Someone commented the other day about the Next Up suggestion they got when they logged in.

Here's mine on Thursday. I rode easy on Monday and have been sick ever since and not ridden. I don't know what they are looking at to make these suggestions.

I’m relatively new to Zwift, currently Level 17 and racing in Cat D. I’ve managed to win two races already without buying any bike or wheel upgrades. I’ve also accumulated 1,413,584 Drops and haven’t spent a single one yet!
I’ve been thinking about what kind of rider I want to develop into and how best to spend those Drops.

My main interest is hill-climb racing, but I also have pretty good endurance. I’ve found that I can sustain longer efforts and still have bursts of power left towards the finish. So while climbing is what I particularly enjoy, I don’t necessarily see myself as someone who only wants to race mountains.

Even on a longer, mixed-terrain race, my strategy was to conserve energy on the flats, use the draft where possible, and attack on the climbs to try to drop other riders. Ideally, I’d have enough left in the tank to put in another hard effort towards the finish.

That’s why I’ve decided against buying the Canyon Aeroad, despite it being such a popular recommendation.

Instead, I’m working towards unlocking the Trek Émonda through the Everest Challenge. Once I’ve got it, I want to focus on riding it enough to unlock and purchase all five upgrade stages, gradually turning it into a dedicated climbing machine. After that, I’ll probably wait until Level 30–40+ before investing in another, potentially better climbing frame.

I might eventually buy a TT bike, as I’d like to experiment with individual time trials, but otherwise I’m not particularly interested in collecting lots of different road bikes. I’d rather specialise in climbing and use the same lightweight bike for most of my riding, including endurance races where I can draft on the flats.

I understand that an aero bike will probably be faster overall on certain mixed routes, but I’m more interested in developing my strengths as a climber than optimising every possible race.

Curious what more experienced Zwifters think:
Is specialising in a climbing bike a reasonable strategy for mixed-terrain racing, particularly in Cat D?
How much of a disadvantage would I realistically face on the flats if I’m drafting on a lightweight climbing bike?
Has anyone else deliberately avoided the Aeroad in favour of specialising in climbing?
Is the fully upgraded Émonda worth keeping long-term, or would you eventually move to something like the Aethos?

Basically the title.

I’m new to indoor riding (3-4 days now) and I’ve noticed I sweat a lot. I open windows when I ride and I’ve ordered a fan they will arrive in a couple of days.

But there is of course a risk of mold when you sweat a lot and breathe a lot. Anything you’ve noticed?

Thanks a lot. Great community!

I put my kickr core 2 on a piece of plywood instead of directly on the carpet. Since I’ve made this change when I get out of the saddle and sprint, I come very close to tipping over. Would it actually be better to just leave it on the carpet, or order those feet with the tennis balls? A rocker board is out of the question for me. Any tips?

Hey all!

I’m currently setup on a Garmin Tacx with my triathlon bike for the winter. I usually ride against my Garmin watch, which manages intervals.

That said, I’m not the only rider in the house. I’m thinking about picking up a zwift ride for its adjustability, but I’m concerned that I might be missing some gotcha with the zwift hub.

Will I be able to continue using the Garmin with the zwift ride? Or should I ditch the setup and pickup a bikeerg?

Thanks,
Confused and bewildered

As title suggests. Rouvy just posted a deal this weekend for Zwift ride V2 for 999€ + shipping. Is it worth to get it right away or are better deals expected this black friday? I already have an indoor spinning bike (non-smart) so I can wait a bit more if it’s worth it.

Thank you!

Do you have a pre-ride ritual or routine? What is it? Personally I just hop on the bike and start pedaling regardless of what type of ride I’m doing.

Hey, I’m new to zwift and today I did my first ride. I just want to knew if this sound right to you guys ( i am aiming the ticking noise). I set it all up as is supposed to be I guess. Thx for feed back.

Just got things set up and did my first ride, and was dissapointed at how rumbly the machine is when pedaling. Coming from an old school heavy flywheel spin bike with rubber belt which was smooth as butter, so I'm a bit disappointed.

Is this how they all are?

Ive been riding my zwift and road bike for about two years now. I started out ad 212 ftp and peaked at 250. I never really had a dedicated structure since i also do running and calisthenics. My run is strong (been running for quite some years) but that doesnt seem translate to my ftp. Ive done ftp builder program but mainly just do daily 1hr zone 2 workout trying to stay around 130bpm max on zwift. Have 1 long ride >2hr outdoor where i sprinkle in threshold (160-170bpm)parts between steady riding. I am not seeing any progress. In my running where i do the same structure i keep improving. So what am i getting wrong with cycling?

I'm looking to get into indoor cycling and I'm currently trying to figure out which platform would be the better choice to start with.

Zwift looks fun with its virtual worlds, races and group rides, while ROUVY seems interesting because you can ride real roads from all over the world.

For those of you who've tried either or both:

• Which one keeps you motivated to ride regularly?
• Which one is better for someone just starting out?
• Is one worth paying for more than the other?

I'd love to hear your honest experiences before deciding which setup to go for. What would you recommend to a beginner?

Hello to All.

Here we go.

I received today my first home trainer.

(with accessories carpet and tablet holder).

Looking forward to cycle it.

Bye

So I did my first official Zwift race today, and man, I got humbled pretty quickly lol.

I’m around 272 lbs right now, down from 415, and I’ve really gotten into cycling over the past several months. I’m trying to get better at racing and eventually work my way up to Cat D.

The race was Downtown Eruption, about 12.5 miles with 900 feet of climbing. I finished 19th out of 23, just under 50 minutes.

At the beginning, I actually felt pretty good. I went out hard expecting everyone to take off, but once things settled down, I found a group I could hang with and started drafting. Made it through the first smaller climb without too much trouble.
Then we got to Volcano. 😂

I was sitting around 200 watts, which is already pretty close to my FTP of 212. I was trying to stay on someone’s wheel, but once the climb started getting harder, guys started passing me and pulling away.

And this is where I think I messed up.

Instead of just riding my own pace, I kept trying to increase my watts to stay with them because I didn’t want to get dropped and end up riding by myself. Eventually, my heart rate was sitting around 175, my legs got extremely heavy, and I just couldn’t keep pushing those higher watts.

I managed to average 200 watts for the 15-minute Volcano climb, but I was pretty cooked afterward. Then I still had the final climb to deal with.

I guess my biggest question for you more experienced racers is, what are you supposed to do in that situation?

As a heavier rider, I already know I’m at a disadvantage on climbs, but I also know drafting and staying with a group are important.

Do you just accept getting dropped and ride your own watts up the hill, hoping to catch someone on the descent? Or is it worth digging deep to try to hold that wheel?

I’m currently cycling around 6–7 hours a week, mostly Zone 2, lifting four days a week, and planning to race once a week. I’m also still losing weight, so I know that’ll help my W/kg over time.

But I genuinely want to become a stronger cyclist, not just a lighter one.

Would you guys stick with mostly Zone 2 and weekly racing, or would you recommend adding some threshold or over-under workouts to improve my ability to hold higher power and recover from those hard efforts?

I’m still pretty new to racing, so any advice from you guys would be appreciated. Especially any other Clydesdale riders who have figured out how to survive climbing against the lighter guys lol.

Hello, I have been using Zwift for several years now and at times I’d have a minor connection issue, but nothing that couldn’t be solved. Starting this month, I am all of a sudden having connection issues that is not allowing me to use Zwift.

My Zwift Hub, Zwift Ride are connected, and have signal. It shows me on my computer screen that they are connected. Along with my Wahoo heart monitor and the companion app. Everything is showing connection. However, when I go to ride, I pedal and pedal, and my avatar doesn’t move, and nothing is being generated. I contacted Zwift and the first email was unplug and plug back in and don’t use Bluetooth headphones because they can be a major disruption. Fine. Did that, still no luck. Their second response from the AI email stated they will have someone look further into this.

Anyone here have this issue before? If so what did you do to correct it?