Zwifters

72 watchers

Gobi Aug 2023 12:18pm, 23 Aug 2023 80,341 posts	0 Gobi It's funny as I use zwift much less than I use to but probably still 300 to 500 miles a month depending on the weather.
Big_G Sep 2023 12:54pm, 26 Sep 2023 2,909 posts	0 Big_G A teammate on my TTT team has recently got a Wattbike but reports seeing his performance plummet from an A to hanging on at a C. Any reason for this? I don’t know his previous set up. I could understand differences of a few watts either way, but to plummet like that seems unusual. Anyone else seen this?
TROSaracen Sep 2023 1:09pm, 26 Sep 2023 27,008 posts	0 TROSaracen Certain turbo trainer set ups are known to be very (VERY) generous with the watts you get for effort. Wattbike will be accurate. A cat is really a very decent, powerful, highly trained cyclist - think a good club cyclist almost certainly competing at a high level in real life (whether TT's, road races or maybe triathlons).
jda Sep 2023 1:25pm, 26 Sep 2023 15,496 posts	0 jda Scraping into the low end of A cat isn't really that special (me on a good day, over 50y and never very serious about it though I have won a few tandem events with my wife!). But I agree that some kit can be strongly biased - we had a guy go from strong A to average B when he switched to a smart trainer. I think (not sure) he was previously using some power pedals, which must have been poorly calibrated.
Big_G Sep 2023 1:28pm, 26 Sep 2023 2,910 posts	0 Big_G TRO, I had presumed he was on a decent turbo trainer but he’s said that his previous set up was basically an exercise bike (don’t know what turbo), and so he’s getting used to gears on the Wattbike…. I’m in a mixed low-B/high-C team whereas he’s usually in the fastest team available on the wider team, but he’s saying he’s going to really struggle in this B/C team on his new bike. Possibly a bit of a rude awakening I guess!
MudMeanderer Sep 2023 3:43pm, 26 Sep 2023 2,469 posts	0 MudMeanderer I had an old wheel-on smart trainer that was very generous. It would estimate my power at around 50% more than my power meter (which I had more faith in). Though there is something about Wattbikes. It may have changed, but the one time I've used one it felt like cycling through treacle. It may have been limitations on the position I could achieve, but was very different to my experience riding on the road.
Gobi Sep 2023 4:17pm, 26 Sep 2023 80,502 posts	0 Gobi MudMeanderer were you using one in erg mode ? I never use erg as I can't get the cadence up for the power and end up grinding Just riding my atom is 90/100 cadence same as road outside
MudMeanderer Sep 2023 9:20pm, 26 Sep 2023 2,470 posts	0 MudMeanderer I don't think it was, but can't be sure what mode. It was with a coach I had at the time, and was for an FTP test, but even during the warm up it felt really heavy on the legs. I'm not sure if the atom is more like a road bike, but this was on a first generation one I believe, and to change resistance in any way needed to reach down for a big lever. That made it awkward for me, as I'll generally make very frequent gear changes, especially when on the limit, seeking that force/cadence sweet spot.
Oranj Sep 2023 9:44pm, 26 Sep 2023 3,822 posts	0 Oranj You're not alone in that sensation MudMeanderer . I don't have a wattbike, but when I've used them for a warm-up at my local gym I've found them strangely 'heavy' in the pedals, like they don't have much flywheel effect. So I can understand why Gobi wouldn't want to use one in erg mode - I'd rapidly get stuck in the 'erg mode spiral of death' if I was doing a workout on one. This can only be the 'grinding'! (I tend to spin faster for higher efforts.) They have a 9kg flywheel which is plenty enough to negate any drag, so that's odd. Perhaps it's specific to a person's riding/cadence style.
Big_G Sep 2023 11:10am, 28 Sep 2023 2,919 posts	0 Big_G A quick update, but I think the chap I mentioned was previously on an exercise bike that was transmitting its power numbers to Zwift. I am jumping to conclusions but I am guessing that its numbers were waaaay off compared to the Wattbike as he was struggling at around 2-2.5W/Kg. I had just always presumed he and everyone else in the team was on reliable kit, and I also presume he thought his previous setup was accurate as well, but the Wattbike is telling the true figures (if it’s calibrated correctly). I am not aware of any injuries or illness but I suppose it’s not beyond the realms of possibility, although he’s not mentioned that as far as I know. The only thing he’s mentioned is changing to a Wattbike. Anyway, I went back up to Cat B the other night, and I’m happy with that. I usually plateau at this ‘bottom of Cat B’ level but I wonder if I can get more towards mid Cat B over the coming weeks into the winter. We’ll see. My running is down the pan at the moment (has been for months) so I’m glad of Zwift as a kind of focus. It’s not the same but it’s a reasonable substitute for me, although for me cycling fitness does not translate to running fitness.