Team BKool CycleChat

[<Tommy>]

If you want a desktop that will run bkool with ease and give you the option to run Zwift then an upgrade from 2 to 4 gig video ram is probably a good idea. I would have thought bkool are likely to increase the hardware demands as time passes to keep up in those areas Zwift holds an advantage. Dell make quite a small PC called the Alienware Alpha that has these specs, runs nice and quiet if that's a consideration. They also often have reconditioned ones at the outlet store at around the £400 mark.i have one and its great. I have it connected to family tv and router via Ethernet and use it to run iTunes etc. for household with access to steam for the kids. Once I get loft sorted later this spring the Alpha will go upstairs connected over Ethernet and to a second hand TV for bkool, Zwift, music and gaming through steam for the boys and me

Morning all

I really hope you're right that BKOOL actually tries to keep up with zwift rather than slipping into oblivion. Bit off topic but the software as it stands really makes it look like the poor relation going forward. It's fine for me as I stopped playing computer games around the time this type of interface would have been fairly exceptable but things have moved on in the last 20 years...

Your man cave / loft sounds like it's going to great bobinski. I've got my eye on our spare room and I really fancy getting a bigger screen mounted on the wall for BKOOL purposes. Just not sure I'll do it this side of the summer. Do you guys use your turbos all year round? I think I'd melt in much hotter conditions!

 

[<Tommy>]

But very good luck by the way Mary, I once ran up the stairs, didn't like it and vowed never to run anywhere ever again. Travelling 20 miles in that state is just bonkers.

Totally agree!

Although if you persuaded camlo to run home too would that not make it a full marathon? Win / win?

 

[bridgy]

Bill, Rick - I did stage 4 of the chaingang league again yesterday afternoon after the cock up on Thursday as I don't think I'll make it tonight, but it's still not showing in the league results? Ride is here:- http://www.bkool.com/bkoolSessionHistory/showSessionSummary/2061978

I know it sometimes takes a while or needs accepting by admin, but it just seemed to be taking a while so thought I'd check it was OK? Thanks.

 

[gbrown]

I did a free months premium trial, solely to allow me to run the Handicap league. It was supposed to roll over into a premium subscription but at the end of the trial it just stopped and I can no longer manage the league!

Much like all you guys who's premium subscriptions have just expired without notification.
You would think that the one thing a company would focus on getting working would be the subscription and billing!

Mind you, it makes a change from having to sit in a phone queue for days to cancel some crap you don't want to be billed for.

Only Bkool make it hard to subscribe and effortless to cancel!

Geoff

 

[gbrown]

Nope, y'all aren't the only ones. I just didn't have anything to add.

If y'all want to understand the inner workings of the Haswell chip from Intel, or the GPUs inside those fancy and not-so-fancy graphics cards, or even the nuts and bolts of the processor in your phone or electronic control system of your car engine, I'm your guy. I'm the poor bastard that has had to build compilers to support just about every popular and many not-so-popular computer architectures in the industry over the last 20+ years.

Ooh, flashback to compiler writing at Uni in the early 80's, sounds more exciting than it possibly is!

Nowadays I am an expert in switching things off and then switching them back on again!

Geoff

 

[gbrown]

I built my bkool pc around an i5 intel nuc, 8gb ram and a 128gb ssd, wireless keyboard/trackpad. No glitches on video or 3d. Wired ethernet is rock solid via power line adapters. Video out is to 4k as well

The pc is not much bigger than a half tin of heinz spagetti . Only downside is the external psu

I did think about a NUC, the only problem is not being able to add a decent graphics card if it needs a boost. Lovely little computers though, and surprisingly inexpensive.

If you want a desktop that will run bkool with ease and give you the option to run Zwift then an upgrade from 2 to 4 gig video ram is probably a good idea. I would have thought bkool are likely to increase the hardware demands as time passes to keep up in those areas Zwift holds an advantage. Dell make quite a small PC called the Alienware Alpha that has these specs, runs nice and quiet if that's a consideration. They also often have reconditioned ones at the outlet store at around the £400 mark.i have one and its great. I have it connected to family tv and router via Ethernet and use it to run iTunes etc. for household with access to steam for the kids. Once I get loft sorted later this spring the Alpha will go upstairs connected over Ethernet and to a second hand TV for bkool, Zwift, music and gaming through steam for the boys and me

That does sound ideal. I had a look but the refurbished price is excluding VAT, so £480 in total. It is not very clear about the graphics card in the refurbished model, but the new ones claim to come with a 2GB nvidia GTX. It doesn't say which model, but it does say it outperforms an 860M, so I expect it would be more than enough.

http://outlet.euro.dell.com/Online/SecondaryInventorySearch.aspx?c=uk&l=en&s=dfh&cs=ukdfh1&key=fezYuJVTF1Y6TlnNqg2MGQ==&puid=4db485ac

Perhaps we should have a separate thread for bkool computer hardware discussions?

Geoff

 

[AAAC 76C]

I did a free months premium trial, solely to allow me to run the Handicap league. It was supposed to roll over into a premium subscription but at the end of the trial it just stopped and I can no longer manage the league!

Much like all you guys who's premium subscriptions have just expired without notification.
You would think that the one thing a company would focus on getting working would be the subscription and billing!

Mind you, it makes a change from having to sit in a phone queue for days to cancel some crap you don't want to be billed for.

Only Bkool make it hard to subscribe and effortless to cancel!

Geoff

Geoff, I looked at my BKool settings and I had unticked the BKool notifications option so I guessed that is why I got no warning but the one month free offer does make it look like your automatically in if you don't cancel.
I have been getting cycling weekly now fpr two years because my son gave me a six month subscription for Christmas and he keeps forgetting to cancel it and I must admit that with all the coverage on TV plus being a frequent visitor to Steephill on line there is not that much in it that I don't already know.

 

[gbrown]

Geoff, I looked at my BKool settings and I had unticked the BKool notifications option so I guessed that is why I got no warning but the one month free offer does make it look like your automatically in if you don't cancel.
I have been getting cycling weekly now fpr two years because my son gave me a six month subscription for Christmas and he keeps forgetting to cancel it and I must admit that with all the coverage on TV plus being a frequent visitor to Steephill on line there is not that much in it that I don't already know.

Inertia marketing...

The exact opposite with Bkool, my trial came to the end, and I am now seeing a Go Premium flash at the top right of the web site, but no automatic sign up for the premium sub.

I'm not riding, but if I want to manage the Handicap league, I think I'll have to sign up.

Geoff

 

[kipster]

Inertia marketing...

The exact opposite with Bkool, my trial came to the end, and I am now seeing a Go Premium flash at the top right of the web site, but no automatic sign up for the premium sub.

I'm not riding, but if I want to manage the Handicap league, I think I'll have to sign up.

Geoff

Geoff, to be honest I don't think you should be out of pocket for running a league and not actually riding. I'd be more than happy to contribute to a Bkool premium subscription for you. The are 38 members of the handicap league, if we all contributed a couple of quid or so, that would cover the costs of the subscription.

 

[<Tommy>]

Geoff, to be honest I don't think you should be out of pocket for running a league and not actually riding. I'd be more than happy to contribute to a Bkool premium subscription for you. The are 38 members of the handicap league, if we all contributed a couple of quid or so, that would cover the costs of the subscription.

I was planning to write something very similar kipster.

I'm really grateful for the effort you and others put in Geoff and I'd be more than happy to chip in.

I don't want to put pressure on others to do the same but a couple of quid a month or £5+ a day on cigarettes is a no brainier to me personally.

 

[Brendan Parker]

Geoff, to be honest I don't think you should be out of pocket for running a league and not actually riding. I'd be more than happy to contribute to a Bkool premium subscription for you. The are 38 members of the handicap league, if we all contributed a couple of quid or so, that would cover the costs of the subscription.

I was thinking exactly the same thing
Geoff have you a paypal account?

 

[bridgy]

Geoff, to be honest I don't think you should be out of pocket for running a league and not actually riding. I'd be more than happy to contribute to a Bkool premium subscription for you. The are 38 members of the handicap league, if we all contributed a couple of quid or so, that would cover the costs of the subscription.

Agreed Kipster - well said. I'd be very happy to contribute

 

[bobinski]

Agreed Kipster - well said. I'd be very happy to contribute

And me too!

 

[LBHIFI]

Lets try to be with LB on Saturday if we can.

Sorry , I won't be able to make it today. All these races are interfering with family diners and kids bed time. I guess I should be grateful for the Mrs to step in 2 times a week.

 

[LBHIFI]

And me too!

+1