alex_cycles
Veteran
- Location
- Oxfordshire
Why the blindfold? Was that as a result of your injury or something else?
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Why the blindfold? Was that as a result of your injury or something else?
alex_cycles
Veteran
- Location
- Oxfordshire
Cheers Steen. I missed that one.
On the subject of upgrades I completely agree with Alex and think it's a really good thing.
I like having something to motivate me to ride more and to actually think about what equipment to ride when free-riding and when racing - makes Zwift a lot more interesting.
If it motivates people to ride more then it also makes total sense for Zwift to do it because that's what they need to encourage users to do.
As for the "unfair" advantage in races - firstly all sports in real life have some competitors gaining an advantage through better equipment. Usually this comes down to how much money you have to spend, it's just that the currency in Zwift is the time you invest in riding.
Secondly, everyone being on the same virtual bike really doesn't equal a level playing field - you have no idea what type of trainer the people you're up against are using and the potential advantage you can gain from a dodgy trainer or power meter is MASSIVELY more than any upgrades will ever give you. Not to mention people lying about their weight etc.
Bike upgrades from time spent riding have always been there, so the recent changes have just been an expansion of this - inevitable and really needed in order to keep more experienced Zwifters engaged and with something new to achieve.
I've accepted you'll never get a truly fair and level playing field in terms of hardware people use, and also that it's a video game at the end of the day (albeit one with the added fitness benefits), and having these extra levels of gamification make it much more interesting for me and therefore more fun.
I do agree it's a shame Zwift didn't do a better job initially in closing some loopholes that some people have exploited in order to quickly get the upgrades though - they always seem to understimate the tendency for some people to find a way to cheat the system!
I like having something to motivate me to ride more and to actually think about what equipment to ride when free-riding and when racing - makes Zwift a lot more interesting.
If it motivates people to ride more then it also makes total sense for Zwift to do it because that's what they need to encourage users to do.
As for the "unfair" advantage in races - firstly all sports in real life have some competitors gaining an advantage through better equipment. Usually this comes down to how much money you have to spend, it's just that the currency in Zwift is the time you invest in riding.
Secondly, everyone being on the same virtual bike really doesn't equal a level playing field - you have no idea what type of trainer the people you're up against are using and the potential advantage you can gain from a dodgy trainer or power meter is MASSIVELY more than any upgrades will ever give you. Not to mention people lying about their weight etc.
Bike upgrades from time spent riding have always been there, so the recent changes have just been an expansion of this - inevitable and really needed in order to keep more experienced Zwifters engaged and with something new to achieve.
I've accepted you'll never get a truly fair and level playing field in terms of hardware people use, and also that it's a video game at the end of the day (albeit one with the added fitness benefits), and having these extra levels of gamification make it much more interesting for me and therefore more fun.
I do agree it's a shame Zwift didn't do a better job initially in closing some loopholes that some people have exploited in order to quickly get the upgrades though - they always seem to understimate the tendency for some people to find a way to cheat the system!
I bought the Tarmac yesterday and did a 2 hour workout on it...... but then realised I'd got the wrong version. So I've now bought the SL8 and will start again
At least you realised after only 2 hours!
alex_cycles
Veteran
- Location
- Oxfordshire
Yeah there are regular posts on the Zwift forums along the lines of...
"I've just completed my 50km of climbing in Zwift, but I haven't got the Tron bike?"
Oops. 🤦♂️Makes me giggle every time.
Imagine not knowing that you have to enable the challenge?(But then not everyone likes doing their homework.)
Yeah there are regular posts on the Zwift forums along the lines of...
"I've just completed my 50km of climbing in Zwift, but I haven't got the Tron bike?"
Oops. 🤦♂️Makes me giggle every time.
(But then not everyone likes doing their homework.)
Oh yeah that's gonna hurt!!
To be fair I'd be lost without Zwiftinsider's articles (and still am even after reading them sometimes!)
alex_cycles
Veteran
- Location
- Oxfordshire
Yes he's very good. Clueless about vELO but pretty good with most things.
A quick look around ZI is really all the homework anyone needs to do on Zwift.
