Zwift alternatives
#26
Randomhead
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Happy Valley, Pennsylvania
Posts: 24,872
Liked 4,042 Times
in
2,753 Posts
As long as we're complaining about zwift, I have to say that I don't understand why they don't let you (without a hack or a group ride) choose from more worlds on zwift. Of course, the alternate platforms don't have as many routes. But there are some worlds on zwift that annoy me. Like Innsbruck, Richmond, and New York. I'm not a fan of Yorkshire either. It's a good thing that there are so many routes on watopia
#27
Have tried Zwift several times and keep going back to the TACX Trainer app. Real rides in real places, not video game or cartoon graphics.
Not an ERG type ride, the resistance changes based on whether you are riding up or down. So yeah, you shift just like in real life.
The entire elevation graphic for the whole ride is in front of you. Solid cadence, power, callrie burned, HR displays.
Only downside to me is tha5 there’s no gamification to it. But if you ride mostly solo anyway,it’s a gas.
Not an ERG type ride, the resistance changes based on whether you are riding up or down. So yeah, you shift just like in real life.
The entire elevation graphic for the whole ride is in front of you. Solid cadence, power, callrie burned, HR displays.
Only downside to me is tha5 there’s no gamification to it. But if you ride mostly solo anyway,it’s a gas.
__________________
Hard at work in the Secret Underground Laboratory...
Hard at work in the Secret Underground Laboratory...
#28
Senior Member
I don’t think it was mentioned but Bkool is another one.
#29
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2021
Location: Australia
Posts: 860
Bikes: 2002 Trek 5200 (US POSTAL), 2020 Canyon Aeroad SL
Liked 709 Times
in
347 Posts
That was Zwift's reasoning anyway.
Likes For tempocyclist:
#30
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: reno, nv
Posts: 2,398
Bikes: yes, i have one
Liked 1,227 Times
in
720 Posts
Originally it was to concentrate online riders onto one or two worlds so they were well populated. The big draw of Zwift is community and riding with other people around. Having riders spread across all the worlds at once would dilute this.
That was Zwift's reasoning anyway.
That was Zwift's reasoning anyway.
#31
Randomhead
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Happy Valley, Pennsylvania
Posts: 24,872
Liked 4,042 Times
in
2,753 Posts
I can't imagine they would have a shortage of riders. If someone wants to ride with other people they just have to go to the volcano
Likes For msu2001la:
#33
Randomhead
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Happy Valley, Pennsylvania
Posts: 24,872
Liked 4,042 Times
in
2,753 Posts
I suspect it's because they don't feel like investing in the programming effort to allow it. Obviously they can handle the worlds being used, they are all being used every day. Unless it's Yorkshire, which nobody would chose on their own.
Likes For unterhausen:
#34
Senior Member
You can get this info concurrently running Zwift Power live where it provides the entire elevation profile .
Same thing Zwift power live in the background gives you avg speed, watts, distance traveled, distance to go, normalized power, current HR, etc. Not only your stats but for everyone else's in the event.
Same thing Zwift power live in the background gives you avg speed, watts, distance traveled, distance to go, normalized power, current HR, etc. Not only your stats but for everyone else's in the event.
Zwift is not free, so expecting features and updates (especially to known issues) shouldn't be seen as unreasonable.
Likes For msu2001la:
#35
Randomhead
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Happy Valley, Pennsylvania
Posts: 24,872
Liked 4,042 Times
in
2,753 Posts
I need to try zwift power. I guess I need a bigger monitor.
The trainer difficulty setting name makes no sense, I recently asked about it because I'm confused about it most of the time. I think they should name it, "do you like to shift?" Or maybe "trainer realism"
The trainer difficulty setting name makes no sense, I recently asked about it because I'm confused about it most of the time. I think they should name it, "do you like to shift?" Or maybe "trainer realism"
#36
"Live" is a selection on Zwift power. If you have the race selected showing the roster in the banner you will have an option to go live. Lots of people use a second monitor to track but the easy way is to run zwift in windows and have the zwift power live on another tab behind Zwift. Doing the same for your Discord and you are set. If you use the discord overlay the avatars of your team will show on your Zwift screen and tell you who is online and when they are talking. Extremely useful so you don't talk on top of your teammates. Going to ZP live is one click to and one click back. Simple, fast, and effective. Once you master all of this add your music playlist to the party in another hidden tab. Set your Discord so the music turns off when you transmit or receive incoming commo from your team mates. This attenuation setting is found in your discord settings under "voice and video". When you have this all operating its is an amazing setup. All can be done and run on one computer tower.
#37
Senior Member
You can even get fancy and stream your recording and have your discord and Zwift sound feed sent to both but a different music (digital rights free) sent to your stream than the playlist you have sent to your headphones. That took me a little while to get Voicemeeter Banana set to do that properly, but it works well now.
#38
Senior Member
"Live" is a selection on Zwift power. If you have the race selected showing the roster in the banner you will have an option to go live. Lots of people use a second monitor to track but the easy way is to run zwift in windows and have the zwift power live on another tab behind Zwift. .
Likes For La Tortue:
#41
LOL, no I don't work for Zwift. But as a 59 level Zwifter I am certainly a big fan. I do have a very good idea of what the product offers and does not offer. I do recognize at $15 per month it's a great product that offers more than any of its competitors do. Unless another product offers some very specific item they must absolutely have and Zwift doesn't offer it Zwift is the obvious platform. This is backed up by numbers and at this time these numbers aren't changing. The numbers aren't even close. Zwift is King and the reason is quality and bang for the buck.
#42
Senior Member
All of the dinosaurs, deserts and Japanese tea houses irritate me in Zwift. I find it distracting, unnecessary and annoying. I much prefer the stripped down, structured and adaptive approach of TrainerRoad. I use my Stages SB20 with TR, that's perfect for me.
#43
Randomhead
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Happy Valley, Pennsylvania
Posts: 24,872
Liked 4,042 Times
in
2,753 Posts
I just wish they would update zwift less often. On a PC at least, they have improved the update enough that it doesn't hang 3 times, but it's still really annoying. It would be really nice if the "verifying files" part of the upgrade was included in the progress bar. And they still require login after many updates. I'm not sure why they couldn't remember me across an update.
#44
Senior Member
The difficulty that I had in some of the Zwift alternatives was that my screen showed a cartoon bike in a real world. Really weird. I guess there was a way to change my view, but I didn't stick around long enough to experiment around.
Zwift is a cartoon bike in a cartoon world, as somehow that seems to work ok for me.
Zwift is a cartoon bike in a cartoon world, as somehow that seems to work ok for me.
#45
Advocatus Diaboli
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Wherever I am
Posts: 8,850
Bikes: Merlin Cyrene, Nashbar steel CX
Liked 1,611 Times
in
1,059 Posts
Came across Cadesport. Looks like a fairly promising newer entrant in this space. Anyone using?
https://cadesport.com/
https://cadesport.com/
#47
Junior Member
I haven't been on Zwift that long. End of last winter season, and now this whole season. I like it. I'm level 21 at this point. The thing that bugs me a bit is they have a number of limited-route maps that seem to always be the ones available when I'm logging in. I'd like more access to Makuri, but my schedule doesn't seem to line up well with it. Also, disappointed to see how limited Scotland is. It seems they don't have much competition, so less incentive, and I've no idea how hard it is to code new worlds and successfully deploy them to their large installed base, but I'd just like to see more routes on their existing worlds. Not more worlds with limited routes. I'm concerned the addition of Scotland means I'll see Makuri even less, once Scotland hits regular rotation.
#48
Zwift is a very boring platform as you use it you realize this. I use several cycling apps. My favorite is Rouvy. As there are so many routes. I never ride the same ones. An it is actual gps routes not made up routes. Example Scotland has no actual routes from Scotland. Just fak graphic buildings that kind of look like Scotland
#49
Randomhead
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Happy Valley, Pennsylvania
Posts: 24,872
Liked 4,042 Times
in
2,753 Posts
There are a couple of routes on Makuri that always are available with pace partners. I have been using that recently.
#50
Advocatus Diaboli
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Wherever I am
Posts: 8,850
Bikes: Merlin Cyrene, Nashbar steel CX
Liked 1,611 Times
in
1,059 Posts
Would I find there to be enough other users in the program yet, or would ever ride feel like I'm riding in the post-apocalypse? How are general physics, speed, gradients in-game -- somewhat realistic?