Bike feels different on turbo trainer

Alex99

Hi all,

I usually use one bike on the turbo trainer, and one for the road. I've recently started using my road bike on the turbo too, since I got a crank-based power meter and want to use that info in training on the turbo.

My road bike setup feels good on the road, but feels different on the turbo - not so good. Particularly, the saddle feels too high. I have to concentrate a bit more to pedal smoothly, I'm not as comfortable, but it's not a show stopper. I do have a block under my front wheel BTW.

Anyone else experience the same thing? Does it possibly indicate a bike setup issue that I'm just not picking up on the road?

Cheers

grenw

Is it just the you're concentrating more on how it feels? Without any distractions or changing road surfaces I often find myself over-analysing any noises/vibrations etc coming through the frame on the turbo.

The bike though does seem to still fit me, seat height etc.

Alex99

GrenW wrote:

Is it just the you're concentrating more on how it feels? Without any distractions or changing road surfaces I often find myself over-analysing any noises/vibrations etc coming through the frame on the turbo.

The bike though does seem to still fit me, seat height etc.

It could be that. Absolutely. Any little niggle becomes much more noticeable.

markhewitt1978

The fact that you're fixed in once place makes a big difference. On the road there's a subtle movement of the bike every single time you push a pedal down, on the turbo that doesn't happen.

e.g. I've found that when I'm outside I get back pain but no knee pain. Inside, no back pain but replaced by knee pain!

shazzz

I think the fact that you don't have an effective +/-30km/h wind blowing in to you makes a difference. On the road this will be providing some resistance against you leaning forward, on the turbo obviously not.
Not moving around so much, more steady pace and other things also make a difference.
I find I have to stand for a minute out of every 10-15 minutes on the turbo or I start to get numb in certain places.

Alex99

shazzz wrote:

I think the fact that you don't have an effective +/-30km/h wind blowing in to you makes a difference. On the road this will be providing some resistance against you leaning forward, on the turbo obviously not.
Not moving around so much, more steady pace and other things also make a difference.
I find I have to stand for a minute out of every 10-15 minutes on the turbo or I start to get numb in certain places.

That's a good point about wind pressure on your torso on the road. That's where a lot of the energy is going... and totally absent on the turbo. I might experiment with a higher block for the front wheel and see how it feels.

I presume that you're referring to the scranus. Such a lovely word.

graeme_s-2

I always lower my saddle a couple of mm on the turbo and raise it back up for the road. It just feels more comfortable to me. I assume it's because when riding on the road the saddle is moving side to side slightly in relation to my arse with every pedal stroke. On the turbo the only option is for my body to move side to side slightly in relation to the fixed in place saddle.

grenw

shazzz wrote:

I find I have to stand for a minute out of every 10-15 minutes on the turbo or I start to get numb in certain places.

I found that too. I can ride for hours on the road with no saddle issues but after 30 mins on the turbo it's time to shuffle. On the road I'm in and out of the saddle, on the turbo it's sitting all the way and the only movement is my hands on the bars. All that lack of movement is bound to have other effects after a while if things are not spot on

nicklong

Every time you lean, turn, brake, stop at a junction or coast with one leg extended out on the road, yo are relieving pressure somewhere (if only for a second) which you won't be doing on the turbo.

Also, check to see if your front wheel is level or higher than your rear - otherwise you'll slide forwards a lot more than you would do on the road, and put pressure on your hands or shoulders which wouldn't otherwise be the case (my riser block wasn't high enough, and I was getting all sorts of issues with my shoulders).

shazzz

Alex99 wrote:

shazzz wrote:

I think the fact that you don't have an effective +/-30km/h wind blowing in to you makes a difference. On the road this will be providing some resistance against you leaning forward, on the turbo obviously not.
Not moving around so much, more steady pace and other things also make a difference.
I find I have to stand for a minute out of every 10-15 minutes on the turbo or I start to get numb in certain places.

That's a good point about wind pressure on your torso on the road. That's where a lot of the energy is going... and totally absent on the turbo. I might experiment with a higher block for the front wheel and see how it feels.

I presume that you're referring to the scranus. Such a lovely word.

I always have the front wheel slightly higher than the back on the turbo. Still have to stand regularly.
And yes, I was talking about the bumball line ...