turbo trainers

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scott s10

Well-Known Member
hi
could anyone please leave a link to a turbo trainer which tells you how much power your putting down.
cheers.
 

Globalti

Legendary Member
Best solution is a standard trainer used with a heart rate monitor, you can then train at the optimum rate for building fitness or burning fat.
 

Dan B

Disengaged member
Well, it is and it isn't. It won't tell you whether your performance is improving, as you'll just end up working harder/faster at a given heart rate.

I know, you could record average speed/distance and resistance setting, but it's a hassle to ensure resistance is consistent between one session and the next if you've moved the bike in the meantime.
 

Globalti

Legendary Member
Buy a second hand turbo trainer and make sure it has the optional bucket in which to store your brain while you work out because you'll die of boredom otherwise.

At least with a heart rate monitor you can amuse yourself by setting yourself targets and sprinting etc.

After a year you'll realise the trainer has only been used twice and you'll re-sell it to somebody else.
 

jimboalee

New Member
Location
Solihull
Coruskate is so right.

There is no reliable correlation between HR and power.
It is however your body's condition on the day.

It's difficult to get repeatability between sessions.

If you wind the resistance up so your legs are just starting to burn, that will indicate your muscles are doing something.
( Lactic threshold ).
If you eat correct before and after every session, I promise ( I don't do that very often ) you will improve.

If you don't feel your legs burning, you won't improve.
 

jimboalee

New Member
Location
Solihull
Rigid Raider said:
Buy a second hand turbo trainer and make sure it has the optional bucket in which to store your brain while you work out because you'll die of boredom otherwise.

At least with a heart rate monitor you can amuse yourself by setting yourself targets and sprinting etc.

After a year you'll realise the trainer has only been used twice and you'll re-sell it to somebody else.

To kill boredom, set up your laptop on a table nearby and play that porn you borrowed off the guy at work. :tongue:

Turbo trainers, if not used properly, are used less than an ASDA mountainbike. ;)
 

Dan B

Disengaged member
jimboalee said:
To kill boredom, set up your laptop on a table nearby and play that porn you borrowed off the guy at work.
That's surely going to affect your pulse rate, though ...
 

vernon

Harder than Ronnie Pickering
Location
Meanwood, Leeds
Rigid Raider said:
Buy a second hand turbo trainer and make sure it has the optional bucket in which to store your brain while you work out because you'll die of boredom otherwise.

After a year you'll realise the trainer has only been used twice and you'll re-sell it to somebody else.

I fell for the this trick twice. The first turbo was used half a dozen times. The second one never got used at all. Can't beat being out on the road.
 
A turbo trainer which has power measurement facilities is known as an 'ergo-trainer' isnt it?

If you google this, you will realise what sort of money you'd be looking at!
 
Can't remember which but some are calibrated to tell you the wattage at a certain speed and resistance. Check out Cycleops, who do a range of good trainers but they ain't cheap.

I find a trainer invaluable for keeping going when you otherwise might not. Urky weather, injury, illness etc... Others use them for intervals and things. Very easy to stay within zones and target your effort.

But they are boring: Short and intense seems to be the least boring. Stock up on vids and music.
 

lukesdad

Guest
jimboalee said:
Coruskate is so right.

There is no reliable correlation between HR and power.
It is however your body's condition on the day.

It's difficult to get repeatability between sessions.

If you wind the resistance up so your legs are just starting to burn, that will indicate your muscles are doing something.
( Lactic threshold ).
If you eat correct before and after every session, I promise ( I don't do that very often ) you will improve.

If you don't feel your legs burning, you won't improve.

An HRM is an excellent tool to use with a turbo trainer as it is the only way you can monitor your effort imput and control it. Wouldnt worry too much about the subtle changes in resistance on the trainer its time and HR you should be concentrating on.

As for your legs burning...........well words fail me!
 

Bollo

Failed Tech Bro
Location
Winch
Crackle said:
Can't remember which but some are calibrated to tell you the wattage at a certain speed and resistance. Check out Cycleops, who do a range of good trainers but they ain't cheap.

I find a trainer invaluable for keeping going when you otherwise might not. Urky weather, injury, illness etc... Others use them for intervals and things. Very easy to stay within zones and target your effort.

But they are boring: Short and intense seems to be the least boring. Stock up on vids and music.

The cycleops jet fluid pro is supposed to be calibrated so that the resistance, and hence power, matches speed. Like crackle said, if you rootle around the website I think they have a power vs speed plot somewhere. If you trust the claims and are ok with the price, you could use this to estimate your power.

I never thought I'd be in to training vids, but its suprising how they can give some structure and interest to a (simulated) ride.
 
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