Team BKool CycleChat

[Soarerv8]

The next Handicap Chase is Spin round the block with Liam

Next run is 8pm (plus Start Time) this Tuesday 22nd November 2016.

Start Times (Handicaps) are as follows... (when underway time equals or exceeds the given Start Time).

If anyone else wants to take part, can they let us know a competitive time for the stage, or failing that their fitness level and who they usually finish close to.

Your handicap is based on your previous times, and is used to generate a Start Time.

Like golf, the higher the Handicap the more assistance you get, so the earlier the Start Time.

Your Handicap is reduced slightly if you have only completed one chase, and reduced more if you have completed none (and your time is based on doing the stage outside the handicap format). Therefore you are rewarded for completing the handicap chase once, and rewarded more for a second one, as your time should more closely reflect your current potential.

Finally, the Handicap is also reduced slightly for those who are furthest behind the fastest time, as they have more chance of significantly improving their times. The front runners will always struggle to improve their times much, especially after a couple of runs, so they need the full Handicap to stay competitive.

This algorithm has developed across several stages (and previous Chain Gang rides) and closed the bulk of the field from around 10 minutes to around 3 minutes, and hopefully future runs will close it up again slightly.

It is always likely that the win will be taken by an early starter who improves significantly, which is probably a good thing as it improves motivation. It is also possible that any significant under performance on previous bests will result in trailing in at the back, for even the fastest riders. I don't think this can be helped. However, so long as the bulk of the entrants finish close together it should make for a more entertaining session for the majority, and make the format worthwhile.

Geoff

Dear Mr @gbrown

It is with dismay that I note some of the newly super fit members of this group who will remain nameless (@Whorty & @adski) need at least 10 minutes adding to their start times.

Yours sincerely

A concerned resident of Cyclechat

 

[bridgy]

It seems like any ride I choose but I will try another when the laptop is back in life as its out of battery at min Thanks for that
I click the 3D box all the time so I would have thought it was a ride at least one person has rode ?

Most routes have 3d automatically - the rides with video are much more likely to have been ridden by more people

 

[berty bassett]

Are you sure the rides where you can't find ghosts or move the slider do actually have previous attempts by other riders on them?

The first couple of rides I clicked on "setup" in Sessions were as you described, but if you click on the ride name, those ones had Users: 0 and Attempts: 0 - so no ghosts to add anyway.

If I then found a ride I've definitely done before, or put some filters in place and chose video rides and sorted by popularity so that they were rides definitely done by many people, all the available ghosts were showing as normal.

Can you link to a ride where you're having this problem and I'll see how it looks at my end if you like?

Your right
i am wrong
i had clicked on roughly 20 rides and no one had done them - hows that for luck ! done what you said and clicked on name and as soon as i found one been done before - the slider works
guess i have to write a sorry note to the man at bkool hq
thanks for the help

 

[Bored Man]

Dear Mr @gbrown

It is with dismay that I note some of the newly super fit members of this group who will remain nameless (@Whorty & @adski) need at least 10 minutes adding to their start times.

Yours sincerely

A concerned resident of Cyclechat

Dear Mr Geoff.. i agree with Soarerv8. Mr McWhartface is kicking my Ar5e at the moment..

 

[AAAC 76C]

The next Handicap Chase is Spin round the block with Liam

Next run is 8pm (plus Start Time) this Tuesday 22nd November 2016.

Start Times (Handicaps) are as follows... (when underway time equals or exceeds the given Start Time).

If anyone else wants to take part, can they let us know a competitive time for the stage, or failing that their fitness level and who they usually finish close to.

Your handicap is based on your previous times, and is used to generate a Start Time.

Like golf, the higher the Handicap the more assistance you get, so the earlier the Start Time.

Your Handicap is reduced slightly if you have only completed one chase, and reduced more if you have completed none (and your time is based on doing the stage outside the handicap format). Therefore you are rewarded for completing the handicap chase once, and rewarded more for a second one, as your time should more closely reflect your current potential.

Finally, the Handicap is also reduced slightly for those who are furthest behind the fastest time, as they have more chance of significantly improving their times. The front runners will always struggle to improve their times much, especially after a couple of runs, so they need the full Handicap to stay competitive.

This algorithm has developed across several stages (and previous Chain Gang rides) and closed the bulk of the field from around 10 minutes to around 3 minutes, and hopefully future runs will close it up again slightly.

It is always likely that the win will be taken by an early starter who improves significantly, which is probably a good thing as it improves motivation. It is also possible that any significant under performance on previous bests will result in trailing in at the back, for even the fastest riders. I don't think this can be helped. However, so long as the bulk of the entrants finish close together it should make for a more entertaining session for the majority, and make the format worthwhile.

Geoff

I'll start 3 minutes behind Bridgy then having pasted his ghost by 14 seconds on the last chaingang.

 

[Goldwolfie]

Had a go at Goat 2 ride earlier - foolish I know.

Big climbs, turbo and me just don't go together.

For the second time recently after an hour of struggling up the brick wall Bill has kindly chosen for us, I have had a problem with the turbo. I get a loud grinding noise from the turbo and it just about seizes up. I climbed off and turned the back wheel by hand and it eventually freed up - so I climbed back on and finished the ride, and also my warm down.

The problem seems to happen after I stand on the pedals to gain a bit of rear end relief and then plonk my back side on the saddle.

I have a Classic 2 turbo with the ribbed metal roller - I know @AAAC 76C has played around with the innards of these machines, so was wondering if he has any pointers on what to look for.

BTW my ride needs approving as it has red circle against Low Velocity (Paused) and Average Cadence - which always shows half the correct value when I have the blue Virtual figures showing, which was for most of this ride.

 

[Soarerv8]

Dear Mr Geoff.. i agree with Soarerv8. Mr McWhartface is kicking my Ar5e at the moment..

That's decided then, we had a vote and @Whorty was deemed excessively fit and healthy. He was given adequate time to disagree with this but showed scant regard for the timescales @Jim Brown and I placed upon him. @adski just goes without saying.

 

[AAAC 76C]

In my effort to identify issues I'm having with timings, I did the goat 3 ride tonight and set Whorty's ghost as the only other rider. I was unable to stay with him and recorded a time that was 2'49'' slower. When I saved my ride after short cool down, it said I achieved a time of 46'31, and therefore correlates with Whorty's time of 43'42. However, when I now look at the time in My Activity, it shows I took 49'30" for the ride!! I did the chaingang 3 without any ghosts on Saturday and the actual time was correctly reflected in My Activity. It seems that something goes awry when I cycle with other riders/ghosts, as it's been commented on that my sim is very erratic. Bkool help info not assisting so far. Frustrated.....

The time showing in my activity is for the whole session, warm up, main and warm down.
The time showing on BSim when you complete the Session is for the main part i.e. does not include warm up or cool down.
This is something often discussed in the past and is to do with the fact that BKool records all of your moving time so it can count toward your totals in Share>Ranking.

 

[<Tommy>]

I'll start 3 minutes behind Bridgy then having pasted his ghost by 14 seconds on the last chaingang.

Must admit when I saw that I did think it was a little harsh... but fair

Andy must be licking his chops though! @gbrown, even though I could never condone @Soarerv8 or @Jim Brown's blatant attempts at coersion (2 minute penalty each?). Now Andy's basically getting professional coaching, shouldn't he be starting at same time as AAAC? Just saying

 

[berty bassett]

it would be nice if "the email" would occasionally look a bit different

 

[AAAC 76C]

Had a go at Goat 2 ride earlier - foolish I know.

Big climbs, turbo and me just don't go together.

For the second time recently after an hour of struggling up the brick wall Bill has kindly chosen for us, I have had a problem with the turbo. I get a loud grinding noise from the turbo and it just about seizes up. I climbed off and turned the back wheel by hand and it eventually freed up - so I climbed back on and finished the ride, and also my warm down.

The problem seems to happen after I stand on the pedals to gain a bit of rear end relief and then plonk my back side on the saddle.

I have a Classic 2 turbo with the ribbed metal roller - I know @AAAC 76C has played around with the innards of these machines, so was wondering if he has any pointers on what to look for.

BTW my ride needs approving as it has red circle against Low Velocity (Paused) and Average Cadence - which always shows half the correct value when I have the blue Virtual figures showing, which was for most of this ride.

I recommend that you remove the top white cover and use the turbo for a while without it fitted.
To do this push your bike forward to take the wheel right away from the turbo so it is resting on the ground in front of the turbo or take the bike off of the turbo.
Unplug the power cable and rotate the turbo unit forward on the attachment bolt at the front of the Turbo unit or remove the nut and bolt in total.

Note: If you leave it attached take care not to rotated (tip) it forward too quick as you may damage the front of the plastic frame on the turbo wheel frame mount.

You should see a total of six recessed bi hex screws (or perhaps philips).
Your need quite a long thin driver to get them undone or use a bi hex (torx) allen key if they are bi hex.
Remove the 6 totally screws and lift of the top cover.
You should be able to use the turbo like this and you will be able to see whatever is catching.

Unless the plastic body/frame that supports the roller and flywheel bearings has cracked or the spindle nuts have come loose I can't see the rotating parts being the cause.
Things like the fan and turbo shrouds may be interfering or the forward pivot for the stepper motor magnet carrier screw drive may have come adrift thus allowing the magnet to stick to the flywheel and the stepper motor may not be strong enough to pull it off.

Depending on the build of your flywheel the conductive ring mounted to the flywheel may have de-donded but if your Classic was built like my early Classic I doubt that.

My bet though is that the plastic frame is cracked and so one or both of the bearings can move hence it happening when you stand as you may be applying a twisting moment.

I have got some spare bits but not a frame, unfortunately this is one of the things I ditched because mine was slightly damaged by a spinning bearing so unless I could find a slightly oversized bearing it would never work correctly.

Let me know what you find.

Did you get all of that, and make sure your wheel is still tight in the bike and on the skewer however as you were turning the back wheel by hand you might notice any miss-alignment

 

[<Tommy>]

AAAC out of interest When you removed the cover how much gunk was inside? Much tyre rubber, or anything else?

 

[Noah Street]

The time showing in my activity is for the whole session, warm up, main and warm down.
The time showing on BSim when you complete the Session is for the main part i.e. does not include warm up or cool down.
This is something often discussed in the past and is to do with the fact that BKool records all of your moving time so it can count toward your totals in Share>Ranking.

Thanks AAAC, but the times I am quoting are only for the 'main' part of the ride, and do not include warm up or cool down times

 

[Whorty]

Dear Mr @gbrown

It is with dismay that I note some of the newly super fit members of this group who will remain nameless (@Whorty & @adski) need at least 10 minutes adding to their start times.

Yours sincerely

A concerned resident of Cyclechat

I must admit, I did see the handicaps and felt a little guilty .... I probably won't be around again so can't take advantage

 

[Whorty]

Dear Mr Geoff.. i agree with Soarerv8. Mr McWhartface is kicking my Ar5e at the moment..

To be fair, only on the hills. On the flatter rides I'm still pretty poor.