I just read this email from Zwift as well. I am surprised it didn't happen sooner to be honest. I will be interested to see what new features we unlock and how well they lay out the non beta menus. Hopefully the cost is in line with other programs. Patiently waiting for more info...

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"4 wheels move the body, 2 wheels move the soul"

I have no idea but it looks like an interesting piece of equipment. If you are serious about trying I would submit a support ticket with zwift and see if they can tell you if it will work. The zwift support team is pretty good and knowing what works.

Not by default. Windows version has 32 bit OS, Zwift requires 64 bit.

http://www.bikeradar.com/...g-monthly-fee-45422/

$10 a month, now with workout mode. A tremendous value. Zwift on!

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"4 wheels move the body, 2 wheels move the soul"

Not from my perspective. I pay a coach to give me structured workouts. Although entertaining I don't want to pay $10/month to see virtual me. Shame they didn't do dual options:

• Free level: see yourself riding on the course.
• $10/month: add workout mode.

Assuming that the marginal cost of free-level members is small, they can recover costs (or potentially make money) from advertising in game, and gradually upselling people on the workout mode. Having the free entry makes it easier for them to gain critical mass which they don't have right now. I think the VCs (assuming it's funded that way) probably put the pressure on to see returns too early. I'm curious to know how many users are on Zwift.


If I was CEO of Zwift my strategy would be:

• Continue adding users with free level entry
• Build workout modes to rival TrainerRoad, once you're near comparable levels, start charging the same as TrainerRoad (eventually crushing them if they don't have a counter-strategy).
• Keep building out user base. Partner up with Strava to have virtual KOMs and make Zwift rides visible in Strava.
• Keep building out user base, researching the kind of data you can get out of it, then figure out how to monetise it:


• E.g. find users who ride a lot but have fairly stagnant power numbers. Sell them additional services.
• E.g. advertise high-margin products (bikes/etc)
• E.g. selling aggregate 'anonymous' data
• Merge/Acquire Strava. Take over the world.

Easy to say though I guess.

Am I understanding this correctly? There will be a free membership? Which is essentially what it is now and a $10 a month membership which adds workouts?

No the above comment someones perspective of how things "should" be... honestly I think it sounded quite pompous and narrow minded. For the general public who aren't going to hire a coach, $10/month to have for a year is $120 ... that's a drop in the bucket of even most entry level amateurs budget in this sport. To say there's no value there is foolish in my opinion. If you are elite level the value may diminish but there is still value. If you have a long ride scheduled, go right ahead and stare at the wall if you want. I would much rather do it on Zwift.

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"4 wheels move the body, 2 wheels move the soul"

I agree about adding some free option for--at a minimum--new participants, and even better for minimum users.

It seems like the way that they are doing it that their "new participant" rate is going to significantly plateau; instead of continuing it's upward curve as word spreads. As of right now, I'm a current Zwift user and I've tried to evangelize other cyclists to join. But, now that evangelism effort will be harder for me because now it seems like I need to convince those people to subscribe on Day 1, without them spending an increasing amount of time gradually incorporating it into their regular routine.

Also, if I do subscribe and the number of other fellow participants on the road decreases substantially because they have chosen not to subscribe, then it's going to get pretty boring just riding with mostly blue bots on near barren roads (MOAR riders to race up hills!). This would cause me to seriously consider the alternative lower-cost, one-time-fee workout solutions.

I really like Zwift. Yet, it's got to be really good to warrant the subscription cost.

I agree that $10/month is a fine price point. I was really getting nervous when other posters were being inquired about higher amounts.

I still think they need a free option (e.g., trial period) for new users.

Sorry you feel that way. I think you interpreted my post the way I hoped it would be. It was: a) my perspective - Doesn't make sense for my personal circumstances. Sorry you think having a coach makes me pompous. b) my view on their business model.

I stand by comments. For someone who doesn't have a coach and only $10/month to spend, they will join Zwift or TrainerRoad. TrainerRoad already has a great reputation and people recommending it. Why put yourself in direct competition with them so early, unless your funding is running low.

PS. I won't be staring at the wall, I'll be watching Netflix, watching music videos, etc (as I already have a Netflix account and a Google Music account).

Honestly, I think your post sounded very judgmental.

[quote dado0583For someone who doesn't have a coach and only $10/month to spend, they will join Zwift or TrainerRoad. TrainerRoad already has a great reputation and people recommending it. Why put yourself in direct competition with them so early, unless your funding is running low. [/quote]
Question: What does TR have that Zwift doesn't have or can't easily add? Sure, TR has a large library of workouts and plans to follow, but that looks like an easy thing to do. If Zwift can do everything TR can do and more for the same price, I don't see how the services are comparable.

Sufferfest integration, maybe?

Question: What does TR have that Zwift doesn't have or can't easily add? Sure, TR has a large library of workouts and plans to follow, but that looks like an easy thing to do. If Zwift can do everything TR can do and more for the same price, I don't see how the services are comparable.

Sufferfest integration, maybe?[/quote]
Nothing, but you can say that about anything. What did Bebo/MySpace have that Facebook didn't have? Nothing notable. Facebook got critical mass and then it was game over. Facebook started monetizing after they were already the de facto social media site. My point is, get to the point where it isn't even a question (TR vs. Zwift vs XYZ) and then monetize (you need deep pockets to do this though). I'm not commenting on which is better than the other. I see great potential in Zwift, I'm just of the opinion that they're monetizing too early. I'm sure lots of people will pay and use it, no doubt.

I guess my point is for a large amount of people I think it is a great value. Whether or not it is for you individually is up to you. I can't say whether or not you will get $10 a month worth of value out of it or not... but for me, I get far MORE value out of it than that. I personally logged 2,000+ miles on Zwift during its beta period. My FTP rose from 234 to 272 over the course of a couple months, bringing my w/kg FTP to 4.0... which for me was a big gain.

You are totally entitled to your opinion as am I. I think it's short sighted to think Zwift cannot compete with Trainer Road. I have used Trainer road for 3 consecutive winters and canceled my subscription after using Zwift for a few months. I used them in combination for a while and then just started integrating structured workouts on my own using lap function on my Garmin... I found it a little pompous the way you described their ideal marketing structure... it just didn't make any sense to me. Maybe you are a marketing genius I have no idea, but I think their marketing and structure has been incredibly smart. Getting GCN, Ted King, Jens Voigt, and the UCI World Championship on board is more than any other program has done.... I see BIG big things for Zwift for years to come.

What I think Zwift does which other programs do not is reach an untapped market. They have managed capture the market of the casual cyclist. One's who ride all summer without racing but then hang up the bike in the winter. Where I live winter is harsh and there is no riding outside. So from December to March I have to ride the trainer. I have met and heard the stories of people like Julynn Washington who have now completed over 10 (maybe even 15) imperial centuries using Zwift. If you don't know her story, look into it, its pretty cool. But it doesn't stop at the casual cyclist. It IMO reaches the amateur and Pro racers as well. Take for example Nathan Guerra, professional MTBer ... I have logged miles with Nathan myself and he uses Zwift daily now for training. It fits his lifestyle due to parenting, much like it works for me for the same reason.

Personally I think Nate and the guys at T.R. have a lot more to worry about than Eric and they guys at Zwift. I wish them both well because I think they BOTH bring value to the table, and by all accounts they BOTH seem like great people. Zwift will now be able to do what Trainer Road does, but not vice versa... will Zwift do it as well? That remains to be seen. But for the same cost I see Zwift as a slam dunk. I will gladly pay for it year round. It works on rainy days, days where I have a limited time to train (especially if it is dark by the time I want to train 4:30 here in the peak of winter :( )

p.s. I don't think having a coach makes you pompous at all..

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"4 wheels move the body, 2 wheels move the soul"

Ideally, TR and zwift would merge. That may leave sufferfest on the outside, but who knows. Zwift would pay for an existing subscriber base and have training plans and workouts on day one. They would also get the career stats that many weekend warrior cyclists would appreciate. That with the expected affiliation with strava would make a very compelling cycling platform.

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http://www.teamodz.com
http://www.endurancelab.fit

For me, Sufferfest is the "killer app", and I'll go with whatever option gets it to me the cheapest. If their upcoming app works as well as TrainerRoad and is competitively priced, I'd switch to it. Doing repeats of the same 10K loop with lame background music gets pretty lame to me. Although, I guess some people would say the same about doing the same 10 videos over and over again.

This is largely arbitrary but on the general topic of Zwift, I realized for the first time last night that the 'leveling-up' system is sort of dependent of what units you are using for distance. I normally use imperial, but mine somehow switched over to metric the other day and I noticed that you get 20 pts per KM versus 30 per mile.

Really isn't a big difference, but it works out that you get ~7% more points for riding the same distance in metric than you would in imperial. I really don't give much of a crap about leveling up, but if that sort of thing is important to you the cumulative difference would probably be substantial over an extended period of time.

Just out - Zwift coming to iPhone and iPad. Has to be one with an A7 chip, but looks great:

https://www.facebook.com/...eos/550900371762109/

So cool!
It is kind of a hassle setting up tv, computer, kickr, bike and all that to go for a virtual ride. Just plugging in the iphone and your ready, thats cool!

Had a go at a zwift race this morning, got smoked of the start line and missed the first pack, raced decently in the second group on the road and the hour flew by pretty fast.

The secret is to be at 500W when the countdown reaches 0, and then hold it for the 60 seconds or so it takes for the group to settle. Also helps if you have an aero-hat or drafting powerup for the start (if the power-ups are allowed in your race)

Hoping to get on soon!
My trainer is on backorder, but still trying to find a cheap laptop/mini PC to hook up to my old TV. Been researching for hours on a good one to buy.

Or I may wait for the IOS release, but getting impatient!

500 watts for 60 seconds, ouch

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2024: Bevoman, Galveston, Alcatraz, Marble Falls, Santa Cruz

Has it always been this way? I seem to remember [in the early beta] not being able to start because my power was greater than zero.

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I have a personality disorder, I don't drink coffee...

Yeah, I mistakenly thought the start would be a little slower. But 500w is a struggle for me lol, was near 4w/kg for the whole race but can't hold a sprint for shit, although at 60kg maybe i don't need 500w.

I like the ODZ coffee rides for this reason. Couple of laps as a group at a set pace. One or two race laps, but you are DQ'ed if ahead of the leader when the hot laps start. That way you are all warmed up and the rolling start makes it harder to jump out like happens from the starting pen. I think there is another weekly race that works like this as well, but I cannot recall the name.