding if I open it mid-ride, but after that it's fine.
(annoyingly it doesn't allow you to activate power-ups if your phone is off when they're awarded. Not that power-ups have any noticeable benefit that I've seen)
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For me, it takes a long time to realise I'm riding if I open it mid-ride, but after that it's fine.
(annoyingly it doesn't allow you to activate power-ups if your phone is off when they're awarded. Not that power-ups have any noticeable benefit that I've seen)
Power-ups are something else I discovered today. I thought, “what’s this helmet icon? Wonder what happens if I click on it...”
No, didn’t make a noticeable difference.
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I never use the Companion while riding. I've only got a tablet for the main program, and it's hard enough to read that size of screen, without trying to use a phone as well. My glasses are permanently steamed up and covered in drips from my forehead ::-)
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So many things.
I only use the companion app if I intend to interact with the game - which admittedly is most of the time. If I'm doing a workout to follow a route, I might not bother, but mostly I'm going to want to text chat, use power-ups, give ride ons. When I'm racing I might use the map to see how far off my team mates are, or even message them in game - we tend not to discord unless it's a TTT, you can only take so much panting and whirring while you're trying to give your all.
You can activate a power up without the companion app. Do it directly on the screen, with either touch screen, mouse, or even the blimmin ATV remote.
Power ups do make a difference. But only if you use them at the right time! Feather will give you a reduced mass so only helps if you're climbing. The helmet will reduce your CDA- so is only really noticeable on a sprint. The van acts like you're in a draft so you should notice that wherever, unless you're already in someone's draft. If you're racing and the girl you're drafting drops a burrito you sure as hell notice that you're kicked out of her draft. From a gamification point of view you should always 'spend' your power ups as you may get the small or large + which gives bonus XP, and you can only pick up a new power up if your circle is empty.
The companion app needs a good solid connection to your WiFi, but then, so does Zwift. I don't suffer from drop outs, but our WiFi coverage is good, we have a mesh for just this reason.
I read a while ago that it was a deliberate strategy not to give much of a manual with Zwift to force users to interact with each other, by asking questions and sharing tips, or to ride around and test things out themselves. I'm not sure it's helpful this far down the line as there are so many 'end game' users that a lot of beginner questions get answered with the kind of piss-taking sarcasm that can be very off putting.
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Sitting in the saddle without an opportunity to stand up for 90 minutes is quite hard on the posterior.
Why couldn't you stand? I probably stand less indoors than outdoors but I can still do it if I want /need to.
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the blimmin ATV remote.
And that's why I want to do from the companion app.
I managed to inadvertently activate Siri last time I picked it up during a race, and it took a lot of button mashing to make her go away. And no matter how hard you pedal during that time it doesn't count.
The van acts like you're in a draft so you should notice that wherever, unless you're already in someone's draft
Hmmm... I've read elsewhere (https://zwiftinsider.com/double-draft/) it doubles drafting*, so it only counts if you're on someone's tail.
(* that article also claims Zwift defaults to drafting being half of real world expectations, to make sure sitting in a group is still hard work)
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No, you can (for example) use the van to help pull you back when you've been dropped off a group.
Double draft does not feel like real world to me. It makes way more difference than getting up close to your big mates' wheel. On the big events with double draft you can coast at stupid low effort.
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I read a while ago that it was a deliberate strategy not to give much of a manual with Zwift to force users to interact with each other
I'm *so* using that excuse in future.
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Sitting in the saddle without an opportunity to stand up for 90 minutes is quite hard on the posterior.
Why couldn't you stand? I probably stand less indoors than outdoors but I can still do it if I want /need to.
Sorry, meant to mention this before to pre-empt the question... My trainer is a Bkool, which relies on rider weight to maintain pressure on the roller. Tbh, I would never have bought a Bkool but I was given it for free, so I can’t really complain. Saving up my pennies to replace it with a Tacx Neo one day...
I think this is only part of the problem though - also not being able to coast downhill means you don’t get so much opportunity to shift your weight around, and this would apply to any model of trainer (I’m guessing).
Also, I just need a more comfortable saddle on the turbo bike. I’ve never been a huge fan of the one that came with the bike but have never got round to replacing it. Only had the bike 12 years.
I’ve been looking into why I was having problems with the companion app. Shonky WiFi sounds the most likely culprit. Will have to investigate further.
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Sitting in the saddle without an opportunity to stand up for 90 minutes is quite hard on the posterior.
Why couldn't you stand? I probably stand less indoors than outdoors but I can still do it if I want /need to.
Sorry, meant to mention this before to pre-empt the question... My trainer is a Bkool, which relies on rider weight to maintain pressure on the roller. Tbh, I would never have bought a Bkool but I was given it for free, so I can’t really complain. Saving up my pennies to replace it with a Tacx Neo one day...
I think this is only part of the problem though - also not being able to coast downhill means you don’t get so much opportunity to shift your weight around, and this would apply to any model of trainer (I’m guessing).
Also, I just need a more comfortable saddle on the turbo bike. I’ve never been a huge fan of the one that came with the bike but have never got round to replacing it. Only had the bike 12 years.
I’ve been looking into why I was having problems with the companion app. Shonky WiFi sounds the most likely culprit. Will have to investigate further.
If you do get a Tacx Neo you'll discover that you can coast downhill!
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You can activate a power up without the companion app. Do it directly on the screen, with either touch screen, mouse, or even the blimmin ATV remote.
Aye, but the laptop is placed just slightly out of easy reach...
Feather will give you a reduced mass so only helps if you're climbing. The helmet will reduce your CDA- so is only really noticeable on a sprint.
Yes, when I clicked on the helmet, it was tbf not really the best place to get any benefit from it. But at least clicking on it helped me work out that the icons were power-ups.
I then got a feather, which I guessed was going to be a weight reduction thing. Was very tempted to use it on the 16% section of the big climb but decided that would be cheating! I mean, I know Zwift is big on the gaming angle but I’m more interested in the training angle.
I wanted to use the app mainly for the social stuff.
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Sitting in the saddle without an opportunity to stand up for 90 minutes is quite hard on the posterior.
Why couldn't you stand? I probably stand less indoors than outdoors but I can still do it if I want /need to.
Sorry, meant to mention this before to pre-empt the question... My trainer is a Bkool, which relies on rider weight to maintain pressure on the roller. Tbh, I would never have bought a Bkool but I was given it for free, so I can’t really complain. Saving up my pennies to replace it with a Tacx Neo one day...
I think this is only part of the problem though - also not being able to coast downhill means you don’t get so much opportunity to shift your weight around, and this would apply to any model of trainer (I’m guessing).
Also, I just need a more comfortable saddle on the turbo bike. I’ve never been a huge fan of the one that came with the bike but have never got round to replacing it. Only had the bike 12 years.
I’ve been looking into why I was having problems with the companion app. Shonky WiFi sounds the most likely culprit. Will have to investigate further.
If you do get a Tacx Neo you'll discover that you can coast downhill!
And on a Kickr. In fact I “may” have been in the shower for part of the descent of Alpe du Zwift :demon:
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If you do get a Tacx Neo you'll discover that you can coast downhill!
Just been reading a review and realising quite how badly I want a Neo...
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Sitting in the saddle without an opportunity to stand up for 90 minutes is quite hard on the posterior.
Why couldn't you stand? I probably stand less indoors than outdoors but I can still do it if I want /need to.
Sorry, meant to mention this before to pre-empt the question... My trainer is a Bkool, which relies on rider weight to maintain pressure on the roller. Tbh, I would never have bought a Bkool but I was given it for free, so I can’t really complain. Saving up my pennies to replace it with a Tacx Neo one day...
I think this is only part of the problem though - also not being able to coast downhill means you don’t get so much opportunity to shift your weight around, and this would apply to any model of trainer (I’m guessing).
Also, I just need a more comfortable saddle on the turbo bike. I’ve never been a huge fan of the one that came with the bike but have never got round to replacing it. Only had the bike 12 years.
I’ve been looking into why I was having problems with the companion app. Shonky WiFi sounds the most likely culprit. Will have to investigate further.
If you do get a Tacx Neo you'll discover that you can coast downhill!
And on a Kickr. In fact I “may” have been in the shower for part of the descent of Alpe du Zwift :demon:
My first turbo was semi-smart and it was not conducive to standing. The kickr has been a big improvement in that way and also helping get my cadence up, PB is 140 so far, on 175mm cranks, too.
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And on a Kickr. In fact I “may” have been in the shower for part of the descent of Alpe du Zwift :demon:
That was the first hill I've ever felt like going down with my eyes closed :o
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And on a Kickr. In fact I “may” have been in the shower for part of the descent of Alpe du Zwift :demon:
That was the first hill I've ever felt like going down with my eyes closed :o
Yes, hitting the hairpins at 80kph is quite exhilarating
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No, you can (for example) use the van to help pull you back when you've been dropped off a group.
I got one today and the game calls it "Draft boost". Trying it while a couple of seconds off the back of a group had no effect. So I think it must only work when you're drafting, if it works at all.
(And if it helped you while you were riding on your own it would be the same as the Aero Gainz power up)
Got a "WKG" disqualification on Zwiftpower today, which means it thinks I have enough Watts to ride in Cat C even though I normally come near last in Cat D, because I'm terrible at sticking to groups.
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Zwift power works on 95% of your best 20 minutes, so on a short race it will punish your effort with DQ.
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... and the girl you're drafting drops a burrito.....
Ok, I give up, what is that?? :o
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... and the girl you're drafting drops a burrito.....
Ok, I give up, what is that?? :o
https://zwiftinsider.com/updated-feather-burrito/
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I've only ever seen the burrito in races. It's quite effective in the crit racing.
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... and the girl you're drafting drops a burrito.....
Ok, I give up, what is that?? :o
https://zwiftinsider.com/updated-feather-burrito/
Ta, I could waste quite a bit of time on that site!
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... and the girl you're drafting drops a burrito.....
Ok, I give up, what is that?? :o
https://zwiftinsider.com/updated-feather-burrito/
Ta, I could waste quite a bit of time on that site!
You wouldn't be alone... ::-)
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Ta, I could waste quite a bit of time on that site!
You wouldn't be alone... ::-)
I've been having some fun exploring the downloadable map of Watopia and deciding where I want to ride next... ;D
https://zwiftinsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Watopia-2.12.pdf
I'm only level 5 though, so it'll be a while before I get to have a go at the Alpe du Zwift. :(
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Try the radio tower climb instead. Not as high, but a fair way up.
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Try the radio tower climb instead. Not as high, but a fair way up.
Did that on Saturday. Got to the top of the "Epic KOM" segment and thought I was done with the climbing. Then I got directed off onto a side road... :sick:
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If you don't want to wait, just do a group ride up there.
I think even if you're not a high enough level you can arrange a meet up on any course, including Road to Sky.
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FTP test is a good idea I think just to gauge which group you should be in. I'm half way through the Zwift 28 day FTP builder. Will be interesting to see how much impact it has.
Finished it today and increased my FTP by 15%. Admittedly from a low fitness base but an increase nonetheless.
Downside is that workouts will get proportionately harder.
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I've been doing a bit of time trialling for my club and, although I've never tried a formal FTP test, Zwift keeps upping my FTP anyway, so it seems to measure it whether you do a test or not. Makes sense I suppose. It's a bit obscure but, if you're in a ride, you can use the Menu button and edit your public profile, near your name, and that lets you see your current FTP. I may have mentioned that the Menu button is one of the many quirks of the system; it gives you access to various things that you'd mostly want before or after a ride, but you can only access it during one ::-)
We've had an inter-club time trial series with various local others for many years. It's gone onto Zwift (and ZwiftPower) of course this year. The scoring is obscure, and only really understood by the person who works the results out, but the principle is to make as many riders' times as possible count for their clubs, so that even we slower ones can make a contribution, and to favour the clubs who get the best turnout.
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I've been doing a bit of time trialling for my club and, although I've never tried a formal FTP test, Zwift keeps upping my FTP anyway, so it seems to measure it whether you do a test or not. Makes sense I suppose.
I got a notification that my FTP was increased after my last session, which is understandable as it was a much harder effort than any of my previous Zwift sessions.
I would guess the benefit of doing a formal FTP test is that it's structured to more accurately gauge your maximum level, rather than just extrapolating from your normal riding.
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I've been doing a bit of time trialling for my club and, although I've never tried a formal FTP test, Zwift keeps upping my FTP anyway, so it seems to measure it whether you do a test or not. Makes sense I suppose.
I got a notification that my FTP was increased after my last session, which is understandable as it was a much harder effort than any of my previous Zwift sessions.
I would guess the benefit of doing a formal FTP test is that it's structured to more accurately gauge your maximum level, rather than just extrapolating from your normal riding.
Well there has to be some benefit as I can hardly walk now! The test I did was an easy 40 minute-ish warmup with some sprints followed by 20 minutes flat out. The FTP is calculated as 95% of the average power of the 20 minute session. I was aiming to average 220W and actually managed 224 and it was fairly even until my sprint for the line.
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I would guess the benefit of doing a formal FTP test is that it's structured to more accurately gauge your maximum level, rather than just extrapolating from your normal riding.
Almost certainly. But descriptions of the experience make it sound like something to avoid. So I have ;D
I'm not really interested in the training side of Zwift. Haven't tried it. My approach to training for time trials has always been that it's a mild form of cheating. That's worked for me for four decades, so it's a bit late to change now.
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A very wise approach :)
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Taking some time over the Christmas break to try out a few of the free trail periods of as few of these offerings. I (and I guess everyone else who was trying to use it) had an issue with BigRingVR, where it failed to authenticate properly using my Google account. The issue was identified, and the solution was to issue a new build which everyone had to download.
I tried a few times, but still had the problem. So I emailed their support (it was around 5:30pm UK time). I had a response within 5 minutes, asking me to confirm the version I had installed was 6.16.0 - it wasn't, it was 6.14.0. I uninstalled, and re-downloaded and installed - same issue. Emailed back. Inside 5 minutes a response - some browsers were caching the original download - switch browser / go incognito. I did, and it worked. Really good support from them.
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So, I am not liking Rouvy and I haven't even got an account yet. Trying to join using my tablet but the app will not get past username. It is not complaining about the username but simply will not let me select email or password for input. If I cannot get past basic joining because of sshite software I have absolutely zero confidence in the product.
Disappointing start to smart training.
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So, I am not liking Rouvy and I haven't even got an account yet. Trying to join using my tablet but the app will not get past username. It is not complaining about the username but simply will not let me select email or password for input. If I cannot get past basic joining because of sshite software I have absolutely zero confidence in the product.
Disappointing start to smart training.
Which app are you trying to join? There are two at the moment, Rouvy and Rouvy AR. I understand that it’s all being migrated to the AR version over time, so that might be the one to try.
I’ve never had an issue with Rouvy on an iPad. It is data hungry, as it uses real life video, and can have issues if someone else is streaming, e.g. music or Netflix on the same account.
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It was the AR version that I was trying to use. Having reverted to the Fitness version all seems to work. Bizarre!
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Ah! It’s the AR version I installed on my laptop, albeit I was trying non-AR videos. I never noticed the “workout” version ::-). I’ll give that a go tomorrow and see if I can get any videos to run. I tried a ride on BigRingVR today, and enjoyed (fcvo enjoyed) the experience. Video was filmed from a car, so nice and stable. Very clear and comprehensive layout of data and ride profile, but atm it only supports ANT+ sensors, although all of mine are ANT+ / Bluetooth dual standard. It’s cheap too, at £75 for a years subscription. But goodness am I unfit, it’ll be while before I try and repeat my ride from Malucene up Ventoux!
Next up (as snow is forecast for here tomorrow) will be a ride on FulGaz, where the videos are filmed from a cycle. It also has some structured training videos, so between that and BRVR I may not bother with Rouvy for the time being.
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Ah! It’s the AR version I installed on my laptop, albeit I was trying non-AR videos. I never noticed the “workout” version ::-). I’ll give that a go tomorrow and see if I can get any videos to run. I tried a ride on BigRingVR today, and enjoyed (fcvo enjoyed) the experience. Video was filmed from a car, so nice and stable. Very clear and comprehensive layout of data and ride profile, but atm it only supports ANT+ sensors, although all of mine are ANT+ / Bluetooth dual standard. It’s cheap too, at £75 for a years subscription. But goodness am I unfit, it’ll be while before I try and repeat my ride from Malucene up Ventoux!
Indeed. Rouvy Workouts, not Rouvy Fitness.
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It's Zwift I use, although I've only started using again after a long layoff due to neurological issues.
I'll probably just be doing leisurely virtual spins on Zwift rather than racing!
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We've been exploring the Rouvy Workouts app this evening. mllePB fancies a bit of a tour in Denmark. I have my sights set on exploring New Zealand when I start using it.
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I got an email back advising me to install a previous version 1.2.2 as opposed to the current one that is 3 or 4 generations later. I haven’t used their download link, but I did uninstall the AR version then install the workout version. It works now. No explanation why it dint run the AR version, my laptop exceeds the required spec /which is quite high - i5, 8gb ram, 2gb graphics card). The only thing I can see different is that although I have 4gb graphics memory, it’s an R5 generation Radeon, and they spec R9 generation.
Aaaanyway, I’ll give it a spin this afternoon, but I actually really liked the BigRingVR interface. I’ll also try FulGaz.
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mllePB has turned a virtual wheel in Denmark and seems to be very pleased to have done so.
Mission accomplished! :thumbsup:
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FulGaz seems to have problems streaming, so I’m trial downloading and FTP test to see if I can run it locally. Did a pleasant 20km somewhere flat in the Netherlands on Rouvy too.
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mllePB did the free trial on Rouvy and it was mostly a success so we've paid up. Now though, having taken my money, I am tearing my hair out with trying to get the website to do basic account maintenance like being able to set up a second family user, manage to set and retain profile data or even select which user is wanting to ride.
Anybody else having Rouvy regrets?
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No regrets about Rouvy but it takes a bit of faffing to get around.
The routes etc are on two ( at present) apps Rouvy and Rouvy AR . I believe everything is being slowly migrated to the AR one.
To deal with your account you need to go onto their internet site - not the apps
Two other bits of advice, from my personal perspective
- it’s data heavy, so anyone else using your router for say, streaming, can freeze your ride ( but I’m in a very slow rural area)
- don’t engage with the Facebook user group too much! There are people on there constantly bickering about people’s power/ weight figures being false, and cheating in races
I’ve got Zwift and Rouvy, but I use Rouvy most days, and haven’t been near Zwift since November, so you can guess which I prefer.
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I bought a Neo 2T in November but resisted the temptation to unpack it before Christmas. I've been on Zwift since; a few sightseeing pootles, a meetup ride 'with' my brother (first time we've ridden together for >10 years!), an FTP test (246W), a couple of stages of the Tour de Zwift, and a slog up Alpe du Zwift.
It's all been great so far. I've lost a few pounds and I can see my numbers heading back up as my fitness increases. :thumbsup:
I'm going to do a 'Jon's Mix' workout tonight. I'll probably wait a few weeks before starting an FTP-building programme.
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mllePB did the free trial on Rouvy and it was mostly a success so we've paid up. Now though, having taken my money, I am tearing my hair out with trying to get the website to do basic account maintenance like being able to set up a second family user, manage to set and retain profile data or even select which user is wanting to ride.
Anybody else having Rouvy regrets?
In the end I didn't take up the Rouvy offering. I got it working (non-AR) but their support failed to explain why my laptop, which exceeded their specs, failed to load the AR images, and therefore I had no assurance that in future I'd be able to continue to access it as the migration continues. It may be a graphics card issue (I have the graphics memory but an AMD card and they recommend nVidia).
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I can see your point. The app rides work well on the tablet and you can download the route beforehand for even smoother interaction but the user profile experience is left wanting. As mllePB is the sole user just now we can live with the issues but when I want to start using it these issues will cause us problems.
Not impressed Rouvy.
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I bought a Neo 2T in November but resisted the temptation to unpack it before Christmas. I've been on Zwift since; a few sightseeing pootles, a meetup ride 'with' my brother (first time we've ridden together for >10 years!), an FTP test (246W), a couple of stages of the Tour de Zwift, and a slog up Alpe du Zwift.
It's all been great so far. I've lost a few pounds and I can see my numbers heading back up as my fitness increases. :thumbsup:
I'm going to do a 'Jon's Mix' workout tonight. I'll probably wait a few weeks before starting an FTP-building programme.
On the other hand, there are some really irritating little glitches in the Zwift experience (some of which might be peculiar to me because I'm running it on a PC)
- It takes quit a long time to load, and loading always involves the BCD (Blue Circle of Doom) and the joyous 'Not Responding' message...
- It's annoying that I can't check out the Drop Shop without being in-activity.
- Once you're in an activity, the only way to get out involves shutting Zwift down...
- Joining an event is not perfectly straightforward - there doesn't seem to be an option for 'go there' and it makes me nervous that I can only get to the warm-up pen when I get the 'your event is going to start, do you want to go to the pen?' message.
- Entering your weight and height can only be done to the nearest kilogram and centimetre or inch and pound. How annoying is that?
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I'm going to do a 'Jon's Mix' workout tonight.
Thanks for the suggestion - I quite liked that one. The 'sprints' made quite a change from most of the stuff that I have done but I could have done with a longer warmup.
I should be able to remember the workout name too ;)
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Cool, I’m glad you enjoyed it. I’ve not done any of the workouts yet (except the Ramp Test), so tonight will be my first. Did you do it with self-regulation, or did you do erg mode? I imagine erg mode might make the sharp intervals difficult to transition into- it’s probably better for longer near-threshold activities.
Got to join a pace partner ride some time, too...
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I did it in erg mode on a Kickr. For the 10s intervals at 265% FTP I started to ramp the cadence up a second or two before the power changed to stop myself getting bogged down. The Kickr seems to react pretty quickly but I don't really have anything to compare it to.
If you believe the numbers in the Zwift FIT file it copes pretty well with the step change:
T P
(s) (W)
830 109
831 110
832 113
833 115
834 525
835 526
836 535
837 533
838 531
839 532
840 530
841 528
842 526
843 525
844 181
845 130
846 128
847 128
These should be 110 -> 530 -> 130.
Not convinced by pace partners. They seem popular and it is difficult to practice my social distancing ;)
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Can you Rouvey on just a monthly basis, web site not clear as only shows 12$/month on a 1 year plan?
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You can cancel a monthly subscription at any time, but can’t, AFAIK, suspend it like you can with Zwift for example.
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You can cancel a monthly subscription at any time, but can’t, AFAIK, suspend it like you can with Zwift for example.
Ta I think I used up to free trial a year or so ago but will look to see if I can re-register to get another..
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Taking some time over the Christmas break to try out a few of the free trail periods of as few of these offerings. I (and I guess everyone else who was trying to use it) had an issue with BigRingVR, where it failed to authenticate properly using my Google account. The issue was identified, and the solution was to issue a new build which everyone had to download.
I tried a few times, but still had the problem. So I emailed their support (it was around 5:30pm UK time). I had a response within 5 minutes, asking me to confirm the version I had installed was 6.16.0 - it wasn't, it was 6.14.0. I uninstalled, and re-downloaded and installed - same issue. Emailed back. Inside 5 minutes a response - some browsers were caching the original download - switch browser / go incognito. I did, and it worked. Really good support from them.
I got hit by the same issue, I was quite impressed by their speed of response, alongside their general customer support as you point out.
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Yep, very good. And I like their layout the best of all I've tried too, it's very clear what's going on, what's coming up and where you are. Plus it's the one that I can usually stream no problems at 1080P, which is good enough for me. I must try out some FulGaz rides too, but thats a weekend "job", too bloody cold in the shed to muck about finding my way around it atm! So, it'll be BigRingVR this evening again.
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Rouvy have replied to me:
You (as a Master of the subscription) can add 2 members to the Family sharing. The members have to have their own Rouvy account with a username.
Family sharing is not possible when a free trial is active
(on both sides - main and member - if one of them has a free trial,
then it does not work).
What I infer from this is that only fully paid up account holders can be family members on another account. If this is the case then I am feeling disappointed and misled by the claims that you can share your account with upto two family members. I'll try and figure this out but I'm not feeling positive about this experience of Rouvy membership.
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Yep, very good. And I like their layout the best of all I've tried too, it's very clear what's going on, what's coming up and where you are. Plus it's the one that I can usually stream no problems at 1080P, which is good enough for me. I must try out some FulGaz rides too, but thats a weekend "job", too bloody cold in the shed to muck about finding my way around it atm! So, it'll be BigRingVR this evening again.
I'm using only a fraction of it at the moment, focussing on two videos which fit my training programme, one is a very flat lakeside course that I'm using for steady state work, the second is a hill ride that I'm using instead of intervals this year. Trying to make both progressive. On the first that means time to complete the course, and normalised power whilst staying in an aerobic HR zone. Second is time to the start of the hills ( flat run-in), time, power, ave and max HR on the climbing section, and then distance at the one hour point on the flat recovery section. The hilly bit is typically 2-3% with some sections up to about 5%, but it's got enough regular flatter sections to simulate an interval session.
I'll pick a video of a steady, hard climb of at least 25 minutes as a test towards the end of Feb. I need to find a nice course to do some 30secs on / 30 secs off intervals as well.
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Rouvy have replied to me:
You (as a Master of the subscription) can add 2 members to the Family sharing. The members have to have their own Rouvy account with a username.
Family sharing is not possible when a free trial is active
(on both sides - main and member - if one of them has a free trial,
then it does not work).
What I infer from this is that only fully paid up account holders can be family members on another account. If this is the case then I am feeling disappointed and misled by the claims that you can share your account with upto two family members. I'll try and figure this out but I'm not feeling positive about this experience of Rouvy membership.
I know how it works now but it isn't very user friendly or particularly intuitive. Firstly, you can only edit a user profile from a full web browser. The android and apple apps don't allow this. Why? Secondly, to add family members you have to register for a separate account and wait the 14 day free trial period. Once the trial expires you can then link them to the subscription account through a full web browser, no mobile apps again.
A rather clunky system. I suspect that sharing a subscription is an add on and they didn't think it through in any detail.
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Rouvy have replied to me:
You (as a Master of the subscription) can add 2 members to the Family sharing. The members have to have their own Rouvy account with a username.
Family sharing is not possible when a free trial is active
(on both sides - main and member - if one of them has a free trial,
then it does not work).
What I infer from this is that only fully paid up account holders can be family members on another account. If this is the case then I am feeling disappointed and misled by the claims that you can share your account with upto two family members. I'll try and figure this out but I'm not feeling positive about this experience of Rouvy membership.
I THINK that if a user joins with the premium type membership other profiles can be added - separate logins, same subscription. I could be wrong.
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As a Zwift user I was pleased to discover a 3rd party app called Zwifthub. It actually gives a detailed description of each ride which I find very useful and something the main app lacks.
Good explanation here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgSfajJzW6M&feature=youtu.be
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Nope. Rouvy is total shite. It will not connect to the Wahoo Kickr Core from the same tablet but different account. To be clear, all is fine with the first account but it simply refuses to recognise the trainer having logged out and logged into account 2. Why FFS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can log out, go back to the other account and then all is well. Totally crap.
I am so pissed off at this moment.
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Possibly try powereing down the Kickr so as to be sure to drop all the BT / ANT+ connections? There's also a Facebook page (I know, I know, but they can be useful) "Rouvy Athletes" where you can look for community support if a support ticket doesn't work.
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I have been all through the power down, etc., etc. options. It turns out that only one account can be registered to a device and that a maximum of five devices only is allowed.
The first part of that is the issue for us as we don't currently have more than one tablet and no pc in the vicinity. mllePB is registered to the tablet and a phone is way too small for me.
Imagine if you could only log on to one account from Google or Facebook or ebay or from any other service on any device let alone for a service that you pay for?
Rouvy is a great product incredibly poorly implemented.
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Go BigRing VR, I've had no issues other than their total failure of log-in, which they resolved pretty quickly, and their customer support has been excellent. New rides are being added all the time
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It turns out that only one account can be registered to a device and that a maximum of five devices only is allowed.
Ugh! That's annoying.
Zwift at least allows separate users to log in using the same devices. I don't think there's a restriction on the number of devices you can log on from either.
The family sharing thing is in Rouvy's favour though. I wish Zwift would implement that. Or maybe some kind of tiered pricing based on usage that would better suit casual users like my wife - their standard pricing is too high.
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The solution might be a portable monitor to use with the phone. Seems a bit excessive just for the turbo though. Space doesn't really allow for a dedicated screen for the turbo which makes life more awkward.
Rouvy has decided not to respond to my request for assistance thus far. I guess they have my money and couldn't really give a shit - at least that is what it feels like.
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Can you install mirroring software on your phone, and get the display up on a TV (requires "smart" tv of course). Alternativley an HDMI lead connected 'twixt phone and TV?
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The turbo is in mllePB's office. There is a 28 inch monitor in there but it is way too far away from the turbo for me to see it. The final solution may require a significant reorganisation of that room which is no small project just to get the turbo close enough to the big screen for me. I could buy a Google Chromecast dongle I guess to save a cable connection but the screen proximity problem is the bigger issue here.
I have been looking at mirroring from the phone to the tablet but android is surprisingly unhelpful in this regard. Both my phone and tablet have samsung smart view which I can use for casting to the smart TV or a Google chromecast for instance but they cannot talk to each other. I can also physically connect the devices but they only share data and power, not screen images.
It's a crazily stupid and unnecessary problem given modern tech caused entirely by Rouvy being dicks.
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I would have thought that mirroring would introduce an unacceptable delay into the whole thing.
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I'd manage but it isn't an option anyway. I'm trying motivate myself sufficiently to go and rearrange the office. I already have a usb-c to hdmi converter lead bought and used in the early days of lockdown last year and a suitable hdmi to hdmi lead to connect between adapter and monitor.
mllePB has a two hour zoom astronomy course starting in 12 minutes so I ought to give it a go really.
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Room rearranged. Need to dig out leads and adapters, load Rouvy onto my phone and try again. That will have to wait for the weekend now.
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I had a look at the Rouvy account page with Polar Bear in mind.
I wonder ( maybe wrongly) if what they mean is that 2 people can’t be logged in on one device at the same time? I can’t see why if one user logs out, then restarts device, why another user can’t log in. As I say, I could be wrong.
Rouvy is pretty greedy on download. If I’m on a Rouvy ride, anyone else using my router for any sort of video etc will freeze me. I can see that 2 users at the same time would need a high specification internet connection. It’s greedier than other platforms because it’s full reality video I guess.
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Rouvy's answer is that I need to physically disconnect one user from the device before signing in with another user to use it. The tern "physically" is difficult to fully understand as they go on to say that simply logging one user out and another user in doesn't work.
I have requested clarification of what this means.
We will only every be using the turbo one at a time and I have been downloading the routes to reduce the video stream greed issue.
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If you are likely to want to individually gain virtual badges then you’ll need to log on separately. If, like me, you want to ride x kms at y Watts and enjoy the scenery ( which is what I do) then just keep riding under the same log in. Rouvy won’t know who’s on the bike!
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Rouvy's answer is that I need to physically disconnect one user from the device before signing in with another user to use it.
Unclip the first user's pedals.
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If you are likely to want to individually gain virtual badges then you’ll need to log on separately. If, like me, you want to ride x kms at y Watts and enjoy the scenery ( which is what I do) then just keep riding under the same log in. Rouvy won’t know who’s on the bike!
That is one solution. Do I have to change the gender / weight settings as well given that they are quite different? How does the trainer deal with resistance on "hills" with respect to rider weight for instance?
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Rouvy's answer is that I need to physically disconnect one user from the device before signing in with another user to use it.
Unclip the first user's pedals.
We use quaint old fashioned toe clips. 😊
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Rouvy's answer is that I need to physically disconnect one user from the device before signing in with another user to use it. The tern "physically" is difficult to fully understand as they go on to say that simply logging one user out and another user in doesn't work.
They want you to unplug the Bluetooth cable, blow on it, and plug it back in.
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If you are likely to want to individually gain virtual badges then you’ll need to log on separately. If, like me, you want to ride x kms at y Watts and enjoy the scenery ( which is what I do) then just keep riding under the same log in. Rouvy won’t know who’s on the bike!
That is one solution. Do I have to change the gender / weight settings as well given that they are quite different? How does the trainer deal with resistance on "hills" with respect to rider weight for instance?
Ah, so you’re on a fully smart trainer. I don’t think that gender is an issue, but is there a big difference in weight? ( the Rouvy community will lynch me for these suggestions).
If you are training seriously, using ftp and ftp zones then you’ll be better off separating. I’d try just a hard re-start to the computer. I have to admit to not taking too much notice of this stuff, using my Wattbikes workout ideas on power instead. That is, as I say, heresy to the Rouvy badge collectors, who constantly argue about weight doping and cheating, forgetting that not everyone uses a fully smart trainer.
What are your objectives for using the trainer?
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The trainer is a replacement for cycling and to give mllePB primarily a fitness outlet. We were only ever leisure and social cyclists who liked to tour but when I had to give up cycling due to my sight her miles have dropped significantly. Covid hasn't improved this as you might imagine.
I am now running 2 to 3 times a week but it would be nice to turn pedals as an alternative when weather conditions make running less appealing or more dangerous for me given my sight.
We've got mllePB up and cycling but not me yet. I will be giving it another go when some bits arrive and time permits - hopefully on Sunday. I am planning to do a virtual tour of New Zealand!
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I certainly enjoy the real roads on Rouvy. I’m trying to keep some level of condition for old gits racing, but I’m enjoying not having the stress of racing - that a lot of vets do on Zwift.
Recently I’ve ridden several routes in Mallorca, that I know well in real life. It’s great to re-live these roads. I’m also enjoying roads in Belgium and the Netherlands, parts of which I know as well. Without the real scenery I’d struggle to do 40 minutes, with the scenery I typically do 90 minutes to 2 hrs +.
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The trainer is a replacement for cycling and to give mllePB primarily a fitness outlet. We were only ever leisure and social cyclists who liked to tour but when I had to give up cycling due to my sight her miles have dropped significantly.
Sounds to me like sharing the same account would probably be the best option for you. Similarly, my wife has been dipping her toes into Zwift, but she has been using my account because she doesn't use it enough to justify paying for her own account.
Obviously this messes up my FTP, but since I am essentially using Zwift for the same purpose - ie 'exercise' rather than 'training' - that doesn't really bother me.
The flip side is that every time she uses Zwift, that's free XP for me. I expect we're infringing Zwift's T&Cs but I'm not oin
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If you are likely to want to individually gain virtual badges then you’ll need to log on separately. If, like me, you want to ride x kms at y Watts and enjoy the scenery ( which is what I do) then just keep riding under the same log in. Rouvy won’t know who’s on the bike!
That is one solution. Do I have to change the gender / weight settings as well given that they are quite different? How does the trainer deal with resistance on "hills" with respect to rider weight for instance?
The speed you appear to travel is governed by your watts/kg. The resistance feel will not be different.
if Mlle PB is 50kg and puts out 100w that's 2w/kg and will move you at 20kph up a 2% slope
If you are 100kg and put out 100w that's only 1w/kg and will move you much slower up that same slope. (Even using easy numbers I couldn't be bothered to work out the speed difference!)
I don't know about Rouvy but on Zwift your height also makes a difference - the assumption is that shorter riders have a smaller cDa > less air drag and so go faster on flats and descents for equivalent watts. On the flats raw watts are king, when there's a slope, w/kg wins.
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I don't know about Rouvy but on Zwift your height also makes a difference - the assumption is that shorter riders have a smaller cDa > less air drag and so go faster on flats and descents for equivalent watts. On the flats raw watts are king, when there's a slope, w/kg wins.
Being 6'3" is a bloody nuisance... :-\