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zwift questions
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I'm very interested in starting to use zwift but have many questions. I have been a triathlete for 12 years, having raced many ironman and half ironman races. My current at home setup is a basic "dumb" fluid trainer with a garmin speed sensor paired with trainerroad on an old imac running 10.6.8


I am in the market for a new trainer and am currently looking at the BKool Smart Go and Kinetic Road Machine SMart Trainer.


Which would work better with Zwift?
Is the computer I'm currently using compatible with Zwift?
Can I use my Iphone running ios 12.1.2 with either (or both) trainers and zwift?
What other accessories would I need to purchase?


Thanks for your help.
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Re: zwift questions [mscotthall] [ In reply to ]
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As for which trainer go read DC Rainmaker’s reviews for each. Of those two I’d pick the Kinetic. Maybe look at the KICKR Snap in that sub-$600 range.

Your old iMac is going to run like a dog. Zwift needs at least OSX 10.9 so you’d need to update the OS. Even then it’s likely to not run smoothly and the graphics will look like shit.

Running Zwift on iOS would yield better results. Apple TV is also a simple and cheap alternative.

Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One
Last edited by: The GMAN: Jan 10, 19 5:08
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Re: zwift questions [mscotthall] [ In reply to ]
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Probably a tough time of year if you are looking for a used trainer for some "deals", new I'm sure many places will have them at %ages off right now.

I found the simplest and probably the least expensive way to start with Zwift (I've only been using it a few weeks now and it's addicting). Run Zwift on your iphone and use an lightning to hdmi cable adapter to mirror it to a cheap TV. make sure to have a spare apple charging cable as well so you can keep your phone charged while running Zwift. I recently added a Kickr Bluetooth HR monitor as well (under $50). I have an Elite Directo so Power and cadence is run thru the trainer and HR monitor separately.......I don't need a dongle unless I need to added another Bluetooth connection (I think).

I'll run Zwift that way and Spotify thru the TV as well for some music. Right now I'm not texting or interacting with anyone thru Zwift so this setup works fine for me right now. I keep my phone and TV controls on a small table next to my bike so if I ever decide to use a power up or whatever, my phone is right there......

For me, next I would consider using Apple TV and then I would have the ability for easier interaction if I ever decided I wanted that piece of Zwift.
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Re: zwift questions [MKirk] [ In reply to ]
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awesome. Thanks
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Re: zwift questions [mscotthall] [ In reply to ]
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Get a cheap TV with HMDI or even monitor (I found one for around 80 that is 27 inches)
Apple tv (32GB) refurbished for around ~100. Doesn't need to be 4k as I don't think Zwift is currently 4k compatible. The graphics look good enough to me.
Bluetooth HR (Tickr fit works well)
and a used Kickr or other "smart" trainer

I've been on Zwift since Feb 2015. Tried a million different setups. This is my current one and it seems to be the easiest. My only issue sometimes is that the Apple TV only has 2 bluetooth connections so open the companion app on the phone and it'll "sync" any the HR or trainer.

If you want to go even one more level, get a bluetooth footpod (polar ~40ish) and if you have a treadmill you can run on Zwift too with that setup. To me that's a super cheap way to go if you want to get the full use out of zwift. Or you could just get a speed/cadence sensor for $50 and pair it with Zwift using your dumb trainer. That's gonna work too, but you'll need an "ANT" stick and you won't be able to use the Apple TV unless you get an ANT bridge.
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Re: zwift questions [TriathlonJoe] [ In reply to ]
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Apple TV needs to be the latest version (2017 - I think it's the model 4). The 4k version is only about $30 more, and is more future-proof if a 4k TV could be in your future. Simplest. cleanest least expensive way to start.

Dan has written an entire series of posts about getting into Zwift, Look for them. Once you start, you'll wonder how you ever trained without it.

I'm closer to the feathered end of the spear than the point.
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Re: zwift questions [David_Tris] [ In reply to ]
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True. However, I could find a 4th gen refurbished 32gb a lot cheaper than I could a 4k. But if you can find a 4k go with a 4k.
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Re: zwift questions [mscotthall] [ In reply to ]
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Is your current fluid trainer a kurt kinetic? You could get the inride sensor for it and poof, you've got a (mostly) bluetooth smart power meter you can pair with the iphone and run zwift.

My current setup is favero assioma pedals, any of a couple dumb trainers, an old gaming pc I bought on craigslist for $150, and a cheap $60 amazon projector so I have a 9 foot zwift screen in front of me. The only negative is it needs to be somewhat dark in there, but that just adds to the "pain cave" element.
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Re: zwift questions [stevendex] [ In reply to ]
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stevendex wrote:
Is your current fluid trainer a kurt kinetic? You could get the inride sensor for it and poof, you've got a (mostly) bluetooth smart power meter you can pair with the iphone and run zwift.

My current setup is favero assioma pedals, any of a couple dumb trainers, an old gaming pc I bought on craigslist for $150, and a cheap $60 amazon projector so I have a 9 foot zwift screen in front of me. The only negative is it needs to be somewhat dark in there, but that just adds to the "pain cave" element.

How does that work for you in terms of zwift power / realism / cheating or whatever it's call.
I have the same setup like you (dumb trainer, power meter) but have not tried zwift as it needs real $ (even tho there is like 7 days free trial but I didn't take it up yet).

In all honesty, I want zwift for the racing aspect of it. For structured training, I've been using EgrDB workouts and putting them into GoldenCheetah. Works for me.
Would having a dumb trainer NOT make it so "real" so to speak?
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Re: zwift questions [mscotthall] [ In reply to ]
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Whatever dumb trainer you already use for Traineroad will almost certainly work fine for Zwift also. All you need is virtual power or a power meter, same as TR. Having said that, some trainers will work a lot better than others. I used my KK Road Machine and virtual power for a couple of years before buying a power meter. Having since compared the virtual power figures provided by Zwift against my power meter figures for the same session, when recording both simultaneously, I now know they match VERY well. I was very surprised how well. The most important thing is to be consistent with your setup if using virtual power. Always use the same tyre, same tyre pressure and same clamping force. The KK RM is very stable and consistent and the power curve used by Zwift matched reality extremely well for my setup. It was within 1-2% of the power meter reading for steady state efforts once warmed up. At worst, during the first 5-10mins the difference could be in low double digits, ie. 10-15% but then it settled and stayed consistent. I also saw some difference between the power meter and virtual power when I did very short intervals so that much of the interval consisted of significant accelerations. However it was still consistent and accurate enough to be perfectly usable. Of course, that's one of, or the best dumb trainer for virtual power. I've seem others do much worse and produce pretty useless virtual figures. I still use Zwift with a dumb trainer. It works perfectly well. There's little difference using a power meter compared to GOOD virtual power.


That's a long way of saying that, with a good dumb trainer, you can start Zwifting and enjoy yourself without any extra bike or trainer hardware.
A power meter will provide better confidence in the figures. A smart trainer may produce better power figures (depending on which one), and if it's controllable by Zwift will provide the ability to use ERG mode and slope simulation. I don't think either of these is essential but I'd like terrain simulation. I have no interest in ERG mode. Tried it, don't like it, and see no real advantage in it for me. I wouldn't switch my KK RM for a low to mid range trainer. I might switch it for something like a Neo at some point, mostly for a slight noise reduction and slope simulation.
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Re: zwift questions [TriathlonJoe] [ In reply to ]
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One other way to do this is to run Zwift from your iPhone and plug it directly into your TV.

Get a lightning-to-HDMI converter from Apple. You completely eliminate having to buy the Apple TV.

I used Apple TV before I went this route. I would lose signal sometimes since my phone used wifi for the Zwift Companion app and Apple TV also went over wifi. Now, with this hardwired system, I never drop.
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Re: zwift questions [stanisz73] [ In reply to ]
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stanisz73 wrote:
One other way to do this is to run Zwift from your iPhone and plug it directly into your TV.

Get a lightning-to-HDMI converter from Apple. You completely eliminate having to buy the Apple TV.

I used Apple TV before I went this route. I would lose signal sometimes since my phone used wifi for the Zwift Companion app and Apple TV also went over wifi. Now, with this hardwired system, I never drop.

I think the one downside to "mirroring" your iphone to a TV via lightning to hdmi cable is whenever I get a call on my phone during a Zwift session, Zwift seems to pause/quit until I ignore the call and get the Zwift app back up (or really displayed as it never closed) on the phone......noticed this as well when I had to open Spotify on my phone to resume my playlist that had paused.........when I display Zwift again I end up having lost 200 places.....so assume my power goes to 0 while you go to another app or service on your phone.
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Re: zwift questions [stanisz73] [ In reply to ]
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Just fyi, i posted about this last week. I was using zwift using an ipad air and a HDMI to Lightning plug cable with zero issues. When i installed the new iOS 12.1, it killed that set up. Apple tech said they knew about the issue and that there was no fix. I had to buy the Apple TV to get it to work again - likely by design.
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