Turbo Trainer Advice

On the contrary, I could never make it through an endurance workout on TR without something to watch, just too dull. For any effort above FTP we all know we just painfully stare at the timer hoping for it to speed up (regardless of something to watch/listen to in the background)

I am great at whining and shouting. Sadly I no longer have the hair.

At times I find it best to put on music, close my eyes and meditate through the tough workouts, other times watching something aggressive can do the trick, or watching something inspiring like the Quincy Jones or Michael Jordan documentaries has helped me through gruelling workouts.

watching something aggressive

I usually watch CX recent/older races, some of the tight ones are great for motivation. Those where someone stays in front the whole time can have the opposite effect at times.

I have also watched some shitty old movies lately.. I'm looking at you Street Fighter and Final Destination

I did an erg mode ramp test last night and stuck it in the big ring.

The number it has thrown out seems too high. Am I likely to get a different number if I do it in the small ring?

I did a ramp test last night too - three weeks into my FTP builder training programme... result was 2W lower than my original test. lovely stuff

I watched a video where a cycling coach looked at that training plan and was like WTF because every ride is up and down with mad intervals and different zones all over the place. He said it was so needlessly over complicated.
idk

form sprints in erg mode on trainerroad didn't work on the kickr core. power and cadence readings just dropped out and i had to wait for the kickr to reconnect

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ANT+ or BT?

Use a USB extender if ANT+

Potentially daft question, but have you calibrated the trainer since getting it?

bluetooth

Or stick to it and do every workout in the big if that's what you like.
I did like 20 watts more out of nowhere in the big. Big enough jump to notice something wasn't right.

Yes. It’s tracking absolutely in line with my power meter now.

When I say the resulting FTP is high, I mean by 15w. I don’t think it’s an accuracy issue.

I’m keen to understand the difference between riding in the big and small ring once a trainer has taken control of resistance. It certainly feels different. I presume it’s to do with inertia.

I have long suspected a ramp test would give me a slightly higher FTP. It seems ridiculous that such a short test can give a guide on what power a cyclist could achieve for an hour.

The small ring feels more like riding my old fluid dumb trainer with a small flywheel.

I’m questioning whether I should have bothered.

15w difference doesn't sound huge there. I have about 10w difference between a 20 min test and a ramp, though in the other direction, as my endurance is ok, whereas my short burst power is pitiful

What machine are you using?

Pick a method and stick with it.

I used to only use 20min tests and now I only use Ramp tests. It has freed up so much mental energy that I now use to argue about gravel tyre widths and suppress the 1x hoards.

Does that mean if I started doing 1hr tests, I could block out this forum entirely?

Saris H3.

I reckon it was probably due to fatigue and work stress but who knows... will keep on keeping on with the programme (interspersed with my club's zwift meetups/'races'), not like there's much else to be doing... and it gives my post-work day some structure

That surprises me given your riding background. Do you think it gives you an FTP reflective of your ability to put that power out for long periods?

I don’t know why I care about FTP really. I’m only really bothered about road racing and FTP matters not a jot if you can’t do the business over 30 seconds repeatedly.

I only use ftp so that TrainerRoad can give appropriate resistance on training programs. Hence why a change in ftp when I changed turbo didn’t bother me.

I use the same testing protocol for consistency.

I assume those who've been doing more VO2max work will perform better on a ramp test

If you're doing 1hr tests you're probably a few pickles short of a jar, struggling to string sentences together on here so probably should seek medical advice and a nice, comfy pair of slippers in your room with no sharp edges.

I did them both and they were close to each other so I never bothered with the 20min since.

My indoor FTP is still only used for TR workouts anyway so I don't really give too much of a shit. It's its own little world. I race off experience anyway and have a good collection of power pbs from previous events and distances to draw from. So, I like the Ramp Test because it's accurate enough and involves less thinking on my part which is always good.