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Looking for a turbo trainer
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14-09-2011 12:23pm#1
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RacoonQueen wrote: »Can anyone recommend a good (cheaper) turbo? It's been on my shopping list for a while but given I'm not sure how commited I can be to staring at my shed wall (or clearing out one of my sheds) so I don't really want to drop €400 on one until I see how much use I'll get out of one.
Guys in wheelworx recommneded THIS as an entry level trainer. Would it be even worth my while getting that one? Doesn't seem as if it'll give any sort of a decent workout?
Well I can see you first problem there.......
It maxes out at 250 watts.
It has only resistance settings but are set on the resistance unit.
250 watt limit rules out any "real" work. And I don't mean for uber-bikers. A decent lightweight AG female will ride 180 watts for an IM. My 56 year old father in law got into cycling recently - this would not do him
bike24.net are fantastically cheaper than anywhere else for trainers
Tacx satorri €160
Tacx Flow €250 (plug it in and work off wattage, I think this is the "standard" boards hi end trainer)0 -
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Well I can see you first problem there.......
It maxes out at 250 watts.
It has only resistance settings but are set on the resistance unit.
250 watt limit rules out any "real" work. And I don't mean for uber-bikers. A decent lightweight AG female will ride 180 watts for an IM. My 56 year old father in law got into cycling recently - this would not do him
Thanks yeah, I know very little about turbos but that's pretty much what I picked up from the couple of reviews I found.
Saw the CSS offer while I was reading your post this morning. Will be counting out the piggybank later on.:pac:0 -
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I know nothing about the ins and outs of turbos, even though Ive used one for a year. Watts? Watts that? I really would love that explained to me in laymans language.
I have a tacx sirius. All I know is I havent reached a point where I need more resistance than it can give. Its been pretty ok. You do need a computer with cadence, and a hrm. I hope this year to do proper coached turbo sets and should understand more once I get into that. Maybe trade up to something with that measures power then.
A watt is the unit power.
Power is a measure of the rate of which work is done.
Knowing your wattage allows you to know exactly how much work you are doing at any given point.
You can test your Functional Threshold Power (basically the average wattage for a 1 hour TT) and from that work out training zones.
Easy, steady, mod, hard now have ranges of wattages assigned to them.
It is absolute and are not affected, like HR is, by things like temperature, hydration, stress, etc etc.
Training by power allows you to know where you are, how you are improving and even estimate race performances.
Turbos won't measure power in general. Tacx Flows don't measure power but give a consistently inaccurate readind with is fine as long as it is repeatible.
In this specific example the turbo in question states its limited to 250 watts. For a solid rider thats useless as a steady effort would exceed that nevermind mod hard and hard efforts.
The Sirrus is second from bottom in the Tacx range. Plenty of scope to move up 0 -
I got a Tacx satori lastyear and havent had any trouble with it.
I'm thinking of going down the power route now, last year I did intervals off HR and it always seemed to take too long for the HR to respond. Initially I was considering changing the trainer, but you lose the power readings (which will be incorrect, but consistent, as Tunney mentions) when you hit the road on the bike.
If you've a powermeter on the bike itself I expect that gives accurate readings regardless of whether your on the turbo or out on the road, and saves the repeat calibrations needed with turbo trainers (and buying a new trainer too in my case )? 0 -
I'm thinking of going down the power route now, last year I did intervals off HR and it always seemed to take too long for the HR to respond. Initially I was considering changing the trainer, but you lose the power readings (which will be incorrect, but consistent, as Tunney mentions) when you hit the road on the bike.
The delay in response time is a big thingIf you've a powermeter on the bike itself I expect that gives accurate readings regardless of whether your on the turbo or out on the road, and saves the repeat calibrations needed with turbo trainers (and buying a new trainer too in my case )?
Yip. Unless its a Polar chain base one..........0 -
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Yip. Unless its a Polar chain base one..........
I'd only really considered the powertap and srms. I'd almost be tempted to wait for my first dip into the power world now that the garmin/look pedal based setup is on the cards for mid next year. Must jump on a gym bike and see what sort of power it thinks im able to put out, I've never looked before.
You've used a computrainer before right Tunney? They look on the face of it just like another trainer, what makes them so popular (and expensive )? 0 -
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The cycling crown cry when I point this out but nobody has proven that pedal based power meters are worth a damn and Garmin have a woeful track record of bringing new products to market.I'd only really considered the powertap and srms. I'd almost be tempted to wait for my first dip into the power world now that the garmin/look pedal based setup is on the cards for mid next year.Must jump on a gym bike and see what sort of power it thinks im able to put out, I've never looked before.
Probably best googling "random number generator"You've used a computrainer before right Tunney? They look on the face of it just like another trainer, what makes them so popular (and expensive )?
Basically when I found on tiny tunney #1 was on the way I realised that I was going to spend more time on the turbo. I already spent up to 4-5 hours on it in a single sitting but doing that as much as I thought I would have to (and did) would get a little much. Variety makes turbo sessions tolerable but it can be tricky to write such a variety of relevant sessions.
Computrainer hooks the load generator upto a computer and the computer controls the load. There are three main ways in which the CT can operate.
1) Real Course Video - videos of courses taken during a race which are then synced to gradient of the course so the load matches the terrain. You can hammer out the IM Kona course at 300watts or toddle around the IM Oz course at 120watts. Speed of the video reflects the effort being doen.
2) 3d - computer generated courses. You can manually create courses or load from GPS. In the existing software you set up fixed wattage pacers to ride against other riders. I've been testing the new software as a beta tester for 4-5 months and it massively improves this area - smart pacers, (i.e. work of ranges and are "smart" about attacking you, fixed wattage pacers, HR based pacers, and pacers that ride like an AI. Attack when you demonstrated signs of fatigue, on highs etc etc. Wind can also be factored in and affects speed.
Both of these are what attracted me to the CT. However its the third that turns out is the best bang for buck in training.
3) Erg mode. You write up you session using absolute wattages and then the unit forces you to either push those wattages or get off. I have a session to do tonight. Here it is. no hiding, just your ass on a plate.
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elvis jones wrote: »Really is what i did as a workout any use ?
I know it got the heart rate up and the sweat dripping from me:)
Might be an idea to post in a more relevant thread Start a new one in main board! 0 -
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"CT will kick my ass every time. Much more return from sessions."
When you say return - do you mean the info you get back after the session?
Cheers for that.
The info getting back is similar to a power meter.
By return I meant the training return.
Below is a screen shot of an ERG file that I could do on the CT.
The wattage you pump out are measured and stored but it also enforces a load on the unit. So if you say a session is 3:00 @ xyz watts then 2:00 at abc and so on and so on then the result - if you finish, will be that +/- a few percentage.
Via ERG files you can describe exactly what you want to do and the CT makes you do it. Hurts alot.
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