Tacx Bushido Smart Trainer (fully wireless)

Triathlon Forum
1

i was wondering if anyone had the Bushido smart trainer or had any experience with it (image attached via this message)

I have done 3 ftps so far and my concern is that the numbers are not accurate, recently it went from 329 to 374, obviously false. Does not reflect the outdoor ride i had done. for outdoor i used a heavy 8 speed road bike, regardless of which, the numbers from the trainer are far too high

At first i thought the trainer was faulty, because i didn’t think it was displaying the correct colour of light. The colour of LED lights on the resistance unit are meant to show the intensity . The shop i returned it to, sent the unit back to the manufacturer and they said there was nothing wrong with it. apparently

Currently the trainer sessions are good, in terms of intensity, high heart rate etc all done via trainer road

but unfortunately in terms of power, not going to be able to tell accurately what ftp you’re at

anyone encountered any problems with this unit ?

smart.png

2

Ive always worked under the assumption that FTP measured using a smart trainer and outdoor FTP are not directly comparable.

If you have a regular power meter that you use outside, can you use it while on the trainer?

3

i’ve never had a power meter

i can not cycle outside that much anyway. my location is far too polluted

4

Then how can you say the trainers numbers are far too high?

What’s you W/kg?

5

62.0 kg (137 pounds)WEIGHT
6.03FTP/Kg
374 FTP / 62.0 kg
.

6

I have one of these… I’m seeing pretty much consistent watts from session to session, including my FTP tests (slowly increasing). I’m not even close to your numbers though, so it might be “suckier” at higher values? I also have a pair of favero bepro s wattpedals and on my last FTP test the bushido gave me a value of aprox. 30w more than the pedals.

7

Hmm I don’t know 🤷‍♀️
It’s confusing

year and half ago I was using the tacx app to do a workout . Back then 200 watts was hard enough for me . I’d like to think i progressed but the current number is high , for me personally I think .

Before trainer road I did my own ftp on the tacx app which gave me 290. Then with trainer road , second ftp increased to 324 and now 374. Having said this, the workouts now are by far the hardest

8

I would say that you definitely need to check the setup. Ensure that your tire pressure is consistent as well as the tension of the contact between the trainer and the wheel. Those are the two most common issues I have seen for people using non-direct drive trainers.

Not saying that you haven’t gotten stronger in the last 18 months, but a jump from 200 to 374 is unlikely at your weight. Plus, a 6.02 w/kg FTP would put you up in the ranks of a professional cyclist. If you are that strong, then maybe it is accurate.

9

The Tacx Bushido and Vortex are virtual power based, meaning there is no strain gauges that are actually checking power. This means the numbers are calculated similar to how Strava would calculate. The trainers themselves have a huge margin of error. I have a Vortex, I wouldn’t trust it to give me an FTP output.