I’ve been using Kurt Kinetic Road machine and Rock-n-Roll with the Bluetooth power/cadence sensor. It’s surprisingly accurate and has been more than good enough to train on and I’ve seen great progress over the last 4 years or so. However, I’m now considering upgrading to a smart trainer as that’s all you hear about these days. If I do it would be a Wahoo Kickr 2018 or a Core, so the brand isn’t a question for me it’s more a question of am I upgrading because it’s a real benefit for my training or is it a case of FOMO? I know that the trainer alters resistance and makes apps like Zwift (I don’t use anyway) feel more realistic and alters the intervals in TR, so I don’t have to think about it, just hit the numbers and so on. But what’s the ‘real’ training benefit, if any, of using a smart trainer over manually watching the numbers, changing gear and peddling harder, do these things really help to improve training quality and progress? One thing I suspect would be great is the Slope mode for simulating a climb, as that is one thing the Dumb trainer fails on in my opinion. Especially when it comes to MTB marathon races, I neglected a lot of low cadence work over high and have suffered when it comes to grinding up a rocky, root woven trail at 40 rpm and i’ve seen a gradual decrease in ability over two seasons, although FTP higher and fitness much higher. Who’s upgraded and did you genuinely feel it was worth the money, as let’s be straight they’re not cheap?

[image] kurt.braeckel: How then do you translate everything outside when you’re riding, or do you know how your PM and trainer relate in their power readings? I know not all trainers let you do this, but I did a few TrainerRoad workouts where my Garmin recorded my PowerTap G3 and I had TrainerRoad connected to my STAC Halcyon. There’s a figure you can adjust in the STAC control panel app and I kept tweaking it until I finished a ride and the two of them read just a watt off. It helps that they both actually measure power at the same place, of course. Now that they read the same, I have a cheap old wheel dedicated to the trainer because adding / removing the weights that turn that wheel into your fly wheel are kind of a pain.

Thanks for all the replies re: power match and PM vs. Kickr outdoors. I recall listening to the Kona podcast last year where the rider (KQ age-grouper from Ireland) said that because he knew he could hit his numbers indoors, he was safe outdoors. That makes total sense to me and especially for 70.3 and 140.6 triathletes where you’re usually trying to dial in a specific IF over the course of the ride. If I know I need to hit 195W to make my goal split as calculated by BBS, and I can hit that inside on the trainer, then doing so outside is going to be “easier” for a lot of the reasons mentioned. That said, for shorter races, where you don’t necessarily set a specific IF, or a hilly course, or tactical races, etc., more precise measurement is desirable outside if for nothing else but to make sure you’re going hard enough… but that’s probably where we get into racing by feel, knowing that if it feels as hard outside as it usually does inside, you’re probably going faster and generating more power outside.

[image] kurt.braeckel: That said, for shorter races, where you don’t necessarily set a specific IF, or a hilly course, or tactical races, etc I don’t use power in the vast majority of mass start races. I have my 10 second average on my display but don’t use it unless I’m off the front (alone or in a small group) or on a final, decisive, climb where I know I need to meter my effort. However - you are correct on TTs, particularly longer ones. Even for shorter ones you’ll benefit from knowing the numbers and comparing to how you are feeling

Hi @MichelinMan You’re right in saying that you change up the gear (or increase your cadence) when power goes up. You don’t fiddle with your turbo trainer resistance settings. Try to set your cadence at the start of each step so you produce roughly the prescribed power. Get strengthy

Same setup but I don’t want to disconnect the inride because of the (simulated) speed it gives me. How can I force TR to use my favero assioma pedals as power source in this scenario? Anyways, ordered a KICKR core that should show within a week. New set of issues then, I think :slight_smile:

Trainerroad should grab your bluetooth signal from your pedals for power and cadence. Speed can be done with a regular old speed sensor. Just put a magnet on your spoke, make sure you have the right diameter setting, and you’re good to go!

Separate speed sensor. Ok, that is a way. I’d hoped I could get the value from inRide but maybe not. In my current setup, it sometimes works correctly.

Have you checked for firmware update? I thought there was an update for the Kickr Core to address power accuracy issues a week or two ago.

I have a semi smart trainer that’s a few years old. I can use ERG mode only through the very basic app that came with the trainer that I wish I could use with Trainerroad. Anyway - I did a quick test of ERG mode a while back and set the power to 200 or so and just spun the pedals. I ended up riding for a lot longer than I’d originally planned just because it made things so easy. I’m curious to know how ERG mode manages short sprint efforts, but for steady state efforts it seems to make things much easier than staring at your power number constantly.

I’ve just moved over to using a Kickr Core. I was previously using a Kurt Kinetic Rock and Roll trainer, which I really liked for the sideways movement, but I have moved flat and it was just a bit too big in its footprint and a bit too noisy. So far I’m really impressed with the Kickr Core. It’s really quiet - much quieter than I was expecting - and the resistance feels good. Not having to think about the wattage that I am meant to be putting out does make workouts a little bit easier and more rewarding. I don’t like the very static position, so i am going to look at options for a rocker plate at some point (if I can make one that is small enough then it should be a big improvement).

TrainerRoad

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mcneese.chad October 12, 2018, 1:56am 69

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