Indoor training and Winter riding

[wheelie]

Hey all

Having just moved to Melbourne from up north I am really noticing the chill factor out on the bike . I'm guessing it isnt going to get any warmer with Winter around the corner.

So, when daylight savings ends and the mornings and nights are cold and wet and your freezing your bits off, what does everyone else do out there to keep going? Are there any clothing recommendations to see me through the winter?

Also, what is better for indoor training? Rollers or a turbo trainer?

Ideally I don't want to ride indoors but understand that mother nature can dish out some rather nasty weather at times :/

Any advice is welcome

Thanks!

Wheelie

[toolonglegs]

Get a training bike that you don't care about when it is filthy,wet and grimy.Get good gloves and shoe covers and warmer layered clothes and keep riding.Personally I love winter and do more k's in winter than summer,but then Sydney dosent really have a winter (or a summer for that matter )

[wheelie]

Cheers, always helps when you know your not the only one out there in the wild, wet and windy weather

As for mag trainers, can anyone else throw info this way? is it best to go tyre drive trainers or rim drive trainers?

Cheers
Wheelie

[moosterbounce]

If you get tyre drive, don't use your normal tyres - either get a crappy or use an old one as you will wear the other too quickly. I've never been a fan of rim drive but I don't really know why The elastogel ones are better on tyre wear than some others.

I'm still doing research of what to buy when I upgrade and asked the question about being able to use a full carbon bike on one. I was told that so long as the front wheel is raised to level and you aren't standing on the pedals (and thus twisting the bike from side to side) then it will be fine.

[SLH]

I'm currently riding an old Giant Yukon on one of these, and its been great for training on until I finally decide which roadie to spend my money on.
These cost a little more (although I was lucky enough to get a healthy discount through a mate), but so far, so good.

[jr1991]

I use a tacx sartori mag trainer. I'm very happy with it. it is a tyre drive, no major probs with tyres as yet but I will buy a proper trainer tyre eventually.

[wheelie]

The time to buy one of these contraptions is definitely getting closer.

Anyone got a shop or a site they can recommend for a good deal?
Also, what does everyone think of the Minoura range?
Mag 500 with or without remote? or Mag 850?

Still welcome more info on indoor trainers, any knowledge or experiences you wish to share, fire away

Wheelie

[redback]

i just got a cycleops fluid 2 trainer, have used for 2hrs so far and very happy with it cost me $380 also cycleops were the first to make indoor trainers cheers

[HaywarM]

I spend half my life on an FPSO in the middle of the ocean. So I spend a bit of time on a trainer. It just happens to be a Mag 500 jobbie.
I think it is ok, but even on the highest resistance setting, It does not really provide enough.
We only have a mountain bike fitted on the trainer.

I also have a trainer at home, though I don't use it nearly as much. It is a Gist Fluid job that I got off ebay for a bit over $300. It is great, an my answer to the tyre issue is to have a spare rear wheel. I just asked the bloke at the LBS if he had anything old and shagged and he gave me a wheel, the rim is cracking around the nipples and things, plus not real straight (just flip the quick release on the brake calipers) . He didn't want any money, but i gave him a 20. I then threw on an old cassette and an old tyre,(why spend money on a trainer specific tyre?). Sweet as a nut.

The only trouble is, .... riding on a trainer is as boring as .. well i can't think of much to compare it with. So you need to have a specific work out.
I have pieced together a few that i do from various sources. they fall into a few categories: leg speed/leg strength/overall power/time trial/endurance/sprints. As I am work right now, I can't type out many. Let me know if you are interested and I'll sort something out.

Two tools I always use are a heart rate monitor and a computer with a cadence function and a rear wheel sensor.

[wheelie]

Hey HaywarM,

Nice pic of Mt Warning in the distance.... hope I got that one right or... DOH!

It sounds like you have done some pretty extensive stationary training. For sure, if there is any session plans you want to pass my way I would be greatful

Wheelie

[HaywarM]

Hiya Wheelie,

It sure is mount Warning, viewed through the big triangle of my fixie conversion bike.


At the outset let me say that this all by feel and I have no qualification or training.

Here are some that i started with, adjust heart rates to suit your body/age etc:

Session 1
3 sets of
• l0min at HR12O
• 8min at HR13O
• 6min at HR14O
• 4min at HR15O
• 2min at HR16O
• lmin at 170+
Session 2

Warm up then
• 4 x 5mm (AT) 160; last minute accelerate and sprint last 15s
• 1 x 5mm spin 120+ (HR above 140)
• 2 x 8 mm (AT) 170 with 1 mm recovery betw, 5s sprint every minute
• 6 x 30s max sprints, 90s recovery
• lx4minsteady
• 6 x 6s sprint, recovery 24s
• 30 minute steady at HR 160- 165 (keep cadence 100+)

Session 3

48 mm hard effort HR at 150+
• 6 x 6s sprints every 30s
completed at 0, 15, 30 and 45
minutes
• keep pace solid but steady between sprints
• main emphasis is on generating power in the
sprints

Session 4

• 3 x 5 minute time trials
• Take as much recovery as
you like.

Session 5
This is a good one that doesn't need a heart rate monitor

• 100rpm spin x 1 minute in each gear(ie 39 x21,
19... .11.. .19, 21)
• 2 minutes recovery
• then 10 mm TT spin (hard as possible)
• 2 minutes recovery Repeat 100rpm spin x I mm in each gear

Session 6

100 x 30s efforts/30s recovery —
• 10 x standing (biggest gear);
• 10 x seated (hard spin);
• HR 175+
have one minute recovery between sets of 10.

Session 7

20 sets of x
• 1 minute build ups
• with 1 Os max sprint;
• keep leg speed up


This was the first lot that was given to me, there are some that just seem too easy and some that are too tough, I'll let you try them and work out which ones.
From these I was able to mould some of my own to suit me.

Put a towel over your bike and/or on the floor underneath, because without the wind in your hair, so to speak, you'l be sweating like Barry White in no time.

There are more I have made up to focuss more on leg speed, basically in an easy gear, do 4 mins at 100 rpm then 4 at 110 then back down for four then up again to say 115 or 120 then back down. Warm up first, and adjust the numbers to what your legs can manage.

I have also done a few where I do say 10 mins at a set wheel speed (which translates to a set power) and then rest for a few minutes before doing it again in a different gear at the same speed/power. this gave me a good feel for different cadences from 88 to about 110 and how I feel after 10 mins of it. Basically, slower makes the legs hurt more, faster makes me puff more.




I read a bit on the web recently about power and how it is basically torque(leg strength) multiplied by angular velocity (cadence or leg speed), I don't remember where but i got to it from Google.

hope this helps, and because I'm always learning, please feedback any ideas or info that you come across.

Mike

[HaywarM]

I read a bit on the web recently about power and how it is basically torque(leg strength) multiplied by angular velocity (cadence or leg speed), I don't remember where but i got to it from Google.

Found it, still can not post a link yet, but if you google pezcycling, go to his home page, click on the latest news link, it was posted march 25 and is entitled "Toolbox: Strength, Leg Speed and Power".

[wheelie]

Thanks Mike

My word! you have gone all out, there is enough here to see me well into the winter.
Still out on the roads for now, until the weather turns ugly and is impossible to ride in - tell me it's not true...it's not going to happen right

Completely off topic here, what tunes do you listen to while on the trainer?

Mt Warning rocks! Doing a few runs up there would be great cross-training, it's the coming down that is the killer.

Hope your getting out for a few rides inbetween your floats.

Thanks matey

Wheelie

[toolonglegs]

I'm going to put winter back 6 months this year ...but when it comes at Xmas I will know about it

[HaywarM]

I have to say that my trainer at home gets little to no use, even when it is raining and or cold, it is painfully boring.

As for tunes, just about anything, doesn't have to be techno or hard rock. When i send this and go up to the bridge, it will be the foofigters, or maybe a bit of Mophine.

I tried having the laptop infront of the bike with a side show of photos playing, but when any shots from where i race come along, i start thinking about the finish straight and my heart rate jumps 15bpm or more.

The other thing is if you get into the music/photos/movie too much, you loose track of where you are with the workout, or you drift off the power. That is why most of the ones i do are broken up so much.

Mount Warning is pretty awsome. I've lived up there (I'm offshore at the moment) since 1999 and have neven been up the mountain. One of my plans this next time home is to drag the four kids (7,5,3, 8 months)up to the top. i don't think i'll be doing much running