Simultaneous Recording of SYSTM and RGT rides

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Unlike some others who want to ride on RGT but also have SYSTM running (and maybe controlling the trainer/KICKR Bike/whatever) at the same time, showing the RGT screen but not the SYSTM video, I wanted the opposite.
I wanted to ride the SYSTM Mt. Ventoux Denivele Challenge and have the race video playing and my KICKR Bike controlled by the SYSTM workout targets, etc.
But I also wanted to concurrently have RGT tracking my outputs and giving me some elevation credit for the work. I’ve missed having the workouts give elevation credit toward Strava totals, (a few on SYSTM do, but most don’t.)

I had tried finding tips on how to do this but wasn’t finding answers, since most all seemed to do just the opposite, following the RGT courses, with bots, etc, while having the smaller SYSTM targets and output showing as well.

So I decided just as I started the SYSTM Mt Ventoux ride today to get some elevation credit too, if I could make it work. I poked around with RGT unsuccessfully after already starting the ride in SYSTM, but RGT wasn’t seeing my KICKR Bike, I tried turning off Bluetooth and then it wouldn’t turn on again, same thing with ANT+ on RGT, and finally stopped everything, closed out of both apps (running these on a Windows 11 laptop.)

I started up RGT by itself and tried to turn the ANT+ switch ON again. It was hopelessly unresponsive. Would NOT turn on. Same with Bluetooth. No show, no go.
Closed the app AGAIN and gave it a bit, started it up again, tried again. Nope.
Closed again, waited, restarted the app for the 3rd time since issues started, and FINALLY the RGT app let me SWITCH ON ANT+, and then it found my KICKR Bike fine.

I can’t remember for sure, but I may have already been into the Mont Ventoux RGT ride, or maybe started it up after this ANT+ mess, but I configured RGT to use the ANT+ connections for the KICKR Bike POWER and CADENCE and (if it was available with ANT+) also HR (but my HR belt might have only offered Bluetooth connection; if so, I used that.)

So now I was riding the KICKR Bike and in the Mont Ventoux ride on RGT, with power and cadence and HR showing fine.

THEN I started up SYSTM and went to the Mt. Ventoux Denivele Challenge and tried to get started. SYSTM would NOT FIND THE KICKR Bike via ANT+ at all. I’m spinning the pedals, trying to get connection, but it just couldn’t see it. As soon as the ride loaded up, it was reporting the Failure to Connect to it. SYSTM WAS CONNECTED via Bluetooth to Power and Cadence and HR, but would not use ANT+.
I closed down SYSTM and tried again. Same result exactly.
Tried again, same thing.
I finally gave in and just ran it using Bluetooth for all the connections, but because I was going to simultaneously record via my Garmin Fenix 6 watch, I hoped to reduce the number of those connections via Bluetooth. It is, after all, ANT+ that is SUPPOSED TO be able to manage multiple connections at the same time.

I suspect that RGT and/or SYSTM have something glitchy about their ANT+ connections that won’t let the other app jump in alongside and use the connections.
MAYBE I should have started SYSTM first if it was the one that was going to CONTROL the KICKR Bike? And maybe RGT would have worked okay that way? I don’t know.

But I WAS HAPPY that I could actually then ride the SYSTM Ventoux ride and everything behaved as it should, with one exception, which was a 1 minute loss/dropout of Power, Cadence, and Speed data that occurred at 1:38:00 of the workout. All zeros for data on the graphs. I didn’t notice it occurring at the time, but I do REMEMBER that there was a point when the target numbers were definitely changing, lowering actually, but my Power output and the demand of the KICKR was just STUCK at 206W while it was supposed to have fallen very low into the 100’s and I just had to keep cranking and hoping. It FINALLY recovered and got in line again, but it took probably that whole minute that shows in the graphs to straighten out. All fine after that one issue.

I finished the SYSTM ride, closed it out and saved it, and then went into the RGT ride that had been running all along. Some VERY SLOW speeds in the data, when the SYSTM ride had times of recovery and spinning and going easy. But I still had 8 miles to go, so I then was able within RGT to use the MENU to SWITCH ON the CONTROL of the KICKR Bike to allow RGT to begin managing the resistance of the KICKR Bike. Then I could use my shifters and speed up, since it was mostly all downhill after that, but also shift down when there was a little bit of uphill work back near the starting point of that Out and Back climb descent ride.

I got my 5869’ of elevation credited in Strava, which was the main point of this dual-recording exercise, so I’m happy that it can work.

Because I’ve done SO little in RGT, I had forgotten that SYSTM workouts are also available in RGT now, so that may have opened another window for the OTHER point of this exercise, which was to complete the SYSTM JULY CHALLENGE, but I wasn’t sure how that works with doing the workouts in RGT. And I also WANTED to do the Pro Rides Video anyway. I personally have enjoyed these quite a lot. This one WAS one of the less exciting ones to me, but I still enjoyed the challenge.
I think the constant background of wind noise and mechanical drivetrains noise of this video was worse than the few other Pro Rides I’ve done, and that was a detractor, eventually beginning to wear on me.
And I think this ride with the very long climb was just by nature a grind, staying right near Threshold and wearing me down. I was glad to get it done, but don’t regret doing it; that was work I needed!

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@DouthatBiker Right now RGT workouts don’t count towards the challenge - they haven’t programmed that feature in yet so you would have to either do the workouts in SYSTM, run both as you have outlined or just run the SYSTM videos after you complete an RGT workout (you don’t even have to watch it) so you can get the check mark for the challenge.

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Wow @DouthatBiker . Some higher math going on in here for sure!

Solve GIFs | Tenor

The whole read I was thinking “just do the SYSTM workout in RGT?”, but you raise an interesting question about the July Challenge (or any other). I’ve done a couple of the SYSTM workouts in RGT now, and in both cases, when they imported back into SYSTM, they did NOT flag the day’s SYSTM workout as completed (green), rather they made a new entry (grey) - clearly showing as imported from RGT. That would lead me to think they would not credit you towards a challenge, unless the Minions are paying attention? Maybe one of them could chime in and verify?

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I’m not an official minion (though we are ALL minions), but it has been clearly stated that challenge workouts MUST be either done in SYSTM or “played” from SYSTM in order to get marked as completed as part of the challenge. So, if a body were unscrupulous, they could simply play the challenge vids and get the challenge badges. Of course they’d know they never earned it so I don’t imagine many people would do that.

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I meant Minion…capital “M”, of course.

:smirk:

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@CPT_A Correct - they recognize you are doing the effort but the back end work to connect the two apps to mark a workout green when it is done in RGT hasn’t been done yet. Given that we can now do workouts in RGT I have to think that this is a higher priority item but that is just my guess.

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Wow, I didn’t know you got credit just for RUNNING the video through! Seems pretty cheesy…

I certainly don’t care a hoot about the awards aspect of challenges. I just appreciate the fact that the monthly Challenges give me some ideas for rides I probably haven’t done yet (I’m FAR from having gotten through even half of the library.) Many times, I won’t do more than 4 or 5 rides indoors in a month, and might not do that many if not for the Challenges.
But I think it does detract from whatever “honor” or achievement is tied to a challenge if running a video is sufficient to get the “credit.” I thought it at least required a minimum of having pedaled the bike/trainer to input some effort for the majority if not all of the ride timeframe, regardless how much power were involved.

Very interesting that as Glenn has stated, you can get the credit for just running the video on your device, whether actively riding or not, but apparently, at least at this time, you can put out a LOT of effort on your bike while riding a Challenge workout in RGT, and STILL FAIL to get credit for the completion of the Challenge workout.
I do hope that will get addressed soon somehow. I personally don’t find RGT very engaging or enjoyable, but I do understand that many do and it’s a very GOOD thing for SYSTM X RGT to meet more of the wishes of the members.
Having said that, I also would like to see SYSTM workouts provide some kind of elevation credit to Strava for rides which elevation could apply. I know that isn’t all that easy to do.
If I can get the simultaneous recording to work fairly consistently, it does at least provide a way to get some of that done.

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@DouthatBiker RGT is built for that especially if you have the Kickr Climb. RGT calculates the effect of your weight as you go uphill. I don’t think that is possible for a SYSTM workout despite the fact that some workouts work with the Kickr Climb as ERG mode is adjusting power resistance only - there isn’t any adjustment for the rider’s weight.

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Back when SYSTM was the SUF app, I used to dual record on Zwift and it was pretty straightforward. I’d have SYSTM control my Kickr, and have Zwift record the power output. That is, trainer control was given to SYSTM while power was only being reported to Zwift. I was doing this so I could accumulate enough elevation to acquire the TRON bike. I have done the same thing in RGT. I found it pretty straightforward and didn’t run into any of the issues you had.

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I’m not surprised at that. My RGT experiences have been far from stellar, even when I was trying to stay with basics. I half expected trouble asking for the simultaneous recording, but not in the ways that were actually problematic!
Glad it worked out eventually, tho. Maybe will be something I’ll do again, hoping I found what works.

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I’ve had the same experience using SYSTM with either Zwift and RGT. Works pretty much exactly the same.

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They don’t even go green if they are in your plan yet. I did a cadence No Vid workout that is part of my plan and it remained undone in the calendar. The name was just the course I chose: I’m not sure the workout name gets transferred between RGT and SYSTM.

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I think you need a second ANT+ stick for each software. If, for example, RGT uses the USB ANT+ stick them SYSTM can’t see it. Same applies to zwift and systm etc. Not entirely sure why as multiple software can use Bluetooth sticks.

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Edit: I was wrong, and you are correct re: needing 2 separate Ant+ dongles to dual record using Ant+ only.

As for dual recording, because my Tickr2 and Kickr ‘18 allow for more than one Bluetooth connection I can dual record using Bluetooth only. Again, with SYSTM controlling the trainer and Zwift/RGT only reading reported power.

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You’re missingf the point. It’s a connection within the computer between the software and the hardware stick. Try connecting two piece of software using the same computer and only 1 USB ANT+ stick.

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You are 100% correct! I don’t know what I was thinking :man_facepalming:t3:

What I used to do was connect SUF/SYSTM via Ant+ and Zwift/RGT via Bluetooth and AppleTV.

Edit: or both via Bluetooth.

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I think the easiest way to do this is to run systm and RGT on separate devices. Like SYSTM on a phone and RGT on computer/tabler, depending on your preferences. Pretty straightforward this way. I’ve used this many times ith RGT and zwift with systm (or even a WO sent to Wahoo from TrainingPeaks), it always parked flawlessly. Using the same device for running multiple SW targeting the same hardware might be more complicated.

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I do this all the time, my HRM connects via BLTE in both apps and my Kickr Bike by Wifi I think in both because it never shows up as a BLTE broadcast. Dual recorded on the same device as per photo below.

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@DameLisa Oh man. LEDs even? Nerd.

:wink::nerd_face:

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They change colour in time with the SYSTM music. And if I really want, they can also change colour to match my output power :grin:

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