Watt bike

[derrick]

First proper session on a Watt bike. 1 hour of interval training. Was Good session more or less a full house. Does anyone else do them and do you feel they are worth while.

 

[The Jogger]

I use them at the gym just for my general cardio , I find them quite tough but good.

 

[Milkfloat]

3 times a week for me. A mixture of tempo and interval rides. Occasionally just a recovery ride in front of a TVs show. The app is pretty good now, it used to be terrible.

 

[S-Express]

Does anyone else do them and do you feel they are worth while.

Interval sessions are definitely useful. Wattbike doesn't really add anything IMO...

 

[Tin Pot]

First proper session on a Watt bike. 1 hour of interval training. Was Good session more or less a full house. Does anyone else do them and do you feel they are worth while.

I might try one next week - did you try pairing it with your smartphone?

 

[derrick]

I might try one next week - did you try pairing it with your smartphone?

Not this time, my wife did so she got all her stats.

 

[PK99]

Great piece of kit.

I've used one at my gym on and off for a couple of years but quite intensively in recent weeks while rehabbing my new ACL - building up from zero effort twiddle, to steady state 60 minutes to HIIT.

The data provided is comprehensive and very useful. The polar display is great for improving pedalstroke. The variable resistance is great for simulating different ride types.

As with the concept 2 rowing machine the data readout is unforgiving and brutal. There is no hiding place, if effort drops the numbers show it instantly.

 

[S-Express]

The polar display is great for improving pedalstroke

The polar display is just guesswork, unfortunately, it's been largely discredited as a way of tracking pedal stroke or power balance.

 

[simon walsh]

I bought one a couple of years ago. Great machine especially when using it with the Sufferfest. I found it the only trainer that felt like a real bike ride. I mainly use it over the winter and can keep high intensity training going while getting out on the road on the nicer days.

 

[burndust]

the gym at work has 3 a pro model and 2 trainer models, the pro model is def hard work!, have not used them in a while, but used to do an hour on 3 times a week just grinding it out, need to start using them again!

 

[PK99]

The polar display is just guesswork, unfortunately, it's been largely discredited as a way of tracking pedal stroke or power balance.

That's interesting. Do you have a source for that view, googling reveals nothing?

My experience over the past few months has been quite the opposite.

A key rehab issue for ACL recovery is that certain muscles around the knee (VMO and Hamstring in particular) "switch off" and it is a hard job to get them to switch on again, plus reconstruction involves removing two minor hamstring tendons to use as replacement ACL, leaving a "hole" in the hamstring than is rebuilt by hamstring specific exercises.

A few weeks after reconstruction, I got on the Watt bike again (after using the gym recumbent for a few weeks) and the disparity in the right and left polar display was startling. Not just in terms of power (a 70/30 power split right to left) but also in shape ie muscle input at various points of the stroke - think half a peanut for the right leg and very jagged polygon for the left. Conscious effort was needed to get anything like a normal pedal stroke, and is still needed to maintain balance R vs L

The L/R split is also reflected by ability on the leg press machine : Current Max single leg R = 45kg, max single leg left = 30/35kg, and that after 16 weeks rehab.

These are useful links:
http://www.cyclosport.org/08-Jun-20...you-can-improve-your-pedalling-technique.html
http://www.cyclosport.org/10-Jun-20...-improve-your-pedalling-technique-part-2.html
https://skyaboveus.com/cycling/Muscles-groups-used-while-cycling

 

[S-Express]

That's interesting. Do you have a source for that view, googling reveals nothing?

http://alex-cycle.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/left-right-out-of-balance.html

Basically, the wattbike graphs do not show what everyone thinks they do.

 

[PK99]

http://alex-cycle.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/left-right-out-of-balance.html

Basically, the wattbike graphs do not show what everyone thinks they do.

The linked article is concerned with the L-R split as shown by all power meters and different measuring methodology, not the watt bike polar display in particular.

My observation (from pre injury) was that the difference between an incorrect pedal stroke (downward pressure only) and a correct stroke (push over the top pull round the bottom) was clearly demonstrated by the polar display. (two circles or peanut vs sausage)

I'd be interested in anything that specifically debunks the polar display idea.

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

Isn't the main "flavouring" with a wattbike the peanut/sausage/butt plug shaped diagrams produced for pedal stroke analysis?

I can't recall anything evidential that says one shape is better/economic/power producing/ muscle activating, then you get where power is measured with strain gauges or calculated with fairy dust

 

[S-Express]

The linked article is concerned with the L-R split as shown by all power meters and different measuring methodology, not the watt bike polar display in particular.

You might need to read the article again. Where do you think the polar display gets its data from?

Isn't the main "flavouring" with a wattbike the peanut/sausage/butt plug shaped diagrams produced for pedal stroke analysis?

It is, but unfortunately the diagrams are basically just guesswork, rather than data from anything meaningful.