Getting started with a wattbike

kingrollo
kingrollo Posts: 3,198
edited August 2019 in Indoor training and turbo forum
Out of nowhere my cheap and cheerful gym - acquired a watt-bike pro - which came as one hell of a surprise.

Ive downloaded the app - and done a few mini workouts - as we move into winter I guess I will be using it more.

I have a few questions:-

What does the lever on the left and knob on the right do - they seem to be resistance, but the thought the bike would have managed this ?

Also in some workouts - to hit the cadence - I massively go over target on the watts (I am no best - but the targets watts are something like 80-90 )

Any other pointers ?

Comments

  • imposter2.0
    imposter2.0 Posts: 12,028
    The manuals are all downloadable from the wattbike website..
  • grahamcp
    grahamcp Posts: 323
    The Wattbike Pro (and the similar Trainer) are effectively dumb trainers with a built in power meter, they have no smart control features (unlike the newer Atom which does).

    They have 2 ways of controlling resistance - the lever on the left which changes air resistance, and the knob on the right that controls magnetic resistance. Personally when I've used wattbikes I have ended up using the air resistance lever to make changes during workouts most of the time.

    The "Pro" does have a higher resistance range than the "Trainer" which may explain why your watts are higher even on lower resistance settings. I would say 80-90 watts to be a very soft pedal for most people so would suggest reducing both resistance controls right down to an easy level.

    But as Imposter says, there is lots of info on the website etc.
  • molteni_man
    molteni_man Posts: 442
    Hi Kingrollo. My cheap and cheerful gym also bought a couple of Wattbike Pros a few years back and I so enjoyed using one that I ended up buying one!
    They are fantastic durable machines and for me give a close experience to being out on the road.
    I started off using it without any of the apps and just keeping a note of times, distances etc.
    The knob on the left is as above is for air resistance and gives a much finer degree of changing the resistance. With the right knob ( the magnetic one as described above ) you get more ‘dramatic ‘ changes of resistance.
    To begin with have a play with scrolling through the different displays on the monitor. You’ll see that the display will give you a figure for the balance of power you are putting through your right and left legs which is v useful.
    I’d also recommend doing a FTP test, ameasure of how many watts you can put out over a 20 minute or if possible 60 min session as soon as possible so that you can begin to see the effects of your training. You can do this via the Wattbike app.
    Some decent music will add to your ability to do sessions too : - )
    Finally, the Wattbike / any turbo can sap your legs as it is constant without breaks so ease off if you have a big outdoors ride coming up.
    Mostly a winter / dark evenings tool, but also v useful if you have limited time!
    Enjoy!

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