Zwift Chat

[alex_cycles]

I want to be able to just switch on and go!

Too right. Switch on and go is where you want to be, for sure. I bought a bike just for indoor (used Allez £300) because I got fed up of swapping bikes on and off the trainer. It was a major barrier to using it at all. You want it as frictionless as possible (but I know you know that). Hope you get there soon.

I bought a used Kickr v5 in Feb 2024 - had some problems with it, but eventually ironed it out and it's a real pleasure to use now.
(I also now own more bearing pullers than is considered "normal" )

 

[bridgy]

Moving swiftly on... I popped in here to say that a turbo test ride the other evening had to be aborted when I realised that I had developed 100% genital numbness! I could have spent a gory evening with The Eunuch Maker and been completely unable to feel what he was doing!

The saddle and position on that bike matches my other bikes so I can only think that the immovable bike was to blame. I have just fitted my tennis ball trainer feet to the Victory trainer. I will try again this evening and see how I get on.

I know you say the saddle and position on your turbo bike is the same as your other bikes, but I ride a completely rigid Neo Smart bike and have had no issues of numbness or discomfort (well, no more than on any other bike if I do a particularly long session).

It still might be worth tweaking your position on your turbo bike - I've found over the years that I prefer a slightly different position on my indoor bike than my outdoor setup and that might be the case for you too (if your tennis ball thing doesn't fix it)

 

[alex_cycles]

I know you say the saddle and position on your turbo bike is the same as your other bikes, but I ride a completely rigid Neo Smart bike and have had no issues of numbness or discomfort (well, no more than on any other bike if I do a particularly long session).

It still might be worth tweaking your position on your turbo bike - I've found over the years that I prefer a slightly different position on my indoor bike than my outdoor setup and that might be the case for you too (if your tennis ball thing doesn't fix it)

I had numb nuts on an MTB once. Tilting the saddle forward a couple degrees made all the difference. Once it was set up I never looked back.

 

[Norry1]

You may find that your turbo setup means your saddle tilt is effectively not the same as on the road. I've got some cardboard rectangles that I put under the back of the turbo to raise the rear of the bike and therefore tilt the saddle down a bit. Not perfect but better than without.

 

[CXRAndy]

I know this is a Zwift forum, but like most conversations, they meander slightly off topic.

I dont try and spoil others potential viewing, so keep my posts vague(standard mental decline )

Pidders is from Yorkshire, so has a special place

 

[CXRAndy]

You should try and align saddle so you sit on your sit bones not the soft fleshy bits Oer

 

[Legs]

Too right. Switch on and go is where you want to be, for sure. I bought a bike just for indoor (used Allez £300) because I got fed up of swapping bikes on and off the trainer. It was a major barrier to using it at all. You want it as frictionless as possible (but I know you know that). Hope you get there soon.

My bike is permanently stationed on the Tacx, so that part of it is sorted. My laptop takes about a minute to boot up Windows, then probably another two or three minutes to log into Zwift and get to the riding part. The biggest friction in the morning is actually getting out of bed, or the 5-yard dash from the porch to the Zwifting outbuilding.

On Saturday night, however, I logged on about 15 minutes before the JETT endurance ride that I wanted to join, and for some reason I got a blue-circle-of-death and Zwift crashed not once, but twice! I eventually got to the start line with 11 seconds to go before the flag went down. About as close as I've ever been.

 

[ColinJ]

I always use a slightly nose-down saddle set-up because of numbness issues. I have tweaked the turbo bike set-up a couple of times already. I reckon that the saddle might be effectively slightly higher than with the back wheel in because I have trouble getting on and off the bike without using a step.

I am using an old steel Basso, dedicated to the turbo. It is nice to find a use for it again.

I reckon this is a Bluetooth issue. I will sort it out eventually!

The last time I managed to get it to connect, it was working for cadence and power but not for the HRM, which had worked on an earlier session.

I was going to try again this afternoon but a former colleague has just invited me over to play backgammon with him. We don't see each other much so it will be good to catch-up.

I will squeeze another turbo trial*** in this evening instead before watching today's Vuelta and ToB highlights.


*** Will it be a trial by legs/lungs/heart though, or by Bluetooth, or numb nuts?!

 

[13 rider]

Well that was annoying, just jumped on zwift for a 45 min to an HR top of z2 pacer ride ,kept getting the occasional drop of power to zero then 34 mins in we hit the KOM climb where it turned into a full dropouts but just for a second but enough to roll to a stop and kept having to catch the bunch which of course killed the z2 ride . The strange thing is there was a couple of people chatting about bad broadband and dropouts "coincidence" ? Was the problem at the zwift end . I have had the occasional dropout before but rarely and nothing like this occurrence

 

[mjd1988]

Been playing 5 a side recently for first time in 5 years. Funny how cycling fitness doesn't always transfer to other things.

I do think it's best to err on the side of caution with spoilers at least for a few hours, especially for GTs/monuments

 

[Dorset Boy]

Connecting through bluetooth is usually the reason for dropout as there are limited channels and connections. Things like microwaves can cause droputs for example. Generally much better to use Ant+ and throw the Apple thing in the bin as that is also a regular source of issues for connections.
That's my 10.5 years and 80+k kms experiencde.

 

[ColinJ]

I did battle with the turbo setup again this evening. I will split my report in two - bike setup/comfort, turbo trainer performance, and how I felt below; MyWhoosh issues over in the MyWhoosh thread.

The tennis ball turbo feet gave a more realistic ride feel, and did help make the setup more comfortable, but only slightly so.

I stopped and put a block under the front wheel to raise the bars and give me a more upright position, which required an increase in downward tilt of the saddle to restore its effective angle. Another reduction in discomfort, but not enough. I didn't get numb in 5 minutes this time, but after 15 minutes it was starting to happen again. I had to keep standing up to relieve the pressure and even then the numbness kept building up.

I sat on the bike in my riding position and slid a finger between my shorts and the saddle. It was immediately clear how much pressure the saddle was putting on my poor perineum!

Even though I get on fine with that type of saddle on all of my other bikes, I give up! I decided to buy a saddle with a huge cutout for the turbo bike. I have taken a punt on an el cheapo saddle on eBay for under £10. If it doesn't suit me then it will probably at least suit my niece more than the horrid saddle on her bike which she finds really uncomfortable. It might take a week to arrive. (If el cheapo doesn't do it for me then Plan B is to spend a lot more on a good saddle from a respected brand!)

Right then... Software and saddle comfort issues aside, my setup seems very good!

The Victory trainer is quiet and responsive. It will do everything that I need it to do. At the moment I am using erg mode so I don't need to worry about virtual gear shifters. (I will want to sort that issue out though when I do non-erg rides and want to feel the hills.)

I liked the feeling in my legs after 45-50 minutes of zone 2-ish riding. I would have liked it even more if the ride had been controlled properly (see other thread) and I hadn't had the comfort issues discussed here. Once I have this system working perfectly, I will try to do three 60 minute zone 2 sessions a week through December, January and February, when I would normally lose most of my cycling fitness. That would be on top of whatever road riding I do, and I will probably add a hard turbo ride once a week too.

The Apple TV box graphics are good enough for me and the old 40" Samsung TV that I repaired is ideal for smart turbo duties.

I am a big fan of my big fan! On zone 2 spin sessions so far I have only needed to use it on its lowest power, but it has plenty of extra oomph for when I increase my efforts.

My small hifi system is good for motivational music.

Software though... see the MyWhoosh thread!

 

[Legs]

I swear that improving your sleep hygiene would do more good for your health and general wellbeing than any amount of turbo training! Go to bed, man!

 

[Legs]

My participation in this is under threat now as my dad is now in hospital so I might not be able to do it. We will see what happens.

How's your dad doing, Alex?

Might you be out at Burton Dassett tomorrow?

 

[ColinJ]

I swear that improving your sleep hygiene would do more good for your health and general wellbeing than any amount of turbo training! Go to bed, man!

You are right... I was awake for another 5 hours after I posted that! I eventually woke up at 10:30 after just over 5 hours sleep. It is now into afternoon and I am only just getting up.

I have been going to sleep at 00:00-02:00 for the past 50+ years but 03:00-05:00 is way too late. I am half awake all night and half asleep all day!