bkool with a "non smart trainer"

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hpb66

New Member
Location
Bavaria, Germany
Hi all,

I heared about the possibility, that it should be possible, to train with bkool using real recorded videos and that the software will adapt speed and video motion corresponding to the speed sent via ANT+.

However, I am not able, that these videos will start. I always see only one still picture. If I change to 3D and other screens, I see my rpm and (virtual) speed.

Some words to my setup:

I have an older Tacx cycleforce with a digital human interface, where I can change my resistance in 14 steps and can see my achieved performance depending on speed, rpm and resistance (in watts). I equipped my bike with an ANT+ speed sensor and cadence sensor. Their readings show up in the simulator and I also subscriped for a premium account.

Now my questions: if I'm cycling, the simulator always calculates from rpm and speed always the same watts, regardless in what resistance level my tacx-trainer is. I know, that the simulator has not the information from the tacx-trainer.

Is there a way, I can tell the simulator, in which resistance level I am, so the simulator can get a better feeling of the watts, I am really producing? I would accept deviations in displayed and achieved watts.

And is the missing power feedback from my tacx trainer the reason, why the videos will not run and show only a frozen screen?

I really appreciate your feedback, because the training in line with real videos is what I am desperately looking for.

Thanks!

H.-P.
 

CXRAndy

Guru
Location
Lincs
I'm not sure if it would work unless a smart trainer. @gbrown would be better to comment.

I have seen on Zwift a virtual mode for 'dumb' trainers
 

gbrown

Geoff on Bkool
Location
South Somerset
Is there a way, I can tell the simulator, in which resistance level I am, so the simulator can get a better feeling of the watts, I am really producing? I would accept deviations in displayed and achieved watts.

It works the other way round (or at least it it did when I tried it a long time ago)...

When the simulator is paired with a non-smart trainer it tells you what the resistance should be be and relies on you to change the resistance to match, so when climbing a steep hill it indicates to you to set the resistance high, when descending to set it low, on the level somewhere in the middle, etc.

That's the only way it could work when it can't tell the trainer which resistance level to set, it tells you and you set it manually.

I haven't tried this recently so it may be broken, or no longer work this way. You would have to tell the bkool software that you have a trainer with manually adjustable resistance, as well as the ANT+ speed sensor (the cadence is only for display). There should be a way to "pair" it with a manually adjustable trainer, I guess when it detects no smart trainer it should give you some options of how to work.

If I run the bkool indoor software without a smart trainer it says

"If you don't have any devices, you can still use the Bkool trainer software in preset power mode" which should be the way to get it to tell you what resistance level to set at each point of the course.

upload_2017-1-4_23-43-41.png


If you pair a speed sensor, it should know how fast you are riding, and the gradient is indicated in the bottom right, I would think you could use this gradient to set the resistance to suit. It used to change to indicate four levels of resistance, but even if it doesn't I would change the resistance to match the gradient, high when climbing, low when descending, and various points in between, and you should have what you want.

I'm afraid I don't know why it isn't moving the video, have you paired to the speed sensor and what speed is it indicating?

What happens in 3D mode, are you still stationery, and what speed is it indicating? Try setting the resistance level low to start with and see how fast you can get your speed, and if you can get movement, then you can try increasing the resistance as the gradient increases.

Good Luck.

Geoff
 
OP
OP
H

hpb66

New Member
Location
Bavaria, Germany
Hi all,

thanks for your feedback. I was not able to find a point, where I could enter, that I have a "non smart trainer", and that I should select the resistance on my trainer on advice.

If I perform a ride in3D-mode, the landscape moves and I see on the right top corner my true speed, which I also see on my trainer. However if I perform a uphill climb, my true speed will be downcalculated based on my watts which bkool calculates for a ride in flat terrain based on my speed-value. So if I put my trainer in a high resistance range, where I physically produce around 250 W, bkool calculats only 95 W and estimates the speed corresponding to these 95W, even if I produce much higher performance.

I will check this again tomorrow, if there is a corredponding setting for my case!

Meanwhile I am thinking about buying a real smart trainer like the Tacx Neo, which also offers downhill simulation... :-)

But nevertheless, I will try to get my existing setup to work! The engineer likes challenges!

H.-P.
 
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