Slightly OT (very), but is anyone looking at enabling the Tacx Neo Bike steering? It’s a PITA that I haven’t been able to use it yet, but if all events have steering it will be even more annoying.
My guess is Zwift are going to release some hardware. I’m hoping a very simple, cheap, handlebar controller with left/right buttons.
If steering becomes enabled as the default, what options are out there for ATV users?
I can’t pair additional items via the Companion app BT bridge because it’s very flakey and drops frequently.
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This also seems very pertinent to @DavidP in the latest PD4 thread.
What happens if the steering functionality becomes enabled as the default and you don’t have that option?
Then it’s race-ist. 
The OP looks very strange now! For context, it was mentioned that steering will be turned on for all events, the OP was my response.
I agree. I think this should be tagged to the PD4 discussion somehow.
This would be a deal-breaker for me if there was no easy way of incorporating steering seemlessly (and robustly) into my simple ATV set-up. I hope this doesn’t become a prerequisite for racing 
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It does seem a bit baffling how there have been four(?) “lanes” on Zwift roads for years, but in order to use them and try to break the draft, you had to buy a ~£70 gadget that sits in a position rather prone to corrosive sweat.
When all that was needed was a left and right button on the Companion app. 
Ok since steering was brought up, let’s address a few concerns
is anyone looking at enabling the Tacx Neo Bike steering?
To be honest I don’t know, it’s not my department. With all things in progress at the moment I would suspect it’s low on the priorities list and also because working on protocols like ANT+/BLE with proprietary extras on top is challenging to say the least.
If steering becomes enabled as the default, what options are out there for ATV users?
That will be addressed in the future, so everyone will be able to have extras like steering. I just don’t have a timeline at the moment.
What happens if the steering functionality becomes enabled as the default and you don’t have that option?
This is the most important point to debate. If steering becomes enabled as the default you don’t need to panic and go running to buy a steering device.
Contrary to some myths, steering does not give you any direct advantage in group events.
In fact it might be a bit of the opposite:
- if you have steering and you are not alert, you are at greater risk of losing draft and getting dropped out of a group.
- if you have steering and are inside a group you cannot change lanes when someone is besides you blocking, therefore you cannot magically steer to the best position.
- if you have steering and break away alone it might give you a marginal advantage that is minuscule compared to the blob effect.
It is however more fun and engaging in races, at least I find that myself as a steering device owner (personal opinion).
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What DavidP states I find mostly correct. I have steering but actually see it as a huge negative which I turn off when I remember to do so.
Without steering in a well attended event you can move to the center of the blob. With steering I am unable to as all those lanes are taken. Since by far most time is spend in the blob this leads to a large risk of being pushed to the side and staying there, wasting some energy. Which I suffer less from without steering.
You can however take the inside turn everywhere but since I am mostly in the blob and that’s annoying with steering I never really enjoyed that benefit. In free rides I don’t bother taking inside turn as it’s not a race.
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Interesting, thanks.
I have seen cases where the Companion app BT bridge was working badly because someone placed the phone on top of the computer (that also had BT and Wifi ON).
Don’t know if that’s the case but just to point out how sensitive this communication protocols are and that sometimes either Zwift or the hardware get a bad reputation, when all it takes is moving the phone a few centimetres away… 
No, that is not the root cause of my BT pairing issue, unfortunately.
I delved into this a while back when I couldn’t get my Assioma pedals to work reliably when paired to ATV via the Companion app. In the end I gave up, and I now have a very expensive pair of (non-functioning PM) pedals.
BTW, my phone is mounted on the handlebars. I never have any BT issues when I pair my Neo directly to the ATV app (and that includes when running a fan, a dehumidifier, a fluorescent strip light, an LED spot-light and my smartphone, all within spitting distance of the ATV; not all at the same time, I might add ).
I realise that many/most connectivity problems originate at the user-end, but I find it mildly amusing that ZHQ are very reticent to admit that any of these issues might be at their end.
Anyway, I guess that’s my problem. However, I do think that if steering is enabled as the default for racing and not everyone has reliable access to it (and that somehow proves to be a disadvantage), there will be a lot of disgruntled subscribers.
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What I would say is that steering as in just steering to the left and the right of the road is fairly useless for me. My view is from me using Kickr Bike for a long time and the steering buttons. I keep steering disabled. About the only time I’d actively use it would be when riding a TT bike on my own and being able to steer to the far left or right of the lane to prevent someone getting the draft.
What would be more useful for steering buttons in my opinion would be to navigate at junctions rather than having to fumble with small buttons on the companion app (particularly bad if you are riding at high intensity, sweating and trying to press buttons on the phone screen).
The key to steering is making sure everyone needs to do it - or at least if they don’t, the steering is done for them in a pretty basic way. Otherwise there will be this half and half situation where those with steering don’t want to use it and those without don’t want to start with it.
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I can tell you that steering using a device like Sterzo or the Elite Rizer is night and day from using buttons. I know, not everybody can have one of those, but the feel of moving the handlebars to control gives a much better experience.
What would be more useful for steering buttons in my opinion would be to navigate at junctions rather than having to fumble with small buttons on the companion app
I’ve heard of such initiative some time ago, not sure what’s the current status.
I bet the more linear steering is better.
The Kickr Bike setup is definitely not your problem, just the way Wahoo implemented it. I guess they wanted to have steering no matter what - irrespective of how it actually works in practice.
I think you’ll get a lot of positive feedback from that. It’s a more practical use for the buttons.
Using steering to choose which way to go at intersections was added in September 2022 for riders with the steering riser blocks. But you’re saying it doesn’t work for steering with buttons? That stinks. For the steering riser block we have to turn the bars and hold it for a couple seconds. Have you tried that with the buttons?
Speaking of steering, the Futureworks forum here, has a whole section devoted to just steering, but I don’t think we’ve seen a Zwift update on its development in a year or more?
Has there been anything happening in the background that maybe hasn’t been noted in any of the past software updates?
There have been some yes, but I’m not at liberty to reveal the plans at the moment.