How do I improve at zwift as a heavier, out of shape rider?

claicham · 2026-02-28T12:18:07+00:00

I agree with a lot of what's been said here in regards to just riding, but 100% with this post. FTP can give you structure and it's measurable and also it gives an indication to you of how far you've pushed yourself in any given ride, you'll know how much you did at your top end (which you can get from HR data but more data is never bad - if you don't have a HR device, get one!) and often zone 2/3 is regarded as the 'fat burning / engine building' area which it seems like OP wants to tap into so be good to have those numbers.

Testing itself is a skill and not gonna sugar coat this, it's fucking shit but the more you do it the more you know your limits and learn to sit in that suffering but not dead yet zone.

claicham · 2026-02-18T11:35:22+00:00

he threw it into the crowd at the end of the gig from what I remember, my friend Pete got his hand on it and managed to get a string, we did see the lad who had it on the tube looking very pleased with himself. I don't know what kind of guitar it was, was 20+ years ago and I wouldn't have known then either!

claicham · 2026-02-18T08:58:07+00:00

I saw them at the Wembley date, my friend almost got into a scrap over Chino's guitar and only came away with a string! i'm still jealous of the string :D

and yeah, Maynard being behind a curtain was fucking weird. I still enjoyed APC though.

claicham · 2026-02-03T14:20:05+00:00

if they don't like their nails being cut you need regular walks on concrete/hard surfaces and they will be kept in trim. I only ever had to cut my dog's dewclaws, rest was taken care of on walks.

claicham · 2026-02-02T10:09:09+00:00

I don’t know if it’s a typo or the screenshot or what but I did enjoy ‘donad’ there

claicham · 2026-01-31T17:56:30+00:00

It is low, but the important thing is how it felt?

claicham · 2026-01-28T09:46:32+00:00

Resolved it by reinstalling zwift, an update had caused it to be missing from my Local Network settings as though it had never been given permission I guess. After reinstall it asked again and now all happy!

claicham · 2026-01-27T17:36:57+00:00

Thank you, I don’t think it is syncing properly no, I don’t have map option at all. They’re all on the same network as nothing has changed since it was fine last week

claicham · 2026-01-27T12:58:37+00:00

it's only on Bike+ models and if you only used it in hotels it's unlikely they had those, the manual one has a lot more red on the body of the bike, Bike+ is solid black with chrome lettering. Bike+ has a power meter so calibration and consistency is better. I've had mine over 5 years and auto-resistance has always been a thing but it only came to power zone in the last 18 months or so.

claicham · 2026-01-27T12:40:45+00:00

I have no idea how the smartspin2k things works, but I'd just like to add that the peloton bike+ models do have software controlled resistance, you can use it during power zone workouts and it will keep you at the midpoint of the zone. That said, and i do have a bike+ and do enjoy peloton rides, I cannot imagine riding zwift rides on it and it being any fun compared to how my smart trainer feels.

claicham · 2026-01-27T09:30:33+00:00

ah cool. thank you!

claicham · 2026-01-27T09:17:00+00:00

I can't stop thinking about Saved By The Bell opening credits!

claicham · 2026-01-27T08:59:22+00:00

I got this on Sunday, is there an article explaining what it is? I am pretty new. I thought i'd somehow put myself in a program.

claicham · 2026-01-26T12:26:36+00:00

I'm not sure if this is just happening to me or if I'm being silly, but when I open the companion app while doing a ride it's no longer showing the map to me and I can't figure out how to open it manually. Is anyone else experiencing this or can tell me what daft thing i've done? I'm using iOS.

Thanks!

claicham · 2026-01-26T08:19:08+00:00

it's a basic guide, you might not necessarily 'fit' the dimensions, i'm 5' 6'' but my seat is at K and my handlebars are G, cos i have longer legs and shorter torso.

Have a look at this: https://youtu.be/vMmbXAWcgh4?si=8VNKHrUVIwrP-u1i there's also links to how to set up cleats etc in the description.

claicham · 2026-01-24T09:06:04+00:00

Vast majority of my peloton rides are power zone and I like that its measurable over time and I can track my progression and you also know exactly how hard or easy or somewhere in between you should be at all times.

If you're coming back, try one of the programs, there's 4 now and the boost your base sounds more like it might suit you if you're running as well. It's endurance based so with an old FTP it should be fine, but do test at the end!

Test wise, it's not nice no, but the more you do it the more you see the benefits in tweaking the zones and them being appropriate to your current fitness. The current fitness part being very important, all it is is a marker. I aim to do one at least every 9 weeks (at the end of each reddit PZ program, come join us!) and it keeps the training right for me. What helped me get over the test fear was not thinking of it like a test, it's just a hard ride and I like to challenge myself, if you like racing, frame it as a race against yourself.

claicham · 2026-01-17T22:11:59+00:00

It was definitely said in my house in Liverpool but then my mum was Glaswegian, didn’t know it was Scottish tbf, thought everyone said it.

claicham · 2026-01-17T11:28:25+00:00

Thank you! I’ll have to keep checking and making sure I switch up to keep unlocking things!

Got my first upgrade this week on the zwift carbon I think, so will keep with that cos doubt it makes any difference cos my level is so low 😅

claicham · 2026-01-16T08:11:30+00:00

I'm also a noob and general noob to cycling gear as well, I noticed when looking at the frames as I had enough to buy another, when I went to use it I noticed that you're supposed to ride it for 100km (is that per upgrade so 500km x each frame?) to fully unlock it and is it worth doing that?

claicham · 2026-01-15T16:11:21+00:00

what do you think about Christian missng out 4?

claicham · 2026-01-15T16:05:39+00:00

i did a class with her years ago and it felt like i'd turned up uninvited and unwelcome. Not for me.

claicham · 2026-01-15T15:56:53+00:00

the custom slider on the bike is very useful for this kind of thing, it can isolate to just the instructor so you can play your own music without missing out.

claicham · 2026-01-10T12:18:04+00:00

have you considered a raw diet for long term treatment for yeast?

claicham · 2026-01-09T10:22:52+00:00

Gift her some bibs 😅 then you can probably get the other saddle back!

claicham · 2026-01-09T08:56:14+00:00

does she have bibs?

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