Originally Posted by rousseau

I'm having a whale of a time on Zwift, and have basically given up outdoor riding for the winter (which seems to have arrived for most of the North American continent already). I didn't see another thread like this on the forum, so I thought I'd start one here.

1. What's the deal with practically going right through or getting way too close to other riders when you pass them? I know it's all virtual, but it's still a bit unnerving when you close the gap or pass someone and you're right on top of them.

2. If I have one complaint, it's that the visual cues rarely seem to match the gradients of the ascents and descents. Is this a general graphics issue? Am I asking for something that just isn't possible? So often the roadside will look like it's sloping down, but then the gradient indicator will show that it's sloping up. You think you might be cresting a hill but you've still got a long way to go. That kind of thing. I find I'm constantly looking over at the gradient indicator to see what's coming up, which is distracting and takes away from the enjoyment a little bit.

3. Can you "cheat" by giving a lower body weight when calibrating your smart trainer? I, uh, gave a slightly more optimistic weight than what the reality actually is, and it seems like I'm going up 15% gradients (impossible in real life) and passing other riders up hills when I'm actually somewhat generously proportioned for a roadie and tend to be at the end of climbs when riding outdoors. Is your weight a variable that changes things on a smart trainer?

4. I'm glad to be getting in consistent workouts in the off-season, raising my heart rate and feeling the burn in the quads, and yet an hour's session on Zwift doesn't feel quite the same as an hour's ride outdoors. Are there intangibles to outdoor riding that an indoor trainer simply cannot replicate? If so, what are they, exactly? Can they be quantified in any way?