Turbo Training Speeds

Mr Dog
Mr Dog Posts: 643
edited February 2011 in Training, fitness and health
Do they mean anything at all? Should I reduce the resistance to reflect my road speed?

Thanks
Mr Dog
Why tidy the house when you can clean your bike?

Comments

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    No.
  • Mr Dog
    Mr Dog Posts: 643
    Top man Nap D... to the point. I guess if I can keep my cadence in the zone then mph is meaningless. If I'm on the turbo I might as well suffer. :D
    Why tidy the house when you can clean your bike?
  • bilirubin
    bilirubin Posts: 225
    Mr Dog wrote:
    Top man Nap D... to the point. I guess if I can keep my cadence in the zone then mph is meaningless. If I'm on the turbo I might as well suffer. :D

    The only measurement you need to worry about is how deep the puddle of sweat is on the floor :lol:
  • amaferanga
    amaferanga Posts: 6,789
    bilirubin wrote:
    Mr Dog wrote:
    Top man Nap D... to the point. I guess if I can keep my cadence in the zone then mph is meaningless. If I'm on the turbo I might as well suffer. :D

    The only measurement you need to worry about is how deep the puddle of sweat is on the floor :lol:

    Not if you have a proper fan.
    More problems but still living....
  • Mike67
    Mike67 Posts: 585
    I thought the same but didn't bother trying to match the two.
    As long as nothing changes with the turbo you'll be comparing like with like from session to session and will see any improvement anyway.

    It can be a bit galling though when you're putting enough effort in to easily be doing 25mph on the road and look the speedo reading of 17 or so.
    At least, I hope that's the case and I'm not is some kind of weird turbo induced hypnotic state and imagining I'm working hard :lol:
    Mike B

    Cannondale CAAD9
    Kinesis Pro 5 cross bike
    Lots of bits
  • Zachariah
    Zachariah Posts: 782
    Judging by my experience, I work harder on the turbo than I do on the road. Over the last couple of months I've been pounding away on the thing trying to get fitness up, then when I went out for a race it was actually easier to keep up at 20+mph than I had allowed for on the turbo (not that this helped me win).
  • milese
    milese Posts: 1,233
    Zachariah wrote:
    Judging by my experience, I work harder on the turbo than I do on the road. Over the last couple of months I've been pounding away on the thing trying to get fitness up, then when I went out for a race it was actually easier to keep up at 20+mph than I had allowed for on the turbo (not that this helped me win).

    I find the opposite. 170bmp on the turbo is hard work, but on a hill following a wheel it is easy. Percieved exertion maybe easier on the turbo, but whether that translates to actual exertion I dont know.

    I fitted a proper turbo tyre and it made my average speed go up, and generally increased the pleasure in using the turbo (smoother, quieter and more grip).
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Milese wrote:
    Zachariah wrote:
    Judging by my experience, I work harder on the turbo than I do on the road. Over the last couple of months I've been pounding away on the thing trying to get fitness up, then when I went out for a race it was actually easier to keep up at 20+mph than I had allowed for on the turbo (not that this helped me win).

    I find the opposite. 170bmp on the turbo is hard work, but on a hill following a wheel it is easy. Percieved exertion maybe easier on the turbo, but whether that translates to actual exertion I dont know.

    I fitted a proper turbo tyre and it made my average speed go up, and generally increased the pleasure in using the turbo (smoother, quieter and more grip).

    Milese, I think you actually just agreed with Zachariah...

    I find the turbo harder work than the road, however I train with a power meter so the effort is the same. Perceived effort is definitely higher on the turbo.
  • freehub
    freehub Posts: 4,257
    On the turbo I usually average around 25mph, I can't do that on the road so no they don't mean anything :D
  • mz__jo
    mz__jo Posts: 398
    I have just started using a turbo because arthritis stops me wanting to go out when its cold (or wet). I find that I have to have the resistance backed right off to turn at about the same cadence on the same gear as on the road. After that its a question of letting the heart rate judge how hard you want to train and the choice of gear control the cadence. What is more frightening is how soft I have to pedal in order to keep the bpm decently low.

    Mind you, I did do a 19 minute 10 yesterday on the turbo. Not bad for an arthritic 54yr old tourist, no relevance at all to riding in the real world!
    http://rctl.ffct.org/
  • mz__jo
    mz__jo Posts: 398
    I should add that I have never found following a wheel on a hill an easy occupation. 170+bpm on the turbo is much easier!

    Cheers Jo
    http://rctl.ffct.org/
  • goosey
    goosey Posts: 103
    I really struggle to get my heart rate up on the turbo. Feels like I'm working really hard yet my monitor keeps bleeping that I've dropped out of my zone again. On the road, It's usually the opposite problem - I'm going up into the next zone.
    Not sure why this is or what it means - should I go by perceived effort or HRM?
  • Mr Dog
    Mr Dog Posts: 643
    I have average heart rate of around 160 for the hour. Then again Angels has almost reduced me to tears :shock:
    Why tidy the house when you can clean your bike?
  • a_n_t
    a_n_t Posts: 2,011
    NapoleonD wrote:
    Perceived effort is definitely higher on the turbo.

    I concur.
    Manchester wheelers

    PB's
    10m 20:21 2014
    25m 53:18 20:13
    50m 1:57:12 2013
    100m Yeah right.
  • milese
    milese Posts: 1,233
    NapoleonD wrote:
    Milese wrote:
    Zachariah wrote:
    Judging by my experience, I work harder on the turbo than I do on the road. Over the last couple of months I've been pounding away on the thing trying to get fitness up, then when I went out for a race it was actually easier to keep up at 20+mph than I had allowed for on the turbo (not that this helped me win).

    I find the opposite. 170bmp on the turbo is hard work, but on a hill following a wheel it is easy. Percieved exertion maybe easier on the turbo, but whether that translates to actual exertion I dont know.

    I fitted a proper turbo tyre and it made my average speed go up, and generally increased the pleasure in using the turbo (smoother, quieter and more grip).

    Milese, I think you actually just agreed with Zachariah...

    I find the turbo harder work than the road, however I train with a power meter so the effort is the same. Perceived effort is definitely higher on the turbo.

    So HR and power match up whether you are on the turbo or on the road. Does that mean you get a much better training benefit on the road, as you can work harder for longer, due to the decrease in percieved exertion?
  • thediceman85
    thediceman85 Posts: 21
    my next turbo is gonna be one without an lcd display, as theres no way its accurate and can be quite demoralising, iv started covering it with a piece of tape(unless im testing myself) and just leaving the ride time display, i just make sure each effort hurts and i finish the session with nothing left. :)

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