1 month on the trainer and its getting better

VTech

Im still feeling the burn for the first 2-3km but with regular 20km rides I have managed to knock my 20km time down from 49m 50s to 37m 30s so a reduction of 12m 20s !
Im not sure I feel any fitter but obviously I must be, My cadence has risen from an average of 70 to 81 and power from 113w to 167w.

This is a little over a months worth of training, im 4lb lighter which should have been more I know but its going to take time to change my diet

elderone

Do you do a warm up first? Something like 10mins slowly building up to your cruise pace,then warm down after.Other than that you seem to be making progress,so keep it up and up the time.

VTech

If im honest I dont.
The runs im doing tend to have a 1km - 2km start and a 2km to 3km end so im using them as the warm up/down.
This should be ok ?

smidsy

As long as you do about 10 mins at an easy gear and pace to warm up your legs and lungs then you will be fine. Similarly at the end to warm down too.

Good work by the way. Keep at it and get out on the real thing as much as you can too.

ShutUpLegs

Well Done, 4lb down, 80 to go.

VTech

Im off abroad at the weekend so will be taking the bike with me, weather is looking good at around 22 degrees so no rain for 5 days and time on my hands

VTech

ShutUpLegs wrote:

Well Done, 4lb down, 80 to go.

In a funny way, you being a total ar5e is really spurning me on so in a weird way I really appreciate it. You see, I rarely set my mind to something and not run through with it so with your help its just that little bit easier

Brakeless

VTech wrote:

Im off abroad at the weekend so will be taking the bike with me, weather is looking good at around 22 degrees so no rain for 5 days and time on my hands

So you'll be able to turbo in the sun

VTech

Im amazed at the negativity of using a turbo ? I could have lied and said I felt comfortable on a fast bike in rain/sleet/snow and ice yet I use the trainer to build stamina before I venture out which I think everyone should do as cycling off the cuff is dangerous for anyone who isnt used to it !!!!!
It would be like me handing one of you guys the keys to one of our cars and saying "of you go", it would be downright stupidity.

Anyway, miles up, weight down.

philwint

I like turbo type stuff - personally I use an exercise bike, but yes I try for an hour a day if i can't get outside. And it's lost me about 4 stone.

But I have to disagree with

would be like me handing one of you guys the keys to one of our cars and saying "of you go", it would be downright stupidity.

Put anyone in one of your fast car's and they can press the accelerator it will go zoom, on a bike if you haven't the legs it doesn't matter if you are on a racing bike or a shopping tricycle, it's not going to going to go at more than a crawl

Also i just can't see that cycling is dangerous whether you are used to it or not. It's just a matter of common sense. Don't make your first ride be on a busy road. There are plenty of other places to ride to learn your bike handling.

Brakeless

VTech wrote:

Im amazed at the negativity of using a turbo ? I could have lied and said I felt comfortable on a fast bike in rain/sleet/snow and ice yet I use the trainer to build stamina before I venture out which I think everyone should do as cycling off the cuff is dangerous for anyone who isnt used to it !!!!!
It would be like me handing one of you guys the keys to one of our cars and saying "of you go", it would be downright stupidity.

Anyway, miles up, weight down.

So everyone should use a turbo before they ride outside :roll: What exactly is this dangerous 'cycling off the cuff' ?

rolf_f

Cycling, in winter, might well be dangerous in certain circumstances. What I don't get is how pedalling a bike bolted to a turbo trainer, in your living room, is supposed to mitigate that......

Nik Cube

Turbo training is great for structure and allowing you to ride in a controlled and targeted manner. Out on the road there are lots of variables way out side of your control.

Having said that I ride on the road most days and turbo train 2-3 times a week.

VTech

I just find it amazing that the majority say its safe to simply get on a bike after a 20 year layoff and away you go, I really dont think this is good advice.
I went on the road last week for a 12km run and with so many things happening I found it tough, watching out for traffic, trying to keep at a reasonable pace so I didn't cause traffic incidents, watching everything around me whilst keeping in the straight line, making sure I took the right turn, listening to things around me.
I just think its a lot to do without practice or lessons.

Of course this is my opinion and I accept that almost everyone here disagrees but thats life. I am happy that I will feel safer with a little more fitness behind me.

@philwint, to be honest, if anyone could actually get the car off the line, they would almost certainly not be able to make a lap and would be in serious danger of hurting themselves.

chrisaonabike

VTech wrote:

I just think its a lot to do without practice or lessons.

Sure, after 25 years off the bike and no experience at all on a road bike, my control was a bit lacking, and my ability to process all the moving things around me simultaneously had gone away a bit.

It's back now. How a turbo would have helped me with any of that, given a complete absence of traffic, and no requirement to balance or steer, I have no idea.

I went out on quiet roads to start with, short distances... and built up gradually.

Lessons? Seriously????? :roll:

VTech

Maybe not lessons but I do think that with the help of a turbo, for someone who is by definition very unfit, it is a great tool to increase stamina and therefor be a safer cyclist.

imposter2.0

VTech wrote:

I just find it amazing that the majority say its safe to simply get on a bike after a 20 year layoff and away you go, I really dont think this is good advice.
I went on the road last week for a 12km run and with so many things happening I found it tough, watching out for traffic, trying to keep at a reasonable pace so I didn't cause traffic incidents, watching everything around me whilst keeping in the straight line, making sure I took the right turn, listening to things around me.
I just think its a lot to do without practice or lessons.

Bizarre. Sitting on a turbo isn't going to make you a more experienced cyclist. You will only get that by riding a bike outside on real roads. The ability to ride a bike safely is not fitness-critical. You've clearly convinced yourself of these 'facts', but it doesn't make them correct.

VTech

I never said I was right, I said it was my opinion and I cant help but feel that if you put 1000 cyclist who were 4st overweight and totally unfit and had them ride 20 miles and then got 1000 cyclists who were maybe 3.5st overweight but semi fit I reckon I know which group would struggle the most as an average.
Maybe ive convinced myself of that, maybe its just because I've wrote it that it gets a negative response, ive no idea but for me, I think I will feel safer with a few miles on my legs and having the fitness to peddle my way out of issues should I get into any.

imposter2.0

VTech wrote:

I never said I was right, I said it was my opinion and I cant help but feel that if you put 1000 cyclist who were 4st overweight and totally unfit and had them ride 20 miles and then got 1000 cyclists who were maybe 3.5st overweight but semi fit I reckon I know which group would struggle the most as an average.
Maybe ive convinced myself of that, maybe its just because I've wrote it that it gets a negative response, ive no idea but for me, I think I will feel safer with a few miles on my legs and having the fitness to peddle my way out of issues should I get into any.

You are cycling - not flying the space shuttle. Look out the window - can you see that ? It's called reality - you should embrace it.

p1tse

I haven't been on a bike for almost 15 years and before that it was just as a kid messing about
I picked up my bike and 2.5 miles home for the first time was a killer
But I went out straight after with rides, choosing cycle paths and quiet roads, not far from home and kept route shorts

Are there any cycle paths, quieter routes you could do. Being in open air is so much different
Just got a turbo myself, but first 10 mins was a killer on that too lol

I'm more used to dealing with miles rather than kilometres, like in a car on uk roads, is there a reason why you quote km?

VTech

km is a work thing, a bad habit for speak outside of the office im afraid.

There are plenty of roads near me, I live in the countryside with gorgeous scenery too.
I think for me, I decided to cycle at a time when the wether was at its worst so I just purchased a trainer for simplicity, I went to the cycle show at the NEC and someone was on one and I loved the video features so purchased one. Since then I decided to get fitter using the turbo as the weather has been pi55ing down every week im in the UK.
I eventually took the bike out 2 weeks ago and I did feel unsafe, I wasnt fit enough which made me feel unsafe so although I completed the distance I wanted to do, and mixed with the fact that the weather has been bad since, I just decided to keep at the turbo.
I will be going out on the bike now though as the weather picks up and im sure within a few outings I will feel totally confident.

p1tse

I know what you mean as its my first road bike, getting use to position, gears, brakes and drop bars
But once you feel alright with that its like in a car plan ahead on traffic lights, gradient and gear choice etc

Sounds like you're on similar pace to what I'm on
Having just set up turbo Im looking forward going on it in the evenings due to limited time with two young ones

But I gather there's no substitute to getting outside really. Lookforward to your out door adventure updates, but some good route timing saving already

VTech

Its amazing how addictive cycling is !
As a tech I cant help but want to know what works/what doesnt etc so im going to do some testing.
Im not sure if anyone here would be interested ? but I have to fill my time
Im thinking about these tests as a start ?


Aero vs non aero
Benefits of Aero vs losses
Latex tyres vs standard tyres in a kw test
Is carbon stressed more than steel on a turbo

imposter2.0

VTech wrote:

Is carbon stressed more than steel on a turbo

wouldn't that depend on how much stress is being put through it ? And wouldn't the amount of stress depend on the rider ?

VTech

Imposter wrote:

VTech wrote:

Is carbon stressed more than steel on a turbo

wouldn't that depend on how much stress is being put through it ? And wouldn't the amount of stress depend on the rider ?

Absolutely, im peaking at late 160's on the watt front and I know people easily put out twice that.
The tests I do will be using a power source to generate the wattage and keeping it equal over all tests. Im unsure about what wattage to set it at as quite frankly, I dont know ? but ill work out something.

imposter2.0

you do understand the notion that anything will break if you apply enough force to it, don't you ?

VTech

Imposter wrote:

you do understand the notion that anything will break if you apply enough force to it, don't you ?

Quite possibly have a better notion on that than anyone on the forum. Im not guessing here !

rolf_f

VTech wrote:

Its amazing how addictive cycling is !
As a tech I cant help but want to know what works/what doesnt etc so im going to do some testing.
Im not sure if anyone here would be interested ? but I have to fill my time
Im thinking about these tests as a start ?


Aero vs non aero
Benefits of Aero vs losses
Latex tyres vs standard tyres in a kw test
Is carbon stressed more than steel on a turbo

You are really over-thinking this. At the moment, nothing makes a blind bit of difference other than getting miles in. TBH, IMO you are way to early getting a turbo too. I spent quite a long time thinking about getting one and still do but I commute 5 days a week anyway so the concept of staying in over winter isn't open to me anyway. Anyway, they work for some people and not others.

But you'd help yourself if you just calmed down. Eg latex tubes - not really sure what the point of using those on a turbo would be but they are a high maintenance thing that you just don't need right now. All this aero stuff - you've bought an aero frame and found the least aero, bulkiest bag you could find to fit to it. Power outputs - you've hardly started. If you just go out and ride (ie outside) a few weeks will get you towards a point where you can judge what your power outputs mean usefully. I used to have to stop and rest before the last hill home of my commute. Now I don't even consider it a hill. My inability to climb that hill well in the beginning was no indication of my future ability to climb it and it was only after a few months that I realised I liked climbing hills and wasn't bad at it. Now is the time I probably should get a turbo because I could use it to fine tune my climbing and other things.

Just get on the bike and stop posting daft threads for a few weeks

pipipi

Vtech, well done on all the training you are getting in at the moment.

I don't know why there are so many negative responses in Beginners section?

I am not convinced that time on a turbo will make you a better rider, but I can see how it will get you fitter, and then that's one less ting to worry about.

I can certainly remember having a few flaps when I couldn't get the clicky gear change thing to work and pulling the brake simultaneously and I was clipped in. Now I'm reading the road further ahead and anticipating when to change and I've got used to how my gear/brakes work.

Keep at it!

VTech

pipipi wrote:

Vtech, well done on all the training you are getting in at the moment.

I don't know why there are so many negative responses in Beginners section?

I am not convinced that time on a turbo will make you a better rider, but I can see how it will get you fitter, and then that's one less ting to worry about.

I can certainly remember having a few flaps when I couldn't get the clicky gear change thing to work and pulling the brake simultaneously and I was clipped in. Now I'm reading the road further ahead and anticipating when to change and I've got used to how my gear/brakes work.

Keep at it!

Thank you, I am confident the negatives are fake and only posted as its me
I am confident that being very slightly fitter will aid me on the road so if it works for me I reckon it should be ok.

@Rolf F, Im a tech by nature and the only reason for getting inner tubes was because I have new wheels order so I got a few, I didnt realise that would be hard for people to take ?


In general ive found incredible negativity here and when you look at it, ive really done nothing wrong, I just havent gone about things in the way some of you have. You dont know my circumstances yet many judge without question, very odd.

I often find myself in an office without the ability to leave and pretty much have to be on call 24/7 at the moment as my season is about to start. I have room for a turbo in the office and at home so for me its a wise choice, the alternative is sitting in the office and not doing any exercise :!:
Ive made a choice to get fit, its taken a long time to realise this and im doing a slow but reasonable job so far so ill keep at it if its all the same

rolf_f

VTech wrote:

In general ive found incredible negativity here and when you look at it, ive really done nothing wrong, I just havent gone about things in the way some of you have. You dont know my circumstances yet many judge without question, very odd.

I often find myself in an office without the ability to leave and pretty much have to be on call 24/7 at the moment as my season is about to start. I have room for a turbo in the office and at home so for me its a wise choice, the alternative is sitting in the office and not doing any exercise :!:
Ive made a choice to get fit, its taken a long time to realise this and im doing a slow but reasonable job so far so ill keep at it if its all the same

You get the negativity because you are inconsistent. For example, here you are saying that your use of the turbo is due to specific work circumstances whereas earlier in the thread the reason for your turbo use was a conscious decision to spend time on the turbo before going out on the road.

If you keep changing the story, you'll get negativity. And being so defensive doesn't help either! I don't think anyone here doesn't respect you for what you are trying to do.