Trainer grade in indoor bike not updating

Hi all,

I'm using a smart trainer (kickr) paired on Zwift, and connect my Fenix 7x to the kickr. The fenix receives power from the kickr, but the trainer grade is never changing, stays forever either on 0 or on 1 (for no particular reason).

The kickr itself is changing resistance according to the elevation grade from Zwift, but the watch never receives anything. What do I need to do to get the grade like the power transmitting on the fenix? 

I can't be the only one having that issue? Before on the fenix 6 it was the same, never got the grade either...

Fenix 7X on latest Firmware, kickr latest firmware, Zwift uptodate etc etc

Thanks in advance

  • If you're in free ride on the watch (which you should be if you want the app to control resistance), it's going to stay at 1 because it's not having anything to do with resistance measuring. You'd have to switch the watch to a training mode to see and enact changes, but then you'll have a hell of a time with zwift as the app and watch will fight for control of the trainer and you'll have a miserable ride

  • Btw the 0 and 1 mean there's no resistance data coming from the watch to the trainer which again is what you want if you're using a separate platform like zwift rouvy etc

  • Yes it's on free ride... I just find it weird that it's able to "read" the power you are applying but it can't read the elevation... I don't want to act on it, just that it would read it the same way it reads the rest. 
    Because of that, everything calculated by Garmin is wrong in fact, as without resistance it calculates values, distance, training effect, vo2max and whatnot based on wrong data... 

    I don't really understand why it can't read it like the power. The watch isn't supposed to give anything, just read...

  • Well you can get speed and distance as that's going to be tied to cadence, but for elevation yeah I just enter it manually based on what the platform says. It's a pita but after 3 years I have not found a better solution and believe me I've tried

  • Oh yeah I can imagine... It's just never accurate data as everything is calculated without the elevation factor. So adding it manually afterwards changes nothing. A better solution is to use FFRT and then you have properly but you should recalculate the training effect and everything. I use it to merge Zwift file and Garmin File to have the elevation included.
    Speed and distance is anyway totaly pointless as also not based on elevation so it will be always not matching what the platform says. I don't think it's a very difficult thing to read elevation data, why is garmin not doing it? Too bad...
    Have a look at FFRT you will get better records of your training after merging...

  • Actually for me speed and elevation are within margin of error in most apps that I've used. So trainer road says 30 miles at 18mph and Garmin will say something like 29.8 @17.9mph. it's pretty accurate (in so much as the app is accurate, which is questionable). The only discrepancies I notice is if I'm coasting in a dh section and not pedaling. Garmin stops recording it obviously since there's no pedal input, but the platform is still tracking the gps data in the file and using it plus weight to extrapolate speed and distance.

    It's the same for rouvy and zwift. The only one that's way off is trainer day and I'm still working through that app to play with things like drag coefficient to see if I can get them to match. I'm pretty new to that app...

    But elevation has been a massive problem. I gave up on it and just put what the app says so I can still get the elevation based badges in GC 

  • Usually a 50k in a group in Zwift gives me around 38k on the watch. Because no draft and no elevation taken into account. So yeah if you descend the Alps without pedaling, you have 0 on the watch and 12k from the dowhnill lol

    To get the badges with elevation I simply  merge the fit files and reupload them, so I have the trace and the "real" virtual data from the app in it.  you should have a look at FFRT

  • i will! the only downside to just manually adding elevation to the garmin file is that i lose the map data, which always pissed me off. this looks like it will solve that issue for my rouvy rides. thanks man

  • Most welcome buddy! I'm using this for 2 years now and really is helpful to keep the data you want by selecting from which source. We may not have the proper readings on the watch from the trainer, but at least there's a way to merge things ;)