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!