Where is TDA going?

[wilf]

I have the vague feeling that the further development is not really making any headway.
No new features, films or design worth mentioning for 1 year.

It is a real shame which good approaches were developed and simply left behind:
- real live videos
- virtual reality
- multiplayer
- online competitions
- ...
Everything is currently being developed and marketed with power by competitors.

In these times in particular, training at home is the only thing that is possible in many countries.

[nzuraw]

Definitely still being worked on bt Tacx. A few of us on the forum are Beta testers.

[mcorn]

I have been a Tacx tester (both hardware and software) for 15 years or so. In terms of their software products, I feel that TDA is far better than any software they have developed in the past, by a huge margin. One of their traps in the past was over-embellishment of features, which often did not work well and introduced a lot of bugs. And some of these features (like steering) were just a gimmick. So, personally, I welcome this refreshing period of stability. My TDA plus Neo2T (as well as a Flux 2 Smart) have been way ahead of prior products.

It seems that every time I turn around, someone else has some kind of computer-interfaced bike training program, having various features. And this does not count companies like Peloton, that seems to be taking a different approach, but one that apparently is big enough to pay for a lot of prime time advertising, something the traditional cyclist products do not do.

I am just not sure the market is big enough to support all of this and at some point there is likely to be a major shakeout. I currently have a monthly subscription to Rouvy, but I will probably drop it as I do not use it much. It is erratic and not the most user-friendly in my experience and some features are kind of gimmicky. So, I am not sure it makes a lot of sense for Garmin Tacx to launch a major software development effort. I have no idea of how well they do selling subscriptions, but adding a lot of software development expense might not make a lot of business sense. As I have said elsewhere, at its heart Tacx is a hardware company. The software is provided more as a convenience and accommodation to its customers. Tacx has already crossed over the Smart Device threshold to ensure its trainers work with everyone else's software. So, I would expect them to stay on this track unless the software and subscription market all of sudden looks very lucrative.

[wilf]

I agree with Michael that TDA is a stable product. This was TTS4.23.7 ​​in 2017 (?) Too.
Many of the gimmicks you mentioned are ideas that were quite fun. I used steering with my old trainer for a long time with fun. Like Elite Sterzo Smart, Kickr climb and Headwind probably too.

If Nick says there are new features in the beta test, it is interesting, but when does Tacx / Garmin plan to bring this to market? In the spring after the lockdown in Europe? Spreading at least a few rumors where it's going would be good marketing.

My license from TDA expires at the end of November, I tend to renew my license from ZWIFT, because there are promotions within the framework of cooperations / competitions by BDR (German Cycling). If I feel like watching videos, I take TTS4 with around 150 videos (with the free ones it can be a lot more). I miss the videos in TDA "Training with ..." and "Ironman ..." (although those in Lanzarote are unsurpassed).

Let's see what happens.

[BerthaVision]

We have just returned from a 8000km filming trip over 3 weeks, including some of the very best of this years Giro (kind of a secret but the numbers reading this are small enough & Garmin Italy have been advertising it a bit...plus anyone watching the Giro for real will have seen me & Bertha). I can say new film wise we have a lot of brilliant rides to come plus Tacx have already about 30 new rides in their reserve..we should nbe a total reserve after this trip of about 60 new rides which is solid. Software wise I know they have deep pockets & Garmin connect probably costs more then most fitness software out there, making Garmin zero cents but they see it as important for the sale of their hardware. They have had a difficult time integrating Tacx with it & I think once they have got the basis of the integration working the ball will start to roll again with the features that are needed to remain or rather be competitive.

The main issue is Video quality is just a sticking plaster that will eventually fall off if they do not innovate

[mcorn]

Looks great. As far as I know, no one competes with Phil's video library, which is the bread and butter of this type of product.

[wilf]

I agree that Phil's videos are the best in class.

But I just got an email from ZWIFT Team with an invitation to this Event Series:

https://zwift.com/events/series/garmin- ... _znl=de-de

GARMIN NEVER STOP CYCLING TOUR
Scheduled
9th Nov 2020
21st Nov 2020

From November 9th to November 20th, the Garmin Never Stop Cycling campaign kicks off.

With Zwift you can ride, train, or run all year round.

Just as Zwift empowers outdoor cycling through indoor training, partner Garmin helps cyclists train, explore and stay aware.

The Never Stop Cycling ride series offers 4 different types of cycling experiences within Zwift and speaks to all cyclists, not just roadies.

Each route is a signature course for its cycling category and are led by four different expert level ride leaders. When you complete any route, you’ll unlock a new Garmin kit to wear in-game.

Nov 9-11 - Stage 1: Figure 8 - A Haven for Road Cyclists
One of the most famous routes for road cyclists: the Figure 8. This ride covers the entire route, in both directions. This is perfect for an hour long cruise with some short climbs and a nice mix of flats and rollers.
Length: 29.8 km (18.5 miles) Elevation: 234 m (768‘)
Laps: 1

Nov 12-14 - Stage 2: Douce France - A Dream for TTs
This route was created for the first-ever Virtual Tour de France and is perfect for fast TT efforts through the upper portion of Zwift's France map.
Length: 24.1 km (15.0 miles) Elevation: 108 m (354‘)
Laps: 1

Nov 15-17 - Stage 3: Road to Ruins - A Gravel Rider’s Wonderland
Road to Ruins is where you’ll find a solid mix of both tarmac and gravel. The course is flat and all about maximizing your speed output. You won’t get bored, though. We’ve added a bit of elevation to keep things spicy. Clip in and have fun as you explore this course!
Length: 29.6 km (18.4 miles) Elevation: 268 m (879‘)
Laps: 1

Nov 18-20 - Stage 4: Jungle Circuit - A Shredder’s Paradise
This all dirt route is widely used for MTB riders who have a serious need for speed. Feeling competitive? Awesome. Swap your bike to get a faster record.
Length: 7.9 km (4.9 miles) Elevation: 79 m (259‘) Lead-In: 5.7 km (3.5 miles)
Laps: 2

Unlock:

Complete any single event and unlock the Garmin Never Stop Riding Kit

[BerthaVision]

Tacx have just put a few films online finally, its a old selection with some older rides I made ready for the last lockdown, the MTB one is the best filmed last year next to lake Como, its really scenic. Film wise they will probably start publishing again now, they have loads sitting there...As for development I would not expect them to try to compete with the competition but rather do a simple solution for their internal market.. workouts, simple ride simulation, trainer testing, GPS

[mcorn]

Tacx have just put a few films online finally, its a old selection with some older rides I made ready for the last lockdown, the MTB one is the best filmed last year next to lake Como, its really scenic. Film wise they will probably start publishing again now, they have loads sitting there...As for development I would not expect them to try to compete with the competition but rather do a simple solution for their internal market.. workouts, simple ride simulation, trainer testing, GPS

We did the new Martigny Orchard Ride yesterday. Enjoyed it a lot. A good ride for recreational riders. The MTB looks great. Although it is classified as hard, that is only the first 6 miles and the rest is easy, so this one can be used by everyone.

[BerthaVision]

Tacx have just put a few films online finally, its a old selection with some older rides I made ready for the last lockdown, the MTB one is the best filmed last year next to lake Como, its really scenic. Film wise they will probably start publishing again now, they have loads sitting there...As for development I would not expect them to try to compete with the competition but rather do a simple solution for their internal market.. workouts, simple ride simulation, trainer testing, GPS

We did the new Martigny Orchard Ride yesterday. Enjoyed it a lot. A good ride for recreational riders. The MTB looks great. Although it is classified as hard, that is only the first 6 miles and the rest is easy, so this one can be used by everyone.

You have to do the MTB one, its actually one of Europes most popular MTB tracks going up an old military railway built into the cliff overhanging lake Garda, Use the difficulty slider as some of the grades are steep but they don't last that long. The Orchards one was just a B roll ride that would have been a good warm up for the World Championship route that never was (C19)

[hpezelj]

i try to log in to tda for over an hour. i have an account on tacx and now it asks me to create an account on garmin but everything is spinning in a circle. so today’s training probably won’t be because I lost my free time. garmin made a mistake, he should have sent an email notification that they have new rules and that I need to create an account on garmin, not when the user goes to train and when he starts TDA and then finds out that he needs to create a new account first. and creating a new garmin account doesn't work. i sit next to a bike dressed for training and “have fun” with creating an account on garmin. I give up, I go play with my son.

[mcorn]

They are having transition issues. You should note that at the bottom of this login page, you can choose NOT to sync/connect with your Garmin account (at least for a while). You should be able to that at least get started.

[BerthaVision]

They should have done this update next summer so they could iron out the issues with the minimum of hassle.

[HP1970]

I also made the mistake of connecting the Tacs and Garmin accounts 2 days ago.
It has not worked for 2 days now. and I train on the role without TDA ...
Typical Garmin:
Great hardware but bad software .....

[irwinsbike]

so i contacted them last night as I stood there in my gear waiting to log on. Chatted and they told me to try a different workout. In other words they have no clue how to fix it and suggested ZWIFT. lol. Nice customer service.

[HP1970]

Now TDA is going....

But, who can i see my older workouts?
I see these only in the "cloud", but not on the PC.

Have anyone a answer for me?