Turbo Training for Beginners - a NapD guide
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Ta for you help Nap, couple of things though on the CycleOps.
How do you use it with the Sufferfest videos etc, do you just go on heartrate, watts on your seperate computer ?
A couple of reviews have said its noisy, yet the review on here says it quiet, how have you found it?
Thanks again for your help, appreciated.0 -
federalski wrote:Ta for you help Nap, couple of things though on the CycleOps.
How do you use it with the Sufferfest videos etc, do you just go on heartrate, watts on your seperate computer ?
A couple of reviews have said its noisy, yet the review on here says it quiet, how have you found it?
Thanks again for your help, appreciated.
I go off watts on a separate computer but from my downloads I can see that the speed is very very consistent. The speed on the Satori crept up as it warmed up.
You could easily do sufferfest on how hard you feel it (RPE or 'Rate of perceived exertion), heart rate, speed or even just by choice of gearing.
I find it quieter than the Satori but no turbos are quiet. It depends on the surface you are using it on (e.g. a concrete garage floor will be quieter than a suspended floor...)0 -
Sold
Just about to order one, and a riser block.
Thanks again for your help.0 -
NapoleonD wrote:Changing wheels is easiest. Ebay is your best bet for a used bargain. Just use any old (slick) tyre. SHould be able to pick up a wheel and cassette for 20-30 quid.
Hi Nap,
Is it really this easy???, I get my Cycleops Jet Fluid Pro next Saturday but my LBS said if I change my wheel I will need to index my gears each time so that put me off, he suggested changing my tyre each time before a tubo session :shock: .
Buying a cheap wheel with an indentical cassette and turbo tyre fitted sounds a lot easier to me, as you say only 20 seconds to change.0 -
If you use the same set up then there should be no issues with indexing. I have 4 different rear wheels, two with Sram cassettes, two with Shimano, all with different ratios, never have an indexing problem!!
If there is a problem with indexing it takes again, 10-20 seconds to sort with the barrel adjuster...0 -
Thanks Nap, I would rather go the spare wheel route so i will give it a go.0
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In order to save time and to stop me going through the change over of tyres /wheels/bikes etc, Ive got a really old bike from the 80's now permanently on my turbo. Its got downtube shifters , toe clips and a lot of rust but hey it works!! Feel like Iam rescuing the poor bike from the knackers yard and its getting a second chance .
What I need to know is beacause its a totally different shape and set up for my size from my training/winter bike. Will this cause me any problems when using it for sessions. In otherwords am I better using my main bike on the turbo, the one I ride and Im used to. Or does it matter as long as the body/legs is getting a work out? Type, size shape of bike irrelevant.
Advice /opinions much appreciated.0 -
Autobahn wrote:In order to save time and to stop me going through the change over of tyres /wheels/bikes etc, Ive got a really old bike from the 80's now permanently on my turbo. Its got downtube shifters , toe clips and a lot of rust but hey it works!! Feel like Iam rescuing the poor bike from the knackers yard and its getting a second chance .
What I need to know is beacause its a totally different shape and set up for my size from my training/winter bike. Will this cause me any problems when using it for sessions. In otherwords am I better using my main bike on the turbo, the one I ride and Im used to. Or does it matter as long as the body/legs is getting a work out? Type, size shape of bike irrelevant.
Advice /opinions much appreciated.
You should really have exactly the same set up, especially at the back end. Otherwise you may develop twinges and lose power when you get back on the road as your body readjusts. I speak from experience!!0 -
Did my first turbo session tonight followed a session on turbotraining.co.uk , did a 10min warm up at 109bpm followed by 2 min intervals of 127 bpm then 145 bpm (my max being 181bpm ) . The session was on a tacx cycleforce swing set to level 4 . I thought id give it a go before starting Pete Reads programme.
Sweated conkers but didnt find it too hard ..... am I doing it right or am I missing something0 -
Autobahn wrote:In order to save time and to stop me going through the change over of tyres /wheels/bikes etc, Ive got a really old bike from the 80's now permanently on my turbo. Its got downtube shifters , toe clips and a lot of rust but hey it works!! Feel like Iam rescuing the poor bike from the knackers yard and its getting a second chance .
What I need to know is beacause its a totally different shape and set up for my size from my training/winter bike. Will this cause me any problems when using it for sessions. In otherwords am I better using my main bike on the turbo, the one I ride and Im used to. Or does it matter as long as the body/legs is getting a work out? Type, size shape of bike irrelevant.
Advice /opinions much appreciated.
That's a bad thing - your turbo bike should have the same basic setup as your training bike - seat/BB relationship, bar reach+drop etc.
I train on my TT bike on the turbo all winter so I remain adapted to the TT position.--
"Because the cycling is pain. The cycling is soul crushing pain."0 -
Also someone told me that using a Turbo Trainer puts an unnecessary "strain" on your bikes frame, something its not designed for? This comment has always stayed in my mind and put me off using one. Any truth to that as far as anyone knows?
This had also been putting me off. Intuitively I thought that having the rear stays fixed, is 'bad' for the frame. So, I did quite a bit of research before buying. General consensus amongst people that actually do know a lot about bicycles is that it should be filed with other FAQs such as 'Clipless pedals, will I die?' and 'Is rain bad for Carbon?'
As good an endorsement I could find was from Lennard Zinn (Of bicycling maintenance fame) reproduced below.
Dear Lennard,
I have a new,nice,carbon framed bike that I am racing on this year. Is there any reason to think that using it on an indoor trainer (an old Blackburn air resistance model) would cause any damage to the bike? I am mounting it to the trainer only via my trainer rear wheel, which is a Shimano 105 hub/Mavic CXP-‐21 rim and trainer tire. On this setup I use a skewer that fits well w/the trainer.
Basically, is there any reason to worry about damaging a frame by being hooked up to a trainer for workouts? I use the trainer setup for race warm up and also for indoor workouts when I don’t have time/weather to get outside.
Jay
Dear Jay,
I’ve answered this in the past, but I continually receive this same question, year in and year out, so I’ll continue to answer it periodically.
While the stresses are different on a bike constrained to a trainer than on the road, they are nonetheless far smaller than the kinds of stresses commonly encountered when riding on the road. So, no, you need not worry about damaging it by riding it on a trainer. If your bike can’t handle the abuse of a trainer, you sure don’t want to ride it on the road!
Of course, you will wear out your rear tire rapidly and need to replace that before blowing it on the road.
Furthermore, the danger of corrosion from sweating on a bike on a trainer is an issue with a steel, aluminium or magnesium frame, but it’s generally not with carbon.
LennardBasso Astra
Principia Ellipse SX
Kinesis Racelight 4S
Kinesis Crosslight Pro Disc0 -
Had my first go on the trainer tonight, a few minutes in I was wondering what all the fuss was about, 5 minutes later I was feeling it, then 20 minutes later I was sweating like a beast.
Had no set routine and was just listening to my MP3 and going through the gears but said to myself after 35 minutes or so I will up the pace for one last song.... and on came Down by the River by Neil Young, all 9 and a half minutes of it ! ! I was in pieces....
Was fun though and I look forward to getting a telly hooked up in front and to do some proper structured work outs.0 -
Just got this monster fan from tesco 25 quid if you collect from store -
http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.209-1797.aspx0 -
\hi guys what turbo would you suggest im tossing up between the Tacx Flow and the CycleOps Jet Fluid Pro?0
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Jet Fluid Pro, fo' sho'!!
I had a Tacx and changed to the Cycleops, much smoother and more natural feeling.0 -
From what I can work out not knowing what much of it does the tacx has more features like a handle bar attachment with speed ect. and the ability to be upgraded to the vr on the pc.
Does the cycle ops have anything similar0 -
No, but all that stuff is inconsequential when you get fed up of riding it due to dead spots at high resistance and the feeling of pedalling through mud!
Just get a cheap computer that you can use on the rear wheel!0 -
The fact that no1 has anything to say about the tacx or other turbos and the way your so sure that this is the best one for the money is making for an easy decision. Altho i am abit of a technofobe though and I like the features the taxc has but obviously it's not as well built/designed0
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The Tacx is a well built bit of kit but the power readings are reported as being inconsistent which basically means useless and riding the Tacx was a complete chore compared to the Cycleops.0
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mooseface2r wrote:You've sold me
I have to agree with everything Nap says, I have had my Jet Fluid Pro for a month now and its a great bit of kit, throw in a big fan and a couple of Sufferfest Vids and you will be good to go.0 -
cheers mate im going tom hopefully buy one this arvo, for some reason im looking forward to sweating me beans off in the garage0
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any thoughs on the jet fluid2, just spoke to my local evans and this is all they have in stock?0
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The pro just has a slightly bigger flywheel and better fan than the 2, but the 2 is still very good indeed...0
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Cool well that's wot iv brought, when setting it up do I want it so the wheel cannot slide when I hold the flywheel and push the wheel?0
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Yep, bit of trial and error, you want it firm but not too much, just enough to stop it slipping when suddenly putting power down...0
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NapoleonD wrote:I used to use a Satori (well, I still do, just use it to warm up with at races now) and tended to stick it in 4 and use the gears. It gets very choppy indeed at high resistance settings.
If you can stretch to it, get a Cycleops Jet Fluid Pro, a far better trainer. All the resistance changes are done on the gears and it is much more road like...
Hi Nap,
I know this is going to be a personal thing but what gear would you expect to be in for say a 7/10 PCA if your on setting 4 on the Satouri.
I know it depends on the rider and how strong they are, but the reason I ask is at this time of year I drag out the turbo for mid week training but also at this time of year I seem to start suffering from tendentious at the back of the knee/leg and I am wondering if I am overcooking the difficulty on the turbo.
Like you I set the trainer on say 4 put the front gear onto the biggest chainring and the rear onto the 4th largest cassette (12/25) for warm up and then when the sufferfest tells you to dial in a 6 ... two extra clicks, sufferfest ask’s for an 8 … two more clicks…. etc0 -
I'm not being awkward but it's impossible to say, what you are doing sounds good, whatever works fir you, but don't push too big a gear if it's going to give you problems...0
