Turbo accuracy

littleredspot

I recently added Cardiosport Solo cadence and speed sensors to my Bikehut turbo. Then linked them to a Garmin Forerunner 735xt, with the intention of being able to measure and track my training. It's all new tech to me.

It appears to be working fine. Today I took part in the virtual Ironman. Legged it on the bike. Top gear, second lowest setting on turbo, spinning like mad. Watch told me I averaged just over 60km/hr. But when I submitted the data Ironman wouldn't accept it as it said it was too quick.
So the questions are... Can the data be wrong? Does that speed sound way off? I can usually average over 30, topping over 40, on the road.

godtabh

You could be applying 200/300w to no resistance. Apps like Zwift take in to account weight, power, etc and apply it to the terrain you are riding. That is much more accurate to what you are doing.

littleredspot

Yes it's definitely very little resistance, hence the spinning like mad! How would Zwift know about my power without a meter and how does terrain affect things on a turbo? Sorry, newbie turbo questions. And does that mean I'm gonna have to pay for an app to get the most from it?

Cee-Jay-Cee

Have you set up the speed sensor settings correctly? ie the wheel circumference has to be set to ensure the speed is correct.

nilhg

littleredspot wrote: »

I recently added Cardiosport Solo cadence and speed sensors to my Bikehut turbo. Then linked them to a Garmin Forerunner 735xt, with the intention of being able to measure and track my training. It's all new tech to me.

It appears to be working fine. Today I took part in the virtual Ironman. Legged it on the bike. Top gear, second lowest setting on turbo, spinning like mad. Watch told me I averaged just over 60km/hr. But when I submitted the data Ironman wouldn't accept it as it said it was too quick.
So the questions are... Can the data be wrong? Does that speed sound way off? I can usually average over 30, topping over 40, on the road.

Why that setting? I'd suggest finding a setting where the perceived effort of doing 15 mins steady feels like 15 mins out on the road and go from there.

godtabh

littleredspot wrote: »

Yes it's definitely very little resistance, hence the spinning like mad! How would Zwift know about my power without a meter and how does terrain affect things on a turbo? Sorry, newbie turbo questions. And does that mean I'm gonna have to pay for an app to get the most from it?

Pose from either from a turbo or your own PM. Without that it’s all a bit pie in the sky

ED E

littleredspot wrote: »

Turbo accuracy

Yours is ZERO.



You don't have a smart turbo so you can do imaginary numbers based on cadence but nothing real. There's a reason your trainer was €60 not €300 which is the absolute cheapest smart one you can get.

I'd say upgrade if you want to Zwift/TR/other but they're all sold out, everywhere.

site_owner

i'm new to this, but i dont think "speed" comes into play for virtual training.
otherwise you could just spin like you are and go 60kph or whatever.

whats important is power. and , for a dumb trainer, zwift can calculate that based on wheelspeed and the trainers resistance curve.

power output is then calculated against the route incline/decline to give your virtual speed.

without knowing what setup the race used, travelling at a constant 60kph would be impossible unless it was a 100% downhill race, so they likely rejected your speed for being the wheelspeed rather than the virtual speed

saccades

site_owner wrote: »

i'm new to this, but i dont think "speed" comes into play for virtual training.
otherwise you could just spin like you are and go 60kph or whatever.

whats important is power. and , for a dumb trainer, zwift can calculate that based on wheelspeed and the trainers resistance curve.

power output is then calculated against the route incline/decline to give your virtual speed.

without knowing what setup the race used, travelling at a constant 60kph would be impossible unless it was a 100% downhill race, so they likely rejected your speed for being the wheelspeed rather than the virtual speed

What he said.

I've "calibrated" mine against the power Strava normally gives me - two nonsense figures but more honest.

Surely at an average of 60kmph (😆) you thought "this isn't right?"

dahat

ED E wrote: »

Yours is ZERO.



You don't have a smart turbo so you can do imaginary numbers based on cadence but nothing real. There's a reason your trainer was €60 not €300 which is the absolute cheapest smart one you can get.

I'd say upgrade if you want to Zwift/TR/other but they're all sold out, everywhere.

This...

Your trainer is only giving virtual power as a broad guess. The values are far too easy manipulate & that's why they won't accept them.

MojoMaker

Triathletes eh? :pac:

Lumen

Use HR or perceived effort to manage your training.

Macy0161

Some of the software companies do offer "virtual power". Once it's consistent, you could still use it.

fwiw I was using the misuro b+ for "virtual power" when I had an elite turbo muin which is kinda near the top of the dumb/ non-smart turbo's, and it was way off compared to when I got a power. Consistently off at certain power levels, but was further off the higher the watts.

My hammer is close enough to my 4iii left sided. Close enough to put it down to crank versus drive train and single sided versus total power.