It IS zero offsetting for the ambient temperature. Certainly with my Garmin Vectors anyway. Unless you’re hanging known weights off the pedals it’s not calibration
it isn’t just temperature, it is setting a value for no load on the pedals also.
but we’re largely talking semantics here, it is commonly called calibrating (my assioma app says manual calibration for example) whatever it is really doing it is best to do it before each ride (unless the power meter automatically does it) is the take away and the important bit
Perhaps I should have said “zero offsetting” and “ambient temperature compensation”
But still, neither of those are calibration.
Garmin also calls it calibration, but they’re also wrong 
like i said, this is just semantics. Call it what you like but it is best to do it before each ride.
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On that, at least we can agree 
we agree on the other bit too.
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Final update (I hope).
It turns out that Minoura Firmware can only be updated with an iphone or ipad.
The day I went to update the firmware and hopefully get a Spindown working… for some reason the Bluetooth connection quite working on the trainer and would not connect to Zwift. No light and not showing up in the app.
Fortunately, I had ordered an Ant+ connecter a few days earlier and it arrived after a few hours of mild depression, cursing and pricing Wahoo trainers.
I plugged it in and everything connected instantly to the Ant+. I was on a high, so I tried to update the firmware and somehow that connected via Bluetooth to the trainer and updated right away (I don’t understand why that worked but it did)
So now, my 4iiii power & cadence connects and calibrates, trainer connects to Zwift and the spin down test work extremely quick through Zwift. Every thing seems to good now. The 2 big things to note were the iphone and Ant+ making everything function.
Just somme added ADZ climb info with all my different connections:
Spindown: No
Power: Minoura
Firmware update: No
TIME: 3 efforts all between 38-41 minutes
Spindown: No
Power: 4iiii - Not calibrated
Firmware update: No
TIME: 1:15:29
Spindown: No
Power: 4iiii - calibrated
Firmware update: No
TIME: 1:12:55
Spindown: Yes
Power: 4iiii - calibrated
Firmware update: Yes
TIME: 1:09:51
The 1st rides were clearly flawed, but I wonder if the calibrated power, spindown or firmware update made much difference in the last 3. Or Im just progressing on the climb. Those 3 were in the last week. The time differences appear to be a steady improvement.
Anyways… thanks for the help. Also the folks at Minoura… super helpful. One of the reasons I’ve started indoor riding with a locally manufactured trainer was incase I needed parts and customer service, and it seems to have already paid off.
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This is actually quite interesting.
This might explain why those of us “living on the ADZ” sometimes meets a non Zpower +50 yo ( there’s a few known names… ) rider that does sub 40 minutes Alpes and seriously think they are that quick.
The reasons can be anything, but your test/experience definitely shows one plausible cause.
Remember to say hi in the group chat if you see BooX on the alpe 
BooX
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On long climbs or longer routes a difference of a few minutes either way is probably to be expected, it can depend on a number of things, how you feel that day, what training you have done in the previous days, your general tiredness, how many other people riding at the time (this can give you extra drafting or just motivation to keep up with others)
so it looks like the first ride is definitely wrong and the others are more realistic for you.
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Not to mention the impact of non-calibration on racing performance (not always advantageous) 
“Listen, don’t mention racing. I mentioned it once , but I think I got away with it all right” 
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Glad it’s sorted 
I think there’s reason to think the decreasing times now are not just random–not that fitness can improve in massive ways over very short times, but what might be happening is that you’re just learning the route, and learning how much effort you can put into various segments. The first time on any route, it’s hard to gauge how to empty the tank, right? You’re just learning how to ride that route better. Or at least that’s plausible
On another note… Minoura has been around for a long time, why on earth do they not have a modern direct drive smart trainer? You’d think they would want to keep up with the current market… maybe target that Kickr Core/ Zwift Hub market…
oh, interesting, I couldn’t find that when I looked on their website, I must have been on the Canadian site.
Maybe for the Japanese (or at least Asian) market only?
Seems to be available in the US for $599
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