The official TrainerRoad thread

Garryboy

NapoleonD wrote:

The weight is just the rider, to work out w/kg

Aren't you too busy checking the virtual power curve of the Jet Fluid Pro against your power meter?

I only want to hear the result if the virtual power curve is under reporting!

dw300

Garryboy wrote:

NapoleonD wrote:

The weight is just the rider, to work out w/kg

Aren't you too busy checking the virtual power curve of the Jet Fluid Pro against your power meter?

I only want to hear the result if the virtual power curve is under reporting!

This^

Garryboy

New beta available that improves video performance quite a bit. Worth looking at if you've had issue with stuttering vids or them getting out of synch. Seems to have even helped my poor wee netbook!

foggybike

Hi, just wondering if anyone can offer any advice on what I think is cardiac creep/drift.

If you take a look at my profile on trainerroad you can see my rides with heart rate information. I have found that my heart rate seems to drift upwards as the rides progresses. I generally get through around one 750ml bottle in an hour on the trainer. I have read that dehydration can cause this, but is there anything else?

I have also noticed through looking at others peoples rides of the same type that my heart rate seems higher than most, I look at some peoples rides and think how the hell have they ridden that with such a lower rate.

Am I just unfit or worrying about nothing?

Here is my career page on trainer road, any advice would be appreciated :-) The last couple of ride were sufferfest and you can see the creep well there.

http://www.trainerroad.com/career/ajfoggy

R8JimBob88

Evening fellow trainerroaders.

I've been using trainerroad for a short while now and my ridding buddy has just started using it too. Now for the sake of this question was can assume that all variables are the same (turbo, tyre psi etc etc)

My watt/kg is in the region of 3.6. My friends is at 3.2. I'm 72kg and he is just 59kg.

Now in the real world, my friend is much, much faster than me, especially on climbs. His outright power probably wouldn't be as much as me but in all other aspects he is faster.

Now forgive me if I'm getting something wrong, but if my watt/kg is higher, should he really be leaving me for dead on the climbs?

Is there a lot more too it than just watt/kg?

foggybike

R8JimBob88 wrote:

Evening fellow trainerroaders.

I've been using trainerroad for a short while now and my ridding buddy has just started using it too. Now for the sake of this question was can assume that all variables are the same (turbo, tyre psi etc etc)

My watt/kg is in the region of 3.6. My friends is at 3.2. I'm 72kg and he is just 59kg.

Now in the real world, my friend is much, much faster than me, especially on climbs. His outright power probably wouldn't be as much as me but in all other aspects he is faster.

Now forgive me if I'm getting something wrong, but if my watt/kg is higher, should he really be leaving me for dead on the climbs?

Is there a lot more too it than just watt/kg?

I'm pretty new to this as well but I understand it the same as you. I can only guess that because your watts/kg are so close and he is 13kgs lighter he can power away? Loose 13kgs and then kick his ass

dw300

3.6W/kg at what pace? FTP presumably? He could have plenty more W/kg over shorter intervals, such as on punchy climbs.

You could also have a terrible aero position on the bike if he's also faster on the flat.

Or he could just not have ridden enough FTP tests to have got an accurate reading yet, and the figures don't mean much.

dw300

foggybike wrote:

Hi, just wondering if anyone can offer any advice on what I think is cardiac creep/drift.

If you take a look at my profile on trainerroad you can see my rides with heart rate information. I have found that my heart rate seems to drift upwards as the rides progresses. I generally get through around one 750ml bottle in an hour on the trainer. I have read that dehydration can cause this, but is there anything else?

I have also noticed through looking at others peoples rides of the same type that my heart rate seems higher than most, I look at some peoples rides and think how the hell have they ridden that with such a lower rate.

Am I just unfit or worrying about nothing?

Here is my career page on trainer road, any advice would be appreciated :-) The last couple of ride were sufferfest and you can see the creep well there.

http://www.trainerroad.com/career/ajfoggy

You don't warm up before you start the workout, do you?

foggybike

dw300 wrote:

foggybike wrote:

Hi, just wondering if anyone can offer any advice on what I think is cardiac creep/drift.

If you take a look at my profile on trainerroad you can see my rides with heart rate information. I have found that my heart rate seems to drift upwards as the rides progresses. I generally get through around one 750ml bottle in an hour on the trainer. I have read that dehydration can cause this, but is there anything else?

I have also noticed through looking at others peoples rides of the same type that my heart rate seems higher than most, I look at some peoples rides and think how the hell have they ridden that with such a lower rate.

Am I just unfit or worrying about nothing?

Here is my career page on trainer road, any advice would be appreciated :-) The last couple of ride were sufferfest and you can see the creep well there.

http://www.trainerroad.com/career/ajfoggy

You don't warm up before you start the workout, do you?

Nope

dw300

foggybike wrote:

Nope

I wouldn't worry then.

It takes me 20-30 minutes to stop drifting if I ride at the middle-top of Zone 2.

foggybike

dw300 wrote:

foggybike wrote:

Nope

I wouldn't worry then.

It takes me 20-30 minutes to stop drifting if I ride at the middle-top of Zone 2.

Hmm ok, I don't think I would stop though, well I guess I would have to stop somewhere. Still don't understand why my heart rates seem so much higher than other riders on the same workout, I guess it is just fitness.

dw300

foggybike wrote:

Hmm ok, I don't think I would stop though, well I guess I would have to stop somewhere. Still don't understand why my heart rates seem so much higher than other riders on the same workout, I guess it is just fitness.

What do you mean you wouldn't stop?

And yes, it's fitness. Years of building better oxygen pathways will mean your heart doesn't need to pump so hard.

foggybike

Sorry, as in each interval I don't recover each much as the previous and the heart rate finishes the interval slightly higher than the previous, creeping up. For example on my last ride the first interval peaked at 166 and the last interval peaked at 176. Maybe i'm looking at this too much.

shazzz

foggybike wrote:

Sorry, as in each interval I don't recover each much as the previous and the heart rate finishes the interval slightly higher than the previous, creeping up. For example on my last ride the first interval peaked at 166 and the last interval peaked at 176. Maybe i'm looking at this too much.

This is normal. You are starting each interval more fatigued than the last.

shazzz

R8JimBob88 wrote:

Evening fellow trainerroaders.

I've been using trainerroad for a short while now and my ridding buddy has just started using it too. Now for the sake of this question was can assume that all variables are the same (turbo, tyre psi etc etc)

My watt/kg is in the region of 3.6. My friends is at 3.2. I'm 72kg and he is just 59kg.

Now in the real world, my friend is much, much faster than me, especially on climbs. His outright power probably wouldn't be as much as me but in all other aspects he is faster.

Now forgive me if I'm getting something wrong, but if my watt/kg is higher, should he really be leaving me for dead on the climbs?

Is there a lot more too it than just watt/kg?

If you are using "virtual power" then it is quite likely that the data just aren't comparable, even if you have the same turbo etc. Otherwise, lots of other variables do matter on the road - aerodynamics, fatigue, technique, etc.

michaelede

http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/637637-Sufferfest-Blender

Did Blender for the first time last night in preparation for the ToS, longest session on a turbo so far. Not too bad. Enjoyed the intervals and hated the time trial bits at threshold at the end.

How do you guys cope with standing on a turbo? tried it a couple of times and unless I really up the resistance feels like I am cycling in triangles and it really bangs the knees. Is it something that comes with practice? or should I just not bother until I am up a decent power level?

jotko

michaelede wrote:

http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/637637-Sufferfest-Blender

Did Blender for the first time last night in preparation for the ToS, longest session on a turbo so far. Not too bad. Enjoyed the intervals and hated the time trial bits at threshold at the end.

Nice not done Blender before, gonna have a crack at that or ISLAGIATT this week, need to try and do a long one before the TOS.

I went out this morning for a (frustratingly) slow pootle round in the sun with the Mrs then did Downward Sprial when I got back - http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/ride ... ard-Spiral.

Still working my way up to fitness so did it at 90% FTP, found it sort of ok at the time (as much as you can do anyway) which probably means I need to MTFU and go for 100% next time.

Feel pretty broken now though...

dw300

Yes, you generally need to choose almost your biggest gear to stand, and leaning on the bars helps smooth things a little.

Lightning

michaelede wrote:

How do you guys cope with standing on a turbo? tried it a couple of times and unless I really up the resistance feels like I am cycling in triangles and it really bangs the knees. Is it something that comes with practice? or should I just not bother until I am up a decent power level?

It really depends on your "standing style". I ride at a pretty high cadence when standing and can stand on the turbo just as if I was on the road with no problems whatsoever. However, the few people I've seen on the turbo (who happen to ride at a lower cadence when standing) seem to struggle as well.

You shouldn't "not bother" though, even if you struggle. Riding for too long on a turbo without standing will cause you some serious pain after a while. Just keep trying and I'm sure you'll eventually find a turbo-specific style that suits you.

cougie

Has anyone had any difficulties with power readings going wonky mid ride ?

I use my powertap and calibrated it at the start of the ride.

After about an hour of todays session I briefly paused it (autopause with pedalling) just to click the next episode of the iplayer.

Went back to the turbo and for the same rpm, same gear, same resistance - the power is 60+W higher. Tried recalibrating but it was still reading high - unless of course the first hour was low ? Any ideas ?

http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/640603-Ragged

gotwood25

michaelede wrote:

http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/637637-Sufferfest-Blender

Did Blender for the first time last night in preparation for the ToS, longest session on a turbo so far. Not too bad. Enjoyed the intervals and hated the time trial bits at threshold at the end.

How do you guys cope with standing on a turbo? tried it a couple of times and unless I really up the resistance feels like I am cycling in triangles and it really bangs the knees. Is it something that comes with practice? or should I just not bother until I am up a decent power level?

I am currently using my 'good' bike on the turbo so don't like/want to stand while its on the turbo (no idea why other than scare stories on this very forum and also confirmation from the manufacturer that the warranty is not valid for turbo use) just in case.

For the standing bits I tend to just drop it into a higher gear and struggle through sitting down.

R8JimBob88

dw300 wrote:

3.6W/kg at what pace? FTP presumably? He could have plenty more W/kg over shorter intervals, such as on punchy climbs.

You could also have a terrible aero position on the bike if he's also faster on the flat.

Or he could just not have ridden enough FTP tests to have got an accurate reading yet, and the figures don't mean much.

Yep at FTP pace for both of us.

We both ride mainly mountain bike so aero doesnt really come into it. Its was his first FTP test so there may be some room for improvement there.

Bit of a long shot but.... His natural cadance is very low at around 75-85rpm which is around the cadence you would expect to climb at. Mine however is 95-100rpm which isnt really possible on most climbs. I guess this could make quite a difference whilst out on the climbs.

dw300

R8JimBob88 wrote:

dw300 wrote:

3.6W/kg at what pace? FTP presumably? He could have plenty more W/kg over shorter intervals, such as on punchy climbs.

You could also have a terrible aero position on the bike if he's also faster on the flat.

Or he could just not have ridden enough FTP tests to have got an accurate reading yet, and the figures don't mean much.

Yep at FTP pace for both of us.

We both ride mainly mountain bike so aero doesnt really come into it. Its was his first FTP test so there may be some room for improvement there.

Bit of a long shot but.... His natural cadance is very low at around 75-85rpm which is around the cadence you would expect to climb at. Mine however is 95-100rpm which isnt really possible on most climbs. I guess this could make quite a difference whilst out on the climbs.

I'd say the factors of FTP test result and cadence would make a difference.

If he didn't pace well then he could jump 40W next time (that's what I gained in the first week from pacing). Also, you need good cadence during a 20 minute test. An 8 minute test suits a grinder more.

Dodger747

gotwood25 wrote:

I am currently using my 'good' bike on the turbo so don't like/want to stand while its on the turbo (no idea why other than scare stories on this very forum and also confirmation from the manufacturer that the warranty is not valid for turbo use) just in case.

I wouldn't listen to the scare stories. I doubt anyone has the power to destroy frame which is clamped in a turbo...

As for the manufacturer - I think you need to name and shame them - how long have turbos been around and they don't consider them to be a reasonable use for a bike!?

gotwood25

Dodger747 wrote:

gotwood25 wrote:

I am currently using my 'good' bike on the turbo so don't like/want to stand while its on the turbo (no idea why other than scare stories on this very forum and also confirmation from the manufacturer that the warranty is not valid for turbo use) just in case.

I wouldn't listen to the scare stories. I doubt anyone has the power to destroy frame which is clamped in a turbo...

As for the manufacturer - I think you need to name and shame them - how long have turbos been around and they don't consider them to be a reasonable use for a bike!?

I spoke to Gareth Clutton at Scott, I enquired about the Foil range and they said they advised against it due to the inability the frame flex like it did the road.

You are probably right but there is always that niggling doubt.

dw300

Won't the margin of strength safety in a bike frame be at least twice the maximum expected frame stress?

So at least twice the torque that Andre Greipel could put through the bike in a sprint, or when 205lb Magnus Backstedt was descending at 70kph and smashing bumps in the road? It might even be more.

Although Im not saying it couldn't due to stress in unexpected areas, it just doesn't seem you could break a bike putting a bike on a turbo, unless you weight North of 240lbs and are simply abusing it. Manufacturers are always going to tell you to err on the side of safety. And they won't have tested to get a definitive answer.

tim_wand

Hi. Could someone please give me a quick Idiots guide on how to use the workout creator?

I ve down loaded and get the create workout screen. I ve set the rest level at 50% F.T.P I ve also set the duration at 30 minutes.

I now want to create a H.I.T.T style workout with 20 second intervals at 200% F.T.P (this equates to my 20 second best) and then 1 minute intervals at rest (50% F.T.P)

As I say I can set the duration and rest interval F.T.P level which is the first thing it wants, but then I can add snippets or drag the blue block up to the required F.T.P for the hard intervals.

I don't imagine even when I get this done , I will be able to repeat it for up to 30 mins but I just want something I can play around with.

Or would I be just as well to Download Sufferfest Revolver (seems to fit the bill) or would it kill me?

jotko

tim wand wrote:

Or would I be just as well to Download Sufferfest Revolver (seems to fit the bill) or would it kill me?

Don't need to download it unless you want to, just do it. It may well kill you!

Revolver is a good one though so worth downloading IMO.

dw300

Funny you should mention Revolver .. http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/646398-Revolver-Aug-2012-to-Feb-2013-

16 x 1 min on/off at 360W when my FTP is set at 267W .. fackin heck, proper tough.

tim_wand

Revolver, Looks good.

Nice compliance DW300 the Yellow and the Blue on that look near on perfect.

My F.T.P is 260, don't think I could hold 16 x 1 minute repeats at 360.

I ve just seen that all 16 sufferfest downloads can be had for £95 , I m due a bit of a bonus this week and I ve hit a bit of a slump with training so this might be a double kick up the arse I need.

Gonna give revolver a go with just the trace and no Vid, see how it goes.