Zwift Subscription (Monthly)

Possibly not mentioned as they didn't know - I certainly didn't and will take advantage of that in the summer, thanks!

mjc2669 wrote:

This can be used when the weather is better then the account reactivated

Sounds a bit of a faff just for those three days.

 I was thinking more about when I run away to find the elusive rays in the Alps or Pyrenees!

sparrowlegs wrote:

- The amount of cheating going on is ridiculous. I was told there are a few ways of overinflating your power levels but I never looked in to any of it.

This is true indeed but unless you want to join the races why worry?

sparrowlegs wrote:

- There's very little repeatability. Personally I like to be able to ride the same routes every now and then as a tracker and comparison. Zwift loves giving you new places to ride. Not a bad thing if you like doing that but I train inside to train. Hard, repeatable numbers so that I can then enjoy my outside rides.

Don't understand what you mean here, Zwift never removes routes, just adds new ones, you can go back to any route you want any time you want (provided it's in a world that is on the calendar that day, although there are several simple hacks to ride whatever world you want at any time).

sparrowlegs wrote:

- If you're on Zwift it's probably because it's bad weather outside but guess what? It rains in the Zwift world too! Why? I don't want it to reflect the weather outside, I want it to reflect the weather I WANT to ride in!

100% agree, the lack of a weather option is ridiculous, like you I am usually only on Zwift because it's horrible out, I want some sunshine. They should also have a nighttime/daytime option.

sparrowlegs wrote:

- It feels like it's just a short throw away from being a cycling version of Mario Kart. It's not a valuable training partner, it's a GAME.

And to be fair it does market itself as a game, although I find it does everything I need for training as well. Each to their own, I find the graphics and modelling highly enjoyable and they hold my attention more than video rides. The most important thing is that the modelling is exceptionally accurate, so Alpe du Zwift is more or less identical to Alpe d'Huez etc.

Sounds like it may not be to your liking, but I think it's great. 

I don't spend too much time on zwift, maybe just 1000km per year and love being able to quickly hop on the bike when i get the chance. I'm not really into the racing side of things, I've done a few but I just like picking a route and riding for an hour. That is my sweet spot in terms of time. 

I also like being able to compare my times on the various segments against friends, or even pro's and see if I am getting any new strava PBs, so I find there are plenty of opportunities to see improvement. 

Zwift isn't the only training programme, but for me what has made it essential (and addictive) is the community side of things, which was a lifesaver during lockdown. Because they've promoted it well there is now a huge community attached to Zwift. I've joined a team, we love racing together (and chatting bikes all the time when not racing) and I met up with a couple of the others a few months ago for a real life ride too. I'm doing L'Etape du Tour with some of the team in the summer. And you can always find a group ride or a race, or just a wheel to follow on a free ride. If you want repeatable numbers you can set your own workout and ride in ERG mode, but there's stuff going on around you to look at. If you want a flat repeatable route to sit on a specific target on without ERG mode, just go and do loops around Tempus Fugit.

Yeah, there's some cheating in racing, but at the end of the day those people are only cheating themselves. I race because it's fun, and because I like the tactical side of it, and because it motivates me to push my power higher.

I like Zwift a lot (well, as far as anyone can "like" indoor cycling). It provides an immersive experience that makes the indoor trainer tolerable. I don't think it can be criticised for being a game, as that's exactly what it is, with power-ups, levels, XP, kit shop, custom avatar, etc. they set out to gamify indoor training and they have. I don't do the races, I'm not fast enough and there's too much cheating (you see somebody shoot off at 5W/kg and wonder why they haven't had a call from Sir Dave yet), and I haven't ever used the structured training programmes. It's just great for knocking off an hour or two when the weather is bad. There are segments that exist within Strava's virtual ride activity type that match those in the Zwift universe, so it's easy to compare your own rides. 

sparrowlegs wrote:

It's crap. I tried it for a few months and this is what I found:

- The amount of cheating going on is ridiculous. I was told there are a few ways of overinflating your power levels but I never looked in to any of it.

- There's very little repeatability. Personally I like to be able to ride the same routes every now and then as a tracker and comparison. Zwift loves giving you new places to ride. Not a bad thing if you like doing that but I train inside to train. Hard, repeatable numbers so that I can then enjoy my outside rides.

- If you're on Zwift it's probably because it's bad weather outside but guess what? It rains in the Zwift world too! Why? I don't want it to reflect the weather outside, I want it to reflect the weather I WANT to ride in!

- It feels like it's just a short throw away from being a cycling version of Mario Kart. It's not a valuable training partner, it's a GAME.

- "Ride on!"..."F**k off!!!"

I use TrainerRoad which is perfect for me. I love numbers and being able to see where I'm getting better (or not if the case may be) and then tailoring my on or off bike training to that. Zwift isn't the only training platform and it's by no means the best. It's the just the best advertised.

I used TrainerRoad too for many years but I let my subscription lapse recently (at grandfathered rates, which I now regret!)

I've really enjoyed Zwift, but do agree that the training is a bit lame in comparison to TR mainly because the workouts are categorised in a daft way.  The "whats on Zwift" website has been a bit of a discovery as it allows much more relevant filtering of workouts by time, zones, TSS etc.  Then you can find them in whichever silly folder Zwift has put them in.

I find doing a training session on a Zwift road a bit more fun.  ERG mode works well, but equally, doing say a sweetspot or under/over session without ERG mode also useful as learning to hold a given power output on a rolling stretch of road or a climb is a skill in itself.  It teaches you not to get gapped when you crest a climb and begin the descent.

I have found it a valuable training partner, partly because of the workouts, but also because of the racing, which force me to push hard and then recover whilst still putting out an effort.

The roads offer a high degree of repeatability, particularly if you stick to Watopia roads and routes which are always there every day.  If you use a TT bike, you will remove the drafting effect for greater consistency.

Don't like Ride On's?  Well, its a social app to be honest, but you can just ignore people, or if you really want to ride alone, then set up a 'meet up' on your own.  Takes seconds, all worlds/routes are available, and there will be no one else there!

I did read rumours that Zwift and TrainerRoad have been talking, so who knows what may be round the corner.

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2022/01/zwift-acquire-trainerroad.html

PRSboy wrote:

 

Don't like Ride On's?  Well, its a social app to be honest, but you can just ignore people, or if you really want to ride alone, then set up a 'meet up' on your own.  Takes seconds, all worlds/routes are available, and there will be no one else there!

Another quick way of doing this is to login and start your ride and then turn off the internet connection of whatever device you're using; you can continue the ride using the software you've downloaded but nobody else will appear in your world. If you want to save to Strava or whatever at the end of your ride, just turn the connection back on and you can. 

I would disagree with nearly all of the above.  Especially the repeatability bit.  The same route ridden at the same power will produce the same result unless you change your weight setting in the game.

I wouldnt claim to be a serious cyclist but the training plans have worked for me.  Post lockdown 2 I'd gained 50W on my FTP and was able to outclimb my usual riding buddies for the first time.  If anything my output is more repeatable on Zwift than outside as there are less variables.

I also tried and enjoyed SUF/SYSTM but the lack of variety killed it for me after a while.

The thought of following a plan from TR looking at a blank screen or some video fills me with horror.

About the only changes I would make for Zwift are curated music tracks likes SUF's and some more routes on the smaller worlds.   I'd particularly like it if they gamified the corners on Ventoux like the Alpe.

The Makuri island world was a bit meh to start with - far to much focus on pretty graphics over a decent length route.  Its still a bit meh but I'm hoping Mt Fuji opens at some point.

Oh and if they added teleports to ride between worlds that would be fab.

Teleports? Have you heard yourself S_S? Have a word mate. You don't get teleports in the real world. You get a hard slog with constant near-misses from entitled pricks in metal death boxes! 

I jest. I take peoples points on board and to be fair it was probably 12 months ago I last tried Zwift so no doubt there have been tweeks and changes since but nearly every plus point that's been mentioned is a minus for me.

You see, I'm a miserable sod and enjoy the laborious side of indoor cycling. Staring at a screen with nothing but numbers on while I crush myself is heaven for me. I also enjoy riding in the rain too!

sparrowlegs wrote:

I jest. I take peoples points on board and to be fair it was probably 12 months ago I last tried Zwift so no doubt there have been tweeks and changes since but nearly every plus point that's been mentioned is a minus for me.

That's why more than one training tool exists. 

It's just a shame you chose to start the comments of with "It's crap", rather than the significantly more accurate "It's not for me".