I think with the popularity of the zwift ride and virtual shifting growing. Garmin better do something soon if they want to stay in the virtual cycling world.
Agreed Brandon. Invest in customer experience or lose market share. In this specialist business the visible lack of R@D investment means no future,ā¦ so we will all buy from the competitor with the most innovation next time. I have already lost confidence
Just an FYIāhoping this helps someone, just as someone helped me by pointing it out: Virtual shifting isnāt trainer-specific!
I have to admit, I didnāt realize that Qz has been offering virtual shifting for four years now. After trying it, Iād even say that the way @Roberto_Viola has implemented it is better than whatās currently available by Zwift/Wahoo, and the guy is 24/7 to support you.
With Qz, I have full control over my virtual chainring and cassette, allowing me to perfectly replicate my real-life gear ratiosāand even go beyond them with additional options. Best of all, Iām not locked into Bluetooth to use Zwift Play. I can also connect via my wired direct connect or ANT+, giving me far more flexibility. Actually, I invested in VGLT (long-term bonds) the $1.5k I was planning to use in Kickr v7, pretty sure I can buy more of a replacement when my Kickr v5 dies in a few years -time will say LOL.
Note: I am amazed by how many people are using Qz not shown here in the Forum.
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Another QZ app user here. I was going to buy a new trainer to replace my Kickr V4 but after using QZ a couple of times thereās no need, once you figure out the app the virtual shifting is just flawless. It also allowed me to mount up an old unused singlespeed as a trainer rig as the shifting is handled. Oh, and QZ opens up virtual shifting in MyWhoosh also, I tried it last week. Highly recommended.
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Maybe I am a little bit slowā¦ so I can use the Zwift Cog and Click update on my Taxc Neo trainer with the QZ app to ride on Zwift and replicate the virtual shifting that I would get with a Wahoo trainer? That would be great - for years I have trouble with shifting on my trainer.
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@Juergen_Lindner With the Qz app, you can shift gears directly from the app itself, using a Bluetooth control, Zwift Play or Click. Actually, you donāt need the Zwift Cog for Virtual Shifting with wherever cassette you already have is good enough. Btw, Iām just a happy user, @Roberto_Viola is the developer.
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Write me a PM in case
Is there an example how QZ app, Zwift companion and Zwift (on Apple TV) will work together with Tacx Neo?
you can ask on the reddit community of qz or in the facebook group of qz, this is the zwift forum 
Virtual shifting is only really needed when you have multiple bikes that go on the trainer with different drive trains or want to use the zwift bike. Real gears work fine, in fact real bikes only have real gears and it is good to learn how to use them effectively, in the real world you need to anticipate your shifts
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In my case, I use the QZ app along with the Zwift Companion app for every race on Zwift. The PC where I run Zwift does not have Bluetooth or ANT+ activated. The Tacx Neo connects via the smartphoneās Bluetooth to the QZ app, and then to Zwift via WiFi. I use the Companion app to connect the heart rate monitor, although I believe the QZ app could also act as a bridge.
Overall, the app and the support provided by Roberto (its creator) are top-notch. I must mention that he continuously adds new features.
For Wahoo smart trainers, thereās even a very cool simulation of virtual chainrings/cassettes.
However, when using Tacx Neo trainers, while the QZ app allows you to use virtual gears, thereās a drawback due to these smart trainers not having a physical flywheel but a virtual one. How does this impact performance? First, itās important to understand that, at least in the case of Tacx Neo, the way the QZ app increases or decreases difficulty (when youāre in a fixed physical gear and use the virtual gear shift) is by adjusting the gradient percentage received from Zwift and passed to the smart trainer. For example, if youāre on a 6% gradient and your physical gear is too hard, and you lower six virtual gears, the result is a Tacx Neo simulation of a 0% gradient. From a resistance perspective, this might be correct, but from an inertia standpoint, itās not, as the wattage doesnāt give you the same sensation as if you were using the Tacx Neo with physical gears.
In the end, this is a limitation because Garmin has not updated (and I doubt they ever will) the firmware of the Tacx Neo (1, 2, 2T, 3M) to support virtual gears properly, ensuring both simulated resistance and inertia are accurate. This is undoubtedly a shame.
In my case, I primarily use QZ to increase the trainerās resistance in certain situations since I use a single-chainring MTB, which limits my gearing on flats and descents. In those situations, I accept that the inertia simulation gets slightly distorted (I have no other choice, anyway).
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I would like to add that there is an ongoing PR on github to add a better virtual shifting handling for these trainers. I just need testers 
Hey Arthu, Iām not here to sell anything or convince anyoneājust sharing my personal experience with both mechanical and virtual gearing, which may or may not be helpful to others, LOL.
For me, virtual shifting has truly been a game-changer in my training (not a gamer here). It provides a huge advantage by allowing me to fine-tune my cadence and power in ways I could only dream of before. It adds a virtual dimension to my gear ratiosāsomething I had been searching for the longest time.
On top of that, thereās a significant comfort benefit. Mechanically, I stick to just three cogs; however, 99.9% of the time, I rely on a single cog where the chain is perfectly aligned. This setup makes my rides incredibly smooth and whisper-quiet. In the pass, I used to use my trackball to adjust trainer difficulty, but it wasnāt ideal.
I wouldnāt be surprised if, in a few years, this becomes the standard way of indoor ridingājust my two cents.
that seems like a huge disadvantage to me because in the real world we have to do with the gears we have which means we need to adapt to situations we do not find comfortable besides knowing which situations could cause chain drops
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I understand your perspective, but I havenāt found that to be an issue during training or racing IRL āprobably because I spend enough time outdoors in similar environments I race, and Zwift is just training not actual riding, but hey this is just a point of view, time will tell.
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