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W/Kg units, why this metric?

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W/Kg units, why this metric?

Old 01-25-21, 07:10 PM
  #51  
Ed Wiser
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Originally Posted by Eric F
Are you talking about the riders that have what looks like a TV screen in front of their bikes? Those are people doing structured workouts. It's an indicator to the rest of us that they aren't just free riding. The color of the screen also indicates the intensity of their current effort.
right also groups doing meetup rides will show up on the road. An they do not even see you. As they only see each other. So many people is Zwift are not free riding and are doing things that are not actually free riding. They don’t even see you riding in many cases. But you see them flying by. I had a meetup ride with afrrind the other day and a rider doing a workout would pop in and out of our ride for a half and hour before she finally disappeared.
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Old 01-25-21, 07:52 PM
  #52  
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Originally Posted by Eric F
Especially on Fuego Flats, it's not uncommon for groups of people free-riding to build around someone doing a long steady effort structured workout. I know some people get ruffled by it. If I'm doing that kind of workout, it doesn't bother me at all to be someone's pace bot, if that's what they want to do.
I feel like if you're "ruffled" by this, you've completely missed the point of Zwift.
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Old 01-25-21, 08:17 PM
  #53  
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Originally Posted by Ed Wiser
right also groups doing meetup rides will show up on the road. An they do not even see you. As they only see each other. So many people is Zwift are not free riding and are doing things that are not actually free riding. They don’t even see you riding in many cases. But you see them flying by. I had a meetup ride with afrrind the other day and a rider doing a workout would pop in and out of our ride for a half and hour before she finally disappeared.

When someone creates a meetup on Zwift, they have the option to select "Meetup-Only View", which hides all other riders outside of meetup participants from view. This can be useful for informal races, and also good for keeping groups together. In this mode, riders in the meetup do not get any draft from riders outside of the meetup, but riders in the meetup are still visible and available for drafting to all other riders. You can also do a meetup and not select this option, which keeps all other riders visible and available for drafting just like you'd see normally on Zwift.

If you wanted to not see any other riders on Zwift, you could set up your own meetup using "Meetup-Only View" and then ride solo within that meetup without seeing any other riders.
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Old 01-25-21, 08:58 PM
  #54  
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Originally Posted by Eric F
So you tried a Zwift race one time, got dropped, and are now making generalizations about problems with the platform? Hmmm...okay. You might consider that there is a learning curve to racing effectively in Zwift that is a little different than IRL (many people have done videos discussing things to expect, tactics, etc.) Just like racing in IRL, there are subtleties to being efficient and effective that come from experience.

The typical pattern for Zwift racing is an all-out sprint from the gun before setting down after a few minutes of complete suffering. If you go out of the gate easy, or even at a solid tempo pace, you probably won't ever see the front of the race again. Knowing this ahead of time will make a big difference.

If you don't enjoy that kind of insanity, try group rides or one of the pacer bots. They're good places to get familiar with the pack-riding skills of Zwift, which aren't quite the same as IRL.
so zero in on one comment that i made about categorizations and ignore the first post i made where i stated quite clearly that "i don't race." i was merely agreeing with another poster when i wrote "i'd agree with better categorization for races in zwift." my agreement really had nothing to do with why i started the topic in the first place, this thread just diverged in that direction on its own. i only wanted to know what the deal was with the metric. i was not bashing zwift or making any generalizations, sorry you took it that way. if you are a racer then kudos to you, it is just not my thing and it never really was, curiosity got to me one day, that's all.
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Old 01-25-21, 09:05 PM
  #55  
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Originally Posted by msu2001la
When someone creates a meetup on Zwift, they have the option to select "Meetup-Only View", which hides all other riders outside of meetup participants from view. This can be useful for informal races, and also good for keeping groups together. In this mode, riders in the meetup do not get any draft from riders outside of the meetup, but riders in the meetup are still visible and available for drafting to all other riders. You can also do a meetup and not select this option, which keeps all other riders visible and available for drafting just like you'd see normally on Zwift.

If you wanted to not see any other riders on Zwift, you could set up your own meetup using "Meetup-Only View" and then ride solo within that meetup without seeing any other riders.
this is an interesting idea. i might try it and see how it is. it would be more like my real life rides. i suspect that i would not perform as well because i do like to push myself trying to catch up with someone that is going harder than myself. i know it is blind competition and i am not competing but it does give me some incentive. i use CycleMeter when out on the road and it shows my position relative to my best from prior rides and that would be a neat feature for zwift.
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Old 01-25-21, 09:06 PM
  #56  
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zwiftpower requires you to have a working heart rate monitor right? My tickr is really unreliable.
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Old 01-25-21, 09:13 PM
  #57  
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Originally Posted by unterhausen
zwiftpower requires you to have a working heart rate monitor right? My tickr is really unreliable.
No, some races do some don't.
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Old 01-25-21, 09:39 PM
  #58  
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Originally Posted by spelger
so zero in on one comment that i made about categorizations and ignore the first post i made where i stated quite clearly that "i don't race." i was merely agreeing with another poster when i wrote "i'd agree with better categorization for races in zwift." my agreement really had nothing to do with why i started the topic in the first place, this thread just diverged in that direction on its own. i only wanted to know what the deal was with the metric. i was not bashing zwift or making any generalizations, sorry you took it that way. if you are a racer then kudos to you, it is just not my thing and it never really was, curiosity got to me one day, that's all.
I apologize. I probably came across a little strong. People making judgements after one experience tends to rub me the wrong way. In my experience and observations, the categorization isn't bad, and there have been some tweaks along the way to minimize sandbaggers. Being able to ride comfortably on a C group ride is a different kind of effort than a C race. Group rides generally don't demand the same peaks of intensity.

I'm not a frequent racer, but have done enough to get the general hang of some of the typical scenarios. I generally prefer group rides or structured workouts on the Zwift platform. If I was 20 years younger, I might have a different preference.
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Old 01-25-21, 09:40 PM
  #59  
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Originally Posted by unterhausen
zwiftpower requires you to have a working heart rate monitor right? My tickr is really unreliable.
Interesting. My Tickr has been my most reliable measuring device.
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Old 01-26-21, 07:01 AM
  #60  
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Originally Posted by Eric F
Interesting. My Tickr has been my most reliable measuring device.
Mine was reliable until the silly snaps broke off from the strap and unit. They should have used a little hook on the strap like the Garmins do. The over and over snapping the strap on and off destroyed it.

So, one year essentially and into the trash. Just out of warranty.

I just didn't feel like leaving it snapped on and trying to put it on that way every time like a circus contortionist act.
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Old 01-26-21, 08:15 AM
  #61  
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Originally Posted by genejockey
Yeah, I hooked onto a pair of riders going down the other side of the Innsbruck climb yesterday. Made for a really fast descent, since they were putting out something like 2.5w/kg or more.
If they were "only" putting out 2.5 W/kg going down, you (and they) would be better off supertucking (though you don't get any drops that way).
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Old 01-26-21, 08:18 AM
  #62  
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Originally Posted by spelger
this is an interesting idea. i might try it and see how it is. it would be more like my real life rides. i suspect that i would not perform as well because i do like to push myself trying to catch up with someone that is going harder than myself. i know it is blind competition and i am not competing but it does give me some incentive. i use CycleMeter when out on the road and it shows my position relative to my best from prior rides and that would be a neat feature for zwift.
There are a couple of hacks that allow you to ride Zwift offline (so you only need to subscribe for a month every so often to get updates) and let you choose whether or not you want to race against ghosts of your past performance. If I weren't involved in racing with a team, I might choose that option. You also don't accumulate xp/drops toward new bikes, but that may not interest you.
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Old 01-26-21, 08:59 AM
  #63  
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Originally Posted by msu2001la
When someone creates a meetup on Zwift, they have the option to select "Meetup-Only View", which hides all other riders outside of meetup participants from view. This can be useful for informal races, and also good for keeping groups together. In this mode, riders in the meetup do not get any draft from riders outside of the meetup, but riders in the meetup are still visible and available for drafting to all other riders. You can also do a meetup and not select this option, which keeps all other riders visible and available for drafting just like you'd see normally on Zwift.

If you wanted to not see any other riders on Zwift, you could set up your own meetup using "Meetup-Only View" and then ride solo within that meetup without seeing any other riders.
the last couple of group rides. Had others not in the ride visible to the other riders in our ride. Everyone noticed it. I set up meet ups for our club 7 days a week. Generally if only two riders show up for a ride you see other riders. An just have your group highlighted in green on the zwift riders near by list. When you get to 6 riders it will only show the group riding.
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Old 01-26-21, 09:52 AM
  #64  
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Originally Posted by himespau
If they were "only" putting out 2.5 W/kg going down, you (and they) would be better off supertucking (though you don't get any drops that way).
I actually did that experiment. On the part of the descent where I rode with them, supertuck just made me the same speed as them. I decided it was more fun to just keep pushing along with them.
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Old 01-26-21, 11:50 AM
  #65  
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Originally Posted by Eric F
I apologize. I probably came across a little strong. People making judgements after one experience tends to rub me the wrong way. In my experience and observations,
I have the same problem. Zwift is really a fantastic opportunity but you see so many haters "hatin" on it yet they haven't an idea on how the system works or what is out there to allow them to do what they want to do. It is a bit frustrating watching the shooter's style of "Ready-shoot-aim".
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Old 01-26-21, 12:05 PM
  #66  
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Originally Posted by Ed Wiser
right also groups doing meetup rides will show up on the road. An they do not even see you. As they only see each other. So many people is Zwift are not free riding and are doing things that are not actually free riding. They don’t even see you riding in many cases. But you see them flying by. I had a meetup ride with afrrind the other day and a rider doing a workout would pop in and out of our ride for a half and hour before she finally disappeared.
There are a number of reasons you might not see people who are at the same place on the same road at the same time as you, but (as far as I've ever seen, heard, or read) there aren't situations where there will be riders you see that were actually there at a different time, as you had indicated before. With a few exceptions, the magic of Zwift is being able to ride with other real riders in real time.
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Old 01-26-21, 12:06 PM
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Originally Posted by burnthesheep
Mine was reliable until the silly snaps broke off from the strap and unit. They should have used a little hook on the strap like the Garmins do. The over and over snapping the strap on and off destroyed it.

So, one year essentially and into the trash. Just out of warranty.

I just didn't feel like leaving it snapped on and trying to put it on that way every time like a circus contortionist act.
I only mention this because it wasn't obvious to me until someone else mentioned it, but did you detach the sensor from the strap properly by twisting it, or pulling it to pop it off? It's designed to be twisted off, that's why the contour around the battery compartment is shaped the way it is. I've been using my Tickr for 3 years, detaching and rinsing the pod and strap after every use, it's still working great.
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Old 01-26-21, 12:31 PM
  #68  
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Originally Posted by Thomas15
Based on my ftp I'm just under 3.1 w/kg. I do a few races not a lot and not well advertised races and I'm not even remotely a "racer". But I race in C class and my ZwiftPower results usually come in with a race average of about 3 w/kg.

Still, I get my ass handed to me all the time. Where I'm at I should be at the top of C class. I have not come close to making the podium. I don't really care though, I enter races for my personal enjoyment and the excuse to push hard. Having said that I'm going to do an ftp test in about a week and I expect to get a boost that will put me at at least 3.3 w/kg, B class in most races. At that point I will go from getting my ass handed to me to having my ass served with a side of mountain oysters.
Oddly, I did better moving from C class to B class. There were far fewer people sandbagging the few B class races. I'd do races and be able to stay with the front pack on flats or the second group on hills and then usually get dropped on the final sprint since I have none.
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Old 01-26-21, 12:59 PM
  #69  
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Originally Posted by surak
It's designed to be twisted off, that's why the contour around the battery compartment is shaped the way it is.
I'm a bit curious about this assertion. It has snaps. If it comes off by twisting, that's still pulling the snaps apart.

My problems seem to be battery related. I probably need to get better batteries.
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Old 01-26-21, 01:25 PM
  #70  
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Originally Posted by unterhausen
I'm a bit curious about this assertion. It has snaps. If it comes off by twisting, that's still pulling the snaps apart.
There's little leverage when pulling, which puts an excessive amount of stress on the plastic ends. Twisting takes almost no force and detaches easily.
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Old 01-26-21, 01:37 PM
  #71  
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Originally Posted by spelger
I am not fully clear regarding this metric used. i don't race but i do see the race categories in zwift and they are separated by a W/Kg range.
One can imagine Strava Zwift offering both W/kg and W as racing categories in the future, much like "real" bike races offer CAT, age, and CAT+age categories.

On edit: Meant Zwift not Strava

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Old 01-26-21, 02:01 PM
  #72  
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Originally Posted by surak
I only mention this because it wasn't obvious to me until someone else mentioned it, but did you detach the sensor from the strap properly by twisting it, or pulling it to pop it off? It's designed to be twisted off, that's why the contour around the battery compartment is shaped the way it is. I've been using my Tickr for 3 years, detaching and rinsing the pod and strap after every use, it's still working great.
You're kidding me, right? I feel dumb now. Either way, it's not the 2019/2020 style strap with the updated shape at the sensor. It was a 2018 model.

Either way, good to know!
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Old 01-26-21, 02:05 PM
  #73  
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Originally Posted by tomato coupe
One can imagine Strava offering both W/kg and W as racing categories in the future, much like "real" bike races offer CAT, age, and CAT+age categories.
Zwift power breaks it down very well for any race while there are many zwift cat specific races in almost any category ine can dream up.
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Old 01-26-21, 02:14 PM
  #74  
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Originally Posted by surak
There's little leverage when pulling, which puts an excessive amount of stress on the plastic ends. Twisting takes almost no force and detaches easily.
Rinsing the HR monitor under fresh water after use is the key. I had snaps break as well, but it was from corrosion rather than snapping technique.
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Old 01-26-21, 02:36 PM
  #75  
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So, does Zwift offer races in all these categories? Others seemed to imply there were just a few categories, all based on W/kg.

(Sorry, I wrote Strava in my previous post, when I meant Zwift.)
Originally Posted by La Tortue
Zwift power breaks it down very well for any race while there are many zwift cat specific races in almost any category ine can dream up.
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