DOWNLOAD CADE FOR FREE HERE AND GET AHEAD OF THE PACK
CLICK HERE TO WATCH SOME CADEsport course previews from West London Cycling
CLICK HERE FOR OUR INITIAL SET UP GUIDE
CLICK HERE TO SEE OUR GUIDE TO STEERING HARDWARE SET UPS
CLICK HERE TO SEE OUR GUIDE TO ‘ASSISTS’ SET UP (Autosteer, Autobraking etc)
West London Cycling got involved with organising rides on CADEsport at an early stage because we believed that it has amazing potential. When we started running the events we discovered that it brought so much more to the party than we had first imagined. Of course, being involved early on means that we are Beta testers, but that actually added to the fun too and CADEsport have been very receptive and quick to respond as we’ve embarked upon this journey with them. You can be a part of it too.
Essentially, CADEsport brought braking, steering crashing and a whole load of other features which brought online riding closer to the real thing. This is what picqued our interest. Over the first few months we’ve been involved, CADEsport has evolved and we now have some bespoke courses developed for us and, perhaps more significantly, CADEsport now offers riders ‘ASSISTS’ which are basically options to switch off the steering and braking should you so choose. Beware though, this option will slow you down on corners compared to a skilled rider who risks crashing on corners, so there is a trade off … you choose!
We run races on CADEsport on alternate Wednesdays at 7.30pm UK Time.
The features that add a level of skill to riding CADEsport as opposed to other platforms, are the braking and steering combined with it being set up so that if you take corners too quickly, you are likely to crash (subject to setting up ASSISTS.. We believe that this makes it more absorbing and realistic for the rider whilst adding another dynamic to the racing and, importantly, the outcome of races. Staying up whilst others fall could win you the race!
The second feature that adds excitement is the ability to ‘Equalize’ races whereby everyone enters in ‘ProPower’ and the race is levelled up …. this means that slower riders have a chance of winning and the more powerful get more of a challenge, and hence potentially a better workout.
CADEsport is currently free during the Beta testing phase but will be cheaper than most platforms when subscriptions are introduced. West London Cycling is totally independent of CADEsport and the content of this page is our own independent assessment.
To get started, you need to download CADEsport and the companion phone app.
INITIAL SET UP GUIDE
DOWNLOAD CADE FOR FREE HERE AND GET AHEAD OF THE PACK
PLEASE NOTE: At the time of publishing this webpage it is advised that if you are using a MAC computer then you will need an ANT+ dongle to ride on CADEsport. These can be inexpensively purchased for as little as £10 online from many suppliers.
Once you have downloaded the two apps, go to your settings page to set your preferred choices. We don’t have a general view on this but remember that higher spec’ laptops will cope better with high level graphics and if your machine is at the lower end, it may be worth starting with lower resolutions to minimise the impact on your computer.
You can see from the picture below that there is a huge list of keyboard options which you can use in race. The most important of there are the SPACEBAR (For Braking) LEFT AND RIGHT ARROW KEYS (to steer left and right across the road), THE ‘B’ KEY (to look backwards) and possibly THE ‘C’ KEY if you want to change your rider view.
You can make your own choices about the info displayed, but we initially left off the leaderboard and scoreboard options from the GAMES UI as we felt there was too much info on screen. Similarly you can choose how many other riders are displayed and we felt that it took a lot of screenspace if there were 10 or more displayed.
TO CHANGE YOUR OPTIONS WHILST IN GAME, PRESS ‘SHIFT Q’
CADE has online audio too, you can switch this for each ride, we generally use ‘PLAYLIST’ which is available to everyone in the event. There is also a West London VR Channel which we could use to talk to each other without everyone else in the race being involved. We recommend PLAYLIST as your default choice.
You can add the phone app by scanning the QR code onece you are in CADEsport online.
Once you have the phone app, you should calibrate your steering, unless you have decided to adopt the assists which override steering, braking etc (SEE BELOW)
As noted above, you can steer and brake using your laptop keyboard but the phone app offers an alternative. You can swivvle your phone from side to side to steer, whilst tapping the red brake bar (see picture) for small speed reductions and continued pressing for full braking. Of course, if you can attach your device to your handlebars, then you can steer more naturally using your bike handlebars. Several West London Cyclists have made this easier by using an Elite Sterzo Steering Block. Although that particular product is designed for Zwift Users, you won’t have to add batteries for use on CADEsport as your phone will be undertaking all the functionality. Another alternative is to use a handlebar mount that swivvles/rotates such as the NiteIze Wraptor (available from Amazon and others), which allows you steer when you are both not within reach of your keyboard nor does your front wheel have the ability to move’ However, the most successful and popular alternative is to use a small three buttoned keyboard strapped to your handlebars.
At the outset, for the mobile option you will need to calibrate your steering (see picture bottom right). Our experience has been that setting a small angle seems more resonsive in game.
To join the race, in CADEsport, go to activities / races and scroll down to the West London Race OR go to Activities / Search and enter ‘West Londonn VR’.
The next step is to join a race, or activity where you can set up your ASSISTS permanently.
SETTING UP ASSISTS
This CADEsport option is designed to make CADESport able to suit all tastes; whether you’re an ace or chase, set yourself up for the race …. To Crash or Not To Crash? That is the question
To recap, CADEsport has braking and steering (using your mobile, laptop or other options), such that if you don’t slow down on bends you risk crashing. It takes a little practice to get corners right, but we’ve had a lot of fun learning. Nevertheless, whilst we think it makes racing more fun, CADESport recognises that there are people who would rather go for a strong workout, rather than refine skills, so they’ve provided options for not steering and braking. Basically, you can switch to autosteer and autobraking so that it is taken care of for you. ‘Hold on!’ We hear you say, ‘isn’t that giving people an unfair advantage?’ Apparently not, because the autobraking etc will restrict your cornering speed to more than it needs to, so whilst you avoid the risk of crashing, those taking that risk can corner faster than you …. it’s a trade off …. take your pick.
Remember too, that in our races we recommend that you enter in Pro-Power mode as this equalises racers’ power. In short, this makes for some pretty competitive racing.
REMEMBER: ENTER EACH RACE IN PRO-POWER (or Raw Power if you prefer, but it will be disadvantageous)
Click ASSISTS in the top right hand menu and select your preference from the dropdown menu. This is permanent so you don’t need to do it for each race.
KEEP THE SPEEDOMETER COLOURING ON AS THIS WILL ALERT YOU IF YOU ARE OVERSPEEDING THROUGH BENDS ANF HELP YOU MONITOR YOUR BRAKING
WATCH HOW CADEsport looks on our very own course based on Brunel University in Uxbridge, West London:
JOINING AN ACTIVITY
Once into your race, you will see that you are in the lobby. You can view the details by clicking on the race Icon on the left and details will come up. CADEsport has a multitude of in-race options are we are, currently, using Power Ups and non corner crashing for 10 seconds as cards you can play during the race. You have two of each, so choose . We have designated our races as ‘Equalized’ which requires all riders to join the race in ProPower and not RawPower. RawPower is your normal capacity and strength, whereas ProPower will bring you up to the highest level. There is a compliacted algorithm that uses your recent past data to calculate the uplift, so new riders may find that the effect alters a little as data is gathered. You can race in RAWpower but it is likely to be disadvantageous.
You can steer to choose your lane on the road, or take the inside of a bend. You don’t need to steer around corners, other than to choose the line of the bend, eg, this inside.
We tend to factor in a 2kph Westerly wind that will increase resistance when you turn into it,
Some races are on courses with obstacles, so steering is vital to avoiding them.
Races will, in many cases, be decided on how you master the braking on corners (unless you are using ASSISTS). Watch the speedometer at the bottom of your screen, if you go into the red zone on a bend, you’ll crash. We have found it best to brake just before the bend and accelerate out, but we all need to practice and master this new skill. The braking can be controlled from the Companion App on your phone or the Spacebar on your PC keyboard. tapping the brake bar will give small drops in speed whist holding it longer will give full braking.
So, with steering, wind effect, crashing, braking and equalized power, this is soooh much more than a trip on the Hamster Wheel you may be currently enjoying. Maybe it’s time to step out of your comfort zone here though:
- If you go too fast into corners you will crash and lose a few seconds time delay. You need to master the braking.
- You can steer around other riders and choose your line with steering. You can force other riders into obstacles by hogging the line.
- A wind factor can be built in so that when riders turn into the wind the resistance becomes harder.
- We have set up our races for Equalized E-Racing so that every rider has pro-power and anyone can win. Natural power isn’t going to be enough, you need to work.
- Or you can choose to use assists, which will help you avoid crashing but will hinder your speed on corners, it’s a trade-off!
Let’s be honest, some of this is going to take you out of your comfort-zone if you don’t choose ASSISTS, but we think that you’ll actually find it more exciting (well it can be frustrating too but that’s part of the fun) …. there are new challenges and skills to learn.
SETTING UP STEERING
Our first experience was the CADEsport phone app or the PC keyboard. To go left or right you use the left/right arrow keys and to brake, spacebar on your PC keyboard or the phone app. These keys are good choices as they are nearset to you when riding and are easily identifaiable and more reachable than RGT’s choice of keys A and D which are not particularly convenient.
You could just have your phone on a flat shelf and swivel it left and right to steer, without any extra kit at all. Whilst this is not a natural intuitive way to steer, it is accessible and inexpensive.
We should also stress, at the outset, that sweat on phone screens can mean that they cease to function, so if you live somewhere hot and don’t have a fan …. steering could cease during a race if the screen gets sweaty .
So, let’s look at the solutions:
SOLUTION 1: THE ROTATING HANDLEBAR MOUNT
This mount (see below) is actually quite a good bit of kit and can work on both CADEsport and WahooRGT but is more suited to CADEsport because it allows a rider to steer using their bike’s handlebars. Of course, if you are riding a fixed set up like a Wattbike this advantage will not exist for you.
We got this gem of a bike mount through Amazon, it’s the Wraptor Rotating Smartphone Bar Mount and can be twisted whilst riding to steer the bike if your wheel doesn’t move (see below). Also, the rubber holding straps mean almost any smartphone should fit and, when mounted to the stem, we also found that we could mount it sideways on the stem and there was enough tilt movement to make it work on Wahoo RGt too … not brilliant on Wahoo RGt but it worked!
Overall we are very impressed by it. It holds the phone tightly in the rubber straps, whilst the phone stays steady due to the solid centre section, which because it rotates, means you could actually steer on CADEsport by twisting it from side to side on fixed handlebars. But the main advantage here is, of course, that you can steer by twisting your handlebars, the most natural steering of all. To do this your front wheel will need to be capable of moving, but two sheets of paper under the wheel should do the trick and allow your wheel to move. Alternatevely, the Elite Sterzo Riser will facilitate this.
SOLUTION 2: THE THREE BUTTON MINI KEYPAD
This is, without doubt, the best current solution for CADEsport. However, rumour has it that CADEsport are developing hardware solutions that may supercede this notion … so watch this space.
You can buy mini keypads with various numbers of keys, but we chose three to cover left, right and braking on CADESport. You could have more keys, or you’d only need two for Wahoo RGT as it does not have braking.
Cadesport makes it really easy to set up keys because it is designed to let youn allocate keys of your choice to various functions.
In CADEsport just click ShiftQ and choose INPUT then allocate the keyboard keys you want to the custom column, leaving the main keyboard column with arrow keys and shift. This means that the keyboard and the mini-pad have different commands independently it’s fantastic!
One word of caution though, mini keypads tend to come with pre-assigned keys. Ours was pre-assigned to 1, 2 and 3 and so when we, initially, assigned 1,2 and 3 to left, right and brakes, we had to change the CADEsport power ups from 1,2 and 3 to other keys. So, we then searched out some software that allowed us to change the settings in the keypad to A,S and D instead of 1, 2 and 3 (see below). This meant we could keep CADEsport power ups allocations as numeric and also this meant that the keypad now coincided with Wahoo RGT’s fixed settings of A and D.
There are numerous suppliers of these keypads on eBay and Amazon with various brand names, but we suspect they mostly operate on the Sayo software, especially if they come from the east. We have a link to the software below. It seems that this software works on various differently branded but identical looking keypads, so if the one above is sold out, it should work on similar looking ones we believe.
Unfortunately our mini keypad came with no instructions, nor any link to the software that allows reallocation of keys. Consequently, we have set out below how this key reallocation can be done using the Sayo software. Firstly, use the link below to dowload the software:
PC https://dl.sayobot.cn/setting.zip
Mac https://sayodevice.com/help/unix
WE RECOMMEND THE THREE BUTTON OPTION AS OUR FAVOURITE SOLUTION FOR CADEsport
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ENJOY SOME PREVIEWS OF CADE courses and tracks:
