Zwift Mountain Biking and Steering

21

Yeah, in free rides and workouts, it would be handy if this allows direction selection. Relatively simple for the Left-Right options. A bit more tricky for the ones with 3 or more options, but I think it could be made quite functional.

22

I always seem to hit a 5% climb right when Iā€™m starting a rest interval or cool down and in no mood to mess around with the companion app. Just give me a 180 turn using the bars and Iā€™ll be happy :wink:

1 Like
23

Yeah, I hadnā€™t considered that, but a ā€œheld turnā€ should work for a U-turn as well. I hope they consider that too.

24

https://zwift.com/news/17853-futureworks-steering/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=btn&utm_campaign=zwift_all_steering_click

And here is my nasty looking steering block that took 15 minutes to bodge :stuck_out_tongue:

20190928_081653
20190928_0816532268Ɨ4032 3.42 MB

20190928_081704
20190928_0817044032Ɨ2268 3.65 MB

I will be trying pure steering input, pure lean input, and a combination tonight, to see which I like best.

It works fine from initial testing.

  1. I plan to add a friction damper to keep the swivel from being too active. Right now, it is very floppy now with the smooth bearings semi-strong centering springs, but lacks damping.

  2. I am also playing with geometry and wheel placement to get the zero shift like Shane showed. Inclined is one option, but you can also to it with proper pivot placement and a level rotation (at least based on my initial testing and geometry evaluation).

3 Likes
25

I know you said this in jest, but if Zwift could ever figure this out i think it takes eracing to a whole different level. It introduces pack movement and tactics that you simply canā€™t do today.

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26

At the very least, I expect that we will see ā€œlanesā€ in some Zwift events, that allow positioning on the road. Maybe 5 or so ā€œslotsā€ in the road so you can swap from one to another to deal with drafting (leading or following).

But maybe they will make it totally ā€œfreeā€ on the road?

I could see a case for either and testing of each would be interesting.

27

Is this not the route that CVRcade went down and failed to get right?

Personally, Iā€™m not really keen on the steering idea. Learning how to move about and use the draft in Zwift is already a skill that takes time to learn. Being able to do with with buttons or leaning is going change that, and I donā€™t think for the better.

28

I was just thinking the same thing. If you could really lean into a turn, that would be more realistic and might have value from a training perspective.

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29

I plan to test all manners of turning:

  • Lean only
  • Steer only
  • Lean & Steer the same direction
  • Lean & Steer the opposite direction (countersteering)

If the lean works, I might try on my motion rollersā€¦

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30

CVRcade is failing for a host of reasons.

  • Steering may be one of them, but itā€™s far from the only ā€œproblemā€ in that appā€¦
31

Has anybody tried steering while using a Kickr Climb?

32

I plan to this weekend (if not tonight).

33

I had a go earlier. Was a bit underwhelmed to be honest. I used a Tacx flow with a glass chopping board under the front wheel. It was ok for a bit of fun bu lt cant see it catching on.

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34

I did 4 laps on the course last night. Kickr17 trainer, my junk steering block and SBR ROCKR. I prefer to do ā€œfunā€ rides in the first person view (camera 3 on the PC).

  • Edit to add:
    • I am a long time car sim racer. Iā€™ve been into driving on a PC from 1994 thru 2008. I put great effort into improving my driving cockpit over time and trying to make it more realistic as a fake race car. I add that because I am more likely to get hooked by and into the type of experience this new feature. Baring crappy implementation (which is not the case) I was more than likely to enjoy the steering option.

  1. I had a question about if the normal seated rocking would influence steering. For narrow rocking, especially seated around 2-3*, I didnā€™t see any impact.

  2. When you lean a bit more, it definitely activated the turn function. I need to test more, but the sensitivity and turn amount may need adjustment for best clean control.

  3. I could definitely see the impact of standing rocking. I am likely around 4-5* lean per side for standing. It actually felt a bit realistic when rocking with that small weaving action.

  4. I struggled a bit with lean for the needed corrections if the lean was too much. Itā€™s harder to swap direction when compared to steering, which can be swapped more easily.

  5. I think something like the connected steer to lean function of the Inside Ride Floating Fork Stand may work really well for this use. I have an alternate variation of that idea I want to build and test.

I reduced the initial 50% sensitivity to about 25% for the first lap. I moved up a bit with each lap and did the 4th lap at about 40%. I got 9 stars twice (the first time wins you the MTB for your garage). I am struggling to nail the 3rd star (only got half ā€œOKā€ on it so far), and I will continue to hit it until I get the perfect 10 stars.

Overall, super fun. The feeling of working the turns, climbs and descents is a total blast. I am super excited to try with the Climb. I do expect the up/down transitions to lag a bit, but I think they will push the integration to a great level.

I ended up steering around other riders and runners, and along the trail to ā€œpick the right lineā€. Super involving and I had a massive grin on my face in each lap.

1 Like
35

I know itā€™s not for everyone. But during the hour I rode, I saw LOTS of positive comments in general. I saw more than a few ā€œI didnā€™t realize how much I would like this / how fun it would actually beā€ type of comments.

I donā€™t think they will push it into everyday use. But I think this will be expanded for some events in the future.

36

Yeh it made it very much more of a game so would be good to lose some time for a workout just not sure how well it would work on the rest of the Zwift world. I have my iPad mounted on my handlebars so turning the whole thing could have affected it as well.

1 Like
37

Ah, yeah. Something that large could alter the feel a bit.

My setup is a road bike with clip-on aero bars. I have a mini keyboard mounted right at the arm pads. And my old Galaxy S6 is mounted just ahead of the keyboard, strapped to the aero bars.

With this all on top of a very smooth bearing turntable, it flops a bit too easily. It wags around when I pedal sitting upright. I plan to add a damper to the rotation and keep it more in control.

But yeah, specific setup is likely to impact the feel a bit too.

38

Iā€™m sure some will really enjoy the new feature but for me, having to screw around with pretend turning is at least one reason why I never loaded CVRcade and donā€™t see it in my future. That said, riding in the pretend world of zwift ( or watching TR podcast, Netflix, or YouTube) while doing a TR workout does give me mental stimulation that helps to eat up the time.

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39

I think I wouldā€™ve liked if riders did not flow through others, but bump (or even fall), the steering would make a lot more sense then and add to the realism. Just imagine riding a single file or fighting for draft in the race, would be cool in my mind.

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40

Iā€™d love to see it go all the way. FutureWorks League thatā€™s focused on the gamification aspects. Think the lanes idea is amazing. Can be used to catch riders out whoā€™re sleeping and break away without needing as much power. Having to slow for corners and turn into them would be cool but not sure how you can implement the penalty of taking a bad corner without messing with the flow of the riders experience.

With just a few more controls the action could feel way more immersive. Problem is the community, theyā€™re pretty unimaginative and many really arenā€™t up for much thatā€™s new. Iā€™ve seen people have hissy fits about workout screen effects and putting in a long climb.

As long as new gameplay is touted as a optional then we can get the good stuff sneaked in the back door.

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