But you can easily leverage TR to get similar efforts from the trainer applied to your body. Proper gear selection for desired flywheel inertia, and related cadences choices in ERG mode with a smart trainer can yield the same basic results as “climbing” in Zwift.
@mcneese.chad, can you expand on that or point to the appropriate discussion thread (that I admittedly didn’t search for myself )? What is the appropriate settings if I wanted to simulate hill climbing on my Cyclops Magnus? Is it simply just picking a suitable low gear such that the wheel speed/flywheel is sufficiently slow enough? What defines sufficiently slow enough would be the follow-up question.
For approximating the feel, loading and demands of hills while using ERG (smart trainer required):
Select a low gearing on your bike while on the trainer.
Use the small front chainring on a road bike, and something around the middle towards the largest cog on the rear cassette.
This keeps the rear wheel speed lower, and that leads to a slower flywheel speed on the trainer.
The results is less “help” from the flywheel throughout the pedal stroke. It leads to needing to engage the muscles earlier and longer through the stroke when compared to faster gearing.
Use lower cadence that is similar to the cadence you expect to use outside.
“Normal” cadence that ranges from 85-95 rpm for many riders.
“Climbing” cadence is often lower and can range from 55-75 rpm depending on the gearing on your bike, the pitch of the hill, and your weight.
That’s not to say that those climbing cadences are “good”, but they may be the cadence that we have to handle in some situations.
As usual, it is often recommended to spin more than grind with an eye towards not over-stressing the muscles or dipping into your glycogen stores as much.
With all that said, determine what cadence range you want to practice. Once that is done, you apply that climbing cadence range in appropriate workouts. Only you can know that, but I spend my climbing cadence practice from 60-70 rpm in most cases.
Apply the gearing and cadence described above in appropriate workouts.
WARNING: For all of the recommendations below, start with small steps and progress gradually. Listen to your body and be mindful because this can lead to injury if done poorly or progressing too quickly
I like to use Endurance, Tempo and Sweet Spot Intensity intervals for my low cadence, climbing practice.
Start by applying the gearing and upper end of the low cadence (maybe 75 rpm) in the beginning.
Use this approach for about 1 minute, then return to normal cadence for 1 minute or more if needed.
Repeat this several times in longer intervals (6 to 15 minutes) and pay attention to your body. If your muscles or joints feel any issues, return to normal cadence and gearing.
As you adapt to the start above. Increase either your time at the low cadence or drop the cadence. Make only one change at a time to make sure that you don’t change too much, too soon.
Repeating, It is important to take this step slowly and cautiously.
That makes sense especially if you are using Virtual Power for your data (I may have missed it, but don’t see it stated one way or the other above).
If that’s the case, changing to any other setting (Mountain in this case) will lead to differences in power data from all your prior use at the other setting.
If you are using a separate power meter, you will be good to experiment with the other settings and still have comparable power data.
Good luck and please share your results if you do some testing. I have always like that trainer and am curious if it can be leveraged to meet your needs.
EH, I found this while searching for good hill repeat segments in zwift.
81kg - ftp at 292 now, so a bit heavier and a bit weaker.
I find hills in zwift are nowhere close to what you find outside. not even remotely.
I currently use a 11-34 on my road bike and even larger cassettes on gravel and MTB. like those huge pizza plates they use. 11-46 11-52, respectively.
on my trainer, I put everything at 100% with an 11-25 cassette. a 38 cog up front (1x setup). To replicate the efforts outside, I try to use as the bigger cogs as little as I can. I have made a block with a 4x4 and one 2x6 to raise the front wheel. I put the Neo’s wheel riser on top of the block. If I want to replicate the speed in climbs outside, I have to add 3 to 5 kg in zwift.
With that setup, when I do get outside, in a 34-34 setup, I can keep off the biggest cog on the rear derailleur. But, you can never recreate gravity and the inertia between each turn of the crank. The speed is the same ish and the effort is same ish.
I often wonder if lighter riders have the same issue. I see those guys go uphill in wonder outside. Like rockets.
But yes, I second your conclusion. you need to get outside to train. Gravity is a b*****
)? What is the appropriate settings if I wanted to simulate hill climbing on my Cyclops Magnus? Is it simply just picking a suitable low gear such that the wheel speed/flywheel is sufficiently slow enough? What defines sufficiently slow enough would be the follow-up question.