sc2021
Member
- Location
- Massachusetts
Any idea how to get my outdoor cycling power and speed up? On Zwift I am so much stronger. I’m thinking it might just be psychological. Being solo outdoors I just don’t seem to push myself.
Zwift vs Real World
- Thread starter sc2021
- Start date
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Which turbo do you use on Zwift? Some cheaper versions are wildly inaccurate.
When conditions are perfect outdoors, I can match the speed of Zwift rides. However there are so many variables outdoors, rarely do I achieve said situations.
I am pretty much a full time Zwifter these days
When conditions are perfect outdoors, I can match the speed of Zwift rides. However there are so many variables outdoors, rarely do I achieve said situations.
I am pretty much a full time Zwifter these days
sc2021
Member
- Location
- Massachusetts
I believe the calibration is correct. I ride mostly on Zwift and think it is a mental thing more than anything else.
sc2021
Member
- Location
- Massachusetts
I have a wahoo kickr. It’s new as of December and does not require calibration. I also Zwift a lot more than ride outdoors.
As the others have said, if you have a decent, properly calibrated smart trainer the power you can sustain on Zwift should be very similar to what you can do out on the road.
Speed is kind of hard to compare as it can be affected by so many things - terrain, wind/weather, aerodynamics, group riding and drafting etc etc - so hard to compare on a like for like basis.
Do you have a power meter on your outdoor bike, and are you comparing your power figures? Or are you just comparing average speed?
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
Use Zwift as a tool, to fill in when you can't get out, and not die of boredom. I've not touched my smart trainer for a few years as Zwift is nothing like the real world. You don't get the buzz or the countryside.
Horses for courses, I really like racing on Zwift
This morning's event for me
Still rendering to HD
View: https://youtu.be/aJbzbkIKK8M
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
Noooo, off to get muddy at lunch on my CX bike ! Even cycling to work is more fun that Zwift !
<Tommy>
Illegitimi non carborundum
- Location
- Camden, London
I agree with Michael, andy and Bridgy.
In terms of speed it’s not really worth even trying to compare. Generally on the turbo you’re often riding in a pack, in perfect conditions on perfect road. So it’s likely you’re going to move faster.
Do you have a power meter on your outside bike? If so, it’s still likely that the power reading between your turbo and your power meter on the outside bike wont be in perfect alignment. If your power meter claims to be accurate to within 1% it means less than one percent variance on that specific meter. Not 1% between two different meters.
Your riding position in the real world affects speed too of course. Zwift assumes specific positions on the bike, dependent on whether your out the saddle, in a pack, descending etc. So there’s variation there too.
I also find I can ride at a higher cadence online than I can in the real world. I assume that the difference in riding style also creates a difference in my power output over a ride.
I guess going up a steady incline and comparing power number vs Zwift. Or riding solo on a calm day on nice road would be ways of getting the numbers to a similar level.
But I went well off your original question so sorry about that! You recognise you don’t push yourself as hard outside as you do online? So maybe the answer is easy? Push yourself harder. Maybe setting targets is a good way of doing this. Check out your best times on Strava and target specific segments / climbs on outside rides?
My indoor rides tend to be a lot shorter and more focused on numbers than my outside rides. So the numbers aren’t generally comparable over than the fact I know that doing one is helping to improve the other.
In terms of speed it’s not really worth even trying to compare. Generally on the turbo you’re often riding in a pack, in perfect conditions on perfect road. So it’s likely you’re going to move faster.
Do you have a power meter on your outside bike? If so, it’s still likely that the power reading between your turbo and your power meter on the outside bike wont be in perfect alignment. If your power meter claims to be accurate to within 1% it means less than one percent variance on that specific meter. Not 1% between two different meters.
Your riding position in the real world affects speed too of course. Zwift assumes specific positions on the bike, dependent on whether your out the saddle, in a pack, descending etc. So there’s variation there too.
I also find I can ride at a higher cadence online than I can in the real world. I assume that the difference in riding style also creates a difference in my power output over a ride.
I guess going up a steady incline and comparing power number vs Zwift. Or riding solo on a calm day on nice road would be ways of getting the numbers to a similar level.
But I went well off your original question so sorry about that! You recognise you don’t push yourself as hard outside as you do online? So maybe the answer is easy? Push yourself harder. Maybe setting targets is a good way of doing this. Check out your best times on Strava and target specific segments / climbs on outside rides?
My indoor rides tend to be a lot shorter and more focused on numbers than my outside rides. So the numbers aren’t generally comparable over than the fact I know that doing one is helping to improve the other.
DogmaStu
Senior Member
Zwift et al have to be taken as standalone training tools and not to be too closely compared to actual outside training in terms of average speed etc.
While they are excellent when calibrated correctly and honestly and provide an equally good workout, they cannot account for all the variables we encounter outside.
Even road surfaces make a significant difference to our average speeds. Zwift has its different surfaces but on roads it is akin to the smoothest of tarmac in wind-free conditions.
Outside, you have roads with different grades of tarmac where rougher will be more fatiguing to ride upon and slower watt for watt. Wind cannot be accurately accounted for in Zwift. Stopping at junctions and starting again slows us down - the accelerations back up to speed. Cornering. All these things Zwift doesn’t allow for accurately.
It’s normal for Zwift averages and power to not match outside rides and this does catch some Zwifters out when they occasionally venture outside.
While they are excellent when calibrated correctly and honestly and provide an equally good workout, they cannot account for all the variables we encounter outside.
Even road surfaces make a significant difference to our average speeds. Zwift has its different surfaces but on roads it is akin to the smoothest of tarmac in wind-free conditions.
Outside, you have roads with different grades of tarmac where rougher will be more fatiguing to ride upon and slower watt for watt. Wind cannot be accurately accounted for in Zwift. Stopping at junctions and starting again slows us down - the accelerations back up to speed. Cornering. All these things Zwift doesn’t allow for accurately.
It’s normal for Zwift averages and power to not match outside rides and this does catch some Zwifters out when they occasionally venture outside.
Jon in Sweden
Active Member
As a grumpy, snobbish, outdoor-only cyclist, I don't give kudos for Zwift rides on Strava! 😄
It's a point of principle really. It's a useful tool to support outdoor cycling, but it's not relatable to the real world. The kilometer count is meaningless.
I also think having it as an option prevents many people from getting out in the darker months when they'd be better off outside. I got out for 50km of gravel yesterday after being ill for a few days. It was 0.3 - 2c, damp and a bit grey. But I saw more deer than cars, wonderful autumn colours and my head felt completely refreshed. I'd never have had that in my garage on a trainer.
It's a point of principle really. It's a useful tool to support outdoor cycling, but it's not relatable to the real world. The kilometer count is meaningless.
I also think having it as an option prevents many people from getting out in the darker months when they'd be better off outside. I got out for 50km of gravel yesterday after being ill for a few days. It was 0.3 - 2c, damp and a bit grey. But I saw more deer than cars, wonderful autumn colours and my head felt completely refreshed. I'd never have had that in my garage on a trainer.
Ming the Merciless
There is no mercy
- Location
- Inside my skull
On the turbo on Zwift you likely never coast. Try and reduce the amount of free wheeling you do outdoors. Plus are the durations of your outdoor rides and Zwift comparable? It’s one thing hammering it in Zwift for 20 minutes, try hammering at same power for 3 hours and see how you get on.
DogmaStu
Senior Member
Using a power meter, we can actually get a good comparison in terms of workout value by looking at our Normalized Power which removes free-wheeling from the calculation.
There are many differences between indoor training using a smart turbo trainer with a program like Zwift and the real outdoors but physical training effect can be comparable using a power meter.
I have a power meter on all my bikes for this very reason; I train to time, not distance and to effort not average speed. In so doing, I can keep my outdoor training comparable to my indoor training by watching my power meter numbers. That said, I'm still 'old school' in many ways and rely more upon how I feel but do check the numbers post ride religiously to see how I got on.
I keep indoor to an absolute minimum though because I don't enjoy it nearly as much; boring!
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
I'm waiting for the 'suicidal squirrel' update to Zwift - that would be good. Only appears as a 'special' in Autumn.
