Setting up a Turbo

Whyner

Howdy,

The plan is to buy a TACX Neo in the next few days, it will be my first turbo so I’m looking for some advice on how best to set it up in order to get the most out of it. I’m going to start off with Zwift

I checked with Wiggle chat and they advised me that the only tool I’ll need is this guy - http://www.wiggle.co.uk/x-tools-pro-cassette-remover-one-size/ and a new cassette. What about a chain whip?

What I’ve got:

High spec laptop, 15.4”
Garmin Ant+ Dongle (got it with a Garmin Swim watch)
Garmin Speed and Cadence sensor
Garmin Edge 520 and HRM
Desk
20” screen and swivel wall mount – the desk is a bit low so I could connect to screen and have that at a better height, keep the desk free for a fan and towel. Any advice on a fan? Are the sweat guards any use or should I just lob a towel over that area

I’ll try it out on the carpet first before looking into some form of mat.

Nice wan…

thekooman

Whyner wrote: »

Howdy,

The plan is to buy a TACX Neo in the next few days, it will be my first turbo so I’m looking for some advice on how best to set it up in order to get the most out of it. I’m going to start off with Zwift

I checked with Wiggle chat and they advised me that the only tool I’ll need is this guy - http://www.wiggle.co.uk/x-tools-pro-cassette-remover-one-size/ and a new cassette. What about a chain whip?

What I’ve got:

High spec laptop, 15.4”
Garmin Ant+ Dongle (got it with a Garmin Swim watch)
Garmin Speed and Cadence sensor
Garmin Edge 520 and HRM
Desk
20” screen and swivel wall mount – the desk is a bit low so I could connect to screen and have that at a better height, keep the desk free for a fan and towel. Any advice on a fan? Are the sweat guards any use or should I just lob a towel over that area

I’ll try it out on the carpet first before looking into some form of mat.

Nice wan…

nice one... you've gone all out there! seem to have everything covered.
im in the garage so dont use any floor mat. if you are the house you might need one. i dont use a sweat guard either as i use the towel to "mop" me down!

thekooman

Whyner wrote: »

Howdy,

The plan is to buy a TACX Neo in the next few days, it will be my first turbo so I’m looking for some advice on how best to set it up in order to get the most out of it. I’m going to start off with Zwift

I checked with Wiggle chat and they advised me that the only tool I’ll need is this guy - http://www.wiggle.co.uk/x-tools-pro-cassette-remover-one-size/ and a new cassette. What about a chain whip?

What I’ve got:

High spec laptop, 15.4”
Garmin Ant+ Dongle (got it with a Garmin Swim watch)
Garmin Speed and Cadence sensor
Garmin Edge 520 and HRM
Desk
20” screen and swivel wall mount – the desk is a bit low so I could connect to screen and have that at a better height, keep the desk free for a fan and towel. Any advice on a fan? Are the sweat guards any use or should I just lob a towel over that area

I’ll try it out on the carpet first before looking into some form of mat.

Nice wan…

no harm having a chain whip anyways.

joey100

I use this fan,

http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/4250090.htm

it's really good, big but you need it to be. Most places though will let there stock of fans run low or out over the winter, not usually a huge demand for them, so I'd get what ever fan you decide on quick enough.

Is the turbo going to be permanently set up? If it is some mats like this do a good job,

http://www.halfords.ie/workshop-tools/garage-equipment/garage-essentials/rolson-6-piece-floor-mat-set-120-x-180cm

If not I've just used a foam camping ground mat or a cheap yoga mat. Do the same job as the branded wahoo ones.

Whyner

Thanks for the info. Pulled the trigger this morning. I'll hopefully have it for the weekend

Macy0161

joey100 wrote: »

Is the turbo going to be permanently set up? If it is some mats like this do a good job,

http://www.halfords.ie/workshop-tools/garage-equipment/garage-essentials/rolson-6-piece-floor-mat-set-120-x-180cm

This is what I've used for the floor of my pain cave/ shed. Only issues I've had is it expanding in the sun in the summer.

If you're planning to use Zwift or TrainerRoad, all you'll need out of those Garmins and accessories is the Ant+ dongle isn't it? Neo will give the power, cadence etc I thought?

Whyner

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Chumpski

Yup get a fan.

Also i got real tired of wiping sweat of myself with a towel so a headband was really worthwhile getting to keep (most) of the sweat off the face and its not enough that it causes you to overheat.

Whyner

joey100 wrote: »

I use this fan,

http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/4250090.htm

it's really good, big but you need it to be. Most places though will let there stock of fans run low or out over the winter, not usually a huge demand for them, so I'd get what ever fan you decide on quick enough.

Is the turbo going to be permanently set up? If it is some mats like this do a good job,

http://www.halfords.ie/workshop-tools/garage-equipment/garage-essentials/rolson-6-piece-floor-mat-set-120-x-180cm

If not I've just used a foam camping ground mat or a cheap yoga mat. Do the same job as the branded wahoo ones.

Good call, I'm sure you recognise a few items ........thanks

RobFowl

My plan is buy turbo
look at it
admire the colouring and the Jan Ullrich special edition logo
Take it with me on every house move over the next 20 years
Admire it regularly
Go outside and ride my bike while saying to myself must use the turbo sometime.......

Cee-Jay-Cee

RobFowl wrote: »

My plan is buy turbo
look at it
admire the colouring and the Jan Ullrich special edition logo
Take it with me on every house move over the next 20 years
Admire it regularly
Go outside and ride my bike while saying to myself must use the turbo sometime.......

I bought mine 3 years ago. I keep it in the garage. I took it out of the box last weekend, dusted it off a bit and put it back in the box and back on the top of the shelves where no one can get at it. I also taped the lid of the box down to stop the dust getting in at it.

dahat

I love mine and will grow to love it more over next 2-3 months due to injury, I may need to add an ironing board type support to it though.

ED E

Whyner wrote: »

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(Rehosted so as not to be supermassive)

doozerie

A bit late to be saying this I guess but you don't need the speed and cadence sensors as the Neo measures speed and cadence itself.

And I imagine the Garmin head unit isn't necessary if using Zwift (I don't use Zwift but I'm assuming it records your session so you don't need the Garmin to do that). Having said that I have used my own Garmin as a head unit in the past even when using TrainerRoad on a laptop or tablet because I wanted somewhere to look which would show me what my cadence was but wouldn't result in me accidentally spotting how much time the laptop/tablet was showing as remaining for my current interval...

Whyner

doozerie wrote: »

A bit late to be saying this I guess but you don't need the speed and cadence sensors as the Neo measures speed and cadence itself.

And I imagine the Garmin head unit isn't necessary if using Zwift (I don't use Zwift but I'm assuming it records your session so you don't need the Garmin to do that). Having said that I have used my own Garmin as a head unit in the past even when using TrainerRoad on a laptop or tablet because I wanted somewhere to look which would show me what my cadence was but wouldn't result in me accidentally spotting how much time the laptop/tablet was showing as remaining for my current interval...

She gets out at the weekend, I don't have 6 bikes likes you guys, yet

I'm only at it a few months now but I really enjoy it. Had Netflix on last night and the session was over in no time

Kaisr Sose

dahat wrote: »

I love mine and will grow to love it more over next 2-3 months due to injury, I may need to add an ironing board type support to it though.

That sucks! Enjoy your marathon turbo sesssions. Speedy recovery!

harringtonp

I see more and more people are using Zwitft, Sufferfest and TrainerRoad etc

Being old fashioned I just use a turbo (always outdoors so no fan) with a watt based interval program and music blaring in my ears to help me through the suffering.

I never really got the "smart training" thing. Is it here to stay or is it just a fad ? I wonder do the majority of turbo users still train the way I do or have they moved over to it ?

doozerie

harringtonp wrote: »

I see more and more people are using Zwitft, Sufferfest and TrainerRoad etc

Being old fashioned I just use a turbo (always outdoors so no fan) with a watt based interval program and music blaring in my ears to help me through the suffering.

I never really got the "smart training" thing. Is it here to stay or is it just a fad ? I wonder do the majority of turbo users still train the way I do or have they moved over to it ?

The appeal of smart trainers will be different for different people I’d imagine but I certainly believe they are here to stay. They offer a range of benefits, some of which are not available at all on non-smart trainers.

Many (all?) of them offer power measurement, but obviously there are other perfectly good alternatives to that already for non-smart trainers whether that is a real power meter on the bike itself or virtual power measurement via the likes of TrainerRoad (you don’t need a smart trainer for TrainerRoad). But if you rely on power on the road via a power meter which doesn’t work on the turbo (e.g. a PowerTap wheel where you have a direct drive turbo), and if you want accurate power figures on the turbo, then an accurate power meter is very useful (though still not actually necessary of course) on the turbo. Lots of if’s there, and to add another one it’s only a selling point if the power measurement on the smart trainer is really accurate to start with.

The ability to simulate road feel to match the session you are doing seems to be a popular feature from what I’ve read. Simulating a climb is an obvious thing there, but some smart trainers simulate cobbles too. Personally I’ve not tried road-feel simulation and I’m in no hurry to, but I might well be sold on it if I did - anything that helps distract from the discomfort of doing a turbo session is usually something I’d welcome and it seems like it could tick that box well.

For me the real selling point of a smart trainer though is Erg mode. For one thing, it offers me no chance to “cheat” during a turbo session by soft pedalling when it suits me. I’m a hoor for soft pedalling, I catch myself doing it all the time on the road and it really eats into the benefit of the sessions I’m trying to complete. Erg mode stomps on that. I can still modify my cadence in an effort to make an interval easier on me of course but soft pedalling is simply not an option because the resistance from the turbo is constant.

Plus, in Erg mode I no longer need to keep track of both my power output *and* my cadence. Previously it would take me a few turbo sessions each winter to get a feel for what kinds of power output I could achieve and maintain for certain cadences in various gears. There was a lot of farting about on my part during those first few sessions, which reduced their training benefit to some extent or other. And even once I was familiar enough to be able to easily and quickly select the appropriate gear for the right/target cadence combined with the right/target power output, it was a challenge at times to monitor both cadence and power mid-interval and keep them close to those targets. With Erg mode I don’t have to worry about my power output any longer, the turbo dictates that for me, so I get to focus entirely on cadence, that has been a real benefit for me.

So when I use my turbo in Erg mode, I know that from a physical point of view I’ll have worked at or close to the targets of the session throughout. Mind you, less obvious is whether my abdicating some of the tasks to the turbo detracts from the psychological benefits of a turbo session for me. Previously I had to dig in mentally, as well as physically, if one or both of my cadence and power deviated from target, that’s hard but I also believe in the old school idea that rising to such challenges makes you tougher mentally and that mental toughness is very valuable to me when I’m finding the going tough in the likes of a race (I’ve fared better in races then people that I know to be stronger than me, simply because I was able to mentally hang in there that bit longer at times). When using Erg mode I still have to dig in if my cadence is deviating from the target, but I find that a slightly different mental challenge than having to re-balance both cadence and power, but whether it makes for a lesser benefit or not I’ve still not figured out.

I suspect though that I learned more about how my body works under pressure during my pre-Erg mode days. I could literally see what happened to my power output as my cadence varied, and vice versa. I found that very interesting, and it fed into my training on the road too, I’m certain it educated me into choosing better gearing options for different circumstances. I don’t get that learning experience at all with Erg mode. This is my first winter using Erg mode so it remains to be seen whether the benefits I perceive from using Erg mode will outweigh the lack of “education” opportunity it offers, that might become very clear come the first race I do.

harringtonp

Useful Insight. Think I will be sticking with how I currently do things.

Interesting observations on the power/cadence balance. I only worry about cadence when doing Z2 spins on the road where I try and hit a spin average that is a little higher than my natural self selected cadence (natural is about 75, try and average 85 for these spins) and I try and meet this target along with my wattage target.

I use the turbo only for higher intensity intervals and select whatever gear makes it easiest for me to complete the intervals at the desired wattage. If my cadence is too high I won't make it if the set is hard, 80 seems about optimum at the moment. As an aside it is turbo that thought me to go to higher gears (and therefor lower cadence) when really struggling on a climb in a race.

Chumpski

Agree doozerie, well written.