Just started using TR and about to start week 4 of SSBLV. I am using a dumb trainer (Travel Tech Comp Fluid) with virtual power currently, but just ordered a 4iiii left crank only. Wondering best way to handle transition from virtual power to a pm in the middle of a training plan?
Thinking about pausing my plan for a couple of days and doing a new ramp test. I assume TR then updates the remaining portion of my plan? Thanks!!!
You’ve only got two weeks left right, so I’d install the crank but finish and do a RAMP with VP . Then RAMP with the ceankna day or two later.
If you’ve got a spare old device you could mirror some sessions so you’ve got a good idea of the difference the two read, but that’s not really necessary.
Option 1) Just do a ramp test… it will be close enough. Add in half an hour of something afterwards to make up the TSS if you feel up to it.
Option 2) wait 2 weeks and do the ramp test at start of SSB II or whatever build phase comes next for you and continue from there. Disregard all previous virtual power records.
This is what I am leaning towards doing. Would like to use real power numbers right away - especially since I am spending the $$ on it. And with me being only a few weeks in I think it’ll be ok.
Can you do virtual power on one device and pm power on another? I am currently doing tr on my iPad so I could easily use my phone for another device and see both numbers.
I don’t think you need to do a ramp test right away.
Instead, load the Lamarck workout (which hits 100% FTP) on one device in virtual power and also record the workout on another device connected to the power meter. You don’t actually have to do the whole workout of course, just fast forward to one of the work intervals and ride for 15-30 seconds.
Take the number from the other device, and that’s your new FTP until the next block.
I think you’re all ignoring the nagging feeling that you don’t know how much your FTP was bumped by the new PM vs the training - it still irritates me now, three years later! 
Great idea - would not have thought of this.
1 - ride at 100% and notice ftp on new powermeter.
2 - Update ftp on tr to match this power
3 - continue on with ssb 1
4 - ramp rest when I start ssb2 in a few weeks
This is why I am buying PM right now and not in the spring when going outdoors! Not sure I have a huge ftp gain in 6 weeks, but I really want to see gains over the course of the full winter and not wonder vp vs real power difference…
Yeah, I found it much easier to maintain output for sessions too after one or two workouts with a PM.
I would consider some kind of dual running through even if only for one session so you get an idea of the difference between systems.
I was keen to see how close virtual power was to my power meter.
I once ran the same workout session simultaneously to my iPad (4iiii power meter) and my laptop (dumb trainer virtual power).
Result was that the virtual power was around 20% higher power than power meter when cold and dropped towards 12% overreading when warm. Full warming took around 8 minutes at a decent effort. This was on a CycleOps Fluid 2.
If I were you, I’d wait until the end of your block using the virtual power and then test using the power meter. If you’re keen to see how you progressed, try running the virtual power in parallel for the test.
Well the virtual power was under reporting by quite a bit - about 40%. VP had me at 149 and 4iiii left side only has me at 215. I rode a 10 minute warm up and then did 1 min at 100% and VP was constantly about 60-65ftp low…
Updated ftp and did Ericsson-4 and was a bit more tougher than when I did same one on VP (though I just took a week off bike). So maybe I overshot ftp a little, but now using a real pm instead of vp.