Zwift questions
I’m probably an oddball that Zwift has not interested me so far. Mainly because I’m a simple guy, video game graphics and courses aren’t needed for me to be motivated to ride the trainer. The simplicity of the TrainerRoad interface is more appealing to me than lots of graphics & avatars. Lately I haven’t even been using TrainerRoad either since the simplicity of viewing time and wattage on my watch give all of the information I need to get an effective training session in.
Aside from those issues, I’m not sure if my training location has adequate WiFi and between my laptop & phone options , I’m towards the less desirable options for Zwift.
All of the above caveats being said. After reading through the forum, Geneva, EN podcasts and videos, I am wondering if doing some of my key sessions “with other people” on Zwift can amplify the training effect and lead to better results?!?!
My question is related to the interaction with each other in the Zwift world. I have read that a phone to text other riders is common as well as a microphone to talk to others. How essential are these items? I can understand sending a message during easy stuff, but I can’t imagine tapping out a message while doing harder stuff. Also, regarding microphones/headsets etc, much of my riding on the trainer is done in a corner of a fire station engine bay— not too far from where guys lift weights and also close to a common area where you can socialize and enjoy some fresh air. I would feel really self conscious talking to people on the internet while my coworkers nearby can potentially hear me talking. I would hate to join in some rides in the Zwift world and come across as an antisocial jerk. So basically what I’m asking, is that assuming that I can even meet the WiFi and devices for Zwift, how important is the communication via text and talking??
Comments
others will likely chime in who use it more than me. Personally for training sessions, it's no better/ worse than TR. Where it IS different is doing group rides, or races that can replace training sessions and have a greater impact on your training because it IS more fun.
for Group rides, being on discord (voice) is a game changer. you will get to "know" other teammates, enjoy serious & smack talk about training, racing, tri & bike pro races, etc.. it's better than the smack talk on a IRL group ride because you are dealing with traffic, wind, etc..
as for races, which I have limited experience in compared to others, you can get much more engaged and use certain types of races as a replacement for certain workouts.
@Sean Hylton Consider this question: Do you go faster in a race or a workout? Specifically, all things being equal - course, equipment, training status, nutrition, taper, etc, would you go faster in a 5K or a sprint triathlon if you did it as a solo time trial, or in an event competing with other people?
If the answer is "yes", that would confirm my belief that humans are hard-wired as social animals, who want to perform at their best when with others who have the same goals. It is also the reason many of us are here in Endurance Nation - the presence of others (usually virtual, sometimes IRL), provides some undefinable extra motivation which triggers an ability to perform at a higher level.
It's also why we have things like swimming and running teams in hs, college, and beyond - working out with others pushes us beyond what we might do alone, even in "individual" sports. Ever been in a pool for a swim workout, and the guy in the lane next to you, whom you don't know from Adam, is going a little bit faster? Don't you find yourself picking up your effort just a bit?
Even within Zwift itself, this applies. I may do an FTP workout, and struggle to hit my target in a session of 2 x 20' (4'). And yet, in a 45' Zwift race, I am able to hold the same or higher FTP for the entire race, which I could never do on my own.
If your goal is to get the most from your workout - go faster/harder/farther/longer - then Zwift is better than solo, IMO. All the rest, the graphics, the fun and games, the arbitrary targets and goals, is an entertaining sideshow. The real benefit is: you get better with others than by being a loner.
@Al Truscott you are absolutely correct that training with a group or at least a partner can have a vey synergistic effect in accentuating the training effect of a session. I definitely agree. Unfortunately, due to my non-traditional work schedule of my job my time window often doesn’t match with those on traditional schedule so I do less group training than before I was a firefighter. IF the less than desirable WiFi and devices have available can work with Zwift, I’ll be hit or miss with those group sessions as well...
Mainly I am curious if I can participate without a microphone and how much dialogue is done via text during sessions. I do not want to come across as an antisocial jerk. I’m more of an out of touch introvert.
@Sean Hylton Yeah, maybe I should have read your whole post? There are others in EN who race much more than I do - I'm mainly online between Columbus Day and my birthday (I'm an Aries), and usually race at most 1-2 x /week, maybe they have the ability to talk or write while hammering, but I've found that communication during a race on my part is limited to using the hand signals Zwift offers (wave, take over the pulling), and pre-programmed phrases ("ride on", "nice", "I'm toast") via a keystroke. Certainly I couldn't vocalize my thoughts during a race, and sometimes even those shut down with the effort.
During other activities (workout, group ride), it's nice to have the ability to communicate via discord or the text module Zwift provides, but I haven't found it necessary to get benefit or enjoyment from group rides. Kinda like lurking online - even if I'm not actively contributing, I'm still getting something out of feeling like I'm part of the group.
@Sean Hylton i'm also an introvert who spent much time with Trainer Road and Sufferfest before trying Zwift. I tried maybe three years ago and did not like it so i went back to TR. Then when i joined EN in May 2019 I also read the forums and Groupme chats and decided maybe i should give it another try and then i got hooked.
I use Zwift for my workouts and for these it's just me and my music. For races (probably once a week, you can select any race format (short, long, hilly, flat etc..at any time of the day), i love the fact that i'm competing against folks from all over the world. I'm usually not on Discord for races because i can't really talk, but will get on Discord after the race if i've raced with teammates so we can exchange how hard the race was and how we suffered etc.. it's actually pretty cool :-)
Then there are the EN rides, either official where other riders can join (Cruise and Crush on Sunday is probably the most famous one with the Friday Freight Train) or just meet me rides (where one will invite others so we end up mostly with EN teammates). There you will be on Discord and it will make the whole ride really pleasant. Some people talk, some are more on the listening side. But Al is right that it helps develop relationships and you feel much closer to your teammates, mostly because there is communication and exchange.
As for texting during rides or races i never do it. I'm not smart enough to type fast with sweaty fingers and i can't use Siri to talk to text because she gets confused with my French accent and will type stuff that i can't share with 100 other riders :-)
Give it a try, i got converted to Zwift and it has really helped with my cycling. Not only the camaraderie on Discord but pushing very hard on races (Al is right again that you push yourself much more on a race when trying not to get dropped or fighting to stay with the lead group than when suffering by yourself), the diverse type of courses (mountain where you do a hard 75 minutes tempo effort, hilly or flat) and the gaming environment (not as cool as riding outside but a bit better than the blue / black screen of TR)
@Sean Hylton I am an admitted Zwift zealot (if I could buy stock in the company I would in a heart beat) so take this for what its worth. Pre-zwift, I would struggle to ride on the trainer beyond 90 minutes. I also thought I could push myself by looking at the watch. And I was I think, it certainly felt hard.
But then I met zwift. As others have said, racing for me was a game changer. I just am wired to be more motivated to chase a wheel than a power number. I also used to think that I my bike HR wouldn't ever really get above 150. In my first race it went well over 180 and I had found a new definition of "hard".
The group rides are also awesome. I feel like I have solid relationships/friendships with a number of teammates I have never met only because I have talked to them over discord. As to your question can you be the strong silent type on the line, the answer is certainly. Some folks are on the line and quiet because family is sleeping, etc. I would not let that discourage you.
Again, I am a Zwift fanboy, so take it for what it's worth, but I can't talk highly enough about it when it comes to what it has meant for me and my work on the bike.
I appreciate everyone’s comments and encouragement!
I spent a little time yesterday experimenting with my devices and seeing if I could get things to work with my current devices. I discovered that my laptop does not work with Zwift, but my previous iPhone (no service to phone to avoid interruptions, but on WiFi) and Zwift DOES work with an old iPhone 7 which I wasn’t using for anything. Did my first Zwift ride yesterday and discovered that the small display was virtually impossible to really know what was going on?!?! I stopped briefly and put on some reading glasses to try and see. I never would have guessed that I’d be riding a stationary bike wearing reading glasses!! Another moment forcing me to realize that I’m a middle aged man... Still couldn’t see screen well, so I was “riding blind”.
After the ride, I had an idea to mirror the screen from my small screen iPhone to my underpowered laptop’s more legible screen. Got it configured in the evening and was psyched to try out the Saturday morning Team EN Hang On Ride!!
This morning I was so excited to try the mirrored screen and get a bigger dose of sustained muscular endurance than I’ve attempted in quite a while. Got all the devices fired up and ready to go. Once riding having the iPhone’s screen contents mirrored to the laptop was infinitely a much better experience! Unfortunately my “screen hack” did NOT last the duration of the ride 😣 After a few times of reaching forward trying to fix it on the laptop, I just had to finish using the iPhone as my display. I lost the group— legs were definitely feeling the work, but the technical glitches definitely affected my focus. Finished towards the back with 3.0 w/kg average and zero power ups. Still had a blast and definitely had a good session.
A larger display would definitely help maximize the overall experience. I have started looking at iPads and MacBooks. Apple TV with a really BIG TV would probably be optimal viewing, but it’s unfortunately not an option for me. The majority of my trainer time is in the engine bay of a fire station. In the next week I’ll be able to assess if our fire station WiFi is able to handle Zwift while a bunch of firemen are using it for all of the various streaming services?!?!
I hope that I can get everything squared away and do more sessions like the one today. I definitely would love to use Zwift regularly in the pursuit of my goals.
@Sean Hylton i use Apple TV (has to be second generation though) and it's just great. No wifi dropouts, no updates, it just works. Some folks will complain about the remote but there are ways around it. I also have a old Mac Book air from 2012 that i sometimes run Zwift on (when i was to watch TV for example) and it does the job. Apple TV has to be one of the best and cheapest option if you can connect to a TV cable
@Vincent Sivirine I am definitely intrigued with the whole Apple TV as an option. Seems to be potentially good value depending on which TV it’s paired with. I’m gonna search potential options of compatible televisions that can be safely transported to and from the fire station as well as how I would set it up near my bike/trainer in the corner of the engine bay where I train. Thanks for pitching in on my brainstorming!
As a final update on my Zwift questions, I think that I’ll be able continue on with Zwift. The WiFi at my fire station is adequate to handle Zwift. Device wise, an old iPhone 7 hard wired from lightning port to USB of my PC seems to be good enough and visible enough.
I’ve still got an extensive learning curve to figure out all the unique things that Zwift has to offer. It will be fun working through the learning curve!