Team BKool CycleChat

[kipster]

Or it could be that you're looking to make a unit that descends like a classic and slingshots like a pro .

And make it climb like a tacx vortex and you'd be onto a winner

 

[Add]

Or it could be that you're looking to make a unit that descends like a classic and slingshots like a pro .

And if it does....I want one!

 

[berty bassett]

so is there much difference between classic and pro ? or do they even each other out by being slightly easier/harder at certain things?

 

[LBHIFI]

I have just purchased some second hand Pro bits which I can salvage the Circuit Board and Magnet Drive Motor from.
Hopefuly if I pop this into my Classic a will have a hybrid Classic/Pro that will update and act like a Pro.

If you let me do the assembly, you'll have spare parts for an extra unit.

 

[BILL S]

so is there much difference between classic and pro ? or do they even each other out by being slightly easier/harder at certain things?

That's the way I see it but looks like AAAC is about to do the ultimate test.

 

[gwshac]

Hi all,

Just wondering if anyone has had any problems with using their trainer in FE-C mode following payment of the the final staggered payment (via BKools monthly purchase option).

I bought my Bkool last June, but it has been in its box until the beginning of this year when I tried to log on and use zwift and found the game couldn't locate the trainer. After looking online I found that you needed to update the trainer (by pairing manually), which I did, but then was still given no option to switch to FE-C. ON further investigation I quickly found that Bkool must have blocked my ability to switch the FE-C as I was paying for the trainer monthly as part of their 0% monthly payment offer. This is in itself is something which has really annoyed me as when I signed up and entered into the monthly arrangement with Bkool last year the ANT+ FE-C update had not yet, to my understanding, been released and so I find it difficult to understand how they can morally (or legally) justify blocking my trainer from using third party software such as Zwift, without it having been expressly stated at the time I entered into the arrangement with them.

Anyway, I didn't want the hassle of arguing this point with them and so just instead decided to make contact with Bkool to immediately pay off the trainer and get the trainer unblocked. After numerous emails, they provided me with some coherent instructions and I paid off the balance via bank transfer, (also very annoying as I had to pay an additional £25 bank transfer fee due to Bkools bank account being in Spain), last Wednesday. I then received an email from Bkool on the Thursday confirming they had received my money and the trainer would be unblocked that day.

As of yet I am still unable to change to FE-C when I go into manual pair. No option is shown and neither is an prompt or option given to update the trainer (it is already on version 3.06 (ANT)).

I emailed Bkool yesterday and today again asking them to unblock my trainer but am am yet to receive any form of response. I've tried everything I can think of myself (turning trainer off and on, un-installing the simulator app and re-installing) and I've searched the net but cant find anyone having had a problem similar to mine. Has anyone had this problem and got a fix? Do I just have to wait for Bkool to do something their end to unblock my trainer (event though the email of last week implies they already did) or is there anything I can do to unblock it? I'm really fed up with Bkool, although the trainer is OK, their customer service is atrocious and if I hadn't already had the trainer for 6 months (due to it having been sat in its box) I would 100% have returned it and got something else as it is just not worth this sort of hassle.

 

[AAAC 76C]

Or it could be that you're looking to make a unit that descends like a classic and slingshots like a pro .

I'm just looking to knock something together that will update to the latest firmware so I get ANT+ FE-C so I can have a go on Zwift.
And perhaps I will stop falling off of the top of climbs so it will give me a chance to track poeple I am racing with instead of being slung ahead of them only to be caught at the start of the next climb.

It could all go wrong and I might have wasted a few quid.

 

[AAAC 76C]

If you let me do the assembly, you'll have spare parts for an extra unit

Cheers. I think I can manage 9 or 10 screws.

 

[gbrown]

Tried it did not see the current or session time before starting though (or I could be blind to the important info on screen )

I completed the session in 56 minutes. I may be able to take a couple of minutes off of that if I hammer the downhill sections. To stand a chance of winning would need at least an 8 minute improvement .I don't think soI don't think so .

We can but try

I did see you in the session as it was automatically riding itself along at 158 Watts.

The time underway is shown in the screen in the background, as you select the ride and it asks you for the password and then asks if you want to join at the last rider poisition (and you click NO). You can see it in the top right of the background image, just above the dialog.

I've started the session up again if anyone wants to practice.

Geoff

 

[gbrown]

I'm fine with 9.5 Geoff cheers mate.

As you say we can always adjust it if needed.

Thanks again

OK, you're in at 9.5

We're up to 40 riders so far, although I know that a few will not make the Thursday run.

Geoff

 

[gbrown]

I completed the session in 56 minutes. I may be able to take a couple of minutes off of that if I hammer the downhill sections.

I think you may be better to hammer the uphill sections!

Consensus seems to be to spend watts at lower speeds where drag is not too much of a factor and save them at high speeds where small increases in speed require large expenditures of energy.

What seems to work well is powering at the start of a descent to get up to speed, then letting the Virtual Speed take you down while you get some rest, then powering again at the start of an uphill and see how long you can keep the momentum, a la Bill S!

Says the invalid spectating in the corner...

 

[IrishAl]

Well its Sunday 31st January and the Mountain Goat League 4 should have closed now. It hasn't though but I'm going to announce the winning 3 of two groups (Yes I decided that's how to do it).
Further down the order there are those who could jump ahead if they were to do the ride they are missing. Because so many have avoided col de Madeleine , that means that if your bkool arch rival has you beat by 4 or 5 mins right now, if you were to complete the ride then they would get your time plus 5%. You could be really sneaky and take 5 hours to do the stage to ensure that you gained 15 mins . I think back in the day when myself and Adam were out to get each other any which way, one of us would have definitely done it. I'd have been out with my calculator to make sure it hit home as painfully as possible ( ie 1 second) .
Anyway I digress...
The Top 3 results of the latest goat league are as follows:

Bkool:
1/AAAC
2/ Alan C
3/ Ryan

Tacx Vortex/Other:
1/ Rob H
2/ Baldo Mero
3/ Monte

Well done guys. The usual suspects leading the bkool results so no surprises there. Not so many in the tacx/other group but in the overall results they were well up there. Hopefully bkool gets the differences fixed soon so the groups can be as one.

New Mountain Goat league coming soon

I'm sure theyre all the same but I thought the stages in that last goats league were particularly nasty and hope to never see some of those climbs again...Madeleine and Puerto de san Glorio are on the X rated list for me!! Unfortunately I couldn't complete with AAAC but I shouldnt complain about yet another 2nd place finish as I'll be sound like young Mr Sagan.

 

[Goldwolfie]

On my most recent bkool they had forgotten to send the uk part of the plug to me so when I got onto them about it they sent me a whole new adaptor and cable. A couple of weeks later my units light wouldn't come on at all so I tried the spare adaptor I now had, and that was it fixed. I am therefore guessing that it was/is an adaptor problem you had/have.

Thanks Bill.

I had another go tonight and everything worked without a problem. I thought the amount of shaking going on would have caused a loose/broken wire or dodgy connection to reappear.

I'll see how it goes, and if it comes back the power adapter will be the first thing to check.

Cheers

 

[AAAC 76C]

Or it could be that you're looking to make a unit that descends like a classic and slingshots like a pro .

"AAAC 76C Classic Pro-Sling Descender 'Minator"

How's that for a handle!

 

[BILL S]

"AAAC 76C Classic Pro-Sling Descender 'Minator"

How's that for a handle!

Go for it. That'll confuse the heck out of any newbies.