gamecat
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Alone Again with the Dawn Coming Up
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Post by gamecat on Feb 21, 2022 14:03:25 GMT
FTP tests are just a tool that you can use to get the right training zones, doesn't really matter how big or small it is. They are horrible though, but there's really only 5-10 mins of pain in a ramp at least. Make sure you have a fan on full blast, and some good music on! That said I'm not a big fan of the FTP builder program on Zwift, or actually any Zwift program, they seem to be designed to keep you entertained rather than work specific areas, no coach on earth is going to give you a program like this mess for example. I think the main thing is to get fitter by just keeping up the work, my FTP went up by 10 from the last test on fitness alone really, I have been targeting endurance the last couple of months. |
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Post by mothercruncher on Feb 21, 2022 18:57:54 GMT
Yeah, ramp tests are something you need to mentally prep yourself for (and rest the day before ideally) but only the last few minutes really hurt. A massive improvement on 20/60 minute efforts which are a nightmare to pace anyway. Whatever FTP you get, console yourself with the fact that it’ll actually be a bit higher outside. I’ve really used them all now and think Zwift is good only if you struggle with motivation to train. It’s exceptional there actually. Xert, Systm, TrainerRoad, etc are all much better training systems if you want to follow a program and get the best results, with Xert by far the most sophisticated and complete, but with all of them, you need to be OK with staring at a load of bar charts coming at you for an hour. You’re absolutely right gamecat, in my opinion Zwift workouts are about not boring customers rather than being efficient. I wanted to economise this year and have gone with the combination of intervals.icu/ for data collection, planning and all that guff and then the TrainerDay app to generate ERG workouts I can follow. £4 a month, winner. |
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Post by Psychotext on Feb 21, 2022 19:17:50 GMT
Intervals.icu is excellent.
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Vortex
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Post by Vortex on Feb 21, 2022 19:51:27 GMT
I think i have hit a mental plateau with ramp tests, i'm sure i can go a bit further, just seem to always hit a wall at the same point for the last few i have done.
Once the erg mode slows and it's difficult to turn the pedals i seem to decide i'm done, when if i gave a bit more effort to get going again, it'd probably be ok for at least one more round.
Tl;dr, i need to man the fuck up.
Or wait for the better weather to get a bit fitter before the next one. Time to hang with the pace partners & push a bit more i guess.
Still, it's 50W more than when i started a year ago, but i think some of that is knowing what to expect now as well as being a bit fitter.
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askew
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Post by askew on Feb 21, 2022 20:01:08 GMT
TrainerRoad have recently introduced an ML-based FTP estimate with the goal of doing anyway with further tests. I feel by now I can do it by ‘feel’.
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Vortex
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Post by Vortex on Feb 21, 2022 20:08:30 GMT
That might work, but you'd need to be doing races to push hard, maybe that's what i need.
I need a carrot & stick to push. Or else it's cafe ride pace! 😀
Start firing into the shorter crit city races to get the 20min average sorted out.
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Post by Psychotext on Feb 22, 2022 0:59:17 GMT
That might work, but you'd need to be doing races to push hard, maybe that's what i need. I need a carrot & stick to push. Or else it's cafe ride pace! 😀 Start firing into the shorter crit city races to get the 20min average sorted out. I never had to. Just sprinkle a decent amount of VO2max work into your training, you'll soon learn what true suffering is.  |
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Post by elstoof on Feb 22, 2022 10:13:24 GMT
Definitely a winter beater day  |
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Post by mothercruncher on Feb 22, 2022 10:22:27 GMT
I think i have hit a mental plateau with ramp tests, i'm sure i can go a bit further, just seem to always hit a wall at the same point for the last few i have done. Once the erg mode slows and it's difficult to turn the pedals i seem to decide i'm done, when if i gave a bit more effort to get going again, it'd probably be ok for at least one more round. Tl;dr, i need to man the fuck up. Or wait for the better weather to get a bit fitter before the next one. Time to hang with the pace partners & push a bit more i guess. Still, it's 50W more than when i started a year ago, but i think some of that is knowing what to expect now as well as being a bit fitter. I put on Metallica for the last bit 😁 |
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Buu
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Post by Buu on Feb 22, 2022 11:43:59 GMT
Good news, the turbo has arrived. Bad news is that the user before me put an 11-32 SRAM cassette on there and my bike currently has a 11-30 cassette.
Will I need to buy a new cassette or will my chain be OK on the 2 extra teeth?
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gamecat
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Alone Again with the Dawn Coming Up
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Post by gamecat on Feb 22, 2022 11:53:22 GMT
Won't make any real difference, if you are worried just don't use the 32. You don't need that many gears on a trainer anyway, and in ERG mode you just stick it small ring front, somewhere middle at back, and forget about it.
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Post by elstoof on Feb 22, 2022 11:57:25 GMT
The chain might be long enough, just try and enter the gear pedalling very very slowly by hand, if it jams then stop and remember never to use 50/32 on the turbo
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Vortex
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Post by Vortex on Feb 22, 2022 12:08:54 GMT
How is the Cinelli, elstoof? Wondering about getting one of their bikes as an upgrade on my ageing entry level road bike.
Might go for a Bianchi, and would ideally prefer a Wilier, but that'd need to be an online thing and it looks like they don't seem to do uk so much after brexit from my very brief look into it.
My LBS is mostly all bianchi or merida atm.
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Post by elstoof on Feb 22, 2022 12:27:22 GMT
It's ok, it rides pretty nicely and the fit suits me. Not sure I'd recommend this particular frameset as it isn't particularly well made but it has a threaded BB and I had a 31.6 seat post laying around so it works for my intended use. Not so great is the front brake bosses slightly off perpendicular to the axle so had to shim the calliper, and the rear mounts were domed top and bottom so they needed careful facing. There's no cable routing for the mechs, routing is internal so there's an alloy tube bonded in between the BB sides, if you're going electronic that's fine but mechanical cables just wrap around this tube apparently, I had to put some cable liners in but it seems to shift without issues despite the lack of a guide. Also the paint chips off whenever you look at it.
Cinelli seems like more of a lifestyle brand that does bikes now, all their frames are so different they've clearly just picked each them from some factory catalogues so I've no idea what the build quality of their other frames are like. If you're able to fettle it does ride pretty nicely for a disc frame, fairly lightweight, I'd expect better QC for a grand or whatever the frame cost though
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Post by elstoof on Feb 22, 2022 12:30:20 GMT
I'm properly out of touch with current frame offerings, I love my Wilier and you don't see them too often like you do Bianchi, not sure what they currently do though. If i was in the market for another bike I'd probably go for a Look because I've always wanted one and the French don't fuck about
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Vortex
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Post by Vortex on Feb 22, 2022 12:37:04 GMT
OK, maybe not the cinelli then! Thanks for info.
I'm still window shopping anyway, since my wife is planning lots of renovations etc in the house this year and this is eating into my possible bike budget atm. ;_;
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chug666
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Post by chug666 on Feb 22, 2022 14:45:12 GMT
I just bought a 99p ebay special road bike- scruffy is something of an understatement but I'm now entertaining grand plans of taking it to bits, respraying it and using it as a zero value hack. The plan hasn't really taken spare time and patience into account but how hard can it be?!
For those interested in such things it is an Elswick Turbo 12, and from the stamps on the shimano bits it seems to date from late 70's/early 80's.
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Buu
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Post by Buu on Feb 22, 2022 15:16:05 GMT
Well I was stupid and decided to try it without bringing the fan near by. Sweat a lot is an understatement.
Think I am going to buy a 105 11-30 cassette. Changing the lower gears the derailleur was clicking and sounding like it was skipping. Probably could play around with the screws but then I'll have to do that each time I move between the bike and the turbo.
It was good fun though. I'll enjoy it more with a fan on me!
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Post by mothercruncher on Feb 22, 2022 19:06:54 GMT
It really should be fine. Unless your current chain is a lot on the short side, two teeth is nothing. If your shifting works with your current cassette then that means the mech limits are set correctly and the clicking will be because the sprocket needs to move a bit away from the slightly larger cog. Wind the b-limit screw in a bit so the jockey wheel moves away from the cassette a few mm: www.cyclist.co.uk/tutorials/74/how-to-adjust-a-rear-derailleurCurcially, that’ll still work with either cassette as that adjustment doesn’t need to be exact as the H and L limits. |
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Buu
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Post by Buu on Feb 22, 2022 19:20:20 GMT
I'll give that a go tomorrow. I realised it actually came with a 11-28 Shimano cassette so I may try and install that as well.
Unless there is zero difference between Shimano and SRAM cassettes that it's better to just tweak it?
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Post by mothercruncher on Feb 22, 2022 19:23:29 GMT
SRAM and Shimano… anything the chain touches… are interchangeable so just whichever you fancy 👍
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Buu
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Post by Buu on Feb 22, 2022 19:29:25 GMT
I think I'll install the 11-28 cassette just in case I do need to use the lowest gear and if the clicking continues, I'll adjust the B limit
What fans do people use? We've got one of those tall Dyson ones which I'll probably use the next time I get on it but wonder if there is something a bit more fit for purpose. £150 on that Wahoo Headwind is bit of a big pill to swallow
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Post by elstoof on Feb 22, 2022 19:42:59 GMT
Just use what you have, they’ll all be equally inadequate
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Post by Psychotext on Feb 22, 2022 19:54:26 GMT
At this time of year, anything. In the summer? Everything. Seriously though, I have a massive industrial fan that just about does the job, and a couple of carpet dryers that help move air to places the industrial fan can't get directly. This one looks pretty good with the remote (I have the non remote version): www.cleva-uk.com/products/vacmaster-cardio54-fan |
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gamecat
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Alone Again with the Dawn Coming Up
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Post by gamecat on Feb 27, 2022 16:19:45 GMT
First ride with power meter, and new shoes, wimped out on white though. Numbers seemed bigger than indoors, the Garmin was trying to tell me I had a new FTP on what was only a fairly low effort ride. I do like the way you can judge your effort a bit better up hills, or into headwinds and the like, and my pedalling bias is exactly 50/50, so money on the duo well spent! Was good to get outside on summer bike though, even if was windy and cold.
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Buu
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Post by Buu on Feb 28, 2022 21:04:34 GMT
I ended up going for the Wahoo Headwind. It was on sale at Canyon for £150 and I felt like treating myself.
Once it turns up I'm going to start doing some workouts. Just been doing the free rides for now
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Post by mothercruncher on Mar 1, 2022 7:06:35 GMT
Need towel, much towel.
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Buu
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Post by Buu on Mar 1, 2022 7:38:21 GMT
I bought this weird exercise towel of Amazon years ago when I used to dip in and out of the gym. If you run it under a tap it stays really cold for ages. That around my neck was a godsend yesterday. Feels much more comfortable
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Vortex
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Post by Vortex on Mar 1, 2022 9:35:17 GMT
Fan blasting and some towel dabbing does it for me to keep it from getting too liquidy. I also have a mat down under the trainer.
Oh, and a cycling cap or headband and sweatbands for the wrists are a must too!
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Buu
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Post by Buu on Mar 1, 2022 16:17:30 GMT
I definitely need some sweat bands for sure. The cap would be a lovely idea however I have somewhat of an afro so no hat would work! It's bad enough squashing down my hair to get my helmet on for outdoor rides!
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