Bizarre FTP score

Training
22

5-9, 155 pounds.

24

My first ramp test resulted in 158FTP. I’m 31 and considered myself fairly fit on a bike. I tried a few workouts at that level and they were way too easy. My heart rate barely creeped out of Z1/2. So I retested the following week and hit 209. That felt more in line with where I was. I must’ve botched the first test as I wasn’t too familiar with my trainer right out of the box. It took some getting used to. Do a ramp test in ERG and see how it goes.

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25

I think @martinheadon has a point. The test was set to an FTP of 200, so if his FTP is in fact more around 138, then the ‘warm-up’ would be quite fatiguing. I looked up your profile and see your FTP is 286. The warm-up intervals are 3 * 1 min at around 110% (the top step) of FTP. So for you, the top step would be 314. Tough but nothing that’s going to wipe you out for the test. However, if you’d had it set like @swiper did, the top step for you would be 460. 3 * 1 min efforts at 160% of FTP as a warm-up to a 20 min FTP test I think likely would contribute to a lesser performance.

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26

I have a cycleops as well. I remember reading that the only way to calibrate it is through rouvy. TR will not calibrate a cycleops.

Have you tried the ramp test instead. I much prefer the ramp test. I don’t enjoy or like the ramp test… but I prefer it. Lol

27

If you have a reliable power meter and you want to be able to compare your power numbers on the road to the trainer, its a yes for powermatch

28

Any idea why the test was set for 200? Yes, the warm up was quite difficult and I was pretty well taxed once the 20-minute test began. I don’t want to repeat that mistake.

Thanks to everyone who has chimed in with advice for this trainer newbie.

29

That is the default setting for new accounts.
Now that you have a # in there, if you were to redo the test, it would be based around your previously tested FTP.

1 Like
30

This is true, and one more reason that the TR crew prefers the Ramp Test. It sidesteps this potential issue by the stepped progression and a very low starting resistance, even for new users.

31

I’ve never seen it since it’s a feature introduced after I joined, but I thought there was a new member wizard thing to estimate an initial starting FTP. Is that just for the Ramp?

32

Yeah, there may have been a change since the 200w FTP default. I think it asks the new user their weight, and then estimates the FTP for a 2.0 watt/kg value. I haven’t seen the menus, but I think that is how it handles new people.