I leaned into the abyss. I quickly stepped away (Zwift use)

Many years ago I tried Zwift.
I tried it on a Tacx Vortex.
I tried it on a Cyclops Fluid trainer.
I tried it on my Kreitler rollers.
I tried it on my Elite ERG/Smart rollers.
I tried it on my Elite Driveo.
I tried it with green eggs and ham.

Zwift and I did not get along. I hated the graphics. I got dizzy and nauseous. I tried to ‘talk’ to my friends as we cycled around Jarvis (Watopia). I hated it. I quickly went back into my little TrainerRoad world.

This fall, the noise around Zwift was unbearable. It’s like they have paid for product placement everywhere and nobody remains untainted by their juggernaut of advertising – DCR, GP Lama, GCN, Cam Jeffers, Vegan Cyclist (Tyler), etc. Sorry guys… it’s just so much freakin’ paid product placement!!

Anyway, I kept watching my buddies ride Zwift and post these fairly impressive power numbers in ‘races’ and group rides. In a moment of weakness last evening, I decided I’d give it a try. I downloaded Zwift to my Mac, paired it with my Driveo, Quarq, Sosche and away I went! Riding straight though the heart of London.

Guess what?

Zwift and I did not get along. I hated the graphics. I got dizzy and nauseous. I tried to ‘talk’ to my friends as we cycled around. I hated it.

Yup, same exact experience. The only thing I discovered was the power profile of the ride looked like other folks I had seen on Strava and such: riding 40 minutes as 3.5 w/kg was like no effort on Zwift. On TrainerRoad, this would have been much much harder. I’m not sure if its the difference between ERG and Resistance mode on my Driveo or what. (My Zwift ride was dual measured on the Driveo and also independently paired to my Quarq, so I’m confident in the accuracy of the numbers). But either way, the Zwift 40 minute effort was a piece of cake. And not a very tasty cake.

For me, TrainerRoad absolutely kicks Zwift to the curb.

@Nate_Pearson, @chad, @Jonathan I’m sorry I walked out of the house. I’m back now.

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:rofl: :rofl:

yawn

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To be fair, aside from GCN, I really don’t think any of the youtube guys are compensated by zwift to advertise, I think they’re just enthusiasts, both Ray and Shane also use TR (and Shane participates here as well) and I find them to be super objective.

Personally, I kind of think the product comparison threads here have run their course and we really don’t need the constant cycling equivalent of mac vs PC debates

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YES YES YES. It’s a personal choice. Different platforms for a reason. Back to making us FASTER RIDERS and HAVING FUN DOING IT.

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I Zwift on my PC while TR runs on my phone doing my workouts. Doesn’t make me dizzy and certainly beats staring at a graph on the screen. Yeah, yeah I know you can watch videos etc with TR minimized. Zwift does take a bit of getting used to and just riding around aimlessly can get boring. Things get more interesting in group rides and events. I too originally tried Zwift when it was Jarvis Island and found it dead boring and gave up on it… Came back to it when they had more courses. I’ve now done 21.693 km on it.

What I’ve found is if you do a race on Zwift it’s easier to set PR’s than say free riding on TR. My best numbers have been done in Zwift races where I’ve pushed myself to the limit.

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Just dropped my TR subscription… riding in Watopia tonight. For someone that doesn’t have an “A” event and just rides because I like riding and want to train for health reasons and to go faster, the entertainment value of Zwift makes it easier for me to bear sitting in the 20 degree F garage until spring comes :man_shrugging:t4:

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So many Zwift shills it’d maddening!!!

I watched the VC/Cam Alpe du Zwift race on VC’s channel, the winner held 5.5W/kg with an HR of 160 for an hour, smoking the 4.5W/kg of a neo-pro from the UK. :roll_eyes:

Any way, I still like the Zwift races, even though I know winning them is BS because the platform is rife with cheaters and erroneous data (incorrect rider weight, smart trainers over-inflating power measurements) but the workout for ME, in a Zwift race still matches a A/B grade crit /road race ouput, and that is valuable.

I do hate how commercial the platform has become, but I get the corporate “grow at all costs” mentality but the shills are cringeworthy and annoying.

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Shills, or happy customers?

BTW, the Z groups toss out the same comments when us TR users share our positive experience on that side too.

My point being… don’t take positive comments as paid placement. There is a such an animal as a happy customer that is willing to share their thoughts and experience.

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I think GCN does get paid by Zwift

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Yes, they most certainly do.

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First part in regards to the watts per kilo thing, 4.5 watts per kilo is a strong effort for sure, but I wouldn’t say pro-ish level. Unless the guy wasn’t taking it super serious, that’s not a top level number. I got killed on a small group ride last weekend by my best friend who around 5.6 watt/kg at threshold, and not to backdoor brag but I’m no slouch at 4.6.

Know there’s cheaters on Zwift who mess with their weight and all but I guess you just kinda have to go with it.

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Imagine being paid for your work!

Seriously guys, don’t like Zwift, don’t use Zwift. Don’t watch YouTube vids about Zwift. And for goodness sake, stop talking about Zwift!

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Oh really?

Tbh, i’m of the thinking anything that gets more people cycling in general is a good thing.

Personally, I prefer TR over Zwift, but i have a subscription to both as I enjoy riding around in Zwift with TR running in the background. I can see the appeal of both.

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Classic phone typo. Meant no slouch, but I’m a cat 4. I wouldn’t consider myself getting to pro level.

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I joked with my teammates that on Zwift I weigh 72 pounds!!

Long time Zwift hater, recent Zwift user here.

Change in travel plans forced me to adjust my TR plan and back off intensity big time. Decided it was the perfect opportunity to confirm my dislike of Zwift…

While it’s not the training tool that TR is, I’m finding it good for aerobic workouts and the general, TSS based workouts I’m doing in January.

I haven’t raced, and I’m not interested in doing it, but I think the Zwift doping thing is overblown and rather humorous.

Cruising around comfortably at 220-250w today for 2-2.5hrs and maybe 6-8 riders passed me.

I dug for one climb and squeaked a KOM by doing right at 400w for 4min. Nothing earth shattering but I literally had people commenting on my unrealistic watt/kg…

Zwift is just another way to get the “miles” in when the weathers not cooperating. I wouldn’t say it’s better or worse than anything else. I’d imagine some folks would be better off cruising on Zwift than burying it on TR chasing unrealistic FTP goals and ramp testing three times a week;)

Do what works for you.

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I might give Zwift a try if they can figure out a way to fix the rampant cheating. Otherwise, what’s the point?

Register on Zwift power and ignore the official Zwift results. There’s always going to be cheaters, but they are often quickly DQ’d.

Last night did a race of 3 laps Richmord UCI, and got in the break with all really strong CEZAZ approved A riders. We were chased down by a solo B rider putting out an average of 5W/kg for the entire race of over 1hr who closed down a 2 min gap over two laps. He was not wearing a HRM. Guess what? Not registered on Zwiftpower, not included in the results.

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