Magnetic trainer readings

[Mattk50]

Hi,

I've got a magnetic elite super crono trainer and managed to get the wahoo apps synching and wahoo synched to Strava at last. The problem is the indoor readings bear little resemblance to outdoor riding in terms of effort. So as an example, I indoor cycled for 1 hour and 10 mins yesterday, average cadence 65, average speed 5.4mph. I then got off the bike thinking that a bike ride outdoors would have been no effort to get those readings and yet I was feeling wasted! So it makes little sense uploading it to Strava if it isn't comparable or builds in the resistance factor? Also, is there a way to get calories incorporated?

Thanks

Matt

 

[Sharky]

Something's wrong with those numbers. At cadence of 65, you must be achieving somewhere between 10 to 20 mph, depending on gear size. 5.4 mph seems very low.
Cadence also seems low for an indoor trainer. Excluding warm up/cool down, I would be hoping for between 80 - 100 rpm.

 

[fossyant]

Something is very amiss. It's a non-smart' trainer so where have you get the resistance. Things like Zwift suggest level 3 out of 5 for use with dumb trainers whilst using Zwift. Your cadence is low -

 

[Dogtrousers]

In the real world, 65 rpm and 5.4 mph is not unreasonable if you're grinding your way up a big hill in a low gear. By my calculations you'd get that speed with a 28" gear, or roughly a 34/32 combination. The figures aren't bonkers, but they're a bit odd for an entire turbo session of one hour.

Did you have your resistance set to max, simulating a great big incline all the way? (NB I know nothing about the capabilities of your trainer, so that might be a stupid question).

 

[Mattk50]

The cable to it doesn't work so I just use my own gears which work fine but only in gear 3 and 4 as the resistance is a lot more than the road at those levels. Maybe that's the reason?

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Have you calibrated the trainer? Trainers need calibrating so that the readings are matched to the resistance on the wheel.

 

[Mattk50]

Have you calibrated the trainer? Trainers need calibrating so that the readings are matched to the resistance on the wheel.

How do I do that? It's just a simple thing with no readings and the cable is cut so the resistance can't be changed (maybe why it was cheap). As I said I change the resistance through my gears and even gear 3 is about 4 times harder than it would be on the road. Perhaps I need a new trainer but its made me lose 2.5 kgs in a few months so I guess it serves a purpose. I just want some more reallistic readings on strava.

 

[HLaB]

My old Elite Turbo Muin would give low speed but high cadence as work was done in the small ring, its quite a heavily damped (high resistance unit). I never recorded speed or distance just power which was realistic and is comparable regardless of the turbo.

 

[Mattk50]

I've looked into the set up more as I bought it second hand with no manual. Aside from me completely stupid and not realising you need to turn the screw once the wheel is in place to achieve the locking, I was wondering about the wheel position.

So I found a you tube video supporting this trainer. The trainer screws look to be in the 29 inch holes rather than the 26 or 28 so I went to check the wheel but it doesn't state (See attached photos). A quick tape measure across the diameter tyre to tyre doesn't even reach 28 I think although not exact as you can't run the tape measure through the middle. Does this matter/affect anything?

 

[Milkfloat]

You have a 29" wheel.

 

[Mattk50]

You have a 29" wheel.

How can you tell?

 

[Milkfloat]

It is the 700 x 32c and the 32-622 markings on your tyres. Although be warned, a few manufactures in the past would call 28" 622.
https://www.cyclinguk.org/cyclists-library/components/wheels-tyres/tyre-sizes The ETRTO or ISO is he most accurate and should be used to compare. This is the 32-622 number, 32 width and 622 diameter.

 

[Mattk50]

Arh I see. What's the flaw in these workings then? I ran a tape measure all the way around the tyre (on the ground facing edge) and it was 216 cm. So 216 / 3.1415 = diameter of 68.7549 cm / 2.54 = 27.07 inches say 27 inches.

 

[Mattk50]

So I went to the bike shop to buy a new bike pump and took my training wheel. The man in the shop said the wheel was 28 inches although he then said it could be 29 with bigger tyres etc. The whole measurement thing is too confusing!

 

[Mattk50]

So 7 rides later since 14th Feb my time today was 1 hr 15 mins, average cadence 77, average speed 7.2, improving I think. Question, on my wahoo readings can you have average cadence so I can aim to beat 77, it just gives you the cadence of the 'moment'. I looked at the other display screen shots it offers but none seem to do it, happy to be corrected?