New Zwift user here. About to give up on Zwift entirely…
Gear:
Tacx Neo 2T with latest firmware installed.
Zwift trial version running on iPad Pro iOS 13
Recumbent bike (old broken people ride bikes, too, dammit…)
Bike has Garmin cadence sensor installed.
Located in basement. No other devices (TV’s, other BT signals) running.
I work in the bike industry (mechanic/sales at independent LBS). I bought this stuff for my wife to ride so she could improve her fitness over the winter and we could do longer faster rides in the spring. She is not tech-savvy and I was hoping that Zwift would be the best solution. So far, that hasn’t been the case.
On startup, Zwift shows Tacx paired as controllable and power and Garrmin sensor paired as cadence. Starting a ride, the avatar either doesn’t move or moves extremely slowly. Cadence is displayed and seems appropriate. Speed is initially displayed but then drops to 0-3 mph after a couple minutes. Tacx utility shows all sensors and returns data that seems accurate. I’ve done all of the paring/unpairing/power cycling things but none have corrected the issue.
This is monstrously frustrating for her and she gives up. The game-like aspect of Zwift is one of the things I hoped would let her have enough fun to keep at it. So far, its actually made things worse for her. And me…
I submitted an email to Zwift support about this yesterday, but have not heard back yet. I really want this to work for us (and the customers we serve at the shop). Looking at this from a consumer standpoint, it just shouldn’t be this difficult…
The Tacx Neo does have a built-in cadence function, but no way it would work with a recumbent. Also, I don’t think the cadence is used by Zwift for any sort of forward movement of the avatar, it just makes the avatars legs move at roughly the same rate yours are moving IRL if you have one paired.
Very odd, though, that if the Tacx is paired as controllable and power that the avatar is not moving. Unless, of course, either very little power is being put out, or you’ve set your weight REALLY high. What sort of watts are being displayed on the screen? Is this really low, also? At 3mph, presuming you are on a flat stretch of road, I would guess the watts would be less than 50.
Can you post a photo of your pairing screen, as well as an in-game shot with a rider pedaling?
Zwift calculate speed based on the power value send from your Tacx Neo. Select a nice Flat route in Watopia and see what power numbers you get.
Try Tempus Fugit route in Watopia, it is nice and flat.
Did you input your weight in LB but zwift is in metric? That could make you go super slow.
Hiya @THE_Schrantz_s welcome to Zwift forums.
I looked at your session logs on our server, and notice that there are a few times when the Tacx connects and you’re able to ride, and then a lot more login attempts with no sensors paired.
I’d like to have you look through this other thread from the past few days from iPad users experiencing intermittent weird issues. They were able to resolve some issues, so it might be worthwhile to try what they did.
If you do uninstall & reinstall the Zwift app - when you start the app, you’ll be prompted to give the app permissions to different folders. During this phase - say yes to everything or the app may not be able to access some of the wireless hardware needed to run.
I have already done the uninstall/power cycle/reinstall on my iPad but will do it again. Note that the app has never crashed - it just doesn’t work. It simply doesn’t reflect what the rider is doing. I weigh 218 and have my ftp set at 100, (aging big guy recovering from spine injuries). At a 90 rpm cadence in a mid-range gear that’s 13-14 mph on flat ground on this bike. Zwift says 3 mph and essentially parks the avatar. I don’t know how/if Tacx computes or sends a speed signal. FWIW, the iPad is on a stand next to me, maybe 30” from the trainer. I still suspect the the trainer, but the data from the Tacx utility app looks ok, so that takes me back to a Zwift issue.
Some comments have essentially suggested that we’re not sufficiently fit to use Zwift. Apart from being offensively arrogant, if true it says something really unflattering about the product. And the commenters…
Zwift takes your watts, the weight entered, height entered, in-game bike used, in-game drafting (Tri and TT bikes get no drafting boost), in-game wheel set, in-game road surface, and in-game virtual elevation changes your in-game speed is determined.
The basement location might be an important clue. I’m not sure how good the WiFi signal is in your basement but a poor network connection might be throwing things off. Do you have a mesh network or WiFi repeater down there?
For shiggles, would you try setting up the trainer somewhere closer to your WiFi router? This would be the most straightforward way to check if this is worth further investigation.
Thanks for trying to help. I should’ve been more clear - the dismissive “you’re too fat, weak, and old” comments were offered elsewhere - not on this forum. My apologies. Sadly, ageism and body shaming are pretty common in much of the cycling world. I’ve received a lot of that and it pisses me off.
One of the promising things about tools like Zwift is their ability to help bring cycling to a larger, albeit recreational, audience.
I can’t move the trainer closer to the router due to house layout but the iPad and other devices show strong WiFi signal and function well in that location.
I’ll try again in a day or so - we’re traveling - and will try to get screenshots. Stay tuned.