Indoor Training

spaley

Due to kids/job/etc., I am forced to train indoors on weekdays for the forseeable future.

I currently have a Kurt Kinetic trainer and a PowerTap. This setup works ok except that it takes a high degree of mental focus to consistently crank out 2 or 3x20 and 5x5 intervals. Additionally, I worry about the wear and tear on the bike because of sweat and the forces on the frame. I have also noticed that I change my pedal stroke on the trainer. Not sure if that is good or bad, but I worry about whether I am just training to be better at riding the trainer.

I am curious about others' experiences with the following products:

emotion rollers - have others found that intervals are more enjoyable? Or does that wear off after a few rides?

PT300 - other than saving wear and tear on the bike and the convenience of not putting the bike on/off the trainer, is this worthwhile? Is it easier to produce more power because of the larger flywheel?

computrainer - similar to the emotion rollers, is this just a toy that is fun for a few weeks?

Basically, my question boils down to - for around $1000, can I make my indoor experience more enjoyable, or do I just need to suck it up?

Thanks

daveryanwyoming

This is the only one I can comment on directly. It's a lot more than just a toy. It's big plus is running in ergometer mode where you dial in a fixed wattage and let the handlebar computer modulate the resistance to hold you in a narrow power range. I find it makes it a lot easier to complete longer workouts if you don't have to constantly monitor your output and cadence. You can also program more complex workouts with your computer like 5x5s or microintervals, but just the ergometer mode alone is worth the price of this unit. Frankly I never use the computer generated graphics or virtual racing modes just the ergometer and preprogrammed workouts. I wish the CT had a much bigger flywheel but even with it's low inertia it's still better than running a standard trainer and having to watch the power like a hawk.

-Dave

ovalmaster

Clean your bike thoroughly then wrap your frame with cling film including stem, seatpost clamp area etc. to save corroding everything with sweat. Make sure you cover the headset area also.

For increased flywheel mass get an old wheel and zip tie some weights in between the spokes to make those longer intervals a bit smoother. Works a treat, (I've got a 5kg rear wheel), but make sure its balanced. Can't comment on the trainers other than the Kurt Kinetic is very good and from what I've heard the emotion rollers are superb. For interest I use DVD's of TT stages from the major tours to keep focussed during the intervals.

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spaley

I had thought about doing something similar, but I only have one PT wheel, and putting the weights on/off before/after weekend rides seems like it would be a pain. Are you able to "mash" the pedals more with the increased inertia?

spaley

Is the CT power reliable enough that I don't need to use my PT with it? Can you record the data and import to WKO+?

daveryanwyoming

I use it with my PT and import the data that way. I've never looked into capturing the data from the CT directly on my PC so I can't comment. The power data agrees quite well once the CT is calibrated with a coast down test but it doesn't agree sample to sample which I suspect is related to averaging windows for the two devices and the response time of the ergometer control loop.

-Dave

rmur17

yes, yes, yes

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rmur

jbvcoaching

I'm not sure if you can upgrade your current KK, but what I'd do for under $500 is get a KK Pro with the 18lb flywheel (more effective than adding weights to the wheel itself since it spins faster) with the "Rock n Roll" option.

Also invest in an industrial fan if you haven't already, and get in some sort of club where you can exchange cycling DVDs with friends.

doctorSpoc

i only use rollers indoors.... i hate the trainer... i had both for a while and sold the trainer because i never used it. riding indoors is bad enough, but the trainer actually makes it torture. and like you, i hated the fact that it seemed like i was ripping the bike appart by riding on the trainer.

i have Krietlers rollers with killer headwind fan for resistance they are awesome, but i'm jealous of the e-motions they look really amazing.

i tried watching movies during workout but have found that this is a big mistake, too distracting... you just can't concentrate enough to do structured training that you need to do when you are short of time. now i only use music... i have an ipod and ear buts attached to my top tube with an iPod arm bad thingy and am completly isolated from the world when i'm training and am completely concentrated for my workouts. can easily change music since it's on my little dashboard just below my PT head unit. there is another problem with watching movies with rollers is that if you watch cycling DVDs and it's a moto shot and the riders are going around corners.. you tend to go around the corner with them and ride right off the rollers... funny how ingrained that is.

get the biggest flywheel you can... the inertia really helps... and probably the most improtant thing is get the biggest, baddest fan you can get your hands on this is the biggest thing you can do to make riding indoors bearable and allow you to stay on for more than about 45min comfortably.

for sweat use one of these bike thongs... covers from the headset back to the seat and soaks up the sweat really well....

ovalmaster

I'll stick to cycling shorts thanks. That looks like torture ;-)

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ovalmaster

It makes those threshold intervals much smoother but is not so good for fast pick up. I've got one of those rubbish Tacx ergos that has a small flywheel so it helps with that. I've chucked the Tacx computer (as the power readings are a joke) and just use the trainer unplugged with my SRM.

I wouldn't recommend fitting and removing weights on your Powertap wheel (they have to be ultra secure - I've got four weights evenly spaced around the hub with about 20 odd zip ties holding them radially and circumferentially in place). Much better to get a trainer with a heavy flywheel.

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ecandl

Those DVD's sound like they just might work. Do you have any favorite titles? Thanks

grv

I don't have a CT, but some of my friends do, and echo your comments on the VR stuff that comes with the CT. That said, Netalthlon is a simliar VR program, and a real blast, and keeps me motivated in the winter because I have other people to ride with. It's not as scientific as some of the more regimented CT stuff, but by late winter I find that a workout where I actually get on the bike is a good one. NA motivates me to do that.

Check it out at http://www.riderunrow.com

Porkyboy

Hi

I bought a CompuTrainer a while back and was worried about the cost as it seemed a big investment, hell, it WAS a big investment! However, I'd decided to spend money on developing myself rather than spending it on aero stuff to buy one off speed benefits, I'm in this for the long haul.

The CompuTrainer has been by far the best equipment investment I have made. I rarely use the 3D stuff but it's very good, I just use it now and then to ride a few standard courses to see how I am doing. I have also recorded some of my regular outdoor rides using a pocket GPS and prepared 3D courses of them which I will ride in the Winter using the 3D when the weather is poor.

For the vast majority of the time I use it in ergometer mode and also I prepare .erg files as previously mentioned which allows me to get on and ride the session (iPod provides entertainment) knowing that all I have to do is keep working and that the machine will take care of all the wattages etc. for the session, it's brilliant.

The package can be set up so that it does an auto export of your workoout of whatever data you want at the end of the session, I just drop this file into the CyclingPeaks package (I use a simple USB memory stick) which takes mere seconds and there is all my data exactly as I want it.

I highly recommend the CompuTrainer, you need to spend some time initially getting your head round it all as there is so much on offer in the package but I wouldn't be without mine. If I'm going to collect data I'm going to collect accurate data and the CompuTrainer Lab system accuracy is I think +/-2% which is more than accurate enough. A comaprison between SRM cranks, a PowerTap, and a CompuTrainer can be read here.

Great piece of kit, highly recommended, sure makes your legs hurt though! I'm sure there are normal trainer watts and CompuTrainer watts!

PB

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