Pack Dynamics 3.0 Update [November 2021]

I’ve found it’s actually even more distracting in a solo ride. See the below screenshots all within a couple of seconds of one another. Again, riding in a straight line.



It’s as though the front wheel of the bike is locked in position and the rear end waves about from left to right, like a rudder. All whilst going dead ahead, making it feel like a drift/slide.

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I’ve found myself leaning left/right occasionally when I see that. A few corners around the place also exaggerate this.

I rode an event on the Bologna course last night, I was sent massively left through the wall on the climb at one point and then a bit further along the course another rider sent me through the armourco into the grass.

As a non steering user it was more disconcerting than riding at 45° to the road on a slight bend.

PD3 needs a lot of work on Bologna :wink:


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new roads!

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UPDATE December 16 2021

Following up with the KICKR Bike owners in this thread - game v 1.20.0 released today, and there are two bugfixes just for you.

Would you verify those are cleared up for you?

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Sorry, but the update didn’t help. When i am connected with Bluetooth without steering on, i will be pushed out to the edge. The only chance to get back inside the group, of there comes a curve and the avatar goes to the inside of the curve.
Still the only way to get rid of the bug is to connect with Ant+.
Please Zwift, you can do a better job!

KICKR bike user here. Did the new 1.20.0 Zwift update on 12/17. Got on Zwift on 12/18 and turned steering “off” while on the log-in screen. Entered the Uber Pretzel group ride and noticed that my steering icon was “on” after the event had started. I was NOT able to steer during the event, and my avatar was mostly pushed to the side of the groups and I was frequently seeing the “close the gap” command on the screen even while at the edge of the rider groups, so I don’t think I was benefitting optimally from the draft. Also, my avatar would automatically take the racing line through corners (which was a different line from others around me), which gave me about 0.4 miles less than the others riders at the end of the event. So, the steering and pack dynamics is still not figured out.

I haven’t found steering at all useful yet, and conversely, it seems like a liability thus far in rides and races. It would be nice to have the ability to turn it off or on via the Companion App or via the Apple TV after I’ve started riding - as sometimes I inadvertently start an event with steering on - or the steering automatically switches on in events where steering is allowed. (I use an Apple TV and my Wahoo Kicker bike has the latest update).

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Personally I find steering a nuisance. I connect via ant+ so I don’t have the problems others are facing.

I also find the ant+ connection more dependable too.

I also hate having to push way more power than others downhill in a group even while on a normal bike. I have S5 2020 IRL (Team Sunweb) and going downhill following bigger riders I have no problems staying with them. If anything, I catch them easily despite my light weight so I either have to back off a bit, give them a gap or go ahead otherwise I have to use the brakes all the time.

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Yup, that’s what I’ve been seeing. That’s obviously an extreme example but it happens all the time to varying degrees and can’t be unseen.

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There’s always been a risk but yesterday a lot of TTT teams lost riders out of the draft on the Bologna descent. Especially near the bottom where speeds routinely reach 100kph it seems there is nothing you can do but hope.

Maybe if all riders pedalled with no supertucking, the slower speed would be less risky - and might only cost a few seconds?

It’s really tough waiting for a dropped teammate as the road continues to drop at about -1% for another km even when you think it’s “flat”.

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While the Knickerbocker course for the 2022 esports route doesn’t have as steep or long a descent as Bologna, I seem to recall it does have a fairly steep descent. It might get interesting if someone gets dropped there through no fault of their own.

Well all was good until last night. I experienced the Weird positioning Dynamics. TTT in Bologna. 5 of us left the pen. I would sit just to the right most of the time of the line. No matter what position, 2, 3, 4 or 5 I was off to the right until a bend in the road then I would center and then move to left. Then I would drift back to center in a few seconds and then slip out the right side. The only time I could effectively be centered was on the front. Most of the time on the from I was still slightly off center but not as much from everyone behind me. It was more like I was the lead Goose flying in formation with only one side of the V behind me. Then this morning I went to Neyokyo and I was off to the right as well. At every intersection I would move to lets call it position 5. Far left is 1 far right is 6. I would click left 2 or 3 times to get centered on the road. Then since it is Neo the intersections are often. and at the next one I was back in slot 5, click left twice to get in draft. I then quit. relaunched tried a meetup with a friend in neo and the same thing. I was off to the right on most. And if I passed a bunch of people and it needed to move me from 3 to 4m then to 5 I would not fade back to 4 then 3 when passing I would say in lane 5. All of these rides had Steering on and I could steer. But this behavior seems weird. I dont use steering much I almost always turn it off but wanted to test it again.

Thought I would give you an update. I have had the out of group positioning again. This time it happened in a C pacer Bot ride in Makuri Island. This time I asked fellow cyclists what they see. I wanted to make sure it was not just a graphic glitch on my end. They did see my bike in the same spot as I did. So when I was a foot off the grass or half way in the lane to the right I was seen there by them as well. I did not see any other riders experiencing the same issue. There were many Tron, Wahoo Kickr bike owners. I also did ask someone with steering to try to steer as wide as I was and they were able to on the road go as far right as I was. I did not have them try while I was on the grass. The most obvious spot was the 4% climb up to the city where there is a rock wall on the left side. My shoulder was scraping the wall. The wall I am talking about is the one in the photo where I am on the grass. It starts up the road about 50 feet and goes for about 2/10 of a mile. Again This is not happening every ride. Sometimes in small groups sometimes in races. Sometimes large groups.



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Have exactly the same issue on group rides and events. Even if off the front, as the pack catches and overtakes, I don’t get “absorbed” in to the pack, I get pushed to on side or the other and the only way to get in the draft is sink all the way to the back and then wait to move across.

Whilst that’s not a huge problem in a group of 20 (though still really frustrating) it is a REALLY big issue when you are racing in a field of 200 and have to sink 160 places before you get any draft benefit.

Using KICKR Bike on ATV running version 1.20.1.

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I have reported this several times, even after group rides. My avatar always sticks to one side. I can do whatever I want; the avatar hardly ever moves into the pack or stays there. Your avatar always gets pushed aside. This issue relates to Bluetooth and when I am on the Kickr Bike. The Group Dynamics 3.0 are the worst I have ever experienced, and I have been on Zwift almost from the beginning. I cannot be that riders are disadvantaged because the algo treats them differently. Racing is horrible; that’s where you really get screwed because you waste so much energy by such an absurd positioning. I find my avatar stuck to the opposite side of the road and not moving over until almost too late in Races. Sorry but this is BS.

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Your problem sounds to me like Having no draft in the lead-in of a race which existed well before pack dynamics 3.0. I used to have this one regularly as well, but haven’t encountered it recently. (Oh, wait, now that I remember, getting enough races basically nullified at start by this made me stop racing on Zwift almost completely. Never mind…)

Last night on a closed group ride/workout on the Yorkshire uci course there were loads of avatars inc my own riding in the grass or at 40° angles on the turns.

Not sure if its pack dynamics but on a race on new york tonight my avatar decide to take the longer route around corners. straight from the pen riding on the left away from the whole pack out the draft. Starts are bad enough but when you get no draft until around the first two corners my avatar cut back in the race was already gone.

Similar as i turned right up the NYC kom look how far left my avatar was on wrong side of the road.

Same happened to me in your Rhino Crash Chase Race yesterday(great race btw).

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