Power indoors vs outdoors
gbr236
Posts: 393
Good afternoon
Please explain:
Using a powertap powermeter on rollers.
How come 250 on the road feels much easier than 250 inside, and I seem to be able to produce far greater power outputs with increased efforts outside than in.
Heart rates are similar in the two environments in comparison to respiratory rate, just for the same 'work' the 'power' seems much greater outside.
Thanks
Please explain:
Using a powertap powermeter on rollers.
How come 250 on the road feels much easier than 250 inside, and I seem to be able to produce far greater power outputs with increased efforts outside than in.
Heart rates are similar in the two environments in comparison to respiratory rate, just for the same 'work' the 'power' seems much greater outside.
Thanks
0
Comments
-
Less cooling indoors, more inertia outdoors.25% off your first MyProtein order: sign up via https://www.myprotein.com/referrals.lis ... EE-R29Y&li or use my referral code LEE-R29Y0
-
This should answer yer question viewtopic.php?f=40011&t=12677690&hilit=power+indoor25% off your first MyProtein order: sign up via https://www.myprotein.com/referrals.lis ... EE-R29Y&li or use my referral code LEE-R29Y0
-
Heat buildup inside ? The body has to work harder to cool itself ?
Outside will give you little bits of rest - downhills, tailwinds, it might just be enough to let you recover slightly ?
Motivation might be better outside ? Competition ? People to catch ?
What % difference are we talking ?0 -
My long (greater than 1 min) average power pbs are all set on the turbo rather than the road. Reasons for me, adequate cooling in my turbo room. I can focus better on the turbo, no safety distractions etc. I can keep a more constant pace on the turbo, no stopping or no going majorly over target which can happen on the road. I do most Of myriding now on the turbo, so you do get used to it and better at it.0
-
I don't use power, but I can hold a higher HR number for a longer period on the road than I can on the turbo. The best I can do is hold a similar effort level, regardless of what the HRM says...0
-
Buckles wrote:Less cooling indoors, more inertia outdoors.
Pretty much this as far as feel goes.
Although I also feel that not having to balance the bike and soak up vibration leads to higher power on the turbo as long as you can take the pain of holding the exact position.
Notice how your heart rate rises when you sit up and do 'no hands'. That core muscle engagement. On the road you heart is pumping oxygen to other muscles more than on the trainer.
Also think of how a vibro plate works to make a weight lifting set harder. The road buzz does the same to your legs on the road.
You should go faster on the turbo. If you can't it's a mental thing due to heat and discomfort IMO.All the above is just advice .. you can do whatever the f*ck you wana do!
Bike Radar Strava Club
The Northern Ireland Thread0 -
dw300 wrote:Also think of how a vibro plate works to make a weight lifting set harder. The road buzz does the same to your legs on the road.
That's not the case, vibration is low level on the road (nothing like a vibro plate!*) and remember that there are measurable vibrations found on a turbo trainer.You should go faster on the turbo. If you can't it's a mental thing due to heat and discomfort IMO.
Faster? If by faster you mean more power then there is no "should" about it. The opposite is generally true (although there are some people who can output more power on rollers compared with outdoor, sometimes the turbo too but it's relatively rare). If you try and optimise your setup in order to produce more power on the turbo than you do on the road then your riding will suffer, instead you want the opposite
Xav
*unless you're doing Roubaix, in which case you'll wish you were on a turbo instead0 -
For threshold level efforts (10 minutes or longer) I can always get higher average power values indoors than out. It's simply because conditions aren't constant enough on the road - there is always a small hill coming up, a corner, or some distraction such as having to actually look where I'm going... On the turbo you can completely lose yourself in a nirvana of suffering
, you don't even need to balance.. (well, if you are using rollers you do I suppose). The only exception to that is long hill climbs at a more or less constant gradient, when my average power might be the same as indoors.
Small duration efforts (30 secs or less) I can usually get higher values on the road - something to do with being able to wrestle with the handlebars and throw the bike around.
Not so sure about VO2 max level efforts, might be roughly the same indoors and out.0 -
^^This for me.neeb wrote:For threshold level efforts (10 minutes or longer) I can always get higher average power values indoors than out. It's simply because conditions aren't constant enough on the road - there is always a small hill coming up, a corner, or some distraction such as having to actually look where I'm going... On the turbo you can completely lose yourself in a nirvana of suffering , you don't even need to balance.0 -
I do two types of indoor riding. As well as doing the standard HIIT which follow a pre-defined power profile (eg hold X watts for Y minutes) I also follow virtual courses and allow the trainer to control the resistance to mirror real life terrain.
If the terrain undulates then I find my average power output will be higher when doing HIIT than it is doing virtual rides. I think its partly because of the fluctuation in power when the gradient changes, you therefore find times when you are pushing it hard (in excess of FTP) and then you have times when you have to recover (lower power levels). This is probably down to my poor pacing but I suspect the same would be true regardless of whether I rode indoor or out.0
