dfroelich wrote:
Tsunami wrote:
Hoping you have an idea for me as well. In the spring I was routinely doing the Slowtwitch group workouts on Zwift (Tue eve, EST). I paired Quark power with Zwift, let the game contol my kickr Snap. Result was a terrible lag when training block changed and a propensity for my trainer to lock up (which I posted about in the thread for that group workout). The fix was to stop pairing my Quark to Zwift and instead use the Snap as in-game power meter. This was fine, no mental gymnastics as both pm's read pretty close. I was using my road bike a bunch then as it's easier for me to see the tv screen in that more upright riding position.
Now I have my tt bike on the Snap and find a difference generally of 15-20 W, sometimes as high as 30 W, Snap reading *higher* than my Quark (for Cannondale model). I'm fine with just pairing/trusting the Quark when I'm riding "alone in Zwift" but what I could use is a good way to participate in group workouts without returning to the poor trainer performance I had before. I have a hard enough time remembering my zones with respect to one power meter; I'd like to avoid what for me will be endless confusion trying to translate between two sets of numbers. Any tips?
(I'm usually ok with numbers but as soon as I start working out, I become dumb as a rock.)
Well, now you've found the bad combination. The reason that races work (and just noodling around Zwift as well) is that there is no back and forth communication. The computer simply tells the trainer: OK, now we are at 5%...do that. The trainer obliges.
In workout mode, the computer thinks: hold at 300W and says to trainer: make it harder, the trainer asks the quarq: what is the power? quarq: 275W trainer to computer: we are at 275! comp: harder...and on and on. The feedback is slow.
Therefore, it is much smoother to take the quarq out of the conversation (also because
the pm reads much jumpier than the flywheel smoothed trainer).
For this reason, I use my PM as power sensor during races/riding around and the trainer as power sensor during workouts (and accept that there is some offset). When you want to do group workouts, which is pretty much a hybrid of the two...bummer.
BUT, 30W seems like a lot. Does it get better if you warmup for 10-15 minutes, then calibrate the trainer?
Yeah, I caught on the extra feedback loop was bad for in-game training, but hadn't appreciated the smoothing effect of the flywheel in adding to the improved sensation when using the trainer's PM paired to Zwift.
As to your closing question, I don't know what the secret sauce is for order of calibrating things. Yes, I've warmed up for 20 min (plugged into game).
Hit A to get to pairing screen.
Unpair everything (except HRM).
Open Wahoo ap on phone. Run spindown. Exit Wahoo ap and reboot phone (otherwise ap continues to run in the background).
Zero Quark using Garmin 510.
Repair to Zwift. Note that on the pairing screen, the Quark power and the Snap power are essentially identical.
Hit ok and start riding, and in an instant, the power reading in Zwift (with Snap paired for power) goes up 20-ish W.
If it's a particularly tough interval, I'll just bury my head and stare at my Garmin, and hold the intended power. But if it's a longer sustained effort, I'd actually like to look at the screen since that's kinda the point of using Zwift at all. But then I need to change my focus often to ensure I"m still in the right zone, b/c what's on screen is much higher.
(Incidentally, on a recent bury my head and drive to the Quark/Garmin #'s, it turned out Zwift detected a new FTP and auto-adjusted upward. So now I have an artificially high in-game FTP. But as per my Quark, this should not have been a new FTP-setting workout. Not sure what to make of that).
Anyway, to make a long answer longer: I'd be happy to hear what the magic calibration sequence should be to have a more aligned experience. Thanks!!
To breathe, to feel, to know I'm alive.