I think people are still confused about all new offerings, especially virtual training etc. Let me ask you this: Would you join random Sunday group rides in your city if your goal is to prepare for specific event?

Zwift is social cycling platform, it is your random group ride of folks with random abilities, some will scream: lets go together at 2w/kg on that hill... together, don't speed up...

Trainer Road provides great first timer structured training, it makes you realize how quickly you can improve when following structured program. After you go over one or two plans, you will quickly realize the limits, it is just great to start with, and you will quickly move to PerfPro Studio or similar since it will allow you on stuff that trainer road doesn't.

While Zwift people will make you believe pros are training on it, we all know pros are getting invited in form of sponsorship. Can you train on it: yes is it the best tool for the job: NO

The best source for the sufferfest workouts (as well as other workouts) is the "zwift workouts" FB group. However, this site also has them for free

http://www.zwiftworkouts.com/

Enjoy the suffering

So is the people that are cheating by posting lighter weight so they fly around the course at 8w\kg. They're going to have a rude awakening this spring out in the real world.

I think the rude awakening will be when they don't automatically move out of someones way when they come up to them at 8 w/kg

Kind of on that point, I think I need to start jumping on the rollers occasionally after spending so much time on the trainer. Can't let the bike handling skills slide.

I just joined Zwift this week and have thought about TR as well. I have Zwift paired with my Computrainer and feel that my Zwift numbers are close to my real-world riding power, speed and HR numbers. My 2-hour training rides fly by on Zwift compared to my Computrainer courses.

I must say as a triathlete that is obsessed about maintaining the draft box, I have struggled on live group rides to follow roadie protocol of jumping on wheels, maintaining contact, surging, covering attacks and regrouping. Zwift is a great training ground for me to learn how to do this. I also like seeing watts/kg of the riders around me (even if they aren't 100% accurate). The group texting can get a bit annoying. I spotted M. Charbot out on a ride the other day but he turned off...so, that is pretty cool that you can "ride" with many other people in this make-believe world.

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Straightenin' the curves; Flattenin' the hills
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Coached by Mike Plumb @ TriPower MultiSports
https://www.strava.com/athletes/1149072 - https://www.instagram.com/thoswoods/

You can use another email/account to do another trial.

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Nanoo Nanoo

Zwift left me wanting in the training department. I would use it for "fitness" rides but anything structured was a no go. The scenes in the graphics don't match up to the training intervals and it took away the elation I have when riding in free mode. I'm sure there is a better way to train but then I'd have to put in more work to sync training plans to my Garmin and to ignore the fact I'm clearly going up a hill in the game but maintaining a recovery spin of 89w as part of my training session. I will also say I do not have Facebook etc so the entire "social" aspect is lost on me. Had they baked this into the application I'm sure I'd love it but I'm not signing up for a service to compliment the service I signed up for. As is planning my personal training around group rides that others are organizing. I like to dictate when and what I ride for my sessions and Zwift doesn't do that easily enough for my liking. For others I'm sure it's great!

To me Trainer Road is a cycling coach and a program that I don't have to build for $10/month. I've increased my cycling ability by 40% in the past 18 months and have had very little issues with "boredom". I think being engaged in the training is important to me with exception to long aerobic base rides. Those are easily remedied with YouTube, Netflix or Spotify in my case.

In the end Zwift is doing a good job and they've found their target users. Kudos to them for changing the GAME, literally!

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"Train so you have no regrets @ the finish line"

I have spent some time on both TR and ZWIFT.

TR is like a coach. Good training plans built in. But boring as crap.

Zwift is a lot more fun, so it gets used a lot more.

Not sure what to do either, but I actually use Zwift.. whereas trainer road sites there and sucks down $14 a month for an unused bar graph generator...

I've been of Zwift since early in the beta. I enjoy it quite a bit, especially with the workout mode and custom workouts now. I have my weight set correctly and I find the indoor vs. outdoor speeds are pretty comparable (I train in a hillier area than 'Zwift Island', so real world is slightly slower...). I like that I can either get into the game, or just have it on in the background while watching a show or movie. I also enjoy the races (even with the zPower/weight doping/incorrect smart trainer power). They can be a great workout.

One of the great aspects for me is that my main training partner moved to the other side of the country. We can still ride and race together on Zwift, and chat on Teamspeak while doing it. That alone has been worth the price.

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Creator of Zwift here...while we do pay a few pro riders (ie Ten Dam and Voigt) a very small fee to host rides about 75% of the pro's on Zwift came on their own. Some like it after trying it, some don't, just like regular people you find on this very message board. Ten Dam does 5x the amount of rides we ask of him simply because he uses Zwift to actually train and likes connecting with and building his fan base.

We also partnered with the Canyon SRAM womens pro team to help them find the next female pro who might be riding zwift, but that's just two companies working together vs a sponsorship, and the talent search was their idea they brought to us. Pretty cool!

It seems as if it's been mentioned already many times, but in the spirit of beating a dead horse:
- Zwift has training plans, workout mode, and bar graphs (in fact, Zwift was ONLY workout mode with bar graphs back in 2010, as its mostly what I use).
- Zwift has a very easy to use workout editor, and a huge library of community created workouts that are simple to download if you don't like the built in ones
- Zwift is cheaper than trainer road
- Zwift offers other ways to ride on the days you just need to spin or want some fun light competition

Zwift is a training tool that is hopefully more entertaining than what else is out there - you make it what you want. Some will watch a video, others will only be training in workout mode, many do group rides/races, and some just get on there for social recovery rides. It's a piece of virtual road with workout tools built in. We aren't trying to compete with outdoor riding, we're trying to make indoor riding more of a realistic option for the bulk of cyclists.

I can totally appreciate it isn't for everybody, but I do want to make sure you guys know what it can do. Structured Training on Zwift is a real thing and it is heavily used (literally tens of thousands of FTP tests have happened since we launched workout mode just a few months back).

I have been on Zwift for about a month now, and on TR for about a week. In the end, they both have their strengths and weaknesses and, depending on what someone is looking for w/ their indoor training, I can see both being useful (albeit in different ways).

60-90 mins on the trainer seems to go by faster for me on Zwift. I find all the chat bubbles annoying. While they have a workout mode, structured training does not seem to be Zwift's priority. Their priority is the social aspect of indoor training (they openly state that the reason for limited course selection is to have more riders around the course so as to enhance the social aspect of the platform). The workout mode that they do have on the site is ok, but it's not nearly as extensive as TR and it's a little weird to be in workout mode on a rest interval while climbing a Zwift hill that others are pushing for segment PR's on. If you had the structure of TR's workout programs on Zwift, and a dedicated course(s) only for those in workout mode, I think it would be hard to compete with Zwift.

On TR, you have all the workouts and programs you could ask for...and then some. The options are so numerous they end up creating more questions than providing answers about where to begin and how to structure things for yourself. I hate the constant text that pops up during the workouts b/c during the tough intervals I sometimes look down and miss the writing. These are coach designed training programs for all riders of all abilities. Would have been cooler if, instead of the text, they had the actual coach appear in a pop-up window to actually talk you through whatever the essence of the text statements say.

Bottom line as I see it -- if you're the type of person who responds better to "just give me the workout and numbers I need to hit and I'll do it", then I think TR is the better option. If you would be better motivated by seeing other rider avatars on a screen and participating in group rides and races rather than structured workouts, then I think Zwift is the better option.

As is often the case with software, combine the best of what both offer and you have a better solution than either offer individually. I am paying for both right now until I figure out which one better suits me long term. Like someone else said, I hope they both continue to evolve and thrive.

I think Zwift will always mean a lot more to riders that can't get outside; either because of injury/disability or climate.

In Australia, I will get on the trainer on bad weather days rather than miss a workout. That happens more frequently in winter, but generally speaking I can ride outside 365 days a year.

On those bad days, I have chosen Zwift on occasion, but up until now it has been free (beta and then the trial). Now that I would have to subscribe, I am not so sure it'll happen. I don't intend to hold two separate subscriptions and my main interest on a trainer are focused sessions, not escapism. Though I know I can do these sessions in Zwift, I much prefer the minimalism of a simpler application. I be much more interested in hearing about advancements in modelling precision, the code governing the system and control of the trainer and power-meter. I currently think that is only "adequate" in TR.

That said, it is very easy to do an open session in Zwift. I don't have a hard time in pushing a little harder either, which honestly isn't necessarily ideal but just a matter of exercising some discipline.

In terms of VR experience, it doesn't satisfy me much. Too many years logged in games to appreciate it. I get a lot more out of VeloReality when it comes to that. It's quite well done, good footage and syncs well with a Kickr. Climbed Alpe d'Huez and had little visual flashbacks going to sleep that night. I give that a thumbs up.

In terms of the various technologies involved, I do not think Zwift will be able to solve the issues with validating any in-game physical achievement, but no one should take this too seriously. It would be a mistake on their part to market the game/software in that way.

Another thing that bothers me is latency. This is correlated strongly with the geographical location but can have other reasons. I am just assuming (never had a look) that the servers are hosted in North America and is the largest contributor for myself in Australia. It doesn't really matter unless the little in-game nuances (like drafting) become important.

I've not tried the group rides, but nor does this appeal to me. Again, this seems much more geared to those who cannot get out on the actual road.

any news about new courses????

I love Zwift but it gets boring with only two courses.

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The entire event (IM) is like "death by 1000 cuts" and the best race is minimizing all those cuts and losing less blood than the other guy. - Dev

Choosing the figure 8 option on the island course makes time go by a lot faster. The Virginia course was cool for a short while, but yeah, can get boring.

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Zen and the Art of Triathlon. Strava Workout Log
Interviews with Chris McCormack, Helle Frederikson, Angela Naeth, and many more.
http://www.zentriathlon.com

I have been on zwift since November... I have done ALL OF THEM lol

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The entire event (IM) is like "death by 1000 cuts" and the best race is minimizing all those cuts and losing less blood than the other guy. - Dev

I think Zwift is about 5% generous the speed it computes, but even so there are some explanations. If I had a windless environment with 20% less hills than my routine outdoor rides and a stream of others to draft on I bet I would post real world speeds faster. What I've experienced is that I do some group rides averaging ~42khm that are every bit as hard as my local tuesday worlds that averages right around 40kmh over more hilly terrain. My solo rides tend to be about 2kmh faster than I expect on Zwift, but it might all go back to that flatter and windless condition.

Hah, I've made the same comment to a friend who was complaining about my zwift average speeds. A few weeks I've done 3 or 4 zwift races/group rides that were on the flatest zwift options and ended up with weekly average speeds that seem outlandishly high. But maybe they wouldn't be so outlandish if in the real world I lived in windless flatland and had groups of 50 to draft. Maybe there is somewhere in FL (or some other warm flatland state) that has big group rides that I could go test that out (would be better than being stuck in the cold in the winter).

I've seen Trevor and Heather Wurtele on it a bunch of times... without the pro icon next to their name.

Workout mode is only as good as the workouts you put in. Yes, TR has a larger library. However, it's possible to duplicate those and use Zwift. I'm fine with entering in my own workouts. Makes me understand it better.

As for calling it game, I don't use it that way. I push myself and my avatar goes around the map on my workout mode. In TR I push myself and stay between the lines.

I'll make the switch from TR to Zwift when they let you put on headphones/mic and talk trash with the other riders in the group.

Once Zwift added their workout mode, I dropped Trainerroad completely and have not looked back. I built all the workouts I needed in Zwift, and use those for most of the week. I do have 2 to 3 free-style days built into my plan where I ride Zwift in normal mode (whether that be solo or with a group) or I ride outside and do a long ride.

I'm pretty lazy, so until Zwift offers a full set of coordinated training plans that I don't have to build from scratch or cobble together from other users, I'm sticking with TR. IMO that's the biggest value TR provides, not to mention their founders are on ST constantly providing personalized 1-on-1 assistance.

There is a claim on this thread that Zwift is cheaper, which is true for monthly plans. But if you buy the annual subscription TR is actually $1/month cheaper.

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Strava

Just to let others know...if you have a Strava premium membership, then the first 2 months of Zwift are free.

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Straightenin' the curves; Flattenin' the hills
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Coached by Mike Plumb @ TriPower MultiSports
https://www.strava.com/athletes/1149072 - https://www.instagram.com/thoswoods/