BigRingVR - The new leader of the pack?

[theboxers]

Too me, most of the rides are too LONG... Hehe. I like shorter but steeper rides though. What's nice is that I then can choose to ride just a section, to make it shorter.

The very first ride I did on BRVR was a section of Coll de Rates from about 7k to 15k or so. It showed me that these rides would be extremely difficult for me to do. I attempted a section of Alpe d'Huez and got roasted.

The one I did yesterday Wind River Pass was not really enjoyable, per se, but satisfying to complete, for me. I will be back for more.

The ability to choose sections is a real boon. I can choose where and how far I want to ride, within the limitation of the trainer.

 

[ibooij]

After about an hour, the video stopped and I got a message asking if I wanted to end the ride. I kept pedalling and hoped for the best. After 30 seconds or so, the video carried on as if there hadn't been an interruption and I finished the ride without any more problems.
Looking at the tcx file afterwards, there is a corresponding period showing a cadence of 0, but all other inputs (power, HR, speed, distance, latitude, longitude, slope) are normal.
I also used a Garmin, and the file from that confirms that I did not stop pedalling during the ride, so I can only think that it was some temporary problem with the Ant+ stick not picking up the cadence sensor. I'm surprised that the program thought I'd stopped - even with zero cadence the power output should have indicated that I was still pedalling.

This might indeed indicate a problem with ANT reception. The fact that the TCX file shows that PWR/SPD/DST and HR were not interrupted is caused by the fact that the program will stop recording when paused. Absence of cadence will not affect pausing of the application, absence of power will, because power is used to determine your speed.

If this was the last ride you did on BigRingVR, would it be possible to send the log files? If you're on Windows, they files called message.log and ant.log are located in the folder in which BigRingVR.exe is located. If you're on OS X we're out of luck unfortunately. These files are overwritten when BigRingVR is started, so if you've used it after this problem occurred, this particular incident will not be present in the log. If you still have the relevant files, please email them to bigringvr@gmail.com

We're actually working on a new version that uses a different ANT connection mode, which should make signal drops almost never happen. It's still radio communication of course, so the weak signals of ANT, combined with high levels of interference (WiFi, Micro-wave ovens) can still lead to drops.

I like BigRingVR. I like it a lot. But I also like to cover a reasonable distance each week, and most of the rides are too short (and too steep) for me. @ibooij indicated a couple of months ago that more varied rides will be added in time, so I'm sure that as the number of courses is increased this inconvenience will disappear.

I still like Bkool because I can always find a ride of the right length and difficulty to suit what I want to do on any particular day, but as BigRingVR continues to develop the question will eventually be "Can I justify a subscription to both?"

You might want to try some of the newer Spanish rides. They have less climbing and more rolling hills.

 

[Asa Post]

This might indeed indicate a problem with ANT reception. The fact that the TCX file shows that PWR/SPD/DST and HR were not interrupted is caused by the fact that the program will stop recording when paused.

Ahh, that explains the time difference between the Garmin and the tcx file at the end of the ride.

Absence of cadence will not affect pausing of the application, absence of power will, because power is used to determine your speed.

The Garmin file shows that the power was flickering on and off for a few seconds at a time at the relevant moment. Could that be what caused the problem? I was using a power meter for the power readings, not the trainer. There were other times during the ride when the power signal dropped for a few seconds, but this was the period that was most affected.

If this was the last ride you did on BigRingVR, would it be possible to send the log files? If you're on Windows, they files called message.log and ant.log are located in the folder in which BigRingVR.exe is located. If you're on OS X we're out of luck unfortunately. These files are overwritten when BigRingVR is started, so if you've used it after this problem occurred, this particular incident will not be present in the log. If you still have the relevant files, please email them to bigringvr@gmail.com

Unfortunately, I was looking at rides this afternoon. While I didn't actually ride one, I did enough to overwrite the files. Thanks for the offer, though.. [Note to self: If there are problems in future, save copies of those two files immediately after the ride finishes].

You might want to try some of the newer Spanish rides. They have less climbing and more rolling hills.

That's what I was looking at. There's a few there that might tempt me.

And, to be clear, I'm not complaining about the software. Reception problems are outside your control. Anyway, I'm used to Bkool, where such UETRs (Unplanned Early Termination of Rides) have happened to me numerous times. And when Bkool asks if you want to end the ride, you can't say NO - the ride is over. At least BigRingVR let me carry on after the hiccup.

 

[theboxers]

Good news or Bad, I'm not sure. But tonight I noticed that my Wind River Pass session uploaded to Bkool.

Here's the question. How different will it be if run on Bkools software platform? I have scheduled it for sometime this week. I am expecting to take some time off of my BRVR time. How much I not sure. But going on my Alpe d'Huez time on Bkool after a firmware update (the one it is currently on) I went from a 2:05 to a 1:15.

I'll be back

 

[JLaw]

Good news or Bad, I'm not sure. But tonight I noticed that my Wind River Pass session uploaded to Bkool.

Here's the question. How different will it be if run on Bkools software platform? I have scheduled it for sometime this week. I am expecting to take some time off of my BRVR time. How much I not sure. But going on my Alpe d'Huez time on Bkool after a firmware update (the one it is currently on) I went from a 2:05 to a 1:15.

I'll be back

That's one of the outstanding questions. I've still got my bkool membership, so I'll probably slog my way up Little Cottonwood one last time in bkool and compare it to the weekend effort in BVR. My inclination now is zwift+BVR, dropping bkool.

 

[MasterDabber]

I've just done my first test ride based on a ride I did on 22/3 in France and recorded on my GoPro and Garmin 520 and ridden using BigRingVR.

The result was excellent. It felt pretty much exactly like the real thing, gradients, transitions etc. No hiccups.

The original ride on 22/3 can be seen here on Strava https://www.strava.com/activities/910065708
The VR ride can be seen here... https://www.strava.com/activities/937279950

For comparison you can see the segments involved below with my times both for the VR ride, 22/3 ride and my PB. Don't laugh

VR ride - 15.8 miles, Time 59:27, Av speed 16 mph
22/3 ride 16 mile, Time 1:00:00, Av speed 16 mph

........................................ VR.......... 22/3....... PB
Descent to St Martin .... 2:46........ 3:25....... 3:20
St Sauveur to Soulomes 17:32..... 16:59....... 16:38
Sabadel towards St Martin 7:57...... 7:44.... 6:30
Layssargues Climb .......... 9:04...... 8:35..... 7:32



As you can see, all pretty consistent. I had to recreate the segments for the VR ride hence my KOMs as no one else has ridden them as VR rides.

The Descent to St Martin is faster on VR but that's because I never had to worry about the bends.
If I was being really picky I would slightly tweak the alignment of video versus gradient timing ( video fractionally ahead of garmin track but only VERY slightly). This would be fairly simple to do.

I also did another short test of part of another route where I knocked my sunglasses off when a flying beasty got between them and my eyes and I panicked. this resulted in me having to stop and recover them from the road. I cut out the bit of video of me doing this and also tried to edit the garmin file.

This seemed to have worked reasonably well but I haven't really worked out the best way of editing if the ride necessitates stopping and starting.
In France this wasn't a problem as the traffic was non existent but in a more urban environment with traffic lights etc I' haven't worked out the best way to handle this.

Anyway... bottom line is that I was greatly impressed with the way BigRingVR handled my attempt.

 

[theboxers]

Ok it looks like the BRVR session that ported over only has a 2D or map view (was hoping for 3D as well). So this is going to be a session of who breaks first, My legs or My mind.

Edit

Borrox. Was going to do this tonight but somethings come up that is forcing me to be elsewhere

 

[MasterDabber]

I've just done another couple of my own rides on BigRingVR ( well, actually 1.5 rides). The experience was just perfect, just about exactly the same as the real thing. It's good to be able to make a judgement based on rides that I'm personally familiar with as I can't make that comparison with rides the Giau, Alpe d'Huez, Colombiere etc. So, that gives me a lot of confidence that the official BRVR rides are going to be really close to the real thing. Absolutely excellent.

 

[CXRAndy]

Is there a Mont Ventoux ride or all 3 sides of it?

 

[ibooij]

@CXRAndy No, we don't have Mont Ventoux yet. It is on the TODO-list of course!

 

[theboxers]

I'm back . A little beat up after another go at Wind River Pass, but this time using the uploaded tcx to Bkool on their software.

Ermm interesting . No sudden changes of resistance, but also no reduction of speed on the steeper sections (for me >6%). Net result is about the same level of workout for the duration of the session, all be it shorter.

Here's the kicker for me. Due to the fw / sw combination I run on the bkool classic trainer and sim I have just taken 18 minutes off of my BRVR time. Most of that on the up hill sections. It reminds me of bkools sim prior to the fw update to what I am on now.

Also no video or even 3D. Viewing a map and 2D gradient graph are not that interesting

I'll be back on BRVR to break my legs just for the video.

 

[GGJ]

I'm back . A little beat up after another go at Wind River Pass...

Done this tonight, thanks for pointing it in my direction. I actually 'almost' enjoyed it. I've tried several BRVR rides and most are tougher than my boot soles so this one made for a pleasant(ish) ride

 

[theboxers]

Done this tonight, thanks for pointing it in my direction. I actually 'almost' enjoyed it. I've tried several BRVR rides and most are tougher than my boot soles so this one made for a pleasant(ish) ride


View attachment 347289

Glad you enjoyed it. I only chose it due to appearing to be the easiest one .

Not Sure which one or section of one I'll be trying next

 

[ibooij]

@theboxers if you are really grinding your way up the climbs, you can always use the Smart Trainer settings in Preferences to set a maximum grade. The speed will still be calculated using the original grade, but the trainer will only go to the maximum you set. Think of it as virtual gears.

 

[GGJ]

Not Sure which one or section of one I'll be trying next

Mind and post up once you find something I need all the help I can get