Zwift Chat

[bobinski]

It would bother me more if I was racing at the sharp end I think. It’s random so favours the weaker riders in a race, where the fastest guys are relying on form over luck. I don’t think there’s a place for it if you want to take it seriously, but like you say, if it helps you stay with a group it helps you push harder from a personal level. And maybe it will stop me taking it TOO seriously which is a good thing!

Just join the races where you cannot use them?

 

[<Tommy>]

Just join the races where you cannot use them?

Well yes, if it bothered me I would have to. I don’t personally take it seriously enough to let it bother me, but I can see how it would, cant you Bob? If they’re available to me I will use them, just because it’s part of the game. My point was just that it will favour the weaker rider, and quite honestly it’s gimmicky.

Can you imagine a sporting event where one player or team suddenly gets some random power up that gives them an advantage?

Now that’s fine if you use the argument that it’s only fun and that you use zwift primarily for fitness gains and entertainment. But if I had trained specifically for an event, over a long period of time with lots of dedication. And someone beat me across the line because they’d got the right power up at the right time?...

 

[CXRAndy]

, BigRing VR 3 accounts per household
and when i get round to it i can put my own rides on there

Is that right, if so I could let my kids use their bikes for hill training to keep them entertained?

 

[bridgy]

Well yes, if it bothered me I would have to. I don’t personally take it seriously enough to let it bother me, but I can see how it would, cant you Bob? If they’re available to me I will use them, just because it’s part of the game. My point was just that it will favour the weaker rider, and quite honestly it’s gimmicky.

Can you imagine a sporting event where one player or team suddenly gets some random power up that gives them an advantage?

Now that’s fine if you use the argument that it’s only fun and that you use zwift primarily for fitness gains and entertainment. But if I had trained specifically for an event, over a long period of time with lots of dedication. And someone beat me across the line because they’d got the right power up at the right time?...

I tend to agree Tommy - as Bob says there are quite a few races where they're not allowed, and I'm quite relieved when they're not - less to think about! And the real game changer is the aero boost in the sprint finish as you say - it's probably worth using up any other boosts and just hanging on to an aero boost for the whole rest of the race if you get one, just so you definitely have it available for the sprint finish!

Apart from that, either the featherweight or aero boost can potentially be useful to prevent you getting dropped by a group during the race - which can make a huge difference as we know . Having said that, the featherweight doesn't really last long enough to make all that much difference on a long climb (which is where I would be most likely to be dropped). And I've used the aero boost whilst doing 400-500 watts for about a minute to try and catch back up with a group just 10 seconds ahead of me and I still didn't manage it! (This is a group I had been cruising along at 300 watts in!)

 

[<Tommy>]

I tend to agree Tommy - as Bob says there are quite a few races where they're not allowed, and I'm quite relieved when they're not - less to think about! And the real game changer is the aero boost in the sprint finish as you say - it's probably worth using up any other boosts and just hanging on to an aero boost for the whole rest of the race if you get one, just so you definitely have it available for the sprint finish!

Apart from that, either the featherweight or aero boost can potentially be useful to prevent you getting dropped by a group during the race - which can make a huge difference as we know . Having said that, the featherweight doesn't really last long enough to make all that much difference on a long climb (which is where I would be most likely to be dropped). And I've used the aero boost whilst doing 400-500 watts for about a minute to try and catch back up with a group just 10 seconds ahead of me and I still didn't manage it! (This is a group I had been cruising along at 300 watts in!)

How can you tell which races do and don’t allow power ups Paul?

 

[Breedon]

Well yes, if it bothered me I would have to. I don’t personally take it seriously enough to let it bother me, but I can see how it would, cant you Bob? If they’re available to me I will use them, just because it’s part of the game. My point was just that it will favour the weaker rider, and quite honestly it’s gimmicky.

Can you imagine a sporting event where one player or team suddenly gets some random power up that gives them an advantage?

Now that’s fine if you use the argument that it’s only fun and that you use zwift primarily for fitness gains and entertainment. But if I had trained specifically for an event, over a long period of time with lots of dedication. And someone beat me across the line because they’d got the right power up at the right time?...

I'm with you Tom on this, I have used the power ups about 5 times and that was when I first used zwift, I haven't touched them since.

When your racing for the line and to be beaten by some one who uses the power up because they can't beat you any other way is a bit sad I think.

I chose not to use them in some races there disabled but not in others they should be banned from all races.

My little rant.

 

[bobinski]

Well yes, if it bothered me I would have to. I don’t personally take it seriously enough to let it bother me, but I can see how it would, cant you Bob? If they’re available to me I will use them, just because it’s part of the game. My point was just that it will favour the weaker rider, and quite honestly it’s gimmicky.

Can you imagine a sporting event where one player or team suddenly gets some random power up that gives them an advantage?

Now that’s fine if you use the argument that it’s only fun and that you use zwift primarily for fitness gains and entertainment. But if I had trained specifically for an event, over a long period of time with lots of dedication. And someone beat me across the line because they’d got the right power up at the right time?...

When i first started zwifting it was one of few things that put me off. So, I didn't use them. I rarely use them now, never on chain gangs or training rides and only occasionally as above or in the few races i have done-when I remember. Personally, i would rather they were disabled for all races. I know in bsim i used to get really aggrieved at the time warp that seemed to favour some riders over others. It probably helped us all at different times.
You will have seen zwiftpower is going through an upgrade, yet to be signed off by lawyers, the reason being to somehow protect the integrity of online racing. The suggestion is fewer and fewer races will allow power ups in future.

 

[bridgy]

How can you tell which races do and don’t allow power ups Paul?

It's usually in the description of the race on the Zwift mobile link, or on Zwift Power website (click on the down arrow where it says "description" after clicking on the race). In the same places where it tells you what to put after your name, and usually says TT bikes aren't allowed etc.

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong but I "think" they are actually disabled on some rides completely - so you can't even accidentally use them. Having said that, they were available on the race last night and I couldn't find anything saying either way whether they were allowed. I saw some comments from people while warming up saying they weren't allowed so didn't use them. Usually it's a bit more clear than this as to whether they're allowed or not though!

 

[<Tommy>]

Banning them in all races seems like the natural progression for me. Especially if they’re trying to gain credibility as an opportunity for pro gamers / athletes, although ultimately I think this is unrealistic unless conducted under a live setting. Alternatively you could have races that go completely the other way, with even more exaggerated mario kart style power ups. Which could be a real laugh too. But the two disciplines should be kept separate as you can’t combine serious and power-ups in the same event in my opinion.

 

[<Tommy>]

It's usually in the description of the race on the Zwift mobile link, or on Zwift Power website (click on the down arrow where it says "description" after clicking on the race). In the same places where it tells you what to put after your name, and usually says TT bikes aren't allowed etc.

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong but I "think" they are actually disabled on some rides completely - so you can't even accidentally use them. Having said that, they were available on the race last night and I couldn't find anything saying either way whether they were allowed. I saw some comments from people while warming up saying they weren't allowed so didn't use them. Usually it's a bit more clear than this as to whether they're allowed or not though!

Ah I’d just assumed they were disabled. I saw someone ask last night if they were allowed. When someone else responded they weren’t I thought he was just being sarcastic as I could see people using them.

 

[bobinski]

Without wanting to open the usual can of worms here i think issues around powerups are de minimis compared to weight doping, trainer/PM differences. They are just more visible. That said, I would drop them from racing and leave them for training/social rides so you get to wind other riders up.

 

[<Tommy>]

Without wanting to open the usual can of worms here i think issues around powerups are de minimis compared to weight doping, trainer/PM differences. They are just more visible. That said, I would drop them from racing and leave them for training/social rides so you get to wind other riders up.

I thought about this. It’s why they’d find it very hard to police events if they wanted to make them super serious. Which they would become if there was prize money involved. You have to have people on the same trainers in a controlled environment really. Not that us lot have really got to worry about that!

The great thing about this community is the fact I think we all trust each other and have similar motives. Racing and taking the piss out of each other right?! From my experience racing on BKOOL people would be happier to be at a disadvantage rather than try and get one over on someone else. I think that togetherness is why we’ve all stuck together so well. The weight doping thing is tragic but it doesn’t surprise me at all.

 

[Whorty]

Reading that was like listening to a client

Key words are Honesty, Think, May , 2 and then 3,

Lee, TBF I think Andy’s failure to set terms and conditions means it’s all up for grabs. Unless you want to do it “clean” if course

Pretty sure the + signs don't do anything. They add 10 or 30 to the level counter but add no power within the ride. The 3 that actually do something are the aro helmet (the best PU), the feather (only useful going up hill), the lorry draft (pretty pointless by all accounts)

 

[bobinski]

I thought about this. It’s why they’d find it very hard to police events if they wanted to make them super serious. Which they would become if there was prize money involved. You have to have people on the same trainers in a controlled environment really. Not that us lot have really got to worry about that!

The great thing about this community is the fact I think we all trust each other and have similar motives. Racing and taking the piss out of each other right?! From my experience racing on BKOOL people would be happier to be at a disadvantage rather than try and get one over on someone else. I think that togetherness is why we’ve all stuck together so well. The weight doping thing is tragic but it doesn’t surprise me at all.

Happier to be at a disadvantage?!? Speak for yourself At my age i will take every advantage over you lot i can beg steal or borrow

There are a lot of racers who take it much more seriously than we do and the new zwiftpower rules, monitoring of weight changes, use of real life strava data rides/weight/power and use of HRM in Cat A/B etc. etc. mean that unless you sign up to it all your race results wont show in zwiftpower. That may not matter to some but it should clean things up a bit.

I have to say i do like the idea of 2 levels of zwift racing, one more Mario like. It could be such fun watching Lee blasting up a hill only to take him out with a banana skin and see him slide down past me

 

[<Tommy>]

Happier to be at a disadvantage?!? Speak for yourself At my age i will take every advantage over you lot i can beg steal or borrow

There are a lot of racers who take it much more seriously than we do and the new zwiftpower rules, monitoring of weight changes, use of real life strava data rides/weight/power and use of HRM in Cat A/B etc. etc. mean that unless you sign up to it all your race results wont show in zwiftpower. That may not matter to some but it should clean things up a bit.

I have to say i do like the idea of 2 levels of zwift racing, one more Mario like. It could be such fun watching Lee blasting up a hill only to take him out with a banana skin and see him slide down past me

Well obviously I’m steered by a higher morale compass Bob! . No seriously though, can you imagine one of us lying about our weight to win a virtual race? It would of been very funny though if we’d of met for the first time and it had turned out one of the featherweights was actually twice the weight!

The zwift power thing is good I’m sure. But where there’s a will there’s a way! It wouldn’t even surprise me if some were using epo or other performance enhancing drugs... I’ve known a fair few blokes who weight train who wouldn’t think anything of taking steroids or similar.