Ramp Test Tips & Tricks

I normally do my chainring swap somewhere around threshold where a little screwiness isnt really going to affect the result.

4 Likes

1 watt - approx 0.3%, which is well within the accuracy tolerance of probably 3-10% of your trainer. Don’t sweat the small stuff :wink:

3 Likes

Haha when you put it like that, it is immaterial.
I guess the the emphasis on numbers and getting the most out of workouts/races on this forum got to me before I even started training :wink:

1 Like

Here’s an example as to why I started this thread…

My last Ramp Test a couple of weeks ago put my FTP at 321.

Today I completed Wright Peak with 10% added to the intensity all the way through. This worked out to an NP of 297 - 0.93 IF at 321 FTP. I also completed it fasted. Log In to TrainerRoad.

It’s likely I gained some fitness since my last test, but I think I don’t perform particularly well on the Ramp Test. So I’m hoping the various tips I’m getting in this thread will me perform the Ramp Test a little better.

Thanks everyone!

2 Likes

Does anybody have any tips for doing the ramp test on a dumb trainer and having to switch chainrings mid-way through? If I start in the big chainring, the cadence is way too low for my taste (I usually ride around 105rpm), but if I stay in the small chainring, I run out of gearing before the end of the test. I always struggle with that switch (also because in finding the right cogs in the back for the switch means pretty drastic power fluctuations that might influence the test?)


My best suggestion is the same shifting trick I use outside. When you are ready to shift to the big ring, do what I call the “Double-Shift” technique:

  1. Shift the front derailleur into the big ring as normal (with a slight release in pedaling pressure to ensure a good shift without excess chain load).
  2. At the same moment, shift the rear derailleur at least 3 cogs easier.
  • I do this to more closely match the pedaling cadence that was previously in the small ring somewhere on the small end of the cassette. It makes the jump to the big ring smoother in the RPM and power required.
  • Some bike and gearing setups may require more or less shifting to smooth out that transition. So experiment with what works best for your exact setup.

But I find this really helps make gearing changes easier and more fluid. This can be reversed when slowing and changing from the big ring to the small ring. Just swap the shifting direction and make the same triple shift on the rear to offset the big jump at the front.

9 Likes

An alternative to the ramp test would be to get the “whats my ftp” app for garmin and do the Blood workout in TR. You should see, or exceed, your anticipated FTP right around the 30 minute mark.

3 Likes

link to Connect IQ app What’s My FTP

That looks like excellent fun :face_vomiting:

Great suggestion but be aware the what is my ftp app is time limited unless you are an Xert subscriber.

1 Like

Does not connect with or require an xert account. It is a stand-alone

Wached Shane Miller video about small/big ring already.
I mean I have drivo 2 ERG trainer and I use HT MTB bike with 1x11 Drive(34 in front and 11x28 rear cassette). So now I dont know which gear I should use for training in trainerroad. Train only on 34x11 or 34x28?

Mostly I am off road MTB Rider and still don’t have money for good road bike :stuck_out_tongue:

For dirt-biased riding, I would stay towards the larger end of the cassette. You don’t necessarily have to use the 28, but somewhere on that end makes more sense to me.

Hey John,
If you rise your cadence you have to use less force for the same power. The relationship is proportional. Example, from 85 to 105 RPM is 23.5% rise. Your kgf needed to push the pedals would be 23.5% less :wink:

Greetings

1 Like

Thanks! I’ll play with that during the next sweetspot workout to see how smooth I can get it.

2 Likes

I’ve used my Fluid 2 for ramp tests. I was using Virtual Power, so I kept the resistance the same as I did for any other workout by checking the tyre pressure and tightening the ‘clutch-knob’ on the trainer until it clicked. We’re trying to set an FTP figure that all the other workouts are based upon, so the variables need to be consistent to allow TR set the workouts at the correct level of difficulty.

2 Likes

1:08:41 right at threshold + 14min at Sweet Spot. says it all! how did you feel?

are you going to adjust FTP upwards or increase intensity in every ride?

Regarding Erg Mode and gear selection, I’ve also heard this is incorrect and have found similar results in my own testing (to a degree):

1 Like

Yup, and discussed around post 72+ by @TonyC, @aboaz and myself.

Gearing DOES matter.

2 Likes

My Issue has been the Breaking when in the Big Ring… you doing intervals like 30/30’s and the Flywheel just spins non stop… thus Small Ring helps out for me!

Yes, I accept that different muscle groups are used, but then Big Ring it for more Steady State workouts!

2 Likes

I tend to start on a slower cadence, then build resistance at lower cadence before increasing cadence, I can deal with the low level muscle fatigue early on and when I get to a resistance somewhere near my maximum tolerance, I up the cadence until I cannot physically do it anymore. I have a Wattbike Trainer so adjustments to resistance are done manually, I try not to get too carried away with time as somebody else said, you can tend to give in before you should. As it says in the book ‘The Chimp Paradox’, you are putting a gremlin in the computer by doing this, a negative response based on previous experience rather than doing what is suggested, test to exhaustion when you can no longer hold the power, as by that time you have already given your best minute power and anything below is wasted effort and won’t influence the outcome of the test.
I always play loud Trance music or something electronic when training, sometimes I go for the Prodigy or Skrillex, at the moment it’s Tiesto.
What works for one doesn’t work for everybody, but there are some interesting ideas

1 Like

Anyone have a favorite opener workout the day before a ftp test? I usually try and do Truuli as that’s the opener I’ve found to be helpful the day before events, but wondering if there’s a better one. Maybe Truuli Peak just to get the anaerobic system going?