This is the first winter that I have really been serious about my training. I am doing two 70.3’s this year and hired a coach as well. He loves indoor training because of how specific we can be about my workouts. I have a Fluid 2 trainer that I have been riding 5-6 times a week for the past few months. I know nothing about computrainer, wahoo, trainer road, etc… I have been reading on the forums about these things and it seems that most people really get a huge benefit out of these products. My coach gives me the workouts and things I need to do, but I’m curious what the benefit of a computrainer is over my fluid 2? And what does the trainer road software really do for you? I know nothing about how this stuff works, so explain it to me in simple man terms please. Thanks for the input!
I have been using TR and a Computrainer for a couple seasons now so I can give you some insight on this. First off, the CT and TR work seemlessly together. Essentially, once you establish your FTP number (through whatever flavor test you like), you simply pick whichever workout you like (or create your own) and hit the start button. It is literally that simple. The workouts, used with a Computrainer, will automatically adjust the resistance as prescribed in the workout. You don’t even change gears. The CT will adjust and regulate itself as you pedal, all you do it pedal. TR now has workout creator which would allow you to make your own custom workouts if you like (i.e.- 5min at 100% FTP with 30sec rest, etc etc etc). If you plan to go this route and have any questions or issues just PM me, I can troubleshoot your issue quickly.
Hows your ability to focus? If you can laser lock onto a goal and crank for three hours, a trainer may suffice… Over the course of the kind of winter we’re having here in the states, that’s a tall order mentally.
The Computrainer opens up the possibility of a lot more tools that help those of us with less laser lock. ERGVideo takes the TR concept a step further in that both control the workout, but ERG gives you visuals. You get the course profile of TR, but you also have rider perspective video. In a bike focus this winter and look forward to cueing up the next workout. Using a build provided by the ERG website, which has an impressive amount of functionality built into it. Had the CT for years and it is by far the best cycling investment made.
It is a great combo. My wife uses TR on our CT. I’m partial to some other things, but definitely big on the CT. If you wanted to avoid dropping big money right now on this setup you can use TR with your fluid2 with a speed/cadence sensor. The power numbers will be estimated but still pretty good for steady efforts. Since you say that you are making a go of getting serious about indoor training you might be wise to do this approach first. Some people have more fortitude for trainer sessions than others. That isn’t a critique, it is just that some people mentally can grind it out indoors while others are better served to figure out something outdoors. If it works for you though I can gives heaps of praise on the CT as a good trainer.
Your fluid trainer applies resistance to your rear wheel. You pedal against that resistance. To make the effort harder and the resistance greater, you pedal faster or shift to a faster gear and the resistance goes up. You pedal slower or shift to a lower gear and the resistance goes down. The point is, you are the determinant; that is, if you want more resistance then it’s up to you to make the resistance higher or lower. The problem is that you will have days when you want to go harder and days you want to go easier. And unless you’re very unique, you will not push yourself as hard as you need to.
An ergometer, on the other hand, be it CompuTrainer or Wahoo Kickr or any of the others determines the load for you based on a pre-defined workout (Sufferfest, ErgVideo, etc.) and you must meet that load or fail. Used as an ergometer, the decision to go hard or easy is outside your control (other than just quitting altogether or adjusting the ergometer to a lower setting). In that case, you have no choice but to respond to the load(s) as they change. The ergometer is the determinant and you respond to it.
These devices can also be used in another mode called slope mode or gradient mode (terms vary between manufacturers). This means a pre-defined course with elevations (hills and descents) is loaded into the machine and the ergometer provides resistance based on an algorithm and certain rider values (age, gender, weight, etc. and some use more values than others). In this mode, you get a (relatively) realistic sense of what that course would feel like if you actually rode it. Some even come with video (CompuTrainer Real Course Video and ErgVideo come to mind) and you can learn a course without ever having been there (we use Real Course Videos to get ready for races like St. Croix and Ironman Arizona and others).
TrainerRoad is a subscription-based software that provides you with the workouts (erg- or watt-based profiles) and courses (slope or gradient-based profiles) that you select and ride (and it does a lot more in terms of analysis). There are literally hundreds (if not thousands) of workouts and courses available. When you select one and load it into your ergometer (CompuTrainer or Kickr or others), then you ride the profile and experience the automatic changes in resistance provided by the ergometer. Very realistic and you don’t do a thing but push the pedals.
There are a lot of software products that work with ergometers and each has its benefits and limitations. Some are PerfPRO Studio (great for multi-rider situations), TrainerRoad (previously mentioned), BKool, PeriPedal, Tour de Giro, and many more. Google these to see what they each can do.
A big question is how does your coach specify your workouts ? By perceived effort, heart rate, power ?
if not power, would he be willing to ?
My coach does everything right now by HR. I don’t have a power meter and I’m guessing if I do then he would specify that. I am very focused and motivated and since having a coach I’ve really enjoyed the specificity of his workouts. I did a trainer ride last night that was 10 min zone 1 warm up, 15 min build to zone 2/3, 15 min in zone 3/4, then a 5 min zone 5 effort, followed by a 5 minute cool down. I have a movie theater in my house so I typically watch movies while I ride and also watch my speed/cadence and HR very closely. I have a garmin 510 that use for that. I put a ton of effort into making sure I hit the HR zones he specifies. I do think it would be cool to put up a course on my movie screen and actually feel like I’m biking on it. Part of my question was can any of those tools be used with my Fluid 2? I do think it would be cool to have the computrainer basically set my resistance as opposed to me having to do it. Part of my problem right now is getting my HR up. 164bpm is my threshold HR and it takes a crazy effort to get there. I had to put my bike in one of the hardest gears last night and crank like a mad man to get my HR up. It does take a lot of focus to push this hard no doubt. There have been a few nights where my legs just gave out before my HR got to where it needed to be and I didn’t achieve my goals. I’m wondering if a CT would help me push during time like this.
yes, products like TrainerRoad and a bunch of others can work with your Fluid 2
What is nice about a CT is you can program a workout like he gave you (although you would specify it in watts), press go and it keeps you on track in terms of effort. You can watch tv and never have to look at your power or HR.
there are tools that would allow you to ride your Fluid 2 on courses. kinomap.com is one.
Start with Trainer Road. It is a huge upgrade to riding a trainer alone and the cost is very easy to swallow. If you don’t like it, just cancel.
It should work very well with the workouts your coach gives you and virtual power will be a huge step up. There are tons of threads here about how to get the most out of using TR (details for consistent setup are important) and the TR site is good about walking first-timers through using it.
Using TR with just your current trainer should really help you learn about the benefits of training with power. I’d wait a few months before considering something like a CT. But that’s just me.
First question: It is less boring to ride
Second question: See the answer to the first question.
That’s about all it does for me. I have a CT and I’m just about to start using my KK to get some real work done. If you don’t have a power meter it will give you a power number and log your data for you.
jaretj
First question: It is less boring to ride
Second question: See the answer to the first question.
That’s about all it does for me. I have a CT and I’m just about to start using my KK to get some real work done. If you don’t have a power meter it will give you a power number and log your data for you.
jaretj
are you saying that the CT is not suitable for real work?
can you please clarify this.
Love my computrainer with the Hunter Allen Ergvideo. Doing pace line work with him is my favorite workout.
It’s easier (as in takes less concentration) for me to hold a certain power level on a KK than a CT.
Just like it’s easier to hold a certain power on flat roads than it is on hilly roads.
Since I have a choice, I ride intervals on my KK and just put in miles on my CT. I could ride a flat course on my CT but why wear it out.
Could do ERG I suppose
Thanks for the response very insightful.
best,
GS
It’s easier (as in takes less concentration) for me to hold a certain power level on a KK than a CT.
Just like it’s easier to hold a certain power on flat roads than it is on hilly roads.
Since I have a choice, I ride intervals on my KK and just put in miles on my CT. I could ride a flat course on my CT but why wear it out.
Could do ERG I suppose
That would be my choice!
I totally get where you are coming from though. I also find it more difficult to hold and interval on my PowerBeam Pro then the Fluid2, but I’ve decided to use the PBP exclusively now and gave the Fluid2 to my wife.
As for wearing out your CompuTrainer, I’ve seem lots that are 10 years old being sold and working just fine. I’d imagine its pretty tough to wear one out, but things do happen