Newbie Trav needs help

General Discussion
1

Hi everyone

I need some help and I am new to Zwift and really enjoying it. My mileage and speed in Zwift vary to that if my Garmin 920xt?

Also how does Zwift work out your watts if you don’t have a power meter ( I have the Garmin cadence and speed sensor 2). I also cannnot get my Garmin 920xt hr monitor chest strap to sync with Zwift? I use Zwift on my phone.

Thank you for your help. Also how are people able to text messages to other riders while riding and how are they doing it as I don’t see a space.

Trav

2

Hello @Travers_Clouston, welcome to Zwift.

Zwift and your Garmin bike computer will never match up, the Garmin doesn’t know what is happening in the virtual world like hills, powerups, drafting, etc. It only knows the speed of your rear wheel and converts that to distance as if on a flat road.

If you dont have a power meter or smart trainer then Zwift estimates your power based on the trainer you are using. They have power curves for a selected number of supported trainers, hopefully you have one that is supported.

Most people probably use the companion app to message people, but if you are using your phone to run Zwift then this isn’t an option for you (unless you have a 2nd phone or old one lying around). You should be able to swipe up from the bottom of your screen to get access to camera angles and other items where you will find a messaging icon.

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I also had Trouble connecting Garmin equipment. I think zwift require ant+. Ended up buying a wahoo tickr hr chest strap. Worked straight away.

4

Zwift doesnt require ANT+, this is all dependent on the device you use to run Zwift. Most Garmin products are only ANT+, I’m pretty sure they invented it.

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5

3rd times a charm (should I make this a sticky?):

Zwift takes the wheel speed broadcast by your speed sensor and the power curve of the trainer you select on the Pairing Screen and converts that to virtual watts. With those 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.

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6

I stand corrected then :joy:
I run it on iPad :man_shrugging:

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Yes, make this sticky! I’m going to copy and paste it somewhere so I can use it in the future.

Thanks @Paul_Allen!

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I have had to post it so much over the years (it has been edited) that I just saved it to a Word Doc.

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Thank you so much and thanks makes total sense. I am not sure when I first signed up if I chose the right trainer and I cannot find where I could see what trainer I chose and if I need to change it?

Thank you again

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unpair your sensors and then re-pair them, it will let you choose again.

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