Turbo Trainer Advice

Both Wifi and ant+ use the 2.4 GHz band, so it is possible that it could be the cause. Is your router anywhere near your turbo trainer set up?

2.4GHz and 5GHz

I use a USB extension to move the ANT+ dongle further away from the laptop - that makes a big difference - removing interference (there's also the option to use different wifi bands - Zwift didn't work with higher bands for example). I also know that my Garmin units won't connect to my 5Ghz wifi, I need to make them use my 2.4GHz option.

ah ok great. I’ll try switching my wifi connection from 2.4 to 5 if the ant+ is blocking out the 2.4. My set up is very basic and particular- there is no power where i have my trainer set up. I use an old direto which doesn’t require plugging in but still sends data to an old laptop running off battery. I also can’t afford swift so just use the free program that comes from elite and just watch the graph- i don’t mind this, my numbers are good. but i need the wifi to listen to music! (slayer on repeat usually). the router is upstairs and so moving the dongle on an extension isn’t gonna help i don’t think. thanks for uggestions

The extension for the ANT+ dongle is to get it away from the computer, not really to get it closer to the bike, although in my case that is a side-effect. It's only like 30cm long - was just something I had lying around.

I think I have a 2m usb cable lying around somewhere. I can look for it this week and post it out if that helps anyone here.

Bargain?
https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/391720/#comment17187967

I paid double that for mine in lockdown, and even then I thought I was getting a bargain

I’ve just started a program on TR and so far the V02 sessions like this have been hard and sweaty but not so n my limit, it’s been ages since I’ve been on the turbo but I seem to recall last set or couple of efgorts I’d be near max HR currently a good chunk under, would this suggest my ramp test score was a bit low? Or being a plan is little less intense (with longer view) than me previously selecting random sessions depending on how I felt, previously?

Trust the algorithm 🙏🏻

Yellow cyclops fluid turbo trainer. I've loved it, it's loved me.
I've now "upgraded" to a smart trainer. Do I really want to hang on to the yellow thing, just in case?
Do people even buy them? Take them?
Are there retrogrouch trainers out there like me?

I still have mine. It's good for TT warmups. Only problem is I haven't raced a TT for a year or more now so I might shift it on. I off-loaded both my Computrainers to Scherrit. That'll teach him to live in a big house, a very big house in the country...

Yeah, if I raced (HHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA) I could see it being somewhat useful. But that would also mean I would use a car to get to races.

At the moment it's just taking up space.

Copy

I might have my Kinetic rock and roll going up for sale soon as I don't use it anymore... QR version, might need a new sensor... pick up only as it's heavy!!!!! PM me for more details

Then it's a question of how much space you have - is it in the way?

I was glad I had my spare turbos during covid, when one shat the bed I had spares when you couldn't get hold of them for love nor money. But what are the chances of that scenario happening again?

Ok hoarder.
(i'll keep it as I also hoard)

You cannot give them away, even Herne Hill wouldn't take one as a donation. I think Zwift killed the dumb trainer for leisure cyclists and wheel-on versions even more.

Mine is here next to me in the corner of the home office but it has New Cross council tip metal bin in its near future I fear.

I'd have thought all the CX racers would be balls deep in old turbos.

I gave one of my old ones to Willesden and it was out at Hillingdon for their turbo nights last I heard but that was yonks ago.

I put one of these on eBay a year or so ago as I just needed to get rid of it. Think it went for £1.20 (the bloke who came to collect was very apologetic). He was using it for some sort of community fitness thing (like a spin class for oaps in village halls or something).

Thank you for a bump!

In contrary to the discussion above, I think the simplicity of the dumb trainer is great - no power etc. and still works great with Zwift with the powermeter on the bike. If there was disc kit available, I would keep it.

I’m having the same with sweet spot sessions, my heart rate was 130
Max after 4x7 mins sweet spot. I think my ramp was a bit under par after 4 weeks of limited riding and covid, plus i guess the plan starts easy and builds, and adjusts with the ai ftp after ten sessions.
Are you doing any outdoor sessions? I’m finding them tricky, the outdoor sessions are more complex than the indoor so really hard to follow and hit the right power

How many ramp tests have you done? Sounds like this was your first and you know you've had a poor build up to it anyway. Like anything you get better at Ramp Tests and everything else the more you do them so I would try a few workouts and adjust or retest after a week (depending on how many workouts you do a week - it's easier to tell if you're overcooking stuff if you're riding 7 days a week!).

After doing a bunch you will be able to tell if it was a below par test and if the workouts are easy sometimes I've retested the day after, sometimes I'll bump the FTP and go from there. If I'm already close to my limit but I think it's a bit off I might leave it as it has been set and play with manual percentage adjustments for specific workouts.

sometimes I'll bump the FTP and go from there

I tested once in 2017, never again. Now just use the same FTP, sometimes its hard, sometimes its fucking hard!

If using an FTP value as the basis of a medium to long term training plan, would it not make more sense to do a longer 20 min or 1 hour FTP test? You may have to do two or three to get pacing right, but it yields a much more accurate measure.

Ramp tests are apparently notorious for overestimating FTP.

I’ve not. I’m planning to ride with the club outside Sunday and was going to see how the plan adapted with that thrown in…

@Phil44 I’m sure there’s plenty anecdata both ways but given current discussion is that we are both feeling low effort on higher intensity workouts so not sure this addresses the issue at hand