Turbo Trainer Advice

There is a stretching thread that I see you have posted in before BMMF, but would you care to set out in brief detail the program of stretches you do typically either here or there?

.

1 Attachment

^ Does BMMF just spend 20 minutes stretching his braces then?

I'm not giving away all my secrets.

2x20s on a turbo are another fucking hangover from the LA / Carmichael publicity machine.

I probably get more benefit from having sex. It's certainly more motivating.

And I grow more as a person.

I probably get more benefit from having sex. It's certainly more motivating.

Mrs Smallfurry finds my HR belt a mood killer. Almost as much as the pedometer taped to my arse.

^ Glad to hear you didn't include the words 'watts', cadence', and 'ramped resistance 'in that statement ;-)

Good for opening up the hips and building lower back :) and a lot more fun than the plank!

I'm loathe to disagree with Mr Fix, but personally I have found that a regime of structured workout stuff with stretching has left me a lot fresher / stronger for weekend rides (which I then enjoy much more) than riding around regents park at tempo/race twice a week (not to memtion keeping me free from illness during the winter..). I also have found that doing 2x20's has helped me improve measuring my efforts over a longer period of time - which I have struggled with in the past and is a fundamental part of time trialling (which I am having a stab at this year). I usually do them outside (rp inner circle) though, I can't really handle anything longer than 8 mins as an interval on the turbo without losing the will to live.

I'm sure all this will go out of the window as soon as te weather arrives (if that ever happens)..

Over the last few years I've systematically removed every enjoyable aspect from my cycling. Turbo has helped with this immensely. All hail static trainers!

Wish I'd done the turbo instead of 2 hours in the comedy wind and rain this morning. Character building.

^^ The true face of the mighty Mergatron?

Wish I'd done the turbo instead of 2 hours in the comedy wind and rain this morning. Character building.

Yeah I looked at that this morning - opted for an hour of 'stretching' in bed (winkyman), made some bread, drunk coffee, and now going out for a Potters bar loop and back.

Two hours on the turbo is something I could never do to myself.

I've done two hour stints before , Boring doesn't even begin to describe it.

I spent two hours driving to Leicester this morning in the driving rain- I'd have hated to have been on a bike in that.

This nut job spends 11 hours on the turbo training for RAAM: http://www.markobaloh.com

Yeah this mornings weather put me off going out so opted for turbo session within 20 mins I was bored, switched to one foot clipped in technique 3x5mins on each foot, though this turned out to be quite hard but not that riveting either. Ended up taking off my cassette and cleaning it, not training but at least bike specific #50mphgustsareshit

Going to pick up a PowerCal, as a poor mans power meter. As I hate the idea of being forced to use the turbo just because it allows to gauge power. My poor weather road ride is fixed though. So it'll be hard to focus my wet weather training. But feck it. Fixed climb repeats are pretty good fun.

As for the turbo, looking at the Cycleops Fluid 2, or the Kurt kinetic Road machine. I much prefer the sound of the Kurt kinetic. The resistance unit sounds like a well thought out piece of kit. But its pricey over here, compared to the Cycleops. In fact with the increase I start to think, feck it, buy the groovy looking Rock'n'roll. But I have to store the thing as well as pay for it.

Cycleops Fluid 2 = £150 (within Norway, but delivery is probs high none the less)
Kurt Kinetic Road Machine = £270 (within Norway, but delivery is probs high none the less)
Kurt kinetic Rock'n'roll = £360 (free delivery from England)

I'm thinking buy the Cycleops, and spend the money saved on pies tyres. Have I missed a nice mid range fluid style trainer?

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/accessories/resistance-trainer/product/review-minoura-gyro-v150-remote-12-42724

I have this that i think ill sell if its any interest...

Why waste money on approximate power devices (or power devices in general for that matter)?

The Cycleops is fine. They replaced my resistance unit after 7 years for a reasonable fee. The frame is as sturdy as ever. Never leaked or was otherwise weird in any way. I have a rear wheel sensor and a cheap Cateye computer mounted. If I can see the speed, I know the approxiwatts, so easy to monitor a target output if that's your goal. And still got the same ~£5 Vittoria hard rubber 23mm road tyre on there that was mounted when I got the turbo.

Nothing that boringly semi-functional should be a money pit.

I've got some Tacx thing I bought off gumtree for £70 a last year - does me pretty good.. I can't imagine that a turbo trainer could be any 'better' - it's just a resistance unit.

Nope they can be a lot better.

The cyclops JFP i own is miles better than the original elite chrono i had.

Why waste money on approximate power devices (or power devices in general for that matter)?

The Cycleops is fine. They replaced my resistance unit after 7 years for a reasonable fee. The frame is as sturdy as ever. Never leaked or was otherwise weird in any way. I have a rear wheel sensor and a cheap Cateye computer mounted. If I can see the speed, I know the approxiwatts, so easy to monitor a target output if that's your goal. And still got the same ~£5 Vittoria hard rubber 23mm road tyre on there that was mounted when I got the turbo.

Nothing that boringly semi-functional should be a money pit.

The plan for the Cycleops was to make up a curve of power vs speed. I have speed and cadence on the bike. So I'd have everything I need. If its wrong, it'll be consistantly wrong, so thats fine.

Just get cycleops and use speed. Ignore the watts, it's irrelevant.

If you want to read this for some idea; but just gauge efforts by speed and cadence.
Even with power, I work by cadence, once I've got to a PE, power area. for an effort i like.

http://www.timetriallingforum.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=65164
http://www.timetriallingforum.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=77103

Nope they can be a lot better.

The cyclops JFP i own is miles better than the original elite chrono i had.

yes, you're obliged to say that - you spent the money. As far as I'm concerned - ignorance is bliss...

Ha. I actually bought the cycleops for the same cost at the elite.
Fingers in those pies.

Here's a mind-bogglingly dull link to an hour of zone 2 work on the turbo that I did yesterday.

What you can see there is a ten minute warm-up followed by a 50 minute low intensity spin.

The wattage and speed are linked for the duration of the 50 minutes- 17mph @ 219 watts.

So, as BMMF says, once you know what speed is what wattage you can use that to train to.

Bugger all use out on the road of course, however.