Bikeerg & Zwift

[khanj1z]

Hi,

Can anyone who uses Zwift with their Bikeerg share their experience of it. Does it work well?

[Slothful1]

Zwift was one of the main reasons I bought a BikeErg as soon as they became available in my country. I signed up in August 2018, and have used it regularly since then.

The only minor issue is that it isn't a smart trainer, so you don't get resistance changes when you hit hills in Zwift. Some people might adjust the damper to add that heavier feeling, but I'm lazy and just grind through the Zwift ups and downs with the same cadence (but the virtual speed will obviously vary semi-realistically in game).

It's been a great motivator for me, and I doubt I would have done 4 hour sessions without it. The added bonus of using a BikeErg is that the metres get logged in the Concept2 logbook, so can contribute towards team challenges (but scaled down 50% relative to rowing metres for those challenges).

It's worth giving it a 1 month trial if you can't decide after the initial free trial expires.

Dave

[djsquared]

Hey there, just chiming in because I recently (25th August) received my BikeErg and have used it almost exclusively with Zwift. The experience has been great. As Dave noted, the erg doesn't change resistance automatically on hills, but the in-game avatar will slow down accordingly, so if you want to keep up the pace you will have to pedal faster and/or change damper settings. It's a bit like reaching for a downtube friction shifter on an old steel bike

I am very glad I went with the C2 BikeErg for Zwift instead of a bike+smart trainer option, because my wife and friends can use the Erg without having to bring their own bike. Plus, it can connect to other apps like The Sufferfest, Peloton, etc.

Also, I use a Garmin Fenix 6 watch to track activities, and the BikeErg connects power, speed, and cadence to the watch so I get great data in the Garmin Connect app. I updated to the newest beta firmware on the advice of a Concept2 developer, and the connection is easy and solid.

[djsquared]

Coming back to this post for any newer readers.

I ride the BikeErg and use Zwift almost exclusively. I follow workouts and training plan that call for different power outputs at various times during a ride. I have not yet felt it to be burdensome to adjust the damper during a ride. I kind of "hacked" my damper by using a white paint pen to enhance the visibility of the damper numbers, and I also added lines and dots (as halfway hash marks) to the top of the flywheel. (see attached pic--I verified the marks using the PM5 calibration) I can usually figure out pretty quickly what damper setting corresponds to a specific power output at a particular cadence. For example, if I will a sprint workout that has me putting out intervals of 400 watts for 30 seconds followed by 2 minutes of 175 watt rest, I can figure out that at a cadence of 90 rpm, a damper setting of 4.5 will achieve 400 watts, and a damper setting of 2 will give me 175 watts. (These are just examples, I can't recall exact damper numbers off the top of my head). It may take some fine-tuning, but once the first interval is done, I can remember those settings and quickly reach down to make the adjustment about 3-5 seconds before the next interval begins (it takes about 3-5 seconds for Zwift to recognize a change in output). Overall, it's about as quick as shifting gears on an outdoor bike, and I find it totally workable.

[Burko]

Coming back to this post for any newer readers.

I ride the BikeErg and use Zwift almost exclusively. I follow workouts and training plan that call for different power outputs at various times during a ride. I have not yet felt it to be burdensome to adjust the damper during a ride. I kind of "hacked" my damper by using a white paint pen to enhance the visibility of the damper numbers, and I also added lines and dots (as halfway hash marks) to the top of the flywheel. (see attached pic--I verified the marks using the PM5 calibration) I can usually figure out pretty quickly what damper setting corresponds to a specific power output at a particular cadence. For example, if I will a sprint workout that has me putting out intervals of 400 watts for 30 seconds followed by 2 minutes of 175 watt rest, I can figure out that at a cadence of 90 rpm, a damper setting of 4.5 will achieve 400 watts, and a damper setting of 2 will give me 175 watts. (These are just examples, I can't recall exact damper numbers off the top of my head). It may take some fine-tuning, but once the first interval is done, I can remember those settings and quickly reach down to make the adjustment about 3-5 seconds before the next interval begins (it takes about 3-5 seconds for Zwift to recognize a change in output). Overall, it's about as quick as shifting gears on an outdoor bike, and I find it totally workable.

I've just started with Zwift and it really is far too concerned with cadence it seems.

It asks me to spin 70 watts at 85rpm, even at the lowest damper setting I'm well above 70 watts - It fails the workout section because I'm holding 90 odd watts as I physically can't reduce power any more.

[djsquared]

It asks me to spin 70 watts at 85rpm, even at the lowest damper setting I'm well above 70 watts - It fails the workout section because I'm holding 90 odd watts as I physically can't reduce power any more.

Yes, the BikeErg is a little limited in its lowest “gears” compared to a smart trainer, this will likely be fixed as your FTP increases. Have you done a FTP test? I would guess yours is somewhat on the low side if Zwift is having you output 70 watts at 85 rpm. As your FTP increases, the workout will adjust accordingly and you should be back on track.

[Burko]

It asks me to spin 70 watts at 85rpm, even at the lowest damper setting I'm well above 70 watts - It fails the workout section because I'm holding 90 odd watts as I physically can't reduce power any more.

Yes, the BikeErg is a little limited in its lowest “gears” compared to a smart trainer, this will likely be fixed as your FTP increases. Have you done a FTP test? I would guess yours is somewhat on the low side if Zwift is having you output 70 watts at 85 rpm. As your FTP increases, the workout will adjust accordingly and you should be back on track.

My FTP is an abysmal 142 from the quick Zwift ramp test, so yes, it's asking me to pedal with almost zero effort at 85 rpm.

I've never cycled for fitness before so I've jumped on a 4 week FTP booster on Zwift and I'll just see where i land after that.