1.3M
Downloads
117
Episodes
A podcast for fans of Zwift.
Episodes
Thursday Jan 16, 2020
Thursday Jan 16, 2020
The Zwiftcasters welcome in 2020 with the first episode of the new decade - and kick straight off with a discussion of what’s become a landmark in the Zwift calendar - Peak Zwift.
You can hear which one of the Zwiftcasters, along with special guest guessers, got it right.
The podcasters go on to discuss whether the second January in Tuesday really will be Peak Zwift this year. The game has a few initiatives upcoming which may see the current record broken. Stay tuned.
Is the update which restored climbing cadence on Zwift from 80rpm back down to 70rpm a victory for the Zwiftcast? The boys are claiming it!
The Tour de Zwift is a huge event - more than 120,000 Zwifters took part last year and this year’s event has been eagerly awaited. The podcasters discuss the importance of these events to the community. We also have a feature with Zwift’s VP Media, Nina Caplin, who explains the aims behind the series of live streamed shows which run alongside the TdZ this year.
And we have a velodrome? Actually, we don’t. We have a running track. Simon talks to Zwift’s Mr Running, Stephen Cousins on how important the 400m track is for our running colleagues - and whether they might one day let the cyclists in!
We hope you enjoy listening.
Friday Dec 20, 2019
Friday Dec 20, 2019
Simon, Shane and Nathan convene for the final Zwiftcast of 2019 in both reflective and expectant mood. There’s plenty of looking back on what brought the podcasters Zwift joy in 2019 and a little on what they’d like to see for 2020.
There’s also reaction to Zwift’s pre-Christmas present of a new map - it’s short, but it’s fun. Crit City looks designed to appeal to the e-Sport crowd but should also please anyone who races on Zwift. The Zwiftcasters give their initial verdict and speculate on what they’d like to see added.
We hope you all enjoyed listening in 2019 and will join us again in 2020. Happy Holidays!
Friday Dec 13, 2019
Friday Dec 13, 2019
This is a special episode of the Zwiftcast, dedicated to those who run on the platform. Some of you might ride too, but the focus here is wholly on running.
Mike McCarthy is one of the original Zwift execs who was a very early hire to the company when it was first set up.
Known as talented and successful cyclist, at Zwift Mike concentrated on a senior Business Development role, but recently he has been made VP of Running.
It’s fair to say Running has got off to a slow start on Zwift - so what does this appointment mean for Zwift’s Second Sport?
I hope the wide-ranging interview provides some answers. Hope you enjoy listening.
Monday Dec 02, 2019
Monday Dec 02, 2019
Simon, Shane and special guest co-host Ray Maker, also known as D C Rainmaker, are together in person in Amsterdam to discuss all the latest Zwiftiness.
The three podcasters are gathered for Ray’s annual Winter Open House event where sports tech geeks get together over a few beers to discuss what’s hot and have fun.
Simon spends some time amongst this well-informed and enthusiastic crowd asking two questions: What’s Zwift doing well and where could it improve?
Elsewhere in this episode there’s a nice long chat with The Girl, Ray’s life partner and now business partner, on how the family and the blog is settling into life in Amsterdam.
Simon, Shane and Ray discuss the implications of Ray’s scoop story about Zwift starting its own hardware division and Ray gets to join the Zwiftcast’s Guessing Club on Peak Zwift.
The trio discuss just how much work remains to be done for eSports on Zwift to be successful and, after an interview with Peter Lago from Elite on whether the Italian company is a bit behind the pack in the Smart Bike race, the episode wraps up with Simon talking about his recent big decision: to get an e-Gravel Bike.
We hope you enjoy listening.
Thursday Oct 31, 2019
Thursday Oct 31, 2019
Simon, Shane and Nathan reconvene to discuss and analyse all the latest Zwift news and chat.
The podcasters get things going with a new take on the age old Kickr vs Neo debate, updated to the KickrBike vs NeoBike dilemma. If you have 3k plus to spend on a smart bike this will be of interest to you . . . . .Shane is one of the very few people in the world with saddle time on both, so what’s his verdict?
The Zwiftcasters move on to consider the demise of VirtuoGo, one of the rivals to Zwift. It has just announced that its number of subscribers is too low to be sustainable so the issue for discussion is: Can any of the rivals live with the well-funded, well-established, heavily-promoted Zwift?
Next it’s the Rumble in the Jungle - no significant game update would be complete without some Zwifters having a bit of a mona. Is the long-is lists of complaints about the increase in rolling resistance justified? The podcasters try to put it all in perspective.
Meanwhile, Simon has a problem with the stand-up/sit-down threshold changing to 80rpm . . . . has Zwift got this one right.
Along with a few more tidbits of Zwift stuff - including a review of the Keep It Together Group Ride functionality bu experienced Zwifter Christian Nistri - this is a busy edition of the podcast for Zwifters.
We hope you enjoy listening.
Tuesday Oct 08, 2019
Tuesday Oct 08, 2019
The 2019/20 indoor seasons has started with a bang, or should that be a ban? The Zwift community has been convulsed by Jeffers-gate, the fining, banning and stripping of the first officially-sanctioned national e-championship from Zwifter Cameron Jeffers by British Cycling.
Jeffers’s account was shown to have gained a Tron bike with the use of an ANT+ emulator . . . .and the news of the ban has polarised opinion. As the dust settles on a huge row for Zwift and e-sports, a row which has garnered international attention, Simon, Shane and Nathan give their positions and debate what it means for regulation and enforcement in the new world of e-Sports on the platform.
Elsewhere, the arrival of Mountain Biking and steering on Zwift has seen a plethora of DIY hacks for smooth movement of the front wheel . . . . which has caught the Zwiftcasters’ eyes and what do they make of steering?
Plus a change to the code in the game has made the Jungle circuit heavier going . . . if we dare mention it, the choice of bike and wheels has become even more important.
And finally news of a very ambitious artistic project which captures the visual richness of Watopia in a whole new way.
We hope you enjoy listening.
Monday Sep 30, 2019
Monday Sep 30, 2019
Simon, Shane and Nathan analyse what is the biggest development for Zwift since the platform launched almost five years ago - the reveal of the strategy for making eSports a reality.
The partnership with the UCI, unveiled at the World Championships, grabbed the headlines, but the fascination is in the detail. And the detail is on the Zwiftcast. Simon conducts a lengthy and searching interview with Zwift’s CEO of eSport, Craig Edmondson and the three Zwiftcasters subject his answers to scrutiny and analysis. It would be wrong to think that this development only affects racers on Zwift. As Craig reveals, the platform itself is likely to change to accommodate the huge ambition of eSport.
Elsewhere in the episode there’s a peek behind the curtain of the Draft House - the place that turned out to be the coolest place to hang during the rain-sodden World Champs in Harrogate.
And there’s a look at how successful Zwift’s huge marketing push over the summer has been.
We hope you enjoy listening.
Monday Sep 09, 2019
Monday Sep 09, 2019
Simon, Shane and Nathan discuss the latest in a busy year of course launches for Zwift as the Yorkshire UCI Worlds circuit lands in game.
This is personal for Simon, with Harrogate being his home-town, making him well placed to assess how well Zwift developers have replicated a place he knows well. The verdict: Good job Zwift! Shane and Nathan lend a little objectivity to the discussion.
The podcasters also discuss a huge development for the game - the imminent launch of not only steering but also an MTB course.
There's a quick wrap up of a few matters of interest for Zwifters from Eurobike, including Wahoo's acquisition of Sufferfest; what may be next for the Garmin Tacx tie-up and the launch of yet another Smart Bike - this one promising something very different from the rest.
We hope you enjoy listening.
Thursday Sep 05, 2019
Thursday Sep 05, 2019
The smart bike revolution has finally arrived. Wahoo, Tacx and Stages all debut their all-in-one solution to indoor cycling. And in so doing, they lift the price tag of smart training. Are these good value, given you don't need a bike? Will they make indoor cycling more attractive to more people? Are they the game-changer long predicted as such by Zwift CEO Eric Min? Simon, Shane and Zwift Insider editor Eric Schlange try to provide some answers.
Zwift also announce the launch of FutureWorks, a test bed for new game features, with steering the first innovation to be opened up to the community for feedback.
Plus the launch of the MP1, the first rocker plate produced by a recognised trainer manufacturer is launched by Saris.
This episode has interviews with movers and shakers in indoor cycling . . . .and some insight on THAT big big screen wowing all who pass the Zwift stand at Eurobike. We hope you enjoy listening.
Thursday Jul 25, 2019
Thursday Jul 25, 2019
Simon, Shane and Nathan are back together for the first time in a few weeks to discuss all matters Zwift . . . with a departure or two towards a bike race in France.
Zwift and the Tour in fact coincide, with the platform launching a global advertising and sponsorship campaign around the TdF. The podcasters discuss the implications and hear from Zwift exec Laurent Jannau as to whether it’s working, and why Zwift decided to invest so heavily.
Ride leader Tim Searle has a review of The Fence, now that it’s been in operation for a few weeks. The Zwiftcasters round up a slew of news and moves in indoor training, including a thumping price rise at TrainerRoad. Simon and Shane predict what we might see of interest to indoor riders at Eurobike and the chaps speculate about when we might see a new extension to Watopia and a brand new course. Quite soon, they conclude.
We hope you enjoy listening.