Tips for New Rider on Keiser M3i?

[Brad_Rollin (Brad)]

Hi all–I just finished my second day on Zwift and took on Stage 1 of the Tour de Zwift. I’ve been riding Keiser M3 and M3i at a cycling gym for 7 years and, as a recreational rider who isn’t going to race, decided to purchase one for home use rather than buying a smart bike.

Obviously I weighed the drawbacks to using a Keiser rather than a smart bike.

My question is really about how cadence affects speed within Zwift when using the Keiser. In my forum searches, it appears that cadence doesn’t affect speed at all - that speed is calculated using a combination of watts (transmitted by the Keiser) and my height/weight. Is that fairly accurate?

In the gym, my sweet spot is riding a high gear with low cadence - 60-65 RPM; of course I don’t do that exclusively, but it’s where I can put out the most average watts. Is there a disadvantage to doing this on uphills/flats/downhills? What sorts of adjustments should I be making based on grade? Should I be going low cadence/high gear on hills and vice versa on downhills or does it not matter?

Perhaps my biggest challenge so far has been to ride within myself. I find myself getting caught up in keeping pace or passing others and I’m blowing up. Perhaps understanding the mechanics a bit better will help me ride a little more within myself!

So far I love Zwift - it’s a breath of fresh air after 7 years at the gym. I hope to see other Keiser riders out there!

[Bob_Gorman_Splunk_65 (Bob)]

@Brad_Rollin

that speed is calculated using a combination of watts (transmitted by the Keiser) and my height/weight. Is that fairly accurate?

Yes, Zwift uses not only estás, height, weight but also your virtual bike, wheels, and of course incline.

“Should I be going low cadence/high gear on hills and vice versa on downhills or does it not matter?”

What matters is how you best manage your power and heart rate. Zwift allows you to play around with gearing and cadence to learn what works for you. You didn’t mention it but HR is also a import metric to monitor.

[Milan_Rost (Milan)]

How Does Zwift Determine My Speed?

How Does Zwift Determine My Speed? For Wheel-on Classic Trainers: Zwift takes the wheel speed broadcast by your speed sensor and the power curve (see example below) of the trainer you select on the Pairing Screen and converts that to virtual watts, also known as “zPower”. Your in-game speed is de…

[Bob_Gorman_Splunk_65 (Bob)]

@Brad_Rollin

I find myself getting caught up in keeping pace or passing others and I’m blowing up. Perhaps understanding the mechanics a bit better will help me ride a little more within myself!

This is all part of the fun and learning curve of Zwift. Riding in a group is very interactive so you will learn how to ride within yourself as well as keep your cadence in a place where you can respond to breaks and group accelerations. The biggest thing is try different things, including the trainer difficulty setting and have fun.