Elite Zumo Trainer

Equipment
21

This looks perfect to me…

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22

That is a mistaken assumption.

  1. It is partly fueled by general misunderstanding of ERG mode, usually by those who haven’t used it yet.

    • ERG mode is NOT magic. It IS a system that reads the rider input (power and rpm of the system) and will adjust resistance in an effort to hit a power target.

    • As such, the performance of ERG (it’s ability to hold a power target) is subject to you and your power applied to the trainer (most important is the power applied and the smoothness of your cadence), as well as the functionality of the resistance unit (how quickly it responds to input changes from the rider).

    • Once you have the trainer, the most important part of the ERG equation is you. For steady state work, you want to be as smooth and steady on cadence as possible. If you are constantly changing cadence, the trainer will hunt and adjust resistance to solve the Power Target equation.

    • I’ve said it many times, Cadence is King. Keep it steady and at the rpm YOU want. You have to make it happen.

    • When it comes to handling jumps in resistance, there are a few tricks to getting to and not significantly overshoot. These vary a bit depending on the trainer, and I will avoid those specifics for now.

  2. It is also fueled by Wahoo and the (IMHO) totally stupid ERG Mode Power Smoothing.

    • The Kickr is widely used and often a persons first introduction to ERG. They default the Smoothing option as turned on, so people see these perfectly smooth and target nailing intervals.
    • But it’s all a lie. We are not machines and can not out out power that smooth. The unsmoothed power shown (setting OFF) is the same as you see with a dedicated power meter, which is real.

For sure, it depends largely on how the resistance unit adjusts, and how quickly it can work. More expensive trainers usually react faster.

But even with that, the rider is still the most important link in the chain, so work on cadence smoothness and your own power delivery.

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23

Ah so it is a function of different brands of trainer then. My cadence is and has always been pretty consistent tbh, I don’t really vary by more than +/- 3 rpm so not an issue there.

I didn’t buy it to get nice pretty graphs I was just curious as to how some match the targets exactly.

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24

Yeah I guess so, I prefer it to be that way tbh but it was a slight surprise as to how far above the target this one will let you get before adjusting.

25

Now you’ve had a couple of rides on it, would you recommend it?

I’m considering buying one myself.

Cheers

26

Well as this is the only smart trainer I’ve owned I’m not totally sure how you can judge my knowledge of them but if you’re not looking for as quick a reaction time as the more expensive trainers (from what I’ve read) then yes. If you do a lot of Zwift racing this may be a hindrance but for TR work I think it’s perfectly acceptable. For the price it’s got to be worth a shot eh?

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27

I’d be using it for TR as I’m fed up with zwift :scream:

Thanks for the feedback :+1:

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28

So should I drive to Halfords now and get one of these? Been thinking a lot about getting a H3 but these are half the price and probably good enough.

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29

I bought one on Thursday and used my AA 10% discount. It’s an excellent trainer. Loving mine.

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30

I’m wondering the same. Zumo for £399, Direto OTS 2% £550, Suito £650…or Drivo for £499!
(Less BC discount)

31

Oops.

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For some reason the BC discount voucher hasn’t been updated and is still for November only, so they offered to refund me when the valid voucher becomes available :+1: Top service.

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32

I just set up my Zumo (the Black Friday deal at Halfords was too good to pass up) but I’m having some issues calibrating it on TR. I managed to do it in the awfully bad Elite software, but every time I try in TR it fails to calibrate. Has anybody else had this issue?

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33

@rsbromley

Why are you doing it in TR when you’ve already done it in the myetraining app?

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34

Mostly because I don’t ever plan on using the Elite app and I want to make sure I can regularly calibrate it using the software I’m actually going to use for my training. It’s also reporting power around 30 watts lower than my Assioma Uno, so I’m trying to figure out if there’s something wrong with it.

35

Calibration is performed on the device you can use any software to do this. My suggestion is to use your Assioma to power match the TR and you’re done. Happy Days. Never worry about calibrating your trainer again

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36

Thanks, I’ll give power match a go then.

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37

Not set mine up yet - first time with a direct trainer and hadn’t anticipated challenges with Campagnolo :see_no_evil:

Can’t find the Elite accessory online, could buy a Shimano 11 cassette but would mean swapping bikes too.

38

Joe, if I’m not mistaken Zumo’s adapter is the same as Direct/Drivo/Kura. Follow the link for the product and part number: ELI001K

If you want to be sure before buy you can use the Elite forum:
http://forum.elite-it.com/index.php

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39

I’ve reserved mine from halfords UK - i’ve got until the 9th to pick it up. Still wanting some more real world reviews before actually parting with my money though.

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40

Well I’ve had mine about a week now and love it. I have a stages left crank pm on my bike and set up the power meter link on the zumo last night and it works perfectly in erg mode.

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