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Configuration

Wireless Interference and Sensor Dropouts

ANT+ and Bluetooth both transmit in the 2.4 GHz band — the same band used by Wi-Fi, microwave ovens and most cordless peripherals. If sensors drop out mid-ride, or a trainer loses its connection, interference is usually the cause. Three things fix nearly all of it:

• Move the ANT+ dongle away from the computer. This is the single most effective fix, and it costs almost nothing. USB 3 ports emit radio noise across exactly the frequencies ANT+ uses, so a dongle plugged directly into a laptop — especially next to an external drive or a dock — is sitting in the noise. Use a short USB extension cable to put the dongle a foot or two away from the machine and closer to the bike.
• Use the 5 GHz Wi-Fi network if your signal is strong. Most routers broadcast both a 2.4 GHz and a 5 GHz network. Moving your computer to 5 GHz takes your Wi-Fi out of the band your sensors use entirely, and gives streamed 4K video more room at the same time. The trade-off is range: 5 GHz travels less far and passes through walls poorly, so if your setup is far from the router, a strong 2.4 GHz signal is better than a weak 5 GHz one.
• If you have to stay on 2.4 GHz, choose channel 1 or 6. ANT+ sensors transmit on a fixed frequency of 2457 MHz, which falls inside Wi-Fi channel 11. Channels 1 and 6 sit clear of it. Bluetooth is less affected — it hops between frequencies and can route around a busy network — which is why ANT+ sometimes drops out while Bluetooth sensors keep working on the same setup.

Also worth checking: keep the dongle and the sensors in line of sight of each other where you can, and avoid running a ride with a microwave oven going in the next room.

Configure User Profile

On the User Profile tab you can set your weight and bike weight, as well as Web Ride settings. Make sure to pick the Download Region that is closest to you.

Video plays in 4K, 1080p or 720p. Since version 8.0 playback is hardware-accelerated, so most recent computers handle 1080p easily and reasonably modern machines handle 4K well. Rides available in 4K show a '4K UHD' badge in the ride grid. See the recommended requirements for details.

Not sure which to pick? Run the automatic test that measures your internet connection speed and graphics performance and sets the best quality for you (available in Preferences and in the first-run setup wizard). If video ever stutters, step down one level or download the ride first.

Smart Trainer Settings

These settings only apply to smart trainers. Speed calculation is not affected by these settings — only the brake force applied by the smart trainer. These are very powerful settings to enhance your riding experience. Keep them at maximum values (±25%) for the most realistic terrain experience.

If you want to do intervals, you might want to set Maximum uphill to 4–5%. This way you won't need to shift gears when grades change and can focus on your interval power instead. Video speed is still calculated based on the power you produce, so it won't affect the realism of the ride. Triathletes will find this feature very helpful as it opens up many steep climbs for training. It's also great for recovery rides.

Setting Trainer Difficulty lower than 100% will decrease resistance on climbs and increase it on downhills proportionally. For example, if you set it to 50%, a grade of 10% will be communicated to the trainer as 5%. BigRingVR's speed calculations will still use the original grades, so it will not make you faster — you can think of it as virtual low gears. The default setting in BigRingVR is 100%.

Simulation

If you live and train at elevation but want to correct your power output to sea level, you can adjust the elevation power correction percentage setting. This creates a fair playing field for athletes riding virtually at elevation compared to athletes at sea level.

For example, if an athlete rides at an elevation of 2,100 meters (7,000 feet), the suggested "elevation power correction" setting is 9% — so if the athlete generates 250 W, speed will be calculated based on 272 W (250 W × 1.09). Power will still be displayed and saved as 250 W; only speed is affected. Rides with elevation correction will be marked with an asterisk on the BigRingVR leaderboard.

More information on FTP in relation to altitude can be found in this excellent post by Joe Friel.

Integrations

You can link your Strava, TrainingPeaks or Intervals.icu account so that when a ride is saved it is automatically uploaded as a FIT file to your linked accounts.

Left/Right Pedal Balance

If you ride dual-sided power-meter pedals (for example Favero Assioma DUO), BigRingVR records how your power splits between your left and right legs, over both ANT+ and Bluetooth.

• Pair the pedals as your Power meter in Preferences → Sensors. If you have a smart trainer, keep it as the smart trainer: the trainer controls resistance and the pedals supply the power. A trainer only measures total power, so balance can't come from it. If your pedals also report cadence, you can use them for cadence too.
• Over ANT+, dual-sided pedals appear as a single power meter. Over Bluetooth, some pedals can appear as two entries, one per pedal. Pairing only one of them records that leg's power alone and no balance — use ANT+, or set the pedals to a single combined channel in the manufacturer's app.
• To see it while you ride, choose the Training layout in Preferences → Ride Experience → Metrics layout (it takes effect on your next ride). The L/R cell appears next to power a few seconds after you start pedalling, with the live split and your average underneath.
• After the ride, the End Ride summary shows an L / R balance tile, and the balance is saved to your FIT file, so Strava, TrainingPeaks and Intervals.icu show it too.

Single-sided power meters (one pedal or one crank arm) and smart trainers can't measure balance, so the cell doesn't appear for them.

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