Darryl Gunson

Another good ride today. First outing on new ‘smart trainer’. So far so good. Alan, at least you’ve got your priorities in order.

I’m currently riding a dumb trainer but with a power meter. You still have to pedal hard. The main difference will be in feel when your trainer resistance kicks in and you have to change gear. I don’t have to change gear, but, of course, the avatar still slows down when the route goes uphill.

Nice to see y’all. Thanks again Iain. Have a nice weekend everyone.

Thanks Iain. Without the sticky we all know what happens. Tonight was fun but just like last night - may be even a bit harder, and twice as long. Cheers

Thanks for hosting Michael. That was bloody hard. Finished with Ritchie, Andy G, and one other. Fan being delivered tomorrow so hopefully slightly cooler next time. Cheers

Impressive 😳

Rev up? Not sure what that means, Alan. I’m not overly fussed if I get dropped. As for drafting, I’m not really sure either. I know you can get a drafting ‘power up’ but that is only temporary. I’ll watch out for you.

No idea Alan, but I’ll be there. My plan is to get to the start early having already warmed up for 30 mins. Don’t know many of this bunch now anyway but hopefully I’ll be able to find a friendly wheel. Maybe it’ll be yours😀

I was with the group right up until the hour. After that I pedalled on to the top. Think I waved at you, Eric. 👋

That was fun. Power meter malfunctioned on the early slopes. OK later. Must get a fan though. Thanks guys and gals.

Thanks Iain, and all. Still haven’t really got a clue with this yet. Power kept dropping and lagging, cadence conked out and riders seemed to pop up our of nowhere! Good fun though. Well done all😀

I was speaking about your own wattage dear boy 😄

I’ve no idea what I’m doing on Zwift, but 300+ watts sounds pretty good. I suppose you now have to ‘lose’ some weight 😅😅

Enjoyed that until power started failing to register. Continued ride on heart beat until power kicked back in. By that point the bunch was well up the road.

Hope to be ‘there’.

Thanks Roberto. Good to see you virtually in the bunch the other day.

Thanks Iain. Very informative and interesting. I suppose for me it felt like a bit of a shock the way it kicked off, and, as you say, there aren’t any micro rests etc. A good warmup would seem to be a good idea. See you virtually next time.

Well, that was fun. First Zwift ride done. I have to admit I hadn’t a clue what I was doing! It seemed a bit quick to me- is that the normal pace for the social ride? My 60 min power was over 240 watts (whatever that means 🤪). Also, I didn’t notice any effect drafting or downhill. I presume this is only with a smart trainer. First impressions are that it’s fun, but I need to get the hang of it. At least in real bunch you can sit in if someone is smashing it! When’s the next one😅

Sounds great Iain. Hopefully I’ll make it. Don’t wait if I’m not there 😁

Alan - thanks for the newbie perspective. I feel more confident about embracing Zwift now. Paul- as ever very useful info Mark - Cheers! Billy - that’s great. Look forwards to exploring these. And thanks for the power meter! ALL- I have decided to (initially) go down the power meter and turbo route. At least until I get the hang of it. Billy has kindly offered a loan of a stages crank power meter. If that works out, I may commit to buying one (stages or 4iiii). After that, who knows? We may be doing this for some time and, given all the cancelled holidays, a more extravagant setup might well be justified. No doubt I’ll be back here with more questions for you - it gets harder embracing new tech as you get older 😀

Thanks Alan. So, you down load the APP to smart tv, laptop, iPad or whatever and this, with suitable connection (Bluetooth, ANT +) will then read your power data and use it to propel your avatar. Is that about it or am I missing something? ill have to watch out for those tricky corners 😂

Thanks Mark - longtime no see. That set up looks great. Paul, thanks. Another possibility! Certainly looks the cheapest option. I will ponder this weekend. cheers

Ta, Iain. They both look good.

Thanks Ian and Dave for the replies. So it looks like I just need to get a smart trainer. I am not in the market for the top models @ £1000, but something lower down the range @ ~ £600. Any recommendations? cheers Darryl

Looking to get set up for Zwift. I’ve been on their website, but I would appreciate any tips and/or insight from people who have actually used it. - what’s the easiest way to set up - smart trainers - recommends - is a regular laptop enough or will I need something else such as an iPad? TIA Darryl