Alistair Brownlee is often seen on G.O.A.T. lists, and he just completed and won his first IRONMAN! What’s next for the 2x Olympic Gold Medalist? We chatted about his move up in distance and what podium he’s hoping to stand on next.
The Zwift PowerUp Tri Podcast is hosted by former pro triathletes Matt Lieto and Jordan Rapp, lending their in-depth knowledge of the multisport to the Zwift Tri audience.
Today we got some fun news–a new direct-drive smart trainer has been announced. It’s been a while!
Elite’s newest smart trainer is a compact, easy to set up unit named “Suito” (pronounced “sweet-oh”). Here’s their promo video (Zwift even makes a cameo appearance):
At $799USD, the Suito’s specifications and pricing have it competing with the Wahoo KICKR Core ($899), Tacx Flux S ($749), and Elite’s own Direto ($799).
DC Rainmaker says, “I suspect this will be the trainer to beat value-wise this year.”
The Suito is essentially an upgraded Direto, at the same price. While its slope simulation, power accuracy, and max wattage are very similar to the Direto, the Suito is quieter and performs better in Erg mode. Plus: it comes with a cassette!
The cassette thing is kind of a big deal, actually. It is baffling, but the Suito is the only smart trainer other than Wahoo’s $1199 KICKR shipping with a cassette.
For some, the cassette issue isn’t a big one. But many cyclists don’t own the tools or possess the expertise to swap a cassette. Buying a cassette and the tools to install it can run ~$100, so this is a significant consideration for anyone who doesn’t have a spare cassette and chain whip and lockring removed sitting around.
Elite’s marketing is really focusing on the Suito’s ease of setup (and I quote):
This is Elite’s first direct-drive hometrainer that comes totally pre-assembled out of the box….
Total setup time: less than five minutes.
The unit folds to a very compact shape, only 8″/20cm tall if you lay it on its side. It would be even smaller if you removed the skewer, which is the widest part.
DC Rainmaker says the Suito is indeed quiet–he guesses it’s a bit louder than the very quiet Wahoo KICKR Core, but quieter than the Elite Direto. So, quieter than your fan!
AppleTV users will be happy to see the Suito includes cadence in its Bluetooth data, meaning you still have a Bluetooth connection available for your heart rate monitor, making setup quick and easy.
Every Suito includes a card which gives you a 1 free month of Zwift membership.
US deliveries are expected in the first week of September. Clever Training is currently taking pre-orders for delivery in “late September.”
Moreover, the streamlined design ensures compatibility with various bicycle models and sprocket sets on the market.
Cadence included in Bluetooth signal, nice for AppleTV users.
Looking for more details on the Suito, including power accuracy and unboxing? Check out DC Rainmaker’s post >
What do you think? Does this look like a trainer you may want to pick up for the next Zwift season? Comment below!
A 4-stage, 2-week Zwift tour was just announced which begins today and runs through the end of July. Here are all the details…
This event is really targetting Australian Zwifters who are in their winter season currently, but the scheduled time slots should be workable for most riders worldwide.
Each stage runs for 3 days, and during those days the stages run at 1AM, 3AM, 11AM, 1PM, 4PM, and 11PM Pacific time.
There will be 5 makeup days at the end in case you missed any stages.
Zwift always says these big events aren’t races, but let’s be realistic–everyone will be pushing hard to do their very best. That’s what makes it fun!
Simply sign up for each stage in-game, via Zwift Companion, or from the zwift.com Off the MAAP page. Learn how to join an event >
Not yet a Zwift user? Create your free trial account >
Finish all four stages to unlock the in-game Off the MAAP kit.
Unlocking the kit also gives you access to pre-order the real-life Off the MAAP kit in a one-time-only deal.
Route: Big Loop, 1 lap
Distance: 42.4km // 26.6mi
Elevation: 651m // 2,175 ft
Route: Out and Back Again, 1 lap
Distance: 26.2 mi // 42.1 km
Elevation: 1095 ft // 334 m
Lead In: 1.4 mi // 2.3km
Route: NYC KOM After Party, 1 lap
Distance: 22.7 mi // 36.6 km
Elevation: 1558 ft // 475 m
Route: Road to Ruins, 1 lap
Distance: 18.4 mi // 29.6 km
Elevation: 905 ft // 268 m
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We’ve combed the web seeking Wahoo KICKR 2018 reviews and information, summarizing our findings so you can learn everything worth knowing about this very popular smart trainer. If you decide to purchase the KICKR 2018, please consider doing so through the shopping links at the bottom of this post, as this will help support Zwift Insider.
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Wahoo rolled out the KICKR 2018 direct-drive trainer at July 2018’s Eurobike show. As the 4th update to their flagship model, the KICKR 2018 competes directly with the industry’s top direct-drive smart trainers including the Tacx Neo, Hammer H2, and Elite Drivo.
The KICKR is the world’s most popular smart trainer, and for good reason: it’s a rock-solid unit which consistently performs well. It’s also backed by Wahoo’s US-based support, which has a reputation as being quite fair and responsive.
What could you possibly change in the world’s most popular smart trainer? In a word: noise. Wahoo has made the new KICKR virtually silent… and that’s big news! Previous KICKR models were known for their distinctive sound, but the KICKR 2018 replaces the timing belt with a v-belt, with the result being sweet, sweet silence. They’ve also made it compatible with more bikes and upgraded the flywheel from 12.5 to 16 pounds for a more realistic road feel.
These upgrades plus the KICKR’s solid reputation made it DC Rainmaker’s top recommended high-end trainer for 2018.
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Ray at DC Rainmaker says:
Wahoo KICKR is the best trainer Wahoo’s ever made. It’s quiet, works with every app out there, is easy to use, and doesn’t require an arts and crafts project to get it up and running. It’s spot-on accurate, reacts quickly, and the flywheel is the best Wahoo has ever offered. All of that is great, Wahoo has no reason to be ashamed of it.
Tariq at SmartBikeTrainers says:
It’s a solid trainer, accurate and quiet. I have no reservation recommending it to anyone.
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The Good:
The Bad:
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We’ve taken a look at the best KICKR 2018 review videos and summarized them for quick digestion.
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There has been some talk of “flywheel-gate” due to reports of some KICKR 2018 units developing a clicking noise from a loose flywheel key. All indications are that Wahoo support has been very good about getting issues resolved, and Wahoo CEO Chip Hawkins even worked with DC Rainmaker to create a video explaining these issues.
With Wahoo continuing to stand behind its product, and the newest model being virtually silent and very compatible with a wide range of frames, it’s safe to say the newest KICKR will help Wahoo continue to keep its place at the top of the smart trainer mountain. In fact, as DC Rainmaker so astutely pointed out, it could be that some of the biggest competition for the KICKR 2018 is the KICKR Core, Wahoo’s newest model which has much of the standard KICKR’s capabilities but for $300 less.
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DC Rainmaker
Gearmashers
SMARTBikeTrainers
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Direct from Wahoo
Clever Training
REI
Competitive Cyclist
Want to start riding on Zwift, but aren’t sure where to start? Here’s a guide which answers all the basic questions for anyone looking to get up and riding on Zwift with a smart trainer.
Smart trainers provide the most immersive and rewarding Zwift experience since they accurately detect your power output while simulating the hill climbs and descents.
Need help choosing a smart trainer? See our Smart Trainer Index which includes recommendations for various budget levels.
In addition to your smart trainer, there are two things you must have in order to ride on Zwift:
If you’re brand-new to cycling and don’t have a bike, we recommend visiting your local bike shop and making friends with the good people there. They can advise you on the best bike to fit your needs, repair/adjust things as needed, and generally support you in your cycling journey. That’s what they do!
If you’re more of a do-it-yourselfer, you can always find new bikes online, or used bikes on eBay, CraigsList, or elsewhere. But if you’re new to cycling we highly recommend forming a good relationship with your local shop.
In the end, to get on Zwift the bike you purchase needs to be compatible with your smart trainer. Your safest bet is a standard 10 or 11-speed road bike, as this will work on virtually all smart trainers.
Zwift is software, and you must install it on a compatible device in order to use it. Here is a summary of devices which can run Zwift. We’ve also included a note indicating the type(s) of wireless connections they allow:
Note: if your device was made in the last few years, it should be able to run Zwift. But you may want to double-check by looking at Zwift’s current device requirements.
As you can see, Zwift supports just two ways of communicating wirelessly: Bluetooth or ANT+. Fortunately, today nearly all smart trainers communicate in both Bluetooth and ANT+ simultaneously, making it easy to connect a smart trainer to your Zwift device of choice.
This is a common question, and there is no single answer. For some, the best device for running Zwift is the one they already own, because they can’t afford anything else! For others, the best device is whatever offers the most immersive experience, regardless of cost.
If you’re looking for the simplest experience, AppleTV is probably it. Of course, you’ll need a TV screen as well, but Zwift on AppleTV is dead simple, affordable, and looks pretty smooth and sharp if you’re using the latest AppleTV (4k).
Looking for the best gameplay experience (fast framerate, highest resolution)? Go with a Windows PC with a quality gaming graphics card. This will provide the most immersive and visually stunning experience when coupled with a large display.
Many Zwifters begin by using a basic device they already own (perhaps their iPhone, or a laptop PC) then upgrade to a higher-end setup once they’ve experienced how cool Zwift really is.
Every Zwifter has their own account which tracks mileage and other achievements. Signing up easy–just visit zwift.com/create_account.
You will be given free trial access to Zwift so you can test it out before choosing to subscribe. Subscription cost in the US is currently $14.99/month.
So you’ve got your bike mounted on a smart trainer, plus a device to run Zwift. What next?
Zwift’s software communicates wirelessly with your smart trainer, allowing your in-game avatar to ride in a way that realistically reflects the effort you’re actually putting out. In addition to sensing your efforts, Zwift also sends terrain information to your smart trainer, allowing the trainer to mimic the feel of hill climbs and descents for a very immersive experience!
Note: if you’re running Zwift on a computer and want to use ANT+ for your wireless connection, you’ll need an ANT+ USB dongle plugged into that computer so it can talk to your smart trainer. See Recommended ANT+ Sticks (Dongles) for Zwift >
For Zwift and your smart trainer to “talk” to each other, you must pair them from within the Zwift software. Connecting your smart trainer to Zwift is quite easy once you’ve installed Zwift on your device:
Once you click “OK” on the pairing screen, you’ll be greeted with the homescreen where you can choose from a variety of activities and access various settings. Want a guided tour? Click “Tutorial” underneath your profile:
While you only need a few things to start Zwifting, there are some additional purchases you can make to greatly improve your Zwifting experience:
We recommend joining a group ride once you’ve done a few “free rides” on Zwift. The Zwift community rocks!
Additionally, Zwift Companion allows you to see upcoming events, control the game, and interact with other Zwifters from your smartphone. Install it on your iOS or Android device and see how it works.
We’ll see you out there. Ride on!
Hear what it takes to win the Tour de France with current champ, Geraint Thomas. In Episode 32, he opens up about the kind of prep that goes into the greatest bike race on Earth. Periodization, training phases, so on and so forth.
The two-time Olympic Gold Medalist also compares the demands of the Olympics versus the Tour de France. Plus, we get into his favorite Zwift course and first time racing at age 14.
The Zwift PowerUp Cycling Podcast features host Matt Rowe (Rowe & King), with regular co-hosts Greg Henderson (Coach Hendy) and Kev Poulton (Powerhouse Cycling). The hosts share tips on how road races can get faster in-game and outdoors.
Nathan Guerra is back with another Zwift Community Live weekly wind up, joined by Nicola Cranmer, GM of the Sho-Air Twenty20 women’s pro team.
Here are the topics in this week’s wind up:
Editor’s note: this is the final post of Jordan’s “Peak Form” series which tells the story of coaching Zwifter Connie Swinson toward her goal of competing at the 1200km Paris-Brest-Paris brevet in August 2019.
You can read his four previous posts here.
Over my years as a coach I have developed a philosophy of always trying to “coach forward” and maintain a positive perspective on an athlete’s progress. This means focusing on what we can do to improve, address weaknesses and achieve the next goal in the face of adversity.
Success is a fantastic feeling and should be enjoyed without nagging second thoughts. Failure should be absorbed and experienced and met with careful analysis at the right time. In both cases and especially in the later, coaching comes down to the next steps. Maybe we need to recalibrate to achieve an unfulfilled goal, maybe we need to set our sights on a new one but it is time to move forward.
Connie and I went through this process twice in our attempt to take down the final obstacle on her way to earning a spot at the 1200km Paris-Brest-Paris, completing a 600km-qualifying event in under 40 hours.
After comfortably riding the 200 and 400km qualifiers in the spring we had plenty of time and up to 3 chances to nail the final distance before the qualification deadline in late summer. Connie was completely transformed as a rider and improving all the time as we aimed for well-rounded fitness and increased aerobic capacity.
The first attempt came undone as night fell after 400+ kilometers and Connie confronted real sleep deprivation for the first time in an ultra event. We were confident that revised pacing and sleep stop strategies would allow her to finish safe and strong in her second crack at the distance.
The second event was far from a simple “do-over”. Instead, the course featured much more climbing, gravel sections, increased summer heat and an extra 36km of riding to get to the official finish line.
Riding on a recumbent, climbing is definitely one of the defining challenges. The low-slung riding position has benefits in terms of aerodynamics, efficiency, and comfort but this comes with a penalty on the hills. A recumbent bike weighs considerably more than a “normal” bike and pedaling leverage is reduced (you can’t stand up on a recumbent for example).
Despite this, we redoubled training efforts with a specific focus on climbing and heat tolerance. Connie’s improvement curve remained sharp but on race day the challenges became insurmountable. With over 500km in the bag, Connie was forced to walk up steep hills and the finish slipped out of reach.
Examining the preparation and the effort on the day, Connie’s performance here is still among the best I have ever coached. She faced an absolutely grueling task and fought hard for more than 30 hours. It just wasn’t quite enough.
That brought us to our final chance for qualification only four weeks after the previous attempt in North Carolina. This one looked more promising. It was a real 600km with no extra distance and about half the climbing of the previous attempt. Connie was also getting better and better at riding in the brutal southern summer heat as we did more adaptation rides and refined cooling and hydration strategies. Amazingly Connie was unfazed by the previous unrealized efforts and was full of confidence for her third try.
As the weekend wore on, I checked my messages again and again for an update from Connie. It felt like I was waiting for my own results from a time trial. We put in so much but was it enough? I was confident we had done the work and Connie had the tools to do the job but apprehensive over all the things that can go wrong in 40 hours of pedaling. Unfortunately the update wasn’t of the jubilant, triumphant variety. From Connie:
“I’m still glad we made the third effort. Each one was difficult in ways I didn’t foresee. This one was the toughest one for (Connie’s husband) Hardy, it hit him hard at 120 miles and he had to get a drive back to the start. I planned to sleep a few hours and then head out at 2 am. Unfortunately, I couldn’t sleep so at 1 am and still wide awake, I called it quits. I don’t think I could have been safe without sleep for the second half.”
We mastered the challenges of the heat, the pace and the hills but the challenge of sleep reared its ugly head and Connie’s loyal partner Hardy struggled with GI issues. It wasn’t meant to be on the day and we had to reevaluate.
I think we both knew that this would be our last attempt and surprisingly I think we were both okay with the outcome. As disappointing as the failure to qualify was, we got so deep into the challenge that we saw every face of it and confronted all of the elements that made it so audacious in the first place. So many things have to go right in order to make a goal like this happen: fitness, freshness, pacing, fueling, hydration, sleep, mental stamina, equipment and terrain to name a few. Even a small issue with any of those can turn a smooth ride into a slog and a success into a failure.
Connie was pragmatic from our first conversation after the failed attempt. She pushed this as far as she could and far further than she imagined she would have when we started this project in January. At a certain point, you have to enjoy the chase and I think chasing a perfect ride at this distance requires so much physical and emotional outlay that it stops being fun.
Tellingly Connie’s compromise for future goals would seem like a cruel joke to most of us cycling mortals. She has decided to focus only on events of “12 hours or less”. We all know those 12-hour, 200-mile events are a walk in the park! We’ve already shifting preparation to one these events in August.
When I set out the application for the Peak Form Project I was looking for something new and uniquely challenging as a coach. I found that with Connie and the chase for Paris-Brest-Paris. If Connie had qualified she would have become the first North American woman 65 years or older to ever brave the starting line. We weren’t taking on personal limits these past 7 months, we were taking on over 100 years of history. I was forced to learn so much to try to successfully coach this project, and there is no training manual for a 1200km race. I am so grateful for this push and I think it adds another layer of experience and understanding to Peak Form Coaching.
More so, I am grateful for meeting Connie. The words unique, special and inspirational are all understatements. We are talking about a grandmother who rode 400km or more on 4 separate occasions in just over 2 months in an attempt to just qualify for her ultimate goal. That is grit and that is passion. So thank you to Connie and thank you to everyone who has read and supported along the way. I look forward to the next Peak Form Project for 2020.
In this episode, Shayne, Ken, and Chris speak about the advantages of planning out yearly training plans vs going week to week, and how to deal with mental fatigue when the body is still strong.
Along the way, they touch on tips for riders who are just beginning serious training, how to handle early morning rides, and Chris accidentally wearing Ken’s used cycling shorts.
Enjoy!
Never Going Pro is a new podcast about riding bikes, being parents… and trying super hard at both. Hosted by Shayne Gaffney, Ken Nowell, and Chris Gorney. See all episodes on Soundcloud. Also available on Sticher and iTunes.
It’s been a big year for acquisitions in the indoor cycling world, and today’s announcement of Wahoo purchasing The Sufferfest will certainly grab the attention of Zwift HQ and many in the Zwift community.
Most Zwifters are already at least somewhat familiar with Wahoo, since the company’s KICKR smart trainers are the most popular in the world. In the past few years, Wahoo has developed an entire indoor fitness ecosystem including the KICKR trainers, Climb grade simulator, bike desk, headwind fan, and their tried and true trainer mat.
Wahoo’s indoor devices pair nicely with their ELEMNT bike computers, but of course, most people are using software such as Zwift to control their smart trainers.
The Sufferfest may be new to many Zwifters, but it’s been around since 2008, well before Zwift was even a glimmer in Jon Mayfield’s eye. The Sufferfest platform is best known for providing cycling workouts which are a combination of real-life video and ERG workouts. They also released their 4DP (4-dimensional power) profiling functionality a while back, which provides a more robust metric for personalizing workouts than FTP alone.
According to the press release, “There are no planned changes in The Sufferfest business offering or structure as a result of this acquisition.”
Terms of the acquisition, including purchase price, were not disclosed in the press release.
Interestingly, only a week ago The Sufferfest announced the availability of “Virtual Racing and eSports Training Plans”, with a leading photo which includes Wahoo’s bike desks.
Put these two announcements together and you’ve got Wahoo making a big move to get a larger piece of the indoor training pie. Until now they’ve just supplied the hardware–now they’ve essentially purchased a massive workout library, a dedicated community of cyclists, and the platform that brings them together.
Where Wahoo is the hardware company that relies on third-party software, Zwift is the software company that relies on third-party hardware.
But we’re seeing both companies encroaching on the other, with Zwift making some tentative moves into hardware and now Wahoo acquiring one of Zwift’s main competitors.
Of course, Wahoo knows they need Zwift, which is why their press release included this little snippet from founder Chip Hawkins: “Wahoo remains committed to the growth of the indoor training and fitness sectors and will continue to integrate and collaborate with as many leading software providers as possible.”
Keen Zwifter and Sufferfest user Justin Wagner had this to say about the acquisition:
They both have a special place. Clearly Zwift wins on interaction with others, but as far as super engaging workouts and videos, Sufferfest is amazing.
Zwifters often ask this question of Zwift events, but it’s also a fitting question for today’s indoor cycling sector. Is this a race?
Yes. Yes it is.
It’s a race to build a powerful platform and a dedicated community around it. And it’s a race to secure the third-party partnerships and in-house expertise required to make it all happen today and moving forward.
The good news is, we the cyclists benefit from this competition. Much like it’s easier to push yourself to new heights in a bike race than it is alone, competition in business forces companies to push hard and take risks to be the best.
We’ve seen indoor cycling make huge strides in recent years, but there is still so much growth ahead. Allez, allez, allez!
