Zwift appears to perform very well with this virtual reality setup, although Simon does complain that his avatar’s legs are a bit fatter than his real ones. He describes it as “absolutely insane.”
Of course, the one problem is dealing with sweat, since VR goggles such as the Oculus Rift offer little ventilation. This is what’s stopping Zwift HQ from pushing the VR version out, so we can only hope that someday VR glasses will be created with adequate ventilation.
Episode 9, the “Eurobike Special” of Zwiftcast has been released. Here’s the full episode description:
Simon, Shane and special guest DC Rainmaker are at the biggest bike show in the world.
These are exciting times for indoor riders and the excitement is reflected at Eurobike, where trainer manufacturers are showing their wares for the coming indoor season.
D C Rainmaker, otherwise known as Ray Maker, makes a special guest appearance to discuss all the news with Simon and Shane, and concludes:”There has never been a better time to buy a Smart Trainer”
The Zwiftcast tours the gigantic show, stopping for interviews with Tacx, whose Flux Smart Trainer was a show stealer; Wahoo, who launched the new Kickr; Elite, whose new Drivo is claimed to be the most accurate Smart Trainer in the world, and Cycle Ops, whose Hammer and Magnus are also promising great things.
The Zwiftcast trio discuss how trainer manufacturers have responded to the new indoor riding world Zwift has helped create and how Zwift itself may cope with competitors in the market.
We also discuss the trend for manufacturers to announce new product earlier and earlier – but struggle to deliver trainers to meet the demand at the start of the season.
Shane and Ray also give their verdict on the most impressive thing they saw at the show.
Zwift HQ has launched a new in-game mission. Completing the mission enters you for a chance to win a trip to the real Prudential RideLondon 2017 event! Here are more details…
Prize: one lucky winner will receive an economy class ticket to London, 2 nights hotel accommodations and entry into the 2017 Prudential RideLondon event.
Entry details: completing the half course earns 1 entry, completing the full course earns 5 entries. You may also do both courses for a total of 6 entries.
Deadline: ride must be completed before 04:00 UTC on September 28th, 2016
Acknowledgement: successful completion of the Mission and entry is acknowledged with an in-game popup when you reach 100%.
Signups are now open for Zwift for iOS beta testers: simply submit this form. Approved testers do not receive immediate access to Zwift for iOS, but will be contacted by Zwift HQ regarding next steps.
Due to hardware requirements (Zwift for iOS requires a 64bit A7 processor or better), testers should have at least one of these iDevices:
Zwift HQ pushed out a fairly major update today. The download comes in around ~150MB in size so be sure to leave some time for the update when you start your Zwift session!
Here are a few of the highlights included in this release:
Post-workout summary screen
Post-workout summary screen: this pops up immediately after you finish a workout, and includes (among other things) a workout timeline, power curve, power and heart rate distribution and total kilocalories.
Bluetooth support added for Apple computers: you can now use your computer’s Bluetooth to pair with your Bluetooth devices, instead of going through the Zwift Companion app.
Performance enhancements
Loud thunderclaps are now controlled by game volume setting (this is good news, because it means I can stop peeing my chamois every time I ride London!)
“Race Results” screen for select events (see below)
Wahoo has announced an update to its flagship KICKR trainer. Originally released in 2013, the KICKR was (according to Wahoo) the world’s first smart trainer. While many firmware updates have been released since then, the beloved KICKR was definitely due for a hardware overhaul.
While it doesn’t look much different, the new KICKR has some significant improvements over the previous model.
Reduced sound level: the high-pitched tone is mostly gone, and the volume is significantly reduced as well. Wahoo claims the high-frequency pitch is reduced by 90% and the noise output reduced from 67 to 61 decibels. There are quieter trainers, but the KICKR is the quietest model equipped with a flywheel. See video from DC Rainmaker below to hear the comparison.
Improved power accuracy: Wahoo claims accuracy of +/-2% with the new KICKR, compared to +/-5% with the older model. Unlike the previous model the new KICKR does not use a strain gauge but instead reads power based on its readings of the mag brake unit.
Improved responsiveness: KICKR will now respond faster to terrain changes and large leaps of power output.
Improved user interface: they’ve added connectivity lights, a large grey handle, and relocated the power plug.
Tacx is pushing the boundaries of smart trainers in a big way with the announcement of their Magnum smart bike/run treadmill.
Ultimate realism?
According to Tacx, both running and riding on the Magnum are very realistic. The bottom of the Magnum was designed to slightly dent when your foot lands on it, but is stiff as concrete while cycling. A foam core is placed in between two aluminium plates, allowing for a bit of flex when running while remaining stiff for tires.
And of course, it works with Zwift, as well as other software that works with Bluetooth and/or ANT+.
How does it work?
According to Bike Radar:
The Magnum smart trainer is much cleverer than just a rolling road. As we held onto the side and spun up to speed, the treadmill works with your acceleration and light sensors on the treadmill sides (lit up between blue, green, and red) read your position on the bike.
If you push too far forward it will gently increase the resistance to put you back in the zone, and if you fall backwards it will decrease to allow you to accelerate — and if you stop suddenly or brake, the Magnum reacts in a split second to prevent you from falling.
The sensation of the Magnum takes a few spins to get used to, it’s unlike a set of rollers as you have much more freedom to balance and move around on the bike, though once it ‘clicks’ it’s a very impressive tool.
Specifications
Incline range: 0-15% (can be adjusted manually or automatically) with simulated inclines up to 20%
Speed range: 2,4 – 30km/rh (when riding faster than 30km/hr, the belt will increase the incline so that you can push the needed Watts)
Speed adjustment: manual or automatic
Weight: 150kg
Footprint: 222.5×102.5cm
Includes 32″ screen
Projected price: ~€7,000
Availability
According to Tacx: “The Magnum will be delivered at your door step and installed by a certified team. It is available from November in selected countries: Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.”
US-based Kinetic has officially entered the smart trainer market with yesterday’s unveiling of their “Kinetic Smart Control.”
Available on Kinetic’s highly-regarded Rock and Roll and Road Machine trainer frames, the new resistance unit is a step up from Kinetic’s previous “smart” offerings which offered power measurement but not controllable resistance.
The resistance unit can also be purchased by itself for installation on an existing Kinetic frame, bringing the connected, power calculating, resistance controlled experience to current Rock and Roll, Road Machine, Magnetic, or Cyclone trainer owners.
According to Kinetic:
Each new trainer model features an electronically-controlled Power Unit, a massive flywheel delivering the highest inertia of any smart trainer on the market, ultra-quiet operation, accurate and reproducible power data, and a realistic ride feel. The Smart Control Power Unit is also available separately and is the ideal upgrade for a wide range of existing Kinetic trainers.
Kinetic Rock and Roll Smart Control
Specifications
Interestingly, the new smart control supports Bluetooth only–no ANT+. Kinetic is working with Zwift to make sure the smart control units will work seamlessly once they are rolled out.
Power accuracy is +/-3%
Maximum wattage, incline simulation, and flywheel size not available at this time.
Pricing
Rock and Roll – Smart Control: $849 USD
Road Machine – Smart Control: $649 USD
Smart Control Power Unit: $549 USD
Kinetic Road Machine Smart Control
Availability
Kinetic says the trainers will be available late September in the USA, and sometime in October to the rest of the world.
Episode 8 of Zwiftcast has been released. Here’s the full episode description:
Simon, Shane and Nathan discuss the incredibly active smart trainer market, with a raft of new models announced in the past couple of weeks, including an eye-catching offering from Tacx.
They go on to speculate on what might be the likely effect of an expected launch of Zwift on iPad.
There’s a feature on Married Zwifting, with a look at how couples balancing jobs and kids can use Zwift to maximise training, sometimes Zwifting together.
Nathan’s other half, Lindsay and Shane’s partner, Von, make guest appearances – and share some of the secrets of their joint pain caves!
Australian hero Mat Hayman makes a special appearance on the Zwiftcast to bring us up to date on what’s he’s been doing since that memorable win in Paris Roubaix and to let listeners know how Zwift is fitting into his training plan.
There’s a feature with ZTR race organiser Christian Wiedemann who reveals the results of a fascinating experiment: He tells the Zwiftcast what happened when he went to tackle a very familiar local climb in real life after spending two years exclusively riding on Zwift.
Simon, Shane and Nathan tackle the thorny issue of deliberate weight-doping. Is it ever acceptable to change your weight on Zwift? Maybe you want to keep up with buddies on a group ride – can it be right to adjust your weight down a bit to make it possible?
Zwift is now in pre-beta testing for iOS devices. The following devices will be supported (a 64bit A7 processor or greater is required):
iPad Air 1 and 2
iPad Pro 9.7″ and 12″
iPad mini 2, 3 and 4
iPod 6th gen
iPhone 5SE
iPhone 6/6+/6S/6S+/SE
Performance notes
According to Shane Miller performance is silky-smooth, better than his Alienware Alpha desktop computer. Zwift has been touch-enabled for a while now, so you are able to simply the touch the screen to give Ride Ons, change settings, etc. And a simple lightning to HDMI cable will let you view Zwift on your TV while it runs on your iDevice.
Bluetooth only
Zwift on iOS will only support Bluetooth connections at this time, since iDevices do not have ANT+ built in. All true smart trainers support Bluetooth as well as ANT+, so this won’t be a problem on that front, but people using certain devices which only support ANT+ will need to purchase a Bluetooth to ANT bridge such as the Viiiiva heart rate monitor ($80US) so their ANT+ signals can be converted to Bluetooth.
What’s the big deal?
Arguably the largest single barrier to Zwift entry is on the computing side of things: many people do not have powerful enough computers to run Zwift smoothly, or at all. (Zwift requires Windows 7 64bit or higher or macOS 10.7 or higher, plus 4GB of memory and a fairly beefy graphics card.)
This move opens Zwift up to a massive new audience of folks who aren’t willing to make a huge investment in indoor training but already have a compatible iDevice and an indoor trainer. No ANT+ dongle needed: just pair your trainer to your iDevice and go! This is going to be huge.
When?
According to road.cc the app will be available in September with beta testing invites being sent out to the Zwift community. Zwift HQ is hoping to roll out the full app this winter.
Here’s an excellent “first look” video from everyone’s favorite lama from down under, Shane Miller:
