Subject says it all - I’ve been a Zwifter for a couple months with the Zwift Hub and the Shift-Click bluetooth shifter. That shifter for me has been quite problematic.
Difficulty with the original pairing (tried 3 different computers) - and got a replacement unit from Zwift - but still have the same issues.
When the shift-click IS working/paired, it STILL misses maybe 5-10% of shifts - which is WAY too much.
Sometimes it doesn’t work AT ALL, leaving me stranded on a hill in a high gear or trying to peddle 120 rpm down a hill.
VERY frustrating.
And again, I’ve tried 3 different good/fast computers/notebooks (Windows 11), a couple different bluetooth dongles, moved locations in the house - nothing helped.
Anyway, adding virtual shifting buttons to the Companion screen would solve those issues - perhaps also adding virtual shifting to a computer keyboard for the folks who have a notebook computer right in front of them.
While this does not help you, I have had the Zwift Hub One and Click since the second day they were released and my Click has missed exactly 0% of shifts. So my experience is that the hardware works flawlessly. I’m not sure if your set up has Bluetooth issues. There are great Zwift Insider articles that address that topic you may want to read.
Thanks Mark - like I said I have tried several hardware/computer variations, even in different houses/locations - and shifting never works reliably. I mean sometimes I’ll go for days with great shifts - and then BAM, quite unreliable - and all without anything else changing. It’s either that or I have TWO bad shift-clicks?
That said I will look for those articles.
And anyway, there sure doesn’t seem to be a reason not to add a SHIFT button/widget to Companion.
It would at very least provide a way to enjoy riding while dealing with any faulty virtual shifter, or even a dead battery. The way virtual shifting has been implemented is guaranteed to result in some bad rides sometimes.
Hey @William_Salopek, thanks for the input! I’m Norman from Zwift. That’s true wouldn’t harm to add it, when I’m riding sometimes I feel like it’d make sense to have Virtual Shifting available through the Companion App.
But I also feel comfortable shifting with the Zwift Play! Very responsive for me so far, so if you own one you can give it a shot. In any case, we take every bit of feedback seriously so if you have any other ideas, we appreciate them!
Could even be a depleted battery with nothing wrong with the shifter at all. That would still be a disaster in a race or other situation where you can’t stop and get off the bike to deal with it.
Having this system depend on an unreliable cheap plastic shifter has me at the end of my rope. I’m about to sell the trainer and cancel my subscription over this.
I’ve been battling this since day one. Just put the shifter on the companion please.
I can get dropped without the assistance of system failures. I don’t need any help from poor hardware.
I am currently running this through an Apple TV. The shifter fails when synced through phone or synced via Bluetooth to the trainer. If you check signal strength it is all over the map at any given time. A new battery does not help. This is easily solved with shifting on the companion app.
One thing to try in the meantime is mounting the shift-click on a very stiff surface, so that the rubber straps aren’t able to deform the shift-click’s case (by pulling it tightly around a handlebar) - it seems that even a very slight deformation of the case has resulted in shifting problems.
But yes - I agree - please add shifting to the companion app. Good grief how hard can that be!
It would at very least provide a way to enjoy riding while dealing with any faulty virtual shifter, or even a dead battery. The way virtual shifting has been implemented is guaranteed to result in some bad rides sometimes.