So I rode 40 min of the IMAZ course this morning… I didn’t want to go hard, so I set the pacer at 140… Well I ended up av 161watts, 18mph… the pacer av 140 watts, 17.9mph… it STILL kick my butt… I don’t get it… how can that be? and every time I’d pass it, it would pick up the pace and pace me. Just like an annoying rider in a group ride!!! So anyone can explain how the pacer kills me like that?
Drafting on or drafting off?
jpo, beat me to the question… I’m guessing its drafting off. If you turn drafting on with the pacer at 140, your av watts would probably end up ~100 or so watts and your average speed would be equal with the pacer so long as you stuck to his back for the duration.
b-
I think it was drafting on… how do you turn it off? and why would that matter?
F3 I believe toggles it on and off when you are riding.
If drafting is on the pacer will draft off of you and be able to keep up when you are putting out more watts than it is. If you miss his draft you can average more watts but finish behind him.
When you apply the increased watts also has a bearing, uphill, downhill, etc.
oh that makes sense… but it took me forever to catch the pacer even though I was putting out more what’s than him… I guess i need more watts and more SPEED too right?
Drafting would have the largest effect. If you or the pacer, moved over behind the other, then you had drafting on. With drafting on, it’s like real riding if you are between 6 and 17 feet behind (lead), then you can draft.
The other thing you have to remember is that the pacer is a perfect motor. He/she puts out 140 watts continuously, no little breaks, and they hammer the downhills. It is just about impossible to mimic that. Real people tend to put out a little more power uphill, then ease up on the downhill, or at least don’t hammer over the top and accelerate like the pacer does. You will almost always be a few watts higher in the end. If you are looking to average a certain wattage for a ride, set the pacer a little lower.
The CT gives the pacer a “perfect” pedal stroke (spinscan 100) and with their software that translates into them being a lot faster watt for watt (drafting off and sizeable gap between riders). I find that I have to put out about 10-20% more watts to go the same speed. Of course, if you hit a hill and bump your watts a bit you can put a large gap on them. Watch out on the downhills tho…they’ll maintain goal wattage no matter how steep it gets.
I’m not really sure I agree with the “greater-speed-for-a-more-perfect-stroke” algorithm.
ot
rmur–If you weigh more than the Pacer, won’t having the same average watts mean “Pacer wins”? at least with an incline?
I think having the same average wattage means the racer will win unless you give him a lot more weight than you. CT makes the pacer “100% efficient” (whatever).
Its been awhile since I played around with the pacer and the “buIIshit” spinscan algorithm so I might be off a bit with the 10-20% estimate…that might have been 10-20 watts (that actually sounds right now that I think about it). Yeah…that means my spinscan sucks.
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the racer will win unless you give him a lot more weight than you.
I must have missed where you can change the Pacer’s weight.