Triathletes/Duathletes

Join

Bike trainer?

Options
2

Replies

  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    Options
    glevinso wrote: »
    The Sufferfest

    Prepare to suffer greatly. Prepare to be really fast when the next tri season rolls around.

    I just learned they offer a monthly subscription for $10 USD and you get access to all the videos. I am trying it for this month. I did A Very Dark Place last night. I'm really hoping you are right :)
  • ephiemarie
    ephiemarie Posts: 264 Member
    Options
    I finally used my husband's speed sensor for the first time last week.

    Um, let's just say I have some serious work to do! That was quite an eye opener. I think Trainer Road might be out of my budget, but I'll check out The Sufferfest.

    Thanks everyone!
  • ShawnTX
    ShawnTX Posts: 50 Member
    Options
    ephiemarie wrote: »
    I finally used my husband's speed sensor for the first time last week.

    Um, let's just say I have some serious work to do! That was quite an eye opener. I think Trainer Road might be out of my budget, but I'll check out The Sufferfest.

    Thanks everyone!

    Trainer Road is only $10/month. Of the two, I view it as a more valuable training tool because of the metrics you get and the structured workouts. It is nice that it also can be overlaid over any video you might want to play (including Sufferfest). I tried both and ended up ditching the Sufferfest as it just wasn't for me. I would at least try both for a month and see which one you prefer.
  • ephiemarie
    ephiemarie Posts: 264 Member
    edited February 2015
    Options
    (nevermind...answered my own question)
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    Options
    ShawnTX wrote: »
    ephiemarie wrote: »
    I finally used my husband's speed sensor for the first time last week.

    Um, let's just say I have some serious work to do! That was quite an eye opener. I think Trainer Road might be out of my budget, but I'll check out The Sufferfest.

    Thanks everyone!

    Trainer Road is only $10/month. Of the two, I view it as a more valuable training tool because of the metrics you get and the structured workouts. It is nice that it also can be overlaid over any video you might want to play (including Sufferfest). I tried both and ended up ditching the Sufferfest as it just wasn't for me. I would at least try both for a month and see which one you prefer.

    I checked it out and from what I saw you need speed and cadence sensors? They are on my wishlist but I don't have them at the moment. Hoping to get them in April.
  • glevinso
    glevinso Posts: 1,895 Member
    Options
    3dogsrunning wrote: »
    glevinso wrote: »
    The Sufferfest

    Prepare to suffer greatly. Prepare to be really fast when the next tri season rolls around.

    I just learned they offer a monthly subscription for $10 USD and you get access to all the videos. I am trying it for this month. I did A Very Dark Place last night. I'm really hoping you are right :)

    Yes! They really are the best way to up your cycling game, especially during the cold months when you don't really want to be outside. Personally I use these workouts all year long. About 50% of my spring, summer, and fall riding is on the trainer using these workouts. I really only get my bike outside for weekend long rides.
  • scott091501
    scott091501 Posts: 1,260 Member
    Options
    There's also this: http://zwift.com/
  • wildtxn
    wildtxn Posts: 97 Member
    Options
    I've been using the trainerroad software with a wahoo kickr trainer and absolutely love it. I also own all of the sufferfest videos and import those directly into trainerroad and put up on my tv in front of the bike. You can also find tons of cycling videos on vimeo or youtube for free of charge and building a custom ERG file to go along with it is quite easy if you can't find a pre-made one you like. I import everything to strava since trainerroad doesn't currently import to MFP.
  • ShawnTX
    ShawnTX Posts: 50 Member
    Options
    3dogsrunning wrote: »

    I checked it out and from what I saw you need speed and cadence sensors? They are on my wishlist but I don't have them at the moment. Hoping to get them in April.

    Yes, you will need those, but they are extremely valuable to your training. I picked up both as a package deal on Amazon. They run between $60-70 for the pair. Ideally, everyone would love to have a power meter, but they are still pretty expensive. For $70 + $10/mos. you can train a lot smarter and get estimated power on Trainer Road, depending on the trainer you use. Pretty darn good bang for the buck. For myself, I have seen amazing results using these tools. I'm in the same boat as you but in regards to a power meter. On my wishlist, but probably won't have one until sometime this summer. Saving my pennies. :smiley:
  • ephiemarie
    ephiemarie Posts: 264 Member
    Options
    Is a cadence sensor a necessity? I only have a speed sensor right now, and I've been using that data for simple interval workouts. Well, technically, my husband has the sensor, but whatever. What's his is mine. Should I convince him he also needs the cadence sensor?
  • glevinso
    glevinso Posts: 1,895 Member
    Options
    For TrainerRoad you only need speed. But cadence is a useful metric to have as well but not necessary.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    Options
    ShawnTX wrote: »
    3dogsrunning wrote: »

    I checked it out and from what I saw you need speed and cadence sensors? They are on my wishlist but I don't have them at the moment. Hoping to get them in April.

    Yes, you will need those, but they are extremely valuable to your training. I picked up both as a package deal on Amazon. They run between $60-70 for the pair. Ideally, everyone would love to have a power meter, but they are still pretty expensive. For $70 + $10/mos. you can train a lot smarter and get estimated power on Trainer Road, depending on the trainer you use. Pretty darn good bang for the buck. For myself, I have seen amazing results using these tools. I'm in the same boat as you but in regards to a power meter. On my wishlist, but probably won't have one until sometime this summer. Saving my pennies. :smiley:
    glevinso wrote: »
    For TrainerRoad you only need speed. But cadence is a useful metric to have as well but not necessary.


    Thanks. We are heading to the US the end of the month and I'm hoping to pick them both up them.
  • GWSGregS
    GWSGregS Posts: 14 Member
    Options
    I got mine at MEC. $50 CDN for Garmin Speed/Cadence. I think its free shipping once you reach $50 too.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    edited March 2015
    Options
    GWSGregS wrote: »
    I got mine at MEC. $50 CDN for Garmin Speed/Cadence. I think its free shipping once you reach $50 too.

    I'll check that out! Thanks.

    ETA - @GWSGregS - I checked. I think I've looked at that before. I'm confused. One says speed and cadence but seems like it only does one. Another says speed and cadence and is $70. Do you know the difference?

    http://www.mec.ca/product/5011-336/garmin-speed-and-cadence-sensor/

    http://www.mec.ca/product/5038-739/garmin-speed-cadence-sensor/
  • wildtxn
    wildtxn Posts: 97 Member
    Options
    I have http://www.mec.ca/product/5011-336/garmin-speed-and-cadence-sensor/ on my mountain bike and it indeed does both speed and cadence. In fact, I have that one laying on the floor collecting dust since I replaced it with a Bluetooth compatible version.
  • GWSGregS
    GWSGregS Posts: 14 Member
    Options
    I think the more expensive one is two sensors, and the cheaper one is a combo unit. I bought the $50 one and it works fine with trainerroad and my ant+ USB stick. It also works with my forerunner 910XT. If you're going to use it with a specific watch, I would double check compatibility on the garmin website.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    Options
    Perfect. Thank you both.

    I have the 920xt. I'll double check compatibility.
  • ShawnTX
    ShawnTX Posts: 50 Member
    Options
    Sorry for the delayed response. Had a death in the family that has had me slammed this month. As for your question, it really starts on the road in my opinion. When riding on the road or in a race, ideally you would like to be in the 90-100 rpm cadence, but that is really a pro number and assumes you have a run cadence of 180. Here's the idea, as a triathlete you will have to transition from the bike to the run. In theory, if your legs are already going at a pace of 80 rpm on the bike, then this will make the transition to your run at a cadence of 160 a little easier since your legs have already been firing at that pace (160 run cadence = 80 per leg = 80 rpm). I made the switch to this and it made my transitions to the run a lot more comfortable. The above (80 rpm (bike)/ 160 cadence (run)) are my numbers. A focus of mine has been to bring my bike cadence up into the 90-100 range and my run cadence up closer to 180, but that is still a work in progress. With all of that said, if you would like to take a similar approach, you must have a cadence sensor. This will also help you on the road with shifting/gearing. If you hit an uphill section and your cadence immediately drops from 80 to 55, you are most likely putting too much load on your legs and in the wrong gear. Better to shift to a lower gear that will allow you to spin up that hill as close to your 80 cadence as possible. In shorter races this may be a negligible issue and you may choose to sacrifice the legs to maintain speed, but in a race that is already going to be pushing your endurance limits, this can be huge. If you are a fan of saving your legs for the run, knowing your cadence can be crucial.
  • ephiemarie
    ephiemarie Posts: 264 Member
    Options
    My husband bought a cadence sensor, but I haven't tried it out yet. How does one go about determining run cadence without a foot pod or gadget? I have an idea of how many beats/minute I prefer my running music to be, so maybe it's close to my cadence?

    (And, ShawnTX, sorry to hear about your loss.)

  • glevinso
    glevinso Posts: 1,895 Member
    Options
    The 920xt (and I think the FR220) uses the step counter accelerometer to measure cadence. Other than those devices, you will need a foot pod to measure run cadence. Is that actionable data, though? I don't know. I have run cadence recorded for years at this point and I am not sure if those data tell me anything at all.

Categories