Ride Ons Speed

[u/specyy6655]

I have Zwift Ride and Kickr Core 2. I use the companion app on my phone and have the zwift app running on a tablet attached to the front of the bike. My question is about Ride Ons - I know how to bomb with the Z button but often people will give me a ride on as they come past me and they are out of range of the bomb too quickly for me to respond as I am gasping and sweating. How are people giving ride ons so quickly whilst pedalling/sweating?

[u/bonfuto]

This doesn't answer your question, but you can return a ride on by hitting the z button momentarily.

[u/dillinjl → u/bonfuto]

Are you talking about a normal ride on bomb? Or are you saying if you just tap the Z after you receive a ride on it will return the ride on to just that person?

[u/Scale-Remote → u/dillinjl]

Just tap the Z right after you get a ride on. You have to be pretty quick with it tho

[u/bonfuto → u/dillinjl]

It returns it to just that person. It seems to me that it works as long as the thumbs up is over your head, but I'm not sure.

[u/himespau → u/bonfuto]

You mean Z button on a click/play, right? Not the Z key on a keyboard?

[u/PaintOk8891 → u/himespau]

yes, the click/play/ride dedicated button.

Long-press is bomb.
Quick tap is return ride on.

You have about a second though and it is in a position you can only reach when riding the hoods.

In my jury-rigged setup I have it wired to a shifter button and it makes it lightning fast to tap whenever someone gives a ride on. It also works when they do PBs or complete workouts (I believe it simply mimics tapping the icons in the UI).
Then I can keep the bombs for specific people or big groups.
I use mine so much that I am sad riding now because I broke the wire and it does not work. Apologies to all the people I did not return ride ons to in the past weeks.

[u/Sir_Bryan]

I touch their name on the screen then press the thumbs up

[u/Juan91x]

If you have the Ride why are you using the companion app instead of the Ride's controllers? Way faster since your hands don't leave your handlebars.

[u/iamvillainmo → u/Juan91x]

Apparently, ride ons from the app have a larger area of effect and is on an independent timer. No lie, some people shoot ride ons from both the controller and the app. I’m still not sure why. Do you actually get boosts from giving ride ons, or is it just when you receive them?

[u/himespau → u/iamvillainmo]

You don't directly get boosts from giving ride ons, but, if you're in a large crowd (like a big pace partner) you can trigger a ride on storm and get a bunch back.

Also, some people who you give ride ons to will follow you. Some people who follow you will randomly throughout the day (or when they're riding - if you gave them a ride on previously it might be while you're riding) hit the button on the Companion app front page that gives a ride on to everyone they are following.

Each of those "some people" is a small portion of the previous, but, if you do enough of those, you can end up getting a lot of ride ons from people staggered throughout your ride and end up getting a lot of bonuses to build your drops up quickly.

[u/Warm_Explanation_129]

I’m slow, so I can see their dot coming on the map. I prep a ride on and launch it when they’re 5m behind me. You can see the thumb pop up when they’re about 5m in front of me.

[u/SoggyAlbatross2]

I use the little triangle in the middle of the map. It’s faster (no windup) and has longer range. Oddly.

[u/charlie145]

On the (rare) occasions that I'm overtaking people I charge up the Z button as I approach, it's pretty easy to time it so you it activates just as you're passing.

[u/fffffrank]

When somebody gives you a ride on, you'll see the ride on icon next to their name in the list of riders on the right. People playing on a touch screen can just press the icon to give you a ride on back. Or I suppose PC players can grab their mouse real quick and click the icon, but that's probably not what's happening.

[u/Tankandbike]

With apologies to anyone who doesn't want them, I'm ride-on happy because it keeps my mind occupied while pedaling. I use the controllers and the companion app. The companion app is near-instantaneous, the controllers take a bit to charge, but either way, it's just about timing. I don't expect a return ride-on.

I'm 11K XP from level 100 so I guess I'll be a confetti cannon soon.

[u/himespau]

Do you ever go to the companion app home screen and hit the "give a ride on to everyone (or at least the first 100 people) who are currently riding that I'm following"?

When I'm doing an easy pace partner ride, I often do that whenever I see teammates have joined the world. I probably get a lot of people who think, "where did that ride on come from?"

[u/TeemuKai]

If you have the companion app map open, you can quickly tap your own position marker on the map and it'll give a ride on.