Bike Trainers
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I'd buy a power meter in a heartbeat if I thought it would be a fun toy. I suspect I'd find it depressing.
(Not to beat a dead horse, but heart rate training is always "accurate" since it give you a gauge of how hard your body is working. It is true that you could be tired from a prior workout or perhaps you drank too much Monster juice before your ride, but in any case, you can't keep your heart rate in the 90% range for more than a few minutes!)1 -
I don't feel bad about not having one, but I am a gadget guy. So something like a power meter is just the sort of thing I would like.0
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That's where I fall as well @rileysowner. I don't need it, but I do want it. It helps me quantify my efforts, so I can see how I'm doing compared to yesterday, or last week, etc. I've been picking up more data, and it's helped me to see progress. Especially useful for these winter months stuck indoors which leave me asking if it's worth it, you know?0
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Tried some Youtube training videos today from CTXCvideos. Pretty good workout. I have never tried them before. I think I will stick with them for a while, although interval training will get old soon enough. Hopefully I can find some that a less interval, but still have some variations that keep me interested.1
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rileysowner wrote: »Tried some Youtube training videos today from CTXCvideos. Pretty good workout. I have never tried them before. I think I will stick with them for a while, although interval training will get old soon enough. Hopefully I can find some that a less interval, but still have some variations that keep me interested.
Apologies for stating what may be obvious, but for anyone reading this who may not know, you generally don't want to do intervals every day. Normally it's recommended to restrict hard interval workouts to 2, and no more than 3, days per week, ideally with a day or more of rest or easier riding between. For any other ride days, find some interesting vids or movies to watch and spin at an endurance pace. It's also worth noting that most people consider an hour of trainer time to be equivalent to 75-90 minutes outdoors due to the constant nature of trainer work, i.e. no stop signs, downhill coasting, etc.0 -
rileysowner wrote: »Tried some Youtube training videos today from CTXCvideos. Pretty good workout. I have never tried them before. I think I will stick with them for a while, although interval training will get old soon enough. Hopefully I can find some that a less interval, but still have some variations that keep me interested.
Apologies for stating what may be obvious, but for anyone reading this who may not know, you generally don't want to do intervals every day. Normally it's recommended to restrict hard interval workouts to 2, and no more than 3, days per week, ideally with a day or more of rest or easier riding between. For any other ride days, find some interesting vids or movies to watch and spin at an endurance pace. It's also worth noting that most people consider an hour of trainer time to be equivalent to 75-90 minutes outdoors due to the constant nature of trainer work, i.e. no stop signs, downhill coasting, etc.
I am quite aware of that, hence the desire for something more like an actual ride than intervals. I tend toward the no more than 2 per week if they are fairly high intensity as they are very stressful on the body.
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rileysowner wrote: »Tried some Youtube training videos today from CTXCvideos. Pretty good workout.
Thanks for the pointer, I'll try them.
(For a sustained workout I usually just watch TV or listen to a podcast.)
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Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »rileysowner wrote: »Tried some Youtube training videos today from CTXCvideos. Pretty good workout.
Thanks for the pointer, I'll try them.
(For a sustained workout I usually just watch TV or listen to a podcast.)
What I would like, is a sustained pace where occasionally there is a directed change in speed or resistance, but not in an interval pattern. Albeit, the weather here is so beautiful today that I think I will break out the mountain bike and do some riding. Too messy for me on trails right now with all the snow melting, but even a ride on the road on the MTB would be better than nothing.1 -
rileysowner wrote: »What I would like, is a sustained pace where occasionally there is a directed change in speed or resistance, but not in an interval pattern.
I got it: Watch the news and pick a keyword for "sprint." It has to be a word not uttered too often, so that rules out "Trump" on any news service anywhere.
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Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »rileysowner wrote: »What I would like, is a sustained pace where occasionally there is a directed change in speed or resistance, but not in an interval pattern.
I got it: Watch the news and pick a keyword for "sprint." It has to be a word not uttered too often, so that rules out "Trump" on any news service anywhere.
Or protest, undocumented, illegal, and quite a few others ;-)0 -
I just keep riding outside. If riding isn't fun I don't want to do it and riding on a trainer is frown inducing. I'm sure you guys would all smoke me, but I'm cool with that.1
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denversillygoose wrote: »I just keep riding outside. If riding isn't fun I don't want to do it and riding on a trainer is frown inducing. I'm sure you guys would all smoke me, but I'm cool with that.
I don't ride in snow, slush, and worst of all ice, thus a trainer. If I didn't have a trainer, I would go through the spring with the pain of getting used to sitting long hours in the saddle. I avoid that by cycling regularly on my normal road bike using the trainer. For that matter, it helps when preparing for century rides when the weather is really rainy.1 -
denversillygoose wrote: »I just keep riding outside. If riding isn't fun I don't want to do it and riding on a trainer is frown inducing. I'm sure you guys would all smoke me, but I'm cool with that.
I totally get this, but for me riding outside in the cold isn't fun. I'm a southern boy through and through. I don't like the cold and it's always 70 degrees in my Man Cave.
rileysowner wrote: »I don't ride in snow, slush, and worst of all ice, thus a trainer. If I didn't have a trainer, I would go through the spring with the pain of getting used to sitting long hours in the saddle. I avoid that by cycling regularly on my normal road bike using the trainer. For that matter, it helps when preparing for century rides when the weather is really rainy.
Seems like every winter there's a story on VeloNews about some pro or the other that's recovering from a broken bone after slipping on ice during a training ride. Even beyond the dangers of riding in winter weather, which we don't get much of here, is just lack of daylight. With my job and commute, riding outdoors during the week is out of the question for me unless I ride after dark (not worth the additional risk) or at lunch (not always possible). Add to all that the availability of entertainment, good training software and/or videos, and the way trainers lend themselves to performing specific workouts, and to me it's a no-brainer. I realize not everyone agrees, but I'm a big believer, even to the point where I use my trainer on a regular basis year-round. Sometimes it's just more convenient.
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We wimps should just come out and say that denversillygoose is awesome to get out and ride in the winter!
I am intimidated by the snow, rain, darkness, and residual sand in New England this time of year. I am excited to think that if I pound the trainer all March and April I will be in awesome shape by May, when the weather starts to improve around here. I wish I had started earlier...1 -
Totally agreed @Jthanmyfitnesspal. Once the weather started getting cold, I packed it in and got on a trainer. Been doing that since November. Planning on getting back on the road in April. Anybody who can manage the cold well enough to ride well? Kudos to you. You're better than I, definitely 1
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rileysowner wrote: »denversillygoose wrote: »I just keep riding outside. If riding isn't fun I don't want to do it and riding on a trainer is frown inducing. I'm sure you guys would all smoke me, but I'm cool with that.
I don't ride in snow, slush, and worst of all ice, thus a trainer. If I didn't have a trainer, I would go through the spring with the pain of getting used to sitting long hours in the saddle. I avoid that by cycling regularly on my normal road bike using the trainer. For that matter, it helps when preparing for century rides when the weather is really rainy.
Yeah, this is where I'm at right now. I have an event coming up April 8 and so far 2 training rides have been rained out and probably more in the future. If I don't get my training in indoors I'm not going to be ready.0 -
rileysowner wrote: »denversillygoose wrote: »I just keep riding outside. If riding isn't fun I don't want to do it and riding on a trainer is frown inducing. I'm sure you guys would all smoke me, but I'm cool with that.
I don't ride in snow, slush, and worst of all ice, thus a trainer. If I didn't have a trainer, I would go through the spring with the pain of getting used to sitting long hours in the saddle. I avoid that by cycling regularly on my normal road bike using the trainer. For that matter, it helps when preparing for century rides when the weather is really rainy.
Yeah, this is where I'm at right now. I have an event coming up April 8 and so far 2 training rides have been rained out and probably more in the future. If I don't get my training in indoors I'm not going to be ready.
This year we have had some really unseasonably warm days so I have gotten out once for a ride, but mostly I ride indoors this time of year or cross country ski. No snow for skiing, so it is all indoor rides.0 -
rileysowner wrote: »rileysowner wrote: »denversillygoose wrote: »I just keep riding outside. If riding isn't fun I don't want to do it and riding on a trainer is frown inducing. I'm sure you guys would all smoke me, but I'm cool with that.
I don't ride in snow, slush, and worst of all ice, thus a trainer. If I didn't have a trainer, I would go through the spring with the pain of getting used to sitting long hours in the saddle. I avoid that by cycling regularly on my normal road bike using the trainer. For that matter, it helps when preparing for century rides when the weather is really rainy.
Yeah, this is where I'm at right now. I have an event coming up April 8 and so far 2 training rides have been rained out and probably more in the future. If I don't get my training in indoors I'm not going to be ready.
This year we have had some really unseasonably warm days so I have gotten out once for a ride, but mostly I ride indoors this time of year or cross country ski. No snow for skiing, so it is all indoor rides.
It's nice to get out for a ride on a warmer winter day - a lot less sweat involved than the summer I've had the trainer for a few years now, but this is the first time I've gotten serious about training, because of the rain. I actually think I'll end up in better shape than I would just riding with my group as usual, since it's all very recreational and social, and I find I'm definitely more aggressive when riding by myself, even on the trainer. 0 -
The strange thing about the trainer for me is that I can't get my heart rate up without getting off the seat. Riding off the seat on the trainer is different from when you are on the road, swaying the bike. Also, I feel like I could use more resistance when I'm really pumping. I'm already using the highest gear.0
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Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »The strange thing about the trainer for me is that I can't get my heart rate up without getting off the seat. Riding off the seat on the trainer is different from when you are on the road, swaying the bike.
HR not coming up could be a cooling thing. Are you using a fan? I've heard of people having trouble getting HR up indoors, including from my old coach who said he always struggled to get his HR up indoors. I've never had this problem personally and everyone and their uncle has a solution for it, including (but not limited to) mental blocks, not warmed up enough, not enough cooling, and not enough resistance from the trainer. How long are you riding? How structured of a warmup do you do?
Is this with your new Road Machine? 'cause damn. If you are overpowering that thing either you have a faulty unit or you are a complete beast.Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »Also, I feel like I could use more resistance when I'm really pumping. I'm already using the highest gear.
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