Team BKool CycleChat

[GuySJ]

I've never figured out how bkool determines the time between the rider and any ghosts/bots. As a climb progresses it shows me gaining at a clip that I know doesn't match reality, then we crest and they pull away again or slingshot past at some absurd speed.

I see the same overall effect with the estimated time remaining -- as long as I'm riding reasonably strong, on steep climbs the estimated time remaining drops rapidly, then goes bezerk as I transition to something less than a 5% grade. I do better just estimating myself based on what I know about the ride and mileage left :-)

It's a quirk and I just live with it.

The time remaining is calculated from power not speed and distance, so if you hit a hill hard it goes right down then if you back off over the top it goes right back up again...

 

[RickB]

It is here:-

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/bkool-issues-and-ideas-what-do-you-want-to-tell-bkool.191569/

Paul,
I emailed Bkool the link plus sent it to Craig Harrison the USA rep who carries weight with them.

Here's the answer I got from Bkool:
Richard,
Thanks so much for your message and for the intereset. We forward your suggestion to our software/web developers, we hope it will soon be fixed.
See you at Bkool,
Bkool Team.

Whoever replied obviously didn't bother reading my email or the link by the sounds of that!

 

[Gert Lush]

You can buy new kit in Bsim. At the top where is says gear.

Ah, thanks. So nothing to aim for then!

 

[JLaw]

The time remaining is calculated from power not speed and distance, so if you hit a hill hard it goes right down then if you back off over the top it goes right back up again...

That makes some sense. Knowing that I can adjust appropriately.

Thanks!

 

[BILL S]

Bill & Rob, I hope you don't mind I copied the group description from the Mountain Goats til to Cyclechat Top 100, so that people know they should join CC.

Seems like a good idea to me Lars.

 

[nabootique]

Thinking of getting bkool. Wondering if you plot routes on Google maps (with a Google license) and download them to the trainer so the resistance automatically changes with the terrain? The images from google maps roll along as you cycle. I know the tacx genius does but they are a jump up in price.

 

[Whorty]

I would not say all goats eat salad lol . On saturday i had to Kebabs on my dinner brake then came home And put 320 Watt in for the first 30 min of the goat leauge then After it i had 4 bottles of good German Christmas beer with 6.5 pct . And still never manage to get over 63 kg ..

How the eck do you do that?!? I just look at a kebab and I put on a kilo Actually, to be fair, i never just look at a kebab - it usually follows that I eat it too

 

[Whorty]

First problem with Bkool software tonight. Half way up Little Cottonwood Canyon and it booted me and asked if I wanted to save session - was doing ok as well. I'll give it another go tomorrow - any moose's want to join in?

i gave it a go tonight. managed 1hr 7 mins. If you challenge me you will get @JLaw and @Soarerv8 ghosts too.

 

[Breedon]

Well just smashed my time by 14 minutes previous time was 1.29.53 new time is 1.15.53
http://www.bkool.com/bkoolSessionHistory/showSessionSummary/1538525

Looks like quite a few people will be getting emails tonight

 

[JLaw]

i gave it a go tonight. managed 1hr 7 mins. If you challenge me you will get @JLaw and @Soarerv8 ghosts too.

Damn Whorty. I'm getting the sense that I won't catch you again. I took another shot at LittleC last night for the goats and came in at 1:16 (again), and that's pretty much flat out. It was tough enough to beat my own ghosts (I've got 4 clustered right at 1:16 now) and just didn't have enough in the tank to even try and chase down Soarerv8 who clocked in at 1:14.

I don't know if the admins for the goats will copy your ride over there, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

 

[Insomina]

i gave it a go tonight. managed 1hr 7 mins. If you challenge me you will get @JLaw and @Soarerv8 ghosts too.

I will have a crack tomorrow. That looks like a good time though.

 

[Whorty]

Damn Whorty. I'm getting the sense that I won't catch you again. I took another shot at LittleC last night for the goats and came in at 1:16 (again), and that's pretty much flat out. It was tough enough to beat my own ghosts (I've got 4 clustered right at 1:16 now) and just didn't have enough in the tank to even try and chase down Soarerv8 who clocked in at 1:14.

I don't know if the admins for the goats will copy your ride over there, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

What I notice when I ride against your ghosts is you shoot off really fast early. On the ride tonight it took about 4 km before I saw your ghost again. I try to keep it nice and steady for the whole race. On the chain gang last week I tried to shoot off fast and was pretty shot by about half way.

I need to do a short Goat ride then I'll ask @RickB to give me the same Goat time as my Moose time

 

[Soarerv8]

48 minutes for Ryan on Little Cottonwood. Damn! To put it in perspective, that's a top-10 on Strava across nearly 5000 attempts in the real world.

My 90 minute effort was painful, not sure why, but I felt weak the entire ride. I'll have to grind my way back up -- looking to break 75 minutes.

Did it in 75 minutes, spent at least 74 of them having to convince myself to carry on and not get off and slink back out of the man cave.

 

[RickB]

Thinking of getting bkool. Wondering if you plot routes on Google maps (with a Google license) and download them to the trainer so the resistance automatically changes with the terrain? The images from google maps roll along as you cycle. I know the tacx genius does but they are a jump up in price.

I would assume depending on what format you can output from Google maps with. I see GPX and HRM files mentioned on Bkool as compatible. What options are on Google maps for export?

 

[Soarerv8]

What I notice when I ride against your ghosts is you shoot off really fast early. On the ride tonight it took about 4 km before I saw your ghost again. I try to keep it nice and steady for the whole race. On the chain gang last week I tried to shoot off fast and was pretty shot by about half way.

I need to do a short Goat ride then I'll ask @RickB to give me the same Goat time as my Moose time

Bah Damn those emails mocking my time. No way am I going out to try it again (well not until my electric bike turns up anyway)