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Sep 2017
8:19pm, 21 Sep 2017
7,910 posts
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Rach E
Jamboro, I actually Zwift with my iPhone when I'm travelling, so you may not even need a pc. A smart trainer really makes the whole experience better though, and they needn't completely break the bank. You can normally pick up a Tacx Vortex for under £200.
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Sep 2017
10:12pm, 21 Sep 2017
96,107 posts
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GregP
Or an iPhone, a Viiiia strap and a Wattbike at your local gym. You don’t get the smarttrainer things but it’s still pretty darned compelling.
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Sep 2017
9:16am, 23 Sep 2017
5,952 posts
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*Anj*
Quick question around event rides.
My power to weight ratio is approx 2.2w per kg and my speed at that tends to be around 20mph.
I'm looking to join a ride classified as E (so should be in theory 1 - 1.5w per kg), is the speed likely to be just right or am I going to be struggling to keep up as I imagine that some riders 1.5w per kg could be at a higher speed due to fitness (am I right in saying that?)
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Sep 2017
9:57am, 23 Sep 2017
7,535 posts
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simbil
If 2 cyclists have the same Watts per KG at the same level of effort, they will be evenly matched on hilly courses.
It's important that the effort level is the same and a good effort level to compare for racing is the maximum sustainable hour effort.
So Watts per KG at max hour pace is a good way to get similar riders together for typical Zwift courses like the hilly loop in Watopia.
The hilly part is important - watts per kg defines how fast you climb and so is a good measure for hilly races.
But this is slightly complicated by the fact that only Watts matter on the flat - weight doesn't affect speed significantly on a flat course.
A powerful but heavy rider will not have a great Watts per KG score, but they will be very fast on the flat where their weight does not hold them back much. Whereas, a featherweight rider with medium power will have a great Watts per KG score but will be relatively slow on the flat as they only have medium power.
So in a flat race it would be better to match entrants on max Watts over an hour (FTP) or average speed over an hour at max effort.
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Sep 2017
9:59am, 23 Sep 2017
5,953 posts
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*Anj*
Ah ok so it's more relevant on hilly climbs, those are my weakness, my speed can drop to betwen 3 - 7 mph depending on gradient so I can go from ticking over around 20mph on flat to being really slow on the climbs.
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Sep 2017
10:01am, 23 Sep 2017
5,954 posts
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*Anj*
* I think hilly was a bit superfluous to the sentence 'hilly climbs' :-D
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Sep 2017
12:04pm, 23 Sep 2017
495 posts
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AndyJ82
I've been using an iPhone, Wattbike (gym) and a wahoo tckr HRM. it's an old iPhone and dies after 30-40mins so use a power pack. Didn't realise how bike unfit I was but after two weeks of wattbiking I started the 4wk FTP builder program, bugger me it's hard going. But I had an hour easy ride today and my average wattage was noticeably higher for a lower HR. Loving the wattbike and zwift makes it even more enjoyable. Of note to others is an hour or so of zwift only uses about 40mb of data which for me is ace as I'm forced onto a pay as you go where I work.
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Sep 2017
3:35pm, 24 Sep 2017
5,955 posts
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*Anj*
First group ride done yesterday. Joined a Zwift Academy Ladies ride at 4:30pm Cat E so 1 - 1.5 w/kg.
Started off really well and knew it was going to be quite an easy ride based on the power to weight ratio. However, about 2 miles in I accidently turned off my Zwift mobile link on my phone so cut all connection to my smart turbo.
Ended up taking about 6 mins to get connection sorted again and the last rider was about 2 miles ahead. Instead of just pootling along and finishing off the ride at the back, my competitive head kicked in and I ended up blasting my way around the route at about 3 - 3.5 w/kg (eek!) to catch up the last rider. I then carried on at about 2.5w/kg to catch up to more riders (haha!) and ended up doing almost 20 miles in an hour.
Amazing how the group ride mentality is there even in the virtual world. Ended up being a good ride and Zwift re-estimated my FTP up from 135 to 151......
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Sep 2017
5:03pm, 24 Sep 2017
96,119 posts
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GregP
That’s a really lovely post. Nice one Anj.
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Sep 2017
8:13pm, 24 Sep 2017
5,950 posts
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cathrobinson
Nice one, Anj. Must 'dust off' the Wattbike and Zwift...
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MyWhooshers
Feb 2025