Rigged this up just to try steering. It was a hoot. The bars remain fixed and I steer by moving the phone.
Three rubber bands and a zip tie. Double a band around the top end of the phone. Attach side bands. Use a zip tie to take up slack around the phone and center it. The back end of the phone simply rests on the top of the stem. Steered with my figertips pushing/pulling the rubber bands. Or thumbs pushing left/right on back end of phone. (hint: use countersteering)
As you probably know: To get on the mtb track, select “Muir and the Mountain” route in Watopia. Ride south ~2.2 miles and select the grey ? right turn when it pops up. After a minute or two, it will ask if you want to try steering.
You need to be running the companion app, but after the turn onto the mtb course you’re given then option of using steering or not. I haven’t tried not steering but that would suggest you can continue the mtb course without steering.
ZWIFT says: “Choose to keep riding uninterrupted, or, if you’d like to test steering, select the steering option and…voila! You’re now in the Steering Test. Your avatar will switch bikes as you hit the trails.”
I do run across avatars out on the road courses drunkenly steering across the road, through barriers, into spectators, and back. I presume they were using steering on the mtb course, exited it, and continue to be able to steer…unless there is some other beta going on or something.
Because Zwift use the companion app on your handle bar to determine which direction you are turning. If you don’t have the companion app open then Zwift know you can’t steer so you can’t navigate the MTB course.
I have plenty of phone mounts. Are you using the bars to steer with that or just moving the phone. In my case, I’m just moving the phone and the bars remain fixed. That was my point in doing it. I can keep my front wheel in the block and there’s no need to rig up something to allow turning the bars.
Granted, if you dig this and want to do it regularly, being able to properly turn the bars would be way better.
OK. I just tried a couple of things. Bottom line: You can’t ride the mtb course without steering and you can only steer while on the mtb course.
Riding into the mtb course (Repack Ridge) the option comes up to try steering. If I select no, I get kicked back out onto Muir just past the RR turnoff. Did a U turn, rode about 1/3 miles, did another U and took RR turnoff again. This time I selected steering and rode the full course. At the end, it asked how I liked it, then put be back into no steering mode where I continued a short distance on the dirt then joined Muir.
This doesn’t explain the wandering steering avatars I’ve encountered out on the road courses.
But i will add there was a bug where if you are on the MTB course and you get the notice to join an event your bike will still be able to steer. There are a few youtube videos of people doing it.
You can use any device that can run the zwift game. But in addition to the game you have to have the companion app running. The companion app are available for android and Apple.
I wasn’t able to steer by pushing on the rubber bands so I used my thumbs on the phone. I was able to get it to work but it wasn’t fun—I quit before the end of the mountain bike trail and don’t feel a desire to do it again.
I like the idea of steering and need creative solutions like this one because I use a Wahoo Kickr Bike and the handlebars can’t move.
