JetBlack Volt and Victory in your browser

Which JetBlack trainers work

JetBlack's own Volt specifications list Bluetooth FTMS and ANT+ FE-C, up to 1,800 watts and a 16% simulated grade. DC Rainmaker's JetBlack Victory review lists FTMS on the Victory too, next to ANT+ FE-C and Wi-Fi. For the Whisper Drive Smart we found no source that names a protocol. It's on the list because nearly every recent trainer speaks FTMS, and the game tells you plainly if it can't find it.

The same table, with sources, is on every supported trainer.

Volt V1 or V2

Zwift Insider's piece on virtual shifting for the Direto, Volt and D100 gives the quick check: look at the drive side. The V1 has a flat cap, the V2 a sloped one. The V2 got Zwift's virtual shifting by a firmware update; the V1 won't get it.

For Tour du Pain that difference doesn't matter. Zwift's virtual shifting only works in Zwift, and both Volts speak the same FTMS. ERG and the levels work the same on a V1 and a V2.

The Volt and the Zwift Hub are the same trainer under two names, so the Zwift Hub and Zwift Ride guide applies to a Volt as well. One thing it covers: some Hubs advertise only a heart rate service, and the game also looks for them by name so they still show up. A Volt that hides the same way appears with Show all devices.

Setting up a JetBlack

1. Update the firmware with JetBlack's app, then close the app completely. On a phone, swipe it away.
2. Open tourdupain.app in Chrome or Edge on a Windows or Mac computer, a Chromebook or an Android tablet.
3. Pedal a few strokes to wake the trainer.
4. Go to Settings, Devices and press Connect next to Smart trainer. Pick the Volt or Victory from the browser's list. If it isn't there, turn on Show all devices.
5. When Devices says the trainer is ready, start a free ride, a workout or the Col du Pain.

If Zwift or JetBlack's app still holds the trainer, Devices shows it as "Connected, power only". You can ride straight away on its power and cadence, and ERG and simulation come back by themselves once the other app lets go.

ERG, levels and the Zwift Cog

In ERG the trainer holds each block's target whatever your cadence. There are 105 workouts in the game, and your own .zwo, .erg, .mrc and .fit files load; ERG workouts in your browser shows how. From a standstill ERG starts light and builds up to the target over 6 seconds once you pedal.

DC Rainmaker noted that the Victory has no setting to turn off its own ERG smoothing, so the power it reports looks flatter than what your legs do. That's the trainer, not the game: Tour du Pain shows and records what the trainer sends.

With ERG off you pick one of 33 levels, based on your FTP, and shift your own gears. If your Volt or Victory runs a Zwift Cog, a single sprocket, there's nothing to shift. Then the level sets the effort, and a controller's plus and minus step it (or the watts, with ERG on). A Zwift Click works as that controller once Zwift is closed.

The road's gradient changes your speed on screen, not the resistance, so the Col du Pain feels flat on the trainer.

What doesn't work

Wi-Fi and ANT+ aren't used. A browser reaches trainers over Bluetooth only, so the Victory's Wi-Fi and the ANT+ side of both trainers stay idle. That costs you nothing in the game: the trainer speaks FTMS over Bluetooth either way.

Zwift's virtual shifting is Zwift's own. On a Volt V2 or a Victory with a Zwift Cog, Tour du Pain uses its levels instead.

Spin-down calibration in the game only appears when the trainer offers it over FTMS (Settings, Devices, Trainer details, Calibrate). If a JetBlack doesn't offer it there, calibrate in JetBlack's app, then close it.

Tour du Pain or Zwift on a JetBlack

We make Tour du Pain. Zwift is the big one: many worlds, races, structured plans, on a subscription. Tour du Pain is a browser tab with nothing to install, voice and chat built in, clubs, ride-along groups that keep you together whatever your watts, a demo without a trainer, and it's free for everyone through 2027 with everything included.

For a JetBlack specifically:

• For Zwift: Zwift's virtual shifting on the Volt V2 and the Victory with Zwift Cog, which no other app gets.
• For Zwift: many more roads, races and events, and ANT+ or Wi-Fi if your setup needs it.
• For Tour du Pain: ERG works the same, and the Volt V1 loses nothing, since the game's levels don't depend on Zwift's firmware.
• For Tour du Pain: voice chat while you ride, clubs and a coffee ride you plan with one link, on a Chromebook or Android tablet too.

Questions

Does the JetBlack Volt work outside Zwift?

It should. The Volt speaks FTMS over Bluetooth, which Tour du Pain uses in Chrome or Edge for ERG and levels. Only Zwift's virtual shifting stays in Zwift.

Is the JetBlack Volt the same as the Zwift Hub?

Yes, the same hardware under two names. Everything that works on a Zwift Hub in Tour du Pain should work on a Volt.

How do I tell a Volt V1 from a V2?

Look at the cap on the drive side: flat on the V1, sloped on the V2. In Tour du Pain both work the same.

Does the JetBlack Victory's Wi-Fi work in a browser?

No. Browsers reach trainers over Bluetooth only, so the Victory connects over Bluetooth FTMS. You get ERG and levels the same way.

Can I use a Zwift Click with a JetBlack in Tour du Pain?

Yes, as a controller. Close Zwift first, then connect the Click under Settings, Devices next to Controller. Plus and minus step the levels or the ERG watts.

Is there a free app for the JetBlack Volt?

Tour du Pain is free for everyone through 2027, everything included. Donations are optional. It runs in Chrome or Edge with nothing to install.