I like Rouvy better for the courses as you mentioned. Zwift has more users because most of their budget goes into marketing and sponsoring pros.

This is Slowtwitch! How dare you mention anything other than Zwift!
I like Rouvy! Don’t really have anything bad to say about Zwift though.

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Team Zoot So Cal

Rouvy is great if you enjoy scrolling around Google Maps streetview

Zwift is great if you like e-racing, training plans, group rides, and lots of other riders on the map

Would it be possible to use both at the same time? I don't know whether Rouvy has those routes but racing in Richmond/Bologna/Yorkshire on Zwift while displaying the real course on Rouvy could be a nice thing...

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Instagram
Youtube Channel
Meta Endurance

I recently tried a free trial of FulGaz which is real life video footage to ride along to that reacts to your speed and show power, cadence, hr etc, but after trying a few routes I've ditched it as I prefer the inter-activeness of Zwift.

The huge, deal breaker, issue with Rouvy is (or was) the fact that the video was taken at normal frame rates on a fast moving vehicle.

To account for a slow moving rider going uphill, they simply drop the frame rate dramatically. So climbing Alpe D'Huez or whatever, you're running few frames per second leading to a horrible juddering mess of an experience IMO.

Apparently there is now a "video smoothing" option somewhere, don't know how much it improves things though.

I actually do prefer live street views to riding in a cartoon world which is why I'm coming up on 3 years w Rouvy this summer. Zwift is definitely a more social platform but the animation is a turn off for me.

Rouvy offers reality, variety, e-racing, workouts, career levels w annual reset, and monthly challenges which ususlly entail riding 4 or 5 climbs. I doubt I've scratched the surface of it's capabilities as the functions I use serve my needs.

What are the chances that Ironman VC/VR will soon require ride segments be completed on standard Rouvy courses with smart trainer? (to help minimize some of the obvious cheating - at least on the bike leg)

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tinman

I have been using Rouvy for a long time and just gave Zwift a try now that I have been stuck at home for 3 weeks.
They are different and for now I think I will keep on using both.
As others have already mentioned Rouvy is great for all of the courses you can ride all around the world, so the have all of the famous climbs of the Tour and Giro along with Kona and many of the other triathlons.
It's great to do intervals without the distractions of trying to chase other riders, and "close the gap" and all of the other distractions that Zwift has, sometimes I will even run Rouvy on the side and watch a movie or something.

The flip side is that Rouvy is (more or less) a solitary activity, where in Zwift you feel like you are with other people, it is especially good if you have trouble getting motivated to bang out intervals indoors, and of course there are all of the group rides and races that you can do to help keep the motivation going.

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http://www.instagram.com/cyclewise

I expect (or hope) they have a category of the VRs that requires just that so that the results are at least somewhat apples to apples. Then they could still have an "open" category that is a free for all.

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______________________________________________
Team Zoot

Without any sort of proof or detail, I think they've done something about this. I tried Rouvy about a year ago, and that was one of the things I didn't like.

But I tried it again over the past few weeks, and it's pretty darn good, even at low speed. I don't know if I was using routes captured at higher framerates, or something else. But I was doing like 15% ramps up like the Paterberg, and it wasn't visually annoying.

I use both Zwift and Rouvy now. Zwift when I have to, because that's what all my buddies require me to do when they want me to join them in a race, etc. Rouvy for group rides and solo training. Occasional racing. The big advantage of Zwift used to be rider density. But that's become problematic for me recently. Doing 700+ rider group rides and races is kind of shitshow-ish.

Rouvy is more of a classy joint, like a good Italian restaurant to Zwift's Olive Garden. Cleaner UI, no porn soundtrack, no fantasy bikes or power-ups. Good scenery.

I have no idea since I'm not playing that IM game. But with the pro tour coming to Rouvy swiss courses, they have the technical ability to do it. But I think cheating is possible on an online platform. I swear that some of the course records on Rouvy are ridiculous and must have been done by someone with an e-bike mounted to their trainer!

Yeah, I don't think any of the virtual ride platforms has "figured out" cheating on the whole. It's a really hard problem.

The cheating on Rouvy is beyond crazy, there is some chatter about it on the facebook user group.
At the moment it seems like Rouvy isn't doing anything about it.

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http://www.instagram.com/cyclewise

I don't doubt it, but it hasn't seemed that bad to me. I've seen probable cheaters, but in the small groups that Rouvy tends to have, it's easy just to let them go so everyone else can get on with life.

I've been a little bit more annoyed at some of the huge 600+ groups in Zwift. Even in "D" or "E" categories, there's always some fraction that takes off at like 6-7 W/kg for sustained efforts. Maybe it's unintentional, but why on earth do people do that in lower categories? You have to just let them go to, but with more of them they can be a bit more destructive to "group riding."

We've been using Rouvy before it was called Rouvy (it was called Virtual Training back then) and many of the courses brought over from that platform were indeed recorded with a motorcycle or car.

That doesn't seem to be the case with the new AR courses, and on some of them you can see the shadow of the bike and rider that recorded the video

The old Virtual Training and original Rouvy did not tale a lot of hardware to run. The new version with the AR support appears to be taking a lot of gaming machines to their knees according to social media. Our machine is an Alienware Area 51 with a 1060 video card and the internet connected by ethernet and we've never had a problem, but there are reported cases where Zwift ran fine and Rouvy AR had problems.

It is certainly more low key and simpler to use than Zwift, and cheaper if you are a family using it. My wife and I pay a whopping $12 a month for both of us.

Also keep in mind, because of Rouvy's roots, there are a significant number of workout programs that are similar to Golden Cheetah (minus all the cool analysis that is offered with GC of course) for the days with you just want to get it done and over with.

Also keep in mind that Rouvy can dial down the realism making climbs easier and more manageable. Your result won't show on the leader board but you do get credit for the ride.

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"...the street finds its own uses for things"

I just have a measly Alienware Alpha with early-gen i3 with NVidia GeForce, and it seems to do OK. I get in trouble if I don't download routes in advance, but I think that's just the wireless in my garage being slightly sub-par.

One thing I do appreciate about Rouvy is that it seems to do very well about gracefully handling dropouts. Like if I *don't* download in advance and the video freezes for like a minute or so, it keeps me going in the event. So when the video picks up I'm still with the same group. Zwift tends to drop you like a hot potato immediately.

I'll never understand what prompts people to enter a group ride, then promptly ride hard off the front. It makes no sense to me. All rides have an advertised w/kg published when you sign up, and there are always plenty of races to choose from. So if you want to go hard, there are always plenty of options. Why join a group and then not ride with it?

Until ride leaders get the fence capability back, there isn't much we can do about it. I will say that most group rides I do, it's generally a small percentage that ride off the front, and while it can be frustrating, as long as the majority (or at least a good # of people) stick with the beacon, it still ends up being a good ride experience.

To be clear, riding in a large group on Zwift was not cheating for the Ironman VR. In order for there to be cheating, there has to be a rule against it.

A huge draw for Rouvy for me is the "family plan". I pay for my membership and I have have 2 family members with their own accounts that get full memberships as well. That is a huge advantage for me.

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This. And that we both prefer the ‘real world’ feel. It’s bad enough being inside without having to feel like riding in a cartoon.

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Trust me I’m a doctor!
Well, I have a PhD :-)

Used Rouvy for the first time today. One question:

I tested it by doing a reasonably flat/downhill route called Cow Creek but I’m not on the leaderboard. I haven’t paid yet, but I likely will soon, it’s pretty cheap. Any idea why that would be? I *think* I have the trainer difficulty at 100.

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Dan Mayberry
Amateur a lot of things, professional a few things.

I don't know!

Took me a bit to find the right FAQ. I rode in training instead of face. Just FYI.

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Dan Mayberry
Amateur a lot of things, professional a few things.

I'll admit I am occasionally guilty of riding off the front in group rides. The time I get to hop on Zwift is determined by my kids' schedules. As I get ready to ride, I'll fire up the companion app and see what group rides are starting in the next few minutes. Sometimes there is a ride starting shortly and no other group rides starting for another 45 minutes. If that is the case, I'm not waiting 45 minutes, so I may join the group ride that is starting shortly. Frankly, I don't don't care what the advertised pace is. I'm joining because its the only ride available at that time. If it happens to be a small group of less than 50 riders, I'll hang with the group. If I wanted to go solo off the front, I'd have just skipped the group.

If it's a 200 person ride; and a small group goes off the front; and I want to work harder, I may hang onto that group off the front. I consider these 10 people my own little group ride. Sometimes, the tables are turned and I end up in a small group off the back of the main pack. I don't care at all where I am at relative the leader. I just want to hang with a few people riding at the same pace.

I've never understood how a group of 10 people off the front of a 200 person ride hurts the 190 people. The best group rides are the special events that Zwift hosts (Tour of Watopia, ToZ, etc.). Those events are well-attended and have no ride leaders at all. Everyone finds their own little groupetto and finishes their workout.

I've heard all the reasons why people hate fliers. I just don't agree with (or believe) those reasons...
-It strings the group out because people want to chase,
-It raises the pace of the main pack,
-It's just bad form,
-etc.

People complain that fliers don't have the discipline to stay with the group. For me, it's not about discipline. It's simply that I don't care what those in the main group think. Selfish? Yes. Sorry?
No.

I don't really have any beef with fliers on Zwift, but I def understand why it can be problematic.

If there's a group ride that's posted 'max 3.0 watts/kg', you go in thinking it'll be a good day for longer aerobic riding, and then all of a sudden, a group of 20 out of your 60 (no, I'm not exaggerating, I've def seen 1/3rd of the group go flier) just disappear right off the gate. And then the next 20 guys speed it up a little over 3.0 w/kg to sort of keep pace, and then next thing you know, your 60 person group ride is now a 20 person group ride. Not a complete dealbreaker, but that can get annoying enough to stop you from joining these things outright, since it's basically not the ride you signed up for.

Also, fliers really screw up long endurance group rides, like the ones that are 90-120 mins long, as usually most riders have plenty of extra capacity to go hard given that they're expecting to ride 90-120mins, but if a big group goes flier, you might have a huge number of them decide to go with the fliers for 60 minutes and then bail (yes, I'm guilty of having done that) which again totally screws up the whole point of the advertised ride.

I liked the Zwift fence a lot (haven't been riding Zwift lately), it did its job in the rides I did to discourage fliers (including myself) and made the longer group rides a lot more consistent. Is it back yet? I honestly found that one of the key best features of Zwift group rides - if you want to hammer without limits, just enter the countless number of races and go do that instead.

It does fix the situation with the frame rate but this same algorithm also makes video quality really crappy. So pick your poison.

It's not perfect granted but still better than riding in a cartoon. The AR stuff Rouvy is doing is looking good too.

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Trust me I’m a doctor!
Well, I have a PhD :-)

As I said "pick your poison". Whatever you prefer is up to you.

Zwift never resonated with me. But after a week long trial of Rouvy I am hooked. Been on trainerroad for 6 years, and the 2-3 workouts I have done on Rouvy were the best indoor sessions I have ever had. I started with two rides I completed on a cycling trip in France last summer, and IMO it is legit. Was so cool to ride past familiar landmarks, etc. Add to all of that the option for a family membership, which is great for my wife and I. We have joined the premium plan and will quit trainerroad.. I am basically obsessed with Rouvy now.

If that is the case you might try our software. The software is free and so are 2 demo videos. We have the highest quality of the videos on the market and serve content in 720p, 1080p and 4K. Sales model is also flexible. It is either subscription or you can buy videos outright. Basic 720p streaming subscription is free. At least for now. The link is in my signature.

thank you for sharing!

Question for anyone really for both platforms:

Can you ride on Rouvy (or Zwift) using erg mode without doing a training session- normally on a course?

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Dan Mayberry
Amateur a lot of things, professional a few things.

I've been looking at options and wanted to know more about Fulgaz. I will have to quarantine for two weeks going to work and wanted video and just be able to do long rides just to fill in time such as the Kona course. Maybe I will want to do some races at some stage but if your objective is to ride your bike and have some visual stimulation how did you find Fulgaz? Positives and negatives compared to Zwift?

I do this all the time on Zwift with a Kickr. Here's how I do it with Zwift on PC with ant+. Start up Zwift. When the trainer pairs, unpair Controllable (Trainer) on the pairing screen. Pay attention during pairing as the game does a short countdown after successfully pairing so you don't have much time to deselect Controllable (Trainer) although you can still do that on the World Select screen but I've had issues this way where the pairing screen shows while riding and I cannot make the window go away. Select world and route and start the ride. Obviously, do not select Training. Select Menu on the bottom left then Settings on the right. Move the Trainer Difficulty setting to 'off'. Pair trainer via iPad app. Start riding then switch to erg mode in the iPad app once up to speed.

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Nanoo Nanoo

Great, thanks!

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Dan Mayberry
Amateur a lot of things, professional a few things.

Gobsmacked

So you rely on group rides for company (or you'd just do a solo ride when there was no suitable group - right?), but don't feel the least bit bad that you're abusing the intended use of those rides, and likely harming the experience for others?
You take what you can get from these rides but screw everyone else whenever you feel like it.
Why couldn't you simply quit the event and ride along separately if you feel the need to do your own thing. A group ride with an advertised plan and pace should be respected. If it's not what you want then do something else.
What I don't get is someone admitting to selfishness but declaring they're not sorry (i.e. they don't really care how they impact anyone else). Does this not strike you as simply an admission that you have no integrity, and no sense of social responsibility. Do you not feel this is a failing you should address?

Are you complying with social distancing, or does that not suit you either?
Sure it's an entirely different level of importance, but it's exactly the same concept. Individual cooperation, despite personal inconvenience, for the good of the community.
I think it's fair to call your attitude "parasitic".

On Zwift, just pair the trainer as a Power Meter, and not as a Controllable (I used to do this all the time when doing Xert workouts with Zwift scenery)

I don't know if there is a way to directly do it in Rouvy, but there is a very easy way to do it if you have a Garmin, you ride the course but do erg unit through the headunit, it works perfectly.
So you have the visual of the course but can still dial in your workout.

I tried Mont Ventoux the other day on Fulgaz. I liked the experience - except all the climbing, tired legs and pain and stuff. Video was 4k so really good. Downside is you aren't interacting with anyone because there aren't any others actually riding with you. You will pass people or get passed but only if the guy that was filming the ride did that.

Thanks mate that's what I wanted to know. As I say I will be locked down for two weeks going to work so there will be a lot of miles at my easy pace just looking for some stimulation. I was thinking more Kona and IM UK is on the catalogue so I'll start there and then some classics.

Are there categories in the Rouvy Races? I was thinking of trying out one, but everyone seems to be lumped together.

I don't think there are categories also (as has already been mentioned) there is no drafting, so it's like a mass start TT.

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http://www.instagram.com/cyclewise

When I click on Ironman tab, I only see a few listed (4 I think). I think only 1 full. Am I looking in the wrong place???
There website mentioned 35?

thanks

I do the exact same thing.

Whatever group is starting when I'm starting the ride.

I'll admit, I do enjoy the comments.

How is following a group off the front "harming the experience of others," when said "others" apparently want to do the same thing?

Since when is it feasible to meet the whim of each one of dozens, if not hundreds of other people?

Seems a very unrealistic expectation. Especially for a video game.

Group rides are so varied with only a few where the leader really controls the bunch. Even then it pays to be at least 10 meters in front of the leader or the will sail past when they either attack or just with the double draft.

Today was meant to be a C ride, the ride leader went hard so it split, we ended up in a bunch of 12 that did an hour of power as we were ahead. The split happened mainly due to the ride leader taking it out to hard.

The 12 went at it for an hour and we had 6 left, it didn't hurt the ride and we would have ridden with the bunch had the leader not put in 4.5 w kg on a 3 w kg ride.

My response when the leader says on one big group ride, everyone sub 2 on this down hill, why are you doing 4.2 w/kg