This was a popular topic that sparked a lot of discussion, so we’ve decided to bring it over to our new forums! Any duplicate topics created will be merged with this one. Enjoy the discussion and Ride On.
I think right now you have to physically cable the row/ski monitor to a laptop, same for a smart device.
There’s a pretty big indoor rowing/skiing community both for folks that train for the outside sport as well as folks who only row/ski inside, like me. Check out Concept2 Logbook | Login. Billions of meters rowed per year.
I’m sure you guys could bang out something for the rower in no time :-).
that said I’m really enjoying zwift, I ride almost exclusively indoors and always on zwift, it’s GREAT, RIDE ON!!!
I must say I nearly changed my mind about a rowing world on Zwift. We rower are just a few people’s gang and in the end we will be alone. I know that very well being a RowPro licensed user.
I think I’ll keep simulating a rider for daily workout and maybe rowing on dedicated sessions.
Maybe what we need is just a jersey to let zwifters know we’re actually riding a Concept 2 erg.
With the above message I bring up again an active conversation that is now archived and partially lost.
Last message posted, and guess never published, below.
Hi Yoda.
My comment on Linux wasn’t meant to be to be rude but anyway my fault and in return I’ll build for you, if necessary, a tailored image with debug enabled and the virtual doping set to 1.00
Starting now from your last question, yes in theory we don’t want to abruptly power off any host but this is not a real issue with the Raspberry because the flash card cannot be damaged like a spinning disk would. I always unplug mine and only connect keyboard and monitor if I need to do something special. And in the end if something weird will happen then will be easy to flash from scratch.
What could you be doing wrong?
Well, nothing apparently. Maybe shut down any other device (namely the CaBLE and the Neo) and try again. Keyboard and monitor are not needed.
I agree, rowing in Zwift would be AWESOME
I also have the Concept2 rower @Vincent … would be really cool to be able to actually row, among rowers, inside Zwift ( without custom mod/hacks ) with a rowing avatar
I currently ride with a C2-CABLE-CompanionApp setup to drive my avatar but I would love to have direct support for C2 rower (It must be an easy fix for Zwift to use the powerinfo from the C2 ant+ broadcast). Also, as suggested, it would be nice to have a special “roweravatar” but the thing a lot of us wish for is ofcource a “pond” to row in water.
As it obviously isn’t any technical problem hooking the C2 up with Zwift, especially skiers could benefit. A roller ski avatar would be what it takes to make the experience better (I imagine the experience for rowers in a boat avatar on the Zwift roads would by somewhat bizarre… )
I’m a rower with more than 16 million (sic!) meters logged in 4 years. I row at least 5th in a week and NOW I row mostly if not only in Zwift.
Why this? Why I PAY for Zwift as a rower? Because on Zwift I always find people, events, challenges.
I own a RowPro perpetual license, I bought then but I don’t use the RowPro software anymore. The issue with RowPro is not the graphics, the issue with RowPro is the sad fact you end up rowing alone.
Within WaterTopia you’ll end up to row alone, too. We need to row in the same world the riders do and be able to enter the same event, group rides, races.
Is this an issue with data integrity and, say, virtual doping? Yes sure this is. But sorry, being honest with ourselves we perfectly know it’s only a game and the rowing cheat is far to be the main issue with Zwift races etc. etc.
So, in the end, I ride a C2 indoor rower in Zwift, I enjoy, and I avoid to compare my results with legitimate riders (do they exist?). My profile is public and I declare I’m riding a C2. If I would be allowed to wear a C2 avatar I’ll do and people around will know even better who I’m.
Full stop. IMHO.
Don’t go for something like Watertopia, is a loser. What we need is just an avatar.
And native support. Having to use something like PainSled and two devices is rubbish. I use an iPad for PainSled and my Android phone running Companion as a bluetooth bridge. It would be so much better if Zwift would just take the ANT+ from my PM5.
8.5.2.1 Equipment Type Bit Field
This bit field is a required field used to indicate the type of fitness equipment that is in use. Bits 5-7 are reserved and should not be interpreted. Bits 0-4 indicate the FE type as described in Table 8-8. Undefined values are reserved.
Table 8-8. Equipment Type Bit Field Description
Bit(s) Contents Value Meaning
0-4 FE Type 19 Treadmill
20 Elliptical
21 Reserved. Do Not Use
22 Rower
23 Climber
24 Nordic Skier
25 Trainer/Stationary Bike
5-7 Reserved 0 Do Not Interpret
C2 PM5 broadcasts a code 22 page (I’m going to prove this if needed, I have a working PoC) while the stationary bike sends a code 25 page.
Data are in, only needed to be read into the Zwift game. Of course.
Now, people at Zwift don’t need me to point at that. They know better than me or us. The issue is not a technical one, is a commercial issue. Zwift may open the doors to the indoor rowing world, nearly at no cost, and drop rowers to the same virtual reality where the riders are.
Is this going to upset the bike community? Maybe.
Riders may need to know if Zwift is a fair place to compete, not only to train. If what I want to do is to have a work out I’m going to ignore people with different power profiles. If what I want to do is to compete now I’d sensitive to virtual doping, and for sure a different power profile IS a kind of virtual doping.
Is the Zwitf a place to compete, like in real life?
Please create a Zwift Rowing. I run and row, just started Zwift run and would love to be able to Zwift my rowing. I use a Concept 2, pretty much the industry standard, it has a PM5 that has both Bluetooth and Ant+. The PM5 also has a USB port but that isn’t really necessary as the treadmill broadcasts stroke rate and power via Bluetooth.
One more vote for rowing.
There is currently nothing softwarewise that is making this effective but rather boring sport… less boring :).
I will take a look into painsled, but I would prefer Zwift just to accept the C2 as a power source…
The CABLE device from NPE works great. It also has 2 preset configs available if you have a skier and a rower. This setup is good for me with windows BLE. PM5 ant+ FEC > CABLE (which translates actual ski/row watts from ANT+ to BLE) > Windows machine with BLE.
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