Zwift users, what's your tv setup?
#27
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Ant+ dongle on Asus Ultrabook, zwift companion, and Google Chromecast.
wahoo kickr snap, powertap SL+, Garmin cadence sensor and hr strap.
wahoo kickr snap, powertap SL+, Garmin cadence sensor and hr strap.
#28
Senior Member
So the Kurt Kinetic Smart trainer's resistance isn't controllable by the Zwift connection?? If so, that's a major nuisance especially after spending the $$ to upgrade my "dumb" resistance unit to a "smart" one. If all the "smart" unit can do is spit out power data, why bother? The same info is readily available from my Assioma power pedals. Zwift pairs up with the Kinetic unit, my Polar HRM, the aforementioned power meter, and the Garmin speed & cadence sensors just fine. But I cannot "feel" any change in resistance as I ride a climb. Very dissappointing. To be honest, I can get as much boredom fighting distraction out of the tunes on my iPod as Zwift's pretty but meaningless to the trainer graphics. Wasting $300+ for a glorified power meter id more than a little irritating.
#29
Senior Member
It's smart in the sense that it can quite accurately simulate power without dumping $$$ to a power meter on top of the $$ you spent on a trainer. If you already have a power meter, any dumb trainer or roller would do just fine. I disagree with you on Zwift being boring without a trainer that can adjust resistance. Personally, the most fun aspect of Zwift is racing, whether that's racing others or just yourself.
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#30
Newbie
So the Kurt Kinetic Smart trainer's resistance isn't controllable by the Zwift connection?? If so, that's a major nuisance especially after spending the $$ to upgrade my "dumb" resistance unit to a "smart" one. If all the "smart" unit can do is spit out power data, why bother? The same info is readily available from my Assioma power pedals. Zwift pairs up with the Kinetic unit, my Polar HRM, the aforementioned power meter, and the Garmin speed & cadence sensors just fine. But I cannot "feel" any change in resistance as I ride a climb. Very dissappointing. To be honest, I can get as much boredom fighting distraction out of the tunes on my iPod as Zwift's pretty but meaningless to the trainer graphics. Wasting $300+ for a glorified power meter id more than a little irritating.
It's smart in the sense that it can quite accurately simulate power without dumping $$$ to a power meter on top of the $$ you spent on a trainer. If you already have a power meter, any dumb trainer or roller would do just fine. I disagree with you on Zwift being boring without a trainer that can adjust resistance. Personally, the most fun aspect of Zwift is racing, whether that's racing others or just yourself.
#31
Senior Member
It's smart in the sense that it can quite accurately simulate power without dumping $$$ to a power meter on top of the $$ you spent on a trainer. If you already have a power meter, any dumb trainer or roller would do just fine. I disagree with you on Zwift being boring without a trainer that can adjust resistance. Personally, the most fun aspect of Zwift is racing, whether that's racing others or just yourself.
#32
Senior Member
I just sold my Kurt Kinetic "dumb" trainer. All you need to do is buy the upgraded part that automatically controls the resistance if that is what you want. I piece mailed my smart trainer and was able to get a full auto resistance trainer for under 400 bucks. It is honestly a great machine, and you will get your workout if you want it. I also enjoyed Zwift before getting the auto resistance part.
My configuration;
Zwift running on a Microsoft Surface Pro
USB dongle for ANT+
Garmin speed & cadence sensors
Assioma Duo power pedals
2013 vintage BMC Teammachine SLR01 running a full Campy EPS V1 group.
Last edited by bmcer; 03-30-20 at 01:50 PM.
#33
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I too, use an older Kurt Kinetic Road Machine with iNride sensor for power. (I call it my half smart trainer) I use Wahoo Blue Speed and Cadence sensors. And a Wahoo Tickr X HRM belt. And a fan with remote control...
Then I can either use my laptop with ANT+ dongle and extended USB cable, and HDMI cable to my 50" TV and my phone for the Zwift Companion app.
Or. Use my phone for Zwift, and use Google Cast dongle to mirror my phone to the same 50" TV.
Before next winter indoor season, I'll likely swap out the Kurt fluid head for their Smart Control head. I see the value in the interactive trainer, just not the high dollar figure.
Then I can either use my laptop with ANT+ dongle and extended USB cable, and HDMI cable to my 50" TV and my phone for the Zwift Companion app.
Or. Use my phone for Zwift, and use Google Cast dongle to mirror my phone to the same 50" TV.
Before next winter indoor season, I'll likely swap out the Kurt fluid head for their Smart Control head. I see the value in the interactive trainer, just not the high dollar figure.
#34
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I too, use an older Kurt Kinetic Road Machine with iNride sensor for power. (I call it my half smart trainer) I use Wahoo Blue Speed and Cadence sensors. And a Wahoo Tickr X HRM belt. And a fan with remote control...
Then I can either use my laptop with ANT+ dongle and extended USB cable, and HDMI cable to my 50" TV and my phone for the Zwift Companion app.
Or. Use my phone for Zwift, and use Google Cast dongle to mirror my phone to the same 50" TV.
Before next winter indoor season, I'll likely swap out the Kurt fluid head for their Smart Control head. I see the value in the interactive trainer, just not the high dollar figure.
Then I can either use my laptop with ANT+ dongle and extended USB cable, and HDMI cable to my 50" TV and my phone for the Zwift Companion app.
Or. Use my phone for Zwift, and use Google Cast dongle to mirror my phone to the same 50" TV.
Before next winter indoor season, I'll likely swap out the Kurt fluid head for their Smart Control head. I see the value in the interactive trainer, just not the high dollar figure.
Its hard to pull the trigger on the smart controller but its so worth it. You will really like it!
#35
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I too, use an older Kurt Kinetic Road Machine with iNride sensor for power. (I call it my half smart trainer) I use Wahoo Blue Speed and Cadence sensors. And a Wahoo Tickr X HRM belt. And a fan with remote control...
Then I can either use my laptop with ANT+ dongle and extended USB cable, and HDMI cable to my 50" TV and my phone for the Zwift Companion app.
Or. Use my phone for Zwift, and use Google Cast dongle to mirror my phone to the same 50" TV.
Before next winter indoor season, I'll likely swap out the Kurt fluid head for their Smart Control head. I see the value in the interactive trainer, just not the high dollar figure.
Then I can either use my laptop with ANT+ dongle and extended USB cable, and HDMI cable to my 50" TV and my phone for the Zwift Companion app.
Or. Use my phone for Zwift, and use Google Cast dongle to mirror my phone to the same 50" TV.
Before next winter indoor season, I'll likely swap out the Kurt fluid head for their Smart Control head. I see the value in the interactive trainer, just not the high dollar figure.
This is exactly the same set up I have except I use the stand alone Wahoo cadence sensor which I already had before using it on my indoor trainer. I bought a used Kinetic RM for $50, it didn't have any sensors. The InRide cost me $40 plus a dongle and a trainer tire so for about $140 I was ready to go Zwifting. I use my iPhone 6 with the companion app and the dongle to my Dell Windows laptop with HDMI to a 52" TV. A Wahoo HRM and two fans. I only use the cadence sensor because I already have it, I find that the InRide gives very accurate cadence readings.
The Kinetic RM with InRide is supported by Zwift. So it is true that it doesn't change the resistance at the wheel, it does however require that you increase your power on the hills. The end result is you get the same or nearly the same workout as with a smart trainer except that for most people to increase the power on ascent you shift to a higher gear instead of a lower gear. This is in my opinion a very small price to pay considering my $150 investment in comparison to the lowest cost smart wheel on trainer that will be over $500 give or take.
Would I like to have a nice, smart, direct drive trainer? The answer is yes. Do I want to spend the money to get a smart trainer? Not right now. Is it really worth it to upgrade? I don't really know. I took the route I did because I wasn't sure just how much I would use an indoor trainer with or without Zwift. I can honestly say so far I have got my monies worth. Since November 13, 2019, less than 20 weeks ago, I have logged in 2519 miles and climbed 204,140 feet. I have the Tron and have completed all 67 Zwift routes available in free ride. Participated in about 35 rides or races. To put this in perspective, I rode 700 miles outside in 2019 up to the time i opened my Zwift account in mid-November.
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#36
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Allow me to mirror and add to your comments...
This is exactly the same set up I have except I use the stand alone Wahoo cadence sensor which I already had before using it on my indoor trainer. I bought a used Kinetic RM for $50, it didn't have any sensors. The InRide cost me $40 plus a dongle and a trainer tire so for about $140 I was ready to go Zwifting. I use my iPhone 6 with the companion app and the dongle to my Dell Windows laptop with HDMI to a 52" TV. A Wahoo HRM and two fans. I only use the cadence sensor because I already have it, I find that the InRide gives very accurate cadence readings.
The Kinetic RM with InRide is supported by Zwift. So it is true that it doesn't change the resistance at the wheel, it does however require that you increase your power on the hills. The end result is you get the same or nearly the same workout as with a smart trainer except that for most people to increase the power on ascent you shift to a higher gear instead of a lower gear. This is in my opinion a very small price to pay considering my $150 investment in comparison to the lowest cost smart wheel on trainer that will be over $500 give or take.
Would I like to have a nice, smart, direct drive trainer? The answer is yes. Do I want to spend the money to get a smart trainer? Not right now. Is it really worth it to upgrade? I don't really know. I took the route I did because I wasn't sure just how much I would use an indoor trainer with or without Zwift. I can honestly say so far I have got my monies worth. Since November 13, 2019, less than 20 weeks ago, I have logged in 2519 miles and climbed 204,140 feet. I have the Tron and have completed all 67 Zwift routes available in free ride. Participated in about 35 rides or races. To put this in perspective, I rode 700 miles outside in 2019 up to the time i opened my Zwift account in mid-November.
This is exactly the same set up I have except I use the stand alone Wahoo cadence sensor which I already had before using it on my indoor trainer. I bought a used Kinetic RM for $50, it didn't have any sensors. The InRide cost me $40 plus a dongle and a trainer tire so for about $140 I was ready to go Zwifting. I use my iPhone 6 with the companion app and the dongle to my Dell Windows laptop with HDMI to a 52" TV. A Wahoo HRM and two fans. I only use the cadence sensor because I already have it, I find that the InRide gives very accurate cadence readings.
The Kinetic RM with InRide is supported by Zwift. So it is true that it doesn't change the resistance at the wheel, it does however require that you increase your power on the hills. The end result is you get the same or nearly the same workout as with a smart trainer except that for most people to increase the power on ascent you shift to a higher gear instead of a lower gear. This is in my opinion a very small price to pay considering my $150 investment in comparison to the lowest cost smart wheel on trainer that will be over $500 give or take.
Would I like to have a nice, smart, direct drive trainer? The answer is yes. Do I want to spend the money to get a smart trainer? Not right now. Is it really worth it to upgrade? I don't really know. I took the route I did because I wasn't sure just how much I would use an indoor trainer with or without Zwift. I can honestly say so far I have got my monies worth. Since November 13, 2019, less than 20 weeks ago, I have logged in 2519 miles and climbed 204,140 feet. I have the Tron and have completed all 67 Zwift routes available in free ride. Participated in about 35 rides or races. To put this in perspective, I rode 700 miles outside in 2019 up to the time i opened my Zwift account in mid-November.
I had a bike fit in January, for physical therapy relted issues, and that was on a TacX Neo 2 smart trainer. And that cemented my desire for a smart trainer. My cheap mindset thinks the Smart Control head is the proper path, but there is great value in haing the wheel off trainer too.
#37
Senior Member
I finally figured out why my Zwift/Kinetc smart control set up was not adjusting resistance in coordination with climbing/descending in Zwift. Turns out it was pilot error, or more correctly operator ignorance. I had been pairing Zwift with my Assiamo pedals for power rather than using the power data from the trainer. I could still pair the trainer separately, but I noticed the "controllable" label wasn't highlighted. In this configuration, Zwift seems to be aware of the trainer but isn't talking to it. So I tried unpairing everything, then bringing the sensors back on line starting with power, this time selecting the trainer as the source. As soon as I did that, the trainer also appeared in the lower right sensor panel with the "controllable" label now highlighted. All the other sensors came on line as usual so I went from there to pick a nice hilly route and started to ride. Yup!! The at first grade i came to, sure enough, the trainer forced me to down shift (more than once) just like a real slope. Violá! It's all good.
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#38
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I use a Windows 10 laptop to my Tacx Neo, and the laptop HDMI wired to a 58" Sharp TV. I use a blue tooth hrm. I also run Spotify at the same time from the laptop.
Though I no longer ride Zwift. I did for about a year. Got bored with the graphics. I switched to Tacx RLV. Been riding then for 3 months now and absolutely love them. Not even close to riding all the videos and I ride them 4 to 6 days a week. I'm not into the community aspect or the cartoon graphics on Zwift.
Though I no longer ride Zwift. I did for about a year. Got bored with the graphics. I switched to Tacx RLV. Been riding then for 3 months now and absolutely love them. Not even close to riding all the videos and I ride them 4 to 6 days a week. I'm not into the community aspect or the cartoon graphics on Zwift.
#39
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TrojanHorse what is you computer specs, which version of the GTX1060? I am going to assume the 6gig model/ I have my 3.2GHZ i5, 8 Gig of ram and 4gig radeon and get anywhere between 20-50fps on ultra. I think if that vid card makes that much difference I am getting one.
I have used many setups over the years but the pc version is the one for me as I can use either ANT+ or bluetooth accessories. Another option I used for a while was a cable from my Iphone to the TV for ~$30 it was a super easy and cheap way to get onto zwift.
#40
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Thread moved from General Cycling to Indoor Cycling.
#41
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It's not in the app it is while you are on zwift. You are either in ERG mode (training) or you are in sim mode where you have the option of raising or lowering the "difficulty" of the grades by percentage. 100% is real world resistance.
#43
Senior Member
I found the settings panel, including the difficulty slider, once I selected a route. Once I did that, the little gear icon that leads to the settings became visible. So I cranked it up to 100%, but I haven't been on Zwift since. It's sunny this AM and forecast to get into the high 60's today, and I hear the pavement calling my name. Checking out the new setting will have to wait for a colder, cloudier day.
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I found the settings panel, including the difficulty slider, once I selected a route. Once I did that, the little gear icon that leads to the settings became visible. So I cranked it up to 100%, but I haven't been on Zwift since. It's sunny this AM and forecast to get into the high 60's today, and I hear the pavement calling my name. Checking out the new setting will have to wait for a colder, cloudier day.
#45
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My super-cheap, dumb Zwift rig...
Blackburn wind trainer (I've had this thing for at least 20 years. It's damn loud.)
Wahoo speed/cadence sensor
Wahoo HR sensor
Apple TV
20" computer monitor
The only thing new I had to buy to get going was an HDMI-DVI cable to attach the ATV to the monitor.
It would be nice to upgrade to a smart trainer, but I can't justify that expense right now. This is a LOT better than staring at a tiny bike computer during my indoor sessions.
Blackburn wind trainer (I've had this thing for at least 20 years. It's damn loud.)
Wahoo speed/cadence sensor
Wahoo HR sensor
Apple TV
20" computer monitor
The only thing new I had to buy to get going was an HDMI-DVI cable to attach the ATV to the monitor.
It would be nice to upgrade to a smart trainer, but I can't justify that expense right now. This is a LOT better than staring at a tiny bike computer during my indoor sessions.
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Last edited by Eric F; 04-07-20 at 12:20 PM.
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#47
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Saris H3
Win10 PC w ANT+ dongle
Garmin, dongle, cell phone w Zwift companion, towel, remote control for fan, wireless keyboard and mouse on an ironing board next to me
Win10 PC w ANT+ dongle
Garmin, dongle, cell phone w Zwift companion, towel, remote control for fan, wireless keyboard and mouse on an ironing board next to me
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#48
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Excited about getting something similar set up. I have an older Kinetic Road Machine Fluid Trainer and will be buying some sensors for data. Then running Zwift on Apple TV/pairing with phone ideally.