Tacx Flow synch with Garmin??

gilleek2

Hi Folks,

Is it possible to get a Tacx Flow Turbo Trainer to synch with a Garmin watch. The Flow has a sort of power measurement, not entirely accurate but accurate enough to track for improvements, and I'd like to get this data onto my watch or into the Garmin Connect software so I can have all the heart rate and power data together. Is this possible? My current Garmin is the 305.

Thanks in advance,
Kevin

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gilleek2 wrote: »

Hi Folks,

Is it possible to get a Tacx Flow Turbo Trainer to synch with a Garmin watch. The Flow has a sort of power measurement, not entirely accurate but accurate enough to track for improvements, and I'd like to get this data onto my watch or into the Garmin Connect software so I can have all the heart rate and power data together. Is this possible? My current Garmin is the 305.

Thanks in advance,
Kevin

I looked into this previously and it was not possible unless it has changed since.

pgibbo

A little OT but related to the flow.

Do users of the flow ride with a level of 0 or something different?

I know MCOS tends to ride at +1. Just curious what people do and why?

Last night I rode at +1 for the first time and I found my watts were up but the average speed and distance down I used always ride at a level of 0 but decided to ride at +1 last night.

shotgunmcos

pgibbo wrote: »

A little OT but related to the flow.

Do users of the flow ride with a level of 0 or something different?

I know MCOS tends to ride at +1. Just curious what people do and why?

Last night I rode at +1 for the first time and I found my watts were up but the average speed and distance down I used always ride at a level of 0 but decided to ride at +1 last night.

Avg speed is going to affect the distance covered, so lower means less distance. +1 just correlates the road conditions better. The flow is anything but accurate but as with setting a treadmill to 0.1 elv, setting the brake to +1 gives a similar feel for the road resistance. I used to turbo at 0 brake but the speed for the output always seemed inflated. I've read somewhere before that to put down a 60 minute 40k TT on the road you would want to be shelling out around 300w (generalisation). On the Flow with the brake on +1 this is about the ballpark. An hour at 300w will give you about 40k distance (assuming calibration to zero).

BTW OP, no the Garmin doesn't pick up the Flow or vice versa

tunney

shotgunmcos wrote: »

Avg speed is going to affect the distance covered, so lower means less distance. +1 just correlates the road conditions better. The flow is anything but accurate but as with setting a treadmill to 0.1 elv, setting the brake to +1 gives a similar feel for the road resistance. I used to turbo at 0 brake but the speed for the output always seemed inflated. I've read somewhere before that to put down a 60 minute 40k TT on the road you would want to be shelling out around 300w (generalisation). On the Flow with the brake on +1 this is about the ballpark. An hour at 300w will give you about 40k distance (assuming calibration to zero).

BTW OP, no the Garmin doesn't pick up the Flow or vice versa

Takes nowhere near 300w to do 40kph

shotgunmcos

tunney wrote: »

Takes nowhere near 300w to do 40kph

I figured that would draw you out Care to elaborate then? What does it take?

tunney

shotgunmcos wrote: »

I figured that would draw you out Care to elaborate then? What does it take?

Depends on a million and one things but if 300Ws was your baseline its off.

I know for myself on my TT bike, with a IM position on Irish roads 260watts would be do it.

shotgunmcos

tunney wrote: »

Depends on a million and one things but if 300Ws was your baseline its off.

I know for myself on my TT bike, with a IM position on Irish roads 260watts would be do it.

Aye I remember the 36kmh average for IMAT took you 205w or something like that so that makes sense.

On the flow though my point was the zero brake is very unrealistic and gives over inflated data. I've done 40kmh over an undulating TT course and My HR would be in the 167-172 ballpark.

To hit that same mark doing 40kmh at 260w on the flow would involve bursting into flames

Generally I'd recommend +1 brake for general use on the Flow and >+2 for intervals and BG work, hill sim work etc...

nerraw1111

I have mine calibrated to plus 4. Is there any reason to try and get it calibrate to zero, or is simply a case of it'll stand to me in the future.