Add an icon beside power-icon to show who has electronically controlled resistance

The Archives Archived: Feature Requests
1

For trainers that have electronically controlled resistance, it can sometimes be tough to keep up with people who only have “dumb” trainers or power meters on the downhill sections. It’d be helpful to have an additional icon beside the power-icon to denote those who have electronically controlled resistance. This would allow those users to anticipate power requirements on downhill sections or when cresting a hill, making drafting easier.

For instance, if I know someone else has a Kickr, as we crest the hill, I know their power output is going to drop too due to the decreasing resistance. On the other hand if someone has a “dumb” power meter, I might not be paying as much attention and lose the draft, which sucks when you’re working with someone and they zoom away down the hill. haha.

2

if you don’t see a icon like a lightning bolt next the the watts/kg, then you know they do not have a real power meter. i just wish we could filter those without a real meter out…

3

I know that, but there is a difference between a smart trainer like the Kickr and someone that just has a power meter or dumb trainer. The Kickr’s resistance falls off as you crest a hill and really drops when you go downhill. When riding with other people, this can make it hard to stay in their draft if you’re expecting their power to drop as well. So having an additional icon to denote a smart-trainer would be helpful so you can plan ahead.

4

I use a CompuTrainer, which simulates the resistance, and I can relate to feeling spun out on the downhill sections. I think a visual indicator is a stop-gap solution to the larger challenge of making a better simulation. In the real world I can draft behind someone downhill pretty easily where they are driving >300w and I’m putting in maybe 150-200w. I regularly get ridden off people’s wheel downhill in Zwift and this seems rather unnatural.

5

Is the CompuTrainer’s resistance controlled by Zwift?

6

The Comptrainer’s resistance is controlled by Zwift. There does not seem to be anything indicating that a rider is using a smart trainer like a Computeainer or Kicker, and not a power meter.