Dear Zwift community and maybe Zwift support.
I am riding on a 2year old Elite Direto since a month. I pair to Zwift via Bluetooth on an Apple iPad Pro.
Just before the Direto I tested a Kickr 2016 and was really happy with both trainer and Zwift. FTP was estimated to be around 270, and workouts with this level worked well.
I could not keep he Kickr so I changed to the Direto. First thing I noticed is what other people have observed as well: When going towards a mountain, the resistance regulation over-shoots at the first 1-2 sec, and then under-shoots before regulating into normal resistance. The reported wattage is “correct” with a delay. Meaning the first 2 sec I am actually at low wattage while feeling a lot resistance, the next 2 sec I free-spin while wattage goes through the roof.
This is not feeling well, but I can live with it. During a group ride I got always dropped at the beginning of incline (or incline changes) but overtake everybody just 2 sec after. This is obviously a communication delay PLUS a misregulated resistance from the trainer.
In Erg mode during workouts all is fine. And I do not have the problem of other users that there is NO Resistance with Direto.
BUT now I wanted to make a new FTP test.
While in the beginning of the workout until the FTP section all is fine, during the FTP test, there is an annoying bug.
The FTP session should be without resistance changes, thus without Erg mode. Yet while I pedal smoothly, there is a constant small change in resistance. It is 1-2sec just a bit up, then 1-2sec just a bit down and so on. That is very frustrating during a test. I ride on what I think I can hold for 20min, then the resistance (on same rhythm) drives me over that, giving me pain in my legs. Next is it goes down and my legs get a rest while I do not achieve my threshold value. And so on… I had to stop the test because I cannot hold this for more than 5min…
So I went switched off the trainer, on again, paired new, calibrated both in Zwift and in myETraining app from Elite. I also tried changing the “power smoothening” between 5 and 1. Nothing helped
I then went back to Zwift and switched off the “steerable trainer” to drive it as “dumb trainer” and regulate watts myself.
Strange thing: It happened again! Even in a block before where I should hold wattage for 2min over my FTP, there was a constant change in resistance.
I could see that on the wattage output as well…
Any tipps on what I could try?
Thanks!