Home Blog Page 114

Elite Goes “Zwift Ready”: Direto-XR with Zwift Cog and Click Announced

Eric Schlange
-
26
Elite Goes “Zwift Ready”: Direto-XR with Zwift Cog and Click Announced

Elite Goes “Zwift Ready”: Direto-XR with Zwift Cog and Click Announced

Elite has announced the upcoming release of their first “Zwift Ready” trainer, officially named the “Direto XR with Zwift Cog and Click”. Let’s dive into specs, pricing, and what this (hopefully) means for existing Direto-XR owners…

Trainer Specs

This version of the Direto has the same specs as the Direto-XR (and XR-T, which is just a Direto-XR sold without a cassette). It’s the same trainer, but with updated firmware and a Zwift Cog installed. Key specs include:

  • Gradient simulation: 24%
  • Flywheel: 5.1kg
  • Max wattage: 2300W
  • Power accuracy: +/- 1.5%

The one difference? It ships with the Cog and Click, along with updated firmware so the trainer supports virtual shifting on Zwift!

Pricing and Availability

Elite isn’t giving firm ship dates yet for the new Direto, but they told us, “It’s looking like October here in Europe/UK and November for overseas markets.” The trainer’s homepage confirms this, stating, “The Direto XR with Zwift Cog and Click is an Elite collaboration for the Zwift Ready program, available at the best bike shops, both offline and online, starting in November.”

Elite says the Direto-XR with Cog and Click will retail for €649, and that includes a coupon for 2 months of Zwift.

As far as we can tell, Elite has not stated planned pricing for US and UK markets. Current exchange rates would put the equivalent US dollar price at around $720, and £550 for Zwifters in the UK. But with the Direto-XR currently selling on Amazon for $559, and the Direto-XR-T selling for $528, we expect US pricing to come in closer to $600-$650US, since you could simply buy the Direto-XR-T on Amazon plus the Cog and Click for around $608 today and have a Direto-XR with Zwift Cog and Click once the firmware update is released (more on that below).

Good News for Current Direto-XR and XR-T Owners

Since the Direto-XR with Zwift Cog and Click has the same internals as the XR and XR-T, you would think that releasing a firmware upgrade for current Direto-XR owners (thus bringing virtual shifting capabilities to their trainers) would be a simple matter. It seems that it is not, though, and current Direto XR owners will need to wait a bit to get virtual shifting support.

Elite has confirmed that “We have a firmware update for the Direto XR / XR-Ts on our schedule, aiming to make them Zwift Ready by the end of the year.” Why the delay? Priorities. Elite tells us, “We launched 5 new winter products this year and have many more in the pipe-line and we are fully dedicated to those projects to make sure everything runs smoothly.”

Once the firmware update is released, anyone with a virtual shifting controller (Zwift Play or Click) will be able to enjoy virtual shifting using their existing cassette and Direto-XR trainer. If you want to move to the single-cog setup, though, you’ll need to purchase the Cog and Click upgrade kit from Zwift. Elite says you’ll want to buy the upgrade kit without a freehub, so the Cog will mount directly on your trainer’s existing freehub.

And yes: if you install the Zwift Cog on your Direto, you’ll be able to use the Zwift Ride smart frame on your trainer. Bellissimo!

Wrapping It Up

It’s always nice when a company upgrades current hardware without requiring another purchase. Doing so earns customer loyalty in big, big ways. Hopefully current Direto XR owners will get an early Christmas present of fresh firmware.

US/UK pricing is one big question here. The Direto-XR has higher specs than the Wahoo KICKR Core Zwift One and JetBlack Victory, boasting slightly better power accuracy (1.5% vs 2%), higher maximum wattage (2400W vs 1800W), and thus higher max incline (24% vs 16%). So it would make sense for Elite to price the new Direto-XR with Zwift Cog and Click slightly higher than the Core (€499) or Victory (€449). It’ll be interesting to see where pricing lands.

It’ll also be interesting to see if we hear any Zwift Ready news from Garmin/Tacx now that Wahoo and Elite have released products. So far, the silence has been deafening…

Questions or Comments?

Thoughts on Elite’s first Zwift Ready announcement? Questions? Anything other than complaints about Wahoo not rolling out virtual shifting to the KICKR v5 and v4? 😉 Share below!

“Radio Rendezvous” Route Details

Eric Schlange
-
0
“Radio Rendezvous” Route Details

“Radio Rendezvous” Route Details

See zwiftinsider.com/route/radio-rendezvous/

Zwift Update Version 1.74 (135195) Released

Eric Schlange
-
44
Zwift Update Version 1.74 (135195) Released

Zwift version 1.74 begins its phased rollout today. This is a minor update with some visual changes and various bug fixes. See details below…

New Look, Same Dirt

Zwift has been refreshing road surface visuals in recent updates, and this week’s update delivers a new look for dirt. Zwift notes, “There is no change to the performance characteristics of roadways as part of this change.”

Level Locks Removed

To give new Zwifters even more routes to explore, the level-lock gate has been lifted from:

Race Mode HUD Update

Some trainers support a 10Hz “race mode”, but the new HUD was only updating power data every 1 second. This has been fixed, so if you have power display set to “Instant” you’ll see the power number changing as often as Zwift receives new data from your trainer (approximately 10 times per second for most race mode trainers).

In a related update, Zwift says, “The HUD power distribution bar now respects the Power Display setting (Instantaneous or 3-second average).”

No More Empty Paint Cans

This one has bugged us for a while. Various frames in the the Drop Shop, including the hot new Pinarello Dogma F 2024, have been showing a custom color paint slider. But moving the slider does nothing!

Today’s update fixes this bug on several frames – not by making the color slide functional, but by removing it. We’re still campaigning for the chance to use our Drops to buy unique, customizable bike paint schemes!

More Release Notes

Zwift provided notes on additional tweaks and bug fixes in this update:

  • Various icons have been refreshed throughout the game to improve consistency.
  • Improved the appearance of tabs in the Settings menu for non-English languages.
  • Fixed road flickering on the Glasgow Crit Circuit route in Scotland.
  • Fixed an issue in Climb Portal that could cause PR information to be difficult to read for Zwifters with long names.
  • Fixed an issue in the post-ride Streaks screen that could display lower XP than expected after earning a ride streak bonus and clicking the Continue button. Note: This was a visual issue; the proper amount of XP was still granted.
  • Fixed an issue that could potentially cause Zwifters to go off-route on the Loop de Loop route in Watopia.
  • Fixed an issue where the Zwifter level shown in the HUD could disappear after receiving a Ride On.
  • When viewing another Zwifter, calorie are no longer shown in the HUD.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause power and cadence fields to appear in the HUD when viewing a Zwift runner.

Discuss this update in Zwift’s forum >

Questions or Comments?

If you spotted any other changes or bugs in the update, please comment below!

Ride the Makuri Pretzel This Weekend for PretzelFest 2024

Eric Schlange
-
15
Ride the Makuri Pretzel This Weekend for PretzelFest 2024

Ride the Makuri Pretzel This Weekend for PretzelFest 2024

Zwift’s 3rd annual PretzelFest happens this weekend, and it’s much shorter than past years, with events only scheduled over a single 48-hour period. And all events are being held on just one route: the new Makuri Pretzel on Makuri Islands!

About the Route: Makuri Pretzel

Far and away the longest Makuri Islands route, the new Makuri Pretzel covers key roads in each of the Makuri Islands’ three areas: Yumezi, Neokyo, and Urukazi. And it covers them in both directions, which means you hit four different sprint arches in both directions for a total of eight sprint opportunities.

While this route is far from flat, it avoids all Makuri Islands KOM segments. Keep your eyes open in a race, though, as there are plenty of sneaky, draggy climbs that provide ample opportunity for attacks.

(Are PretzelFest rides races? Not officially. Treat them as a casual group ride if you’d like, but you can rest assured there will be riders pushing the pace on the front as well.)

Complete the full route (78.7km with 621m of elevation) to unlock the route achievement badge, a 1550XP bonus, and the Lederhose kit (see below).

Read all about the Makuri Pretzel route >

Event Schedule

Events are scheduled every two hours beginning Saturday, September 21 at 2am UTC (Friday 11pm EST/8pm PST) and ending 48 hours later, for a total of 24 timeslots. Click below to sign up:

Sign up at zwift.com/events/tag/pretzelfest >

Lederhose Kit Unlock

Complete the route to earn the coveted Lederhose kit, Alpine Socks, Shoes, and Hat. This kit is only available to PretzelFest finishers.

Woman Racer Spotlight: Emma Martin

Karla Williams
-
0
Woman Racer Spotlight: Emma Martin

Woman Racer Spotlight: Emma Martin

Name: Emma Martin

Hometown: Sheffield, UK / Limoges, France

How did you get into cycling? As an unfit 20-year-old, I started running and orienteering at university and got into cycling through MTB orienteering. In my thirties, my body stopped coping with competitive running, and, as my 6-year-old was bike-mad, I started cycling more and got into MTB and CX racing. 

How many years have you been racing on Zwift? I’ve been on Zwift since 2016 – I used to find 30 mins before work a great way to set up the day. Racing on Zwift took a little longer but I’ve been loving it since 2020.

Are you part of a Virtual team? Yes.  I joined Aeonian RT in 2021 after riding Catrina Weiss’ women’s events on Saturdays and Sundays for a long time – best thing I ever did.

What do you love most about racing? There are so many things I love, from, the growth of women on the start line, the feeling of working hard and achieving a goal, to the friendships made – my closest friends have come through cycling and racing. 

What is your favourite style of race (e.g. points, scratch, iTT, TTT, Chase, duathlon)?  I love a points race and a TTT.  The first because I enjoy the punchy style of racing, and the second because it’s all about working together.

What is your favourite Zwift women’s race series? Ohhhh tough question.  I love being part of the ZRL each year but I also have loved being on the commentary this year for Boudicca and the Iceni Race Series, as watching the performance and calling the action has been fabulous.  I also have loved leading the WOW (Women’s only Wednesday Chaingang) for the last 3 winters. It’s not a race, but normally turns into one!

What is your most memorable racing experience, inside or outside or BOTH? Outside: topping the podium in the women’s category in Mountain Mayhem (24-hr MTB race) with my teamies was right up there along with finally getting a podium in the National MTB XCO Veterans category after finishing 4th for too many races!  Racing the World Masters Cyclocross Championships too, but ultimately it has been the love, support and friendships made from the women racing that has always made racing memorable. Sounds soppy but so true! Inside: my most memorable racing experience is returning to racing in Cat D this ZRL season after being off the bike for 18 months due to cardiac issues post Covid.  The support from AEO during this time and the ability to DS whilst not on the bike was a life saver.  

What is your favourite food to eat post race? I like a strong cup of tea post bike race, but when commentating, a large tub of ice cream!

What advice would you give to a woman entering her first Zwift race? Just do it – start with a women’s only race, or a short one, and you won’t look back.

Any upcoming race you are looking forward to? I am looking forward to getting stronger again on the bike this summer and racing more regularly.  

In the Drops Episode 63: Zwift Updates | ZRL Review Race 2 Recon | Podcaster Charity Race | Quiz + more

Eric Schlange
-
2
In the Drops Episode 63: Zwift Updates | ZRL Review Race 2 Recon | Podcaster Charity Race | Quiz + more

In the Drops Episode 63: Zwift Updates | ZRL Review Race 2 Recon | Podcaster Charity Race | Quiz + more

This week, the hosts celebrate hitting 1,000 subscribers and tally up their monetary gains ($0.03). Having both received the update, they’re still underwhelmed by the new HUD and Zwifty reveals what little he knows about Zwift Racing Score.

Tactics for Zwift Racing League Stage 2 are discussed, but the main event is the star guest: legendary pugilist, cyclist, and photographer Jeremy Dirom, aka JD.

Lastly: Zwifty sets a quiz with the hope that Nathan will win, but he forgets about his own wife…

Topic Bookmarks for this Episode

Top 5 Zwift Videos: This Season on Zwift

Oli Chi
-
1
Top 5 Zwift Videos: This Season on Zwift

Later this year, Zwift will be celebrating its 10th anniversary! To celebrate the community and the impressive platform that Zwift has built, Zwift has announced the latest set of features/updates coming to the game in the fall/winter of 2024.

This week, we’ve selected several videos about these upcoming features and events…

ZWIFT New Heads-Up Display (HUD) Details & Full Walk-Thru

Zwift recently launched their long-anticipated updated Heads up Display. Shane Miller, GPLama, gives a full walkthrough of the refreshed HUD.

Zwift Fall 2024 Update: Zwift Ride Smart Frame, New Roads, and Halo Bikes

Tariq from Smart Bike Trainers updates Zwifters on everything new that Zwift announced for the fall/winter of 2024. 

This Season on Zwift // More New Roads // New HUD // Drop Shop Updates

Watch as I, Oli Chi from ZRace Central, share everything you need to know about Zwift’s recent “This Season on Zwift” press release including details about the new roads, new heads-up display, and drop shop updates.

Zwift HUD Update – a Quick Walkthrough

Eric from Zwift Insider gives a quick walkthrough of the updated heads-up display.

Is This The Ultimate Upgrade For Zwift? | Zwift Ride First Look

GCN takes a look at the Zwift RIDE Smart Frame, which is now shipping as a standalone frame and allows the frame to be paired with Zwift Ready trainers.

Got a Great Zwift Video?

Share the link below and we may feature it in an upcoming post!

Notable Zwift Events for the Weekend of September 14-15

Eric Schlange
-
0
Notable Zwift Events for the Weekend of September 14-15

Indoor season has begun, so we’re featuring ZRL recon rides this weekend! Also making the list: a new progressive series working toward an Alpe du Zwift summit, a popular women’s race series, and two group rides conquering the new Makuri Pretzel.

🤝 ZRL Sugar Cookie Race Recons

Overhead view of three cyclists wearing helmets and colorful jerseys riding closely together on a road. The text Zwift Racing League Recon Ride appears to the left.

　✅ Race Recon 　✅ Beginner-Friendly

Zwift Racing League kicked off this week, and next week is race #2, a points race on Watopia’s Sugar Cookie route!

Read our full guide for race #2 >

If you aren’t yet familiar with this route, or you’re looking for race tips, lots of recon rides have been organized by various teams.

Multiple timeslots on Saturday and Sunday
See upcoming events at zwift.com/events/tag/zrlrecon

🤝 Rise & Shine: World Famous Breakfast Club

　✅ New Series　✅ Progressive Training　✅ Beginner-Friendly

The concept of this ride series is pretty cool: a series of weekly rides that builds over 16 weeks to eventually finish the challenging Alpe du Zwift climb via the Tour of Fire and Ice route.

See weekly route schedule >

Ride pace is kept between 1.5-2.2 W/kg, and there’s a sweeper team in place to help if you fall off the back. This week the series kicks off on France’s R.G.V. route.

Sunday, September 15 @ 8:15pm UTC/4:15am EDT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/4501577

🥇 Iceni Women’s Series Challenge 2

A group of cyclists race through a brightly lit, futuristic city at night with neon signs. The logo and text “The Warrior Games” appear on the left side of the image.

✅ Popular Race　 ✅ Women Only 　✅ Unique Event

The popular Iceni Women’s Series is now underway, and this weekend it’s Challenge 2: a single-lap race on Canopies and Coastlines for a total length of 27.8km. There are four intermediate sprints, so this one’s gonna get spicy!

Two timeslots on Saturday
See upcoming Iceni events at zwift.com/events/tag/iceni

🤝Phoenix Rising Soaring Saturday

A group of cyclists ride closely together on a road lined with sunflowers, under a blue sky with scattered clouds. A white logo with a phoenix and the text Phoenix is visible in the upper left corner.

✅ Route Badge 　✅ Beginner-Friendly

We feature this popular ride regularly, but this week we’re calling it out because it’s held on the new Makuri Pretzel route (80km total ride length). This is a great chance to earn a challenging route badge (1550XP!) in beginner-friendly group ride. The leader beacon will keep a pace of 1.5-2w/kg, and may use the fence to keep the group together at their discretion. Join the team’s Discord channel during the ride to help pass the time!

Saturday, September 14 @ 12:25pm UTC/8:25am EDT/5:25am PDT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/4503740

🤝 Giant Bagel Rolls Ride

✅ Route Badge 　✅ Legacy Leaders

Looking to grab the new Makuri Pretzel route badge (1550XP) at a faster pace? The Bagel Rolls crew holds a steady 2.6-2.8 W/kg for the ride, with plenty of chat and banter.

Saturday, September 14 @ 1pm UTC/9am EDT/6am PDT
Sign up at zwift.com/events/view/4503748

How We Make Our Picks

We choose each weekend’s Notable Events based on a variety of factors including:

  • Is the event unique/innovative in some way?
  • Are celebrities (pro riders, etc) attending/leading?
  • Are signup counts already high, meaning the event is extra-popular?
  • Does the ride include desirable unlocks or prizes?
  • Does the event appeal to ladies on Zwift? (We like to support this under-represented group!)
  • Is it for a good cause?
  • Is it just plain crazy (extra long races, world record attempts, etc)?
  • Is it a long-running, popular weekly event with a dedicated leader who deserves a shout out?

In the end, we want to call attention to events that are extra-special and therefore extra-appealing to Zwifters. If you think your event qualifies, comment below with a link/details and we may just include it in an upcoming post!

Tiny Race Series – September 14 Routes and Last Week’s Results

Eric Schlange
-
0
Tiny Race Series – September 14 Routes and Last Week’s Results

Tiny Race Series – September 14 Routes and Last Week’s Results

See zwiftinsider.com/tiny for current Tiny Race details.

Network-Connected Smart Trainers and Apple TV: Overcoming the 2-Device Bluetooth Limit

Eric Schlange
-
32
Network-Connected Smart Trainers and Apple TV: Overcoming the 2-Device Bluetooth Limit

Network-Connected Smart Trainers and Apple TV: Overcoming the 2-Device Bluetooth Limit

Over the years, much has been said about Apple TV’s annoying Bluetooth connection limit. While the world at large doesn’t seem too concerned with Apple’s silly limitation, it has caused no end of headaches for Zwifters, since it lets us connect only two devices via Bluetooth to Apple TV. And we’ve got lots of devices!

The limitation means you can directly connect, say, your smart trainer and heart rate monitor (HRM). This is surely the most common setup for Apple TV users today. But in the old days, before cadence was built into smart trainers, it meant you might only connect your cadence monitor and trainer. A rather limited setup!

Zwift’s Play Controllers are getting more popular, too, including the new controllers that ship with the Zwift Ride smart frame. These controllers use another Bluetooth connection (or two), making the Apple TV connection limit a popular topic of conversation once again.

Let’s look at workarounds for the connection limit, including one I haven’t seen discussed much among Zwifters.

Workarounds

Apple TV is a hugely popular device for running Zwift, so Zwifters have used workarounds to the 2-device limit ever since Zwift first launched on Apple TV in November 2017. Those workarounds include:

  • Connecting through Zwift Companion: this is a big reason why the Companion app exists. It allows you to connect all the devices you’d like through the Companion app running on your phone, instead of connecting them directly to a connection-limited Apple TV. While many Apple TV users use the Companion app in this way, unfortunately, for various reasons, it doesn’t work reliably for some (read this post for tips on getting a reliable Companion connection).
  • Pairing HRM to your smart trainer: some trainers (including Zwift Hub, Magene T600, Elite’s Justo 2, Avanti, Suito, Direto XR, TrueKinetix TrueTrainer, and the new JetBlack Victory) can be paired with a HRM. The trainer then rebroadcasts the HRM data as part of the trainer’s data stream, letting you get trainer and HRM data with just one Bluetooth connection.
  • Using a Bluetooth aggregator: devices like North Pole Engineering‘s CÔRD or WYÛR can aggregate multiple Bluetooth devices into one connection, but challenges include a lack of availability and (last we checked) incompatibility with Zwift’s Play Controllers.

Play and Click Controller Connection Note

It’s important to note that Zwift’s standalone Play Controllers, which can be added to anyone’s drop bars, require one Bluetooth connection apiece, for a total of two connections used. That means they max out the Apple TV’s limit, without connecting anything else!

The Play Controllers that ship with the Zwift Ride smart frame, however, are combined into just one Bluetooth channel, so they use just one Bluetooth connection on Apple TV.

The Click v2 controllers also use just one Bluetooth connection on Apple TV.

The Networkaround

Now we get to the point of this article. One thing I haven’t seen discussed in the Zwift community is how, if you connect your smart trainer to Zwift via a network connection (hardwired or WiFi), it doesn’t count as one of Apple TV’s Bluetooth connections! Here’s a quick video walk-through to prove it works:

This demonstration was done using a Wahoo KICKR v6, but it works the same with any network-connected smart trainer. That list includes (and this may not be an exhaustive list):

  • Wahoo KICKR v6, Move, Bike 2, Bike Pro, and Core 2
  • Any Wahoo device compatible with the Direct Connect adapter (including KICKR v5, ROLLR, Bike Shift)
  • Elite Justo 2
  • Elite Avanti
  • Tacx NEO 3M
  • JetBlack Victory
  • TrueKinetix TrueTrainer and TrueBike

If you try to connect any of these trainers using their Bluetooth profile, you’ll get this Device Limit popup once you try to connect a third device:

But if you connect using your smart trainer’s network connection, like this:

You’ll be able to connect your Zwift Ride Play controllers, HRM, and smart trainer all directly to Apple TV:

Other connection combinations are possible, of course. For example, if you have a network-connected smart trainer that acts as a bridge for your HRM, you could connect your smart trainer (with HRM signal included) plus Zwift’s standalone Play Controllers directly to Apple TV.

Questions or Comments?

Share below!

1...113114115...550Page 114 of 550