Can you get an effective workout just using rollers and monitoring power? Or do you need the variable resistance of a decent trainer?
For example, the hardest rollers workout I did last winter was a 60-minute all-out TT in a virtual race against my friend. I know speed is irrelevant, but we had the exact same rollers (Nashbar parabolic) and computer (cateye). We both averaged ~26 mph, and I definitely was NOT in 53x11 the whole time – maybe the last few minutes.
So assuming I can ride at a hard-but-sustainable effort using just my gears to control resistance – say for 2x20:00 intervals – is my Powertap going to tell me anything useful?
Note: I didn’t want to hijack the “outdoor PM” thread.
I have cycleops aluminum rollers w/ no resistance and it’s hard to get up over 250 PT watts w/o a ridiculous cadence. I think it just depends on your rollers. If I had a workout to do I’d opt for trainer myself.
There is nothing to prevent rollers from providing an adequate workout as long as the resistance is enough with the gears you have available.
I have the 3" drum Kreitlers, so 53x12 at 100 rpm is only ~335 W. I can do tempo workouts on the rollers but prefer not to as I don’t care to wear out my 11 or 12t and also usually mix low cadence work in which there is not suitable resistance for. Endurance pace and below, and higher cadence pedalstroke work however are perfect roller workouts for me.
I’ve only had the PT for a couple months, and I haven’t yet done any real training with it. I’ve done a few “easy” rides, a crit, and a road race, so I have a very amorphous idea of my zones, av/norm power and maximums. I watched what it did on uphills and downhills, into the wind, etc. But the one time I took it on the rollers, it didn’t seem to correlate at all to my experience on the road.
Lately I’ve just removed the computer, to ride for the enjoyment of fall colors and great weather. Once this honeymoon period is over though, I want to get the most out of it this winter.
I guess I would have to ask what is “hard” for you.
My rollers don’t have a resistance unit, so in a 53x12 I can roll for a really long time. I think I posted a like to garmin connect for a roller ride I did last year. I’ll try to find it. If I remember, the AP was in the low 200’s.
I am by no means a stellar cyclist. For reference:
~20 mph for my one 70.3~22 mph for an Oly (probably…haven’t done one in two years)~23-24 for a sprintIn other words, I’m in no danger of running out of gears, even on a compact. As my Cat 1 friend put it, “If you easily spin out on rollers in 53x11, you should consider getting a professional contract.”
I’m just wondering about quantifying my workouts, after finding my zones. Has anybody done an FTP test on rollers? I’m a climber by nature, so I’ve considered doing one of the longer mountain climbs around here to get my 20-minute best. I can’t imagine I would hit the same number indoors, b/c I’m competitive with myself when I’m staring up a mountain.
I would say that there is no way to do a FTP test on rollers without a resistance unit. You just can’t work hard enough for long enough.
My example had me in a 53x12 spinning around 90rpm. Unless you are looking to spin 110 to 120rpm for the hour test (or 2x20min, etc.). If you look at my example, it looks like I started in a 53x14, then went to a 53x13, and rode the rest in the 12.
My rollers (emotion) have a resistance unit and there are charts online they you can put in your wieght and speed and it estimates your power. The charts are pretty accurate as I later discovered when I got a powermeter and used it on the rollers. There is a chart there for 0 resistance you can look at as well. At 25 mph on these rollers they estimate it takes 253 watts for a 170 lb person. I printed out the chart and have it hanging in my pain cave next to the TV.
I have heard of my teammates putting a folded towel beneath the back roller so it rubs the drum a little to add resistance to a system that has no resistance unit.
In other words, I’m in no danger of running out of gears, even on a compact. As my Cat 1 friend put it, “If you easily spin out on rollers in 53x11, you should consider getting a professional contract.”
not true, with the 4.5" rollers you could easily spin out as a mediocre CAT5
Has anybody done an FTP test on rollers?
Yes. I have had 3" Krietler rollers for a while now, I more recently picked up some 2.25" rollers. When riding on the rollers my preferred cadence is ~80rpm. I attempted an FTP test with the 3" rollers, and abandoned after about 30min because the cadence was outside what was “comfortable” for me ~100. I re-performed the test a few weeks later with the 2.25" rollers and was able to complete it. For numbers, it was with a 50-11 max gearing, and ~290W. With the 3"rollers I was ~100rpm, and the 2.25" rollers I was ~85rpm (and I think that I bounced between the 11 and 12 cog). So it depends upon what size drum your rollers have.
FWIW, my numbers indoors are almost always higher than outdoors (for 20+ min efforts). This is mainly due to terrain variability.