Zwift Chat

[CXRAndy]

The MTB put time into riders on road bikes in the jungle circuit - evening allowing for two bike swaps. I did it solo in a Cycling Ireland race and gained position. Now if a group of you did it...that would be like a train bulldozing the opposition with the draft effect from the group.
Only negative - I’ve moved to Apple TV and I think the menu to change bikes could be too fiddly but if I’m a laptop or tablet iPad then it’s doable with practice.

So if we change bike together PC and Mac users

see

View: https://youtu.be/33YMT3SDge8


Press A key stops bike instantly Warning do not pedal at all or watts will make bike move and change options wont appear

Press ok or ESC

press T key to enter garage- Swap to MTB frame

Start pedalling


Simple,what could go wrong

 

[BurningLegs]

For those who are worried about a bike swap on Apple TV - the "remote" app (official Apple app) for iPhone might make it easier. I think I will give it a go on my next ride and see how feasible it is. I really don't fancy it on the trackpad remote - that thing doesn't respond well to sweaty hands!

 

[Del C]

Mixed evening for me last night, but things still heading in the right direction!

So, let's start with a positive. A good start! Yes that right, you heard me correctly!! I just seemed to get the power down correctly before we left the gate, and suddenly I'm out with the front group and not smashing my brains out trying to get back on. I was so impressed with my improvement that I nearly eased off a bit too early but realised what I'd one and a small kick got me back in the group.

A completely different experience from my first ride after promotion back to B a couple of months back, which had the same start. In that race, my ride was over before I'd even reached the right hander to the volcano, as I'd been dropped out of the pen and gapped before the turn. This time I went round the turn at the front of the lead group.

All was well through the volcano and down the descent before we headed off to the Italian village. I'd been aware that the little kicks and the short descent were places where any loss of concentration could result in being gapped and I'd avoided all of them. So far so good!

The next risk area approached as we neared the short dirt climb up to the Italian village. Tried to get myself towards the front of the group, but was further back than I wanted. Still, it didn't feel like I was losing any ground on the early part of the climb. But it didn't quite stay that way and as we came off the dirt climb onto the short cobble section before the arch, a small gap had appeared and a group of 5 of us had been gapped by 1 second. We grouped up and hit it hard to try to get back on, but we couldn't do it. The effort of the climb and the rolling section after the arch was just too much, and the lead group was gone.

So, one weak moment and a slight loss of concentration had done it again. But from then on, things were good. The five of us stayed together and within a few kilometres we'd mopped up another 5 guys who'd been dropped by the lead group, so we were now a group of 10. The KoM was the next risk point, but no troubles. Over the steep part and then all the way over the rolling section to the banner and the following downhill we stayed together. And it stayed that way all the way to the end.

There was a split as we left the tunnel on the run in as a few guys kicked. I got gapped with 2 others but kept at it and the group was all back together for the sprint to the line. I had nothing left and just rolled over at the back of the group, with 9 of us within 1 second of each other. The C cat group will be pleased to know that one of the nine was Petersen........... and he was ALIVE!

30th out of 39 on ZP, but in the group that finished in 21st to 30th place, so I'm happy with that. Power down slightly versus recent races, but often flat routes with rolling sections are tougher, and if I'm still averaging 3.4w/kg and 3.5 w/kg for 20 minutes and feeling a little disappointed with that, then things are still going in the right direction!

 

[CXRAndy]

@Del C

I've found out with the DBR events, I need a lot more power to keep up from the start.

I used to be able to get out of the gate with 400 Watts and be quite near the front. This doesn't cut it in DBR races, where I would needed to keep power on for 30-60 secs to catch up.

I now apply 500 and more often 600 Watts to accelerate me quickly up to speed which is enough to keep up. After 10 secs I can drop down to flow with the pack.

 

[steverob]

For the Jungle Loop, assuming they are using the pens near the Jungle (e.g. not the Watopia Pier) then I say don't swap bikes at all - start on the mountain bike and stay on it. It's only about a mile or so of tarmac before the dirt starts (long before the loop T-junction) and as for the loop itself, the only bit that favours the road bike is the bit near the lap banner, where there's a bit of tarmac and some wooden bridges, but that's a 1-2 minute segment at most.

All the rest of the loop is dirt, meaning even if you lose the main group out of the pens, you'll be on the right bike for the rest of it and soon not only catch up, but pass them easily.

 

[Del C]

@Del C

I've found out with the DBR events, I need a lot more power to keep up from the start.

I used to be able to get out of the gate with 400 Watts and be quite near the front. This doesn't cut it in DBR races, where I would needed to keep power on for 30-60 secs to catch up.

I now apply 500 and more often 600 Watts to accelerate me quickly up to speed which is enough to keep up. After 10 secs I can drop down to flow with the pack.

That's impressive power.

I don't think I got near your numbers last night, but I did hit over 400W and held it here from about 5 seconds before the start. That got me out with the lead group and helped me stay with it.

Previous weeks, I was having to hold that power for longer trying to get back on to the group!

 

[Del C]

I've just posted on the ZP forum.

I seem to be showing as a WTRL rider again, despite switching my team to Cyclechat for each DBR event. I've asked them to check this out and also asked why I have to keep setting this per event, rather than for the league as a whole!

 

[CXRAndy]

That's impressive power.

I don't think I got near your numbers last night, but I did hit over 400W and held it here from about 5 seconds before the start. That got me out with the lead group and helped me stay with it.

Previous weeks, I was having to hold that power for longer trying to get back on to the group!

Don't forget I weigh a fair bit more than you, so need more power to accelerate my planet sized ass upto speed

 

[Joffey]

For the Jungle Loop, assuming they are using the pens near the Jungle (e.g. not the Watopia Pier) then I say don't swap bikes at all - start on the mountain bike and stay on it. It's only about a mile or so of tarmac before the dirt starts (long before the loop T-junction) and as for the loop itself, the only bit that favours the road bike is the bit near the lap banner, where there's a bit of tarmac and some wooden bridges, but that's a 1-2 minute segment at most.

All the rest of the loop is dirt, meaning even if you lose the main group out of the pens, you'll be on the right bike for the rest of it and soon not only catch up, but pass them easily.

I presume a gravel bike isn't a good alternative? The gravel bikes on Zwift seem a bit pointless!

 

[BurningLegs]

Don't forget I weigh a fair bit more than you, so need more power to accelerate my planet sized ass upto speed

I'm a 65KG rider, and usually hold 300-400W depending on pack size and how quick everyone else is moving out of the gate. I don't have any problem doing it for the start, but struggle when there is a long flat section and that power is needed for longer than a couple of minutes.

 

[steverob]

I presume a gravel bike isn't a good alternative? The gravel bikes on Zwift seem a bit pointless!

Yeah, they seem to be essentially redundant. Nowhere near as good as the mountain bikes on dirt (which seems wrong - they should be fairly close), but soundly beaten by the road bikes on tarmac. So they'd only come into play on a course that was maybe 50/50 dirt and road where it'd be an option to use them if you didn't want to change bikes, but there aren't any of those (Road to Ruins is the nearest and that's maybe 20% dirt max)

As for the actual Jungle Loop - I've done a map below to show how much dirt there actually is:

Note that I've marked down the suspension bridge as road as well - although it's wooden slats, Zwift treats it as having almost the same rolling resistance as tarmac, so road bikes do better on it. Even then, it doesn't make that much difference to the amount of terrain the mountain bike has the advantage on.

 

[Del C]

Yeah, they seem to be essentially redundant. Nowhere near as good as the mountain bikes on dirt (which seems wrong - they should be fairly close), but soundly beaten by the road bikes on tarmac. So they'd only come into play on a course that was maybe 50/50 dirt and road where it'd be an option to use them if you didn't want to change bikes, but there aren't any of those (Road to Ruins is the nearest and that's maybe 20% dirt max)

As for the actual Jungle Loop - I've done a map below to show how much dirt there actually is:
View attachment 526993
Note that I've marked down the suspension bridge as road as well - although it's wooden slats, Zwift treats it as having almost the same rolling resistance as tarmac, so road bikes do better on it. Even then, it doesn't make that much difference to the amount of terrain the mountain bike has the advantage on.

If that's the route for next week, it's really going to be decided by using the MTB on the jungle loop.

So, it may be worth starting on the MTB and taking any time penalty on the the opening uphill road section, which isn't that long anyway, before the descent to the jungle starts. Avoiding the need to change bikes could well save any time lost on the uphill tarmac section?

 

[steverob]

If that's the route for next week, it's really going to be decided by using the MTB on the jungle loop.

So, it may be worth starting on the MTB and taking any time penalty on the the opening uphill road section, which isn't that long anyway, before the descent to the jungle starts. Avoiding the need to change bikes could well save any time lost on the uphill tarmac section?

And the fact that it's three laps of the dirt, while you only have to do that uphill tarmac section once.

Now the key thing is, will everyone else in the pen turn up on road bikes by default, then see all of us on MTB's and follow suit; or will they plow on regardless, take an early lead, but then get overhauled once we hit the dirt? Or should we disguise our intentions by all turning up on road bikes, but switching to MTB's in the pen when the counter gets to 1 minute to go!

 

[Whorty]

I'm tempted to start on road bike, take this all the way down the dirt section too and on the boards section, and switch to mountain bike when road goes up (and hence my avatar stops faster). I recon I can switch bikes in about 20-25 seconds. Question is, will I gain that time on the down to still be ahead, or will the MTBs be fast enough on the tarmac then downhill dirt to keep me closer than 25 seconds?

On downhill dirt the road bike and MTB are not that different - it's the up that really kills the road bike.

Ooooh, lots to think about

 

[Del C]

I've just posted on the ZP forum.

I seem to be showing as a WTRL rider again, despite switching my team to Cyclechat for each DBR event. I've asked them to check this out and also asked why I have to keep setting this per event, rather than for the league as a whole!

Just been told that the problem is fixed.

I may still show as a WTRL rider on the overall points table, but my race points have been accrued to Cyclechat!