Pedal Power Thread

Simmotino said:
Only if you are weak of mind :D
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I was thinking the same. Only had my trainer for 3 days but I've inflicted harder workouts on myself in those 3 days than I ever experience out on the roads. Rest day today though :D
 
Road riding must be easier then, I could never get the same level of fatigue or heart rate on a trainer that I could on the trails. Must be the extra upper body based stuff on a MTB compared to a road bike.
 
TriggerHappy said:
I was thinking the same. Only had my trainer for 3 days but I've inflicted harder workouts on myself in those 3 days than I ever experience out on the roads. Rest day today though :D
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I've taken a couple of weeks out (slightly enforced due to work travel etc.) and due back on it next week. Itching to go!

Take a look at TrainerRoad. A great site with some structured plans/workouts, and syncs nicely with Sufferfest too.

Well worth the small outlay each month IMO :thumbs:
 
You lot make it sound like you only ride for the fitness aspects?
Fair enough if it is. My training plan is as basic as it comes and is just ride more often.
 
robj20 said:
You lot make it sound like you only ride for the fitness aspects?
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In the Winter, yes. Controlled environment which allows total focus on form and performance....

robj20 said:
My training plan is as basic as it comes and is just ride more often.
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.... so that when the better (and safer on road skinnies) weather rolls around I can do the same, but for longer, and harder, and more often :thumbs:
 
TriggerHappy said:
I was thinking the same. Only had my trainer for 3 days but I've inflicted harder workouts on myself in those 3 days than I ever experience out on the roads. Rest day today though :D
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Really? No wind, no hills, no pot holes, no cars, no hills, no fellow cyclists shooting snot out of there noses, no hills......you need to change your outdoor routes or rider harder!!!! :D;)
 
danmon_81 said:
Really? No wind, no hills, no pot holes, no cars, no hills, no fellow cyclists shooting snot out of there noses, no hills......you need to change your outdoor routes or rider harder!!!! :D;)
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The difference is the road dictates to a large extent how hard you ride, whereas I can choose what to do on a trainer. I live on top of a hill which means whenever it's time to come home I know i'm going to have 2 consecutive 1+km hill climbs in the final 4km even on the gentlest way back into my village. That means that I'm conscious of them from the half way point and hold a little back in reserve, and that when I begin to feel the oxygen deficit build on the first hill I back off a gear or two and save myself knowing it's longer and there's more to come. On a trainer you can choose to simulate a similar steady 1km hill or even a 10km climb, or you can do intense 30 second standing sprint intervals that blows your legs apart in a 30 minute workout and really pushes what you're capable of at the top end. Finding a similar road for that type of interval work would be next to impossible.

Obviously for pure pleasure nothing beats riding on a nice quiet, smooth country road with rolling hills, and riding with a group of stronger riders is great for pushing yourself harder. Riding solo on the road it's all too easy to back off and not really push the heart rate up I find. On the trainer it's more structured and disciplined which means greater gains if fitness is a concern.
 
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Fair doo's! It is nice to just put shorts, top and shoes on and ride rather than all the winter gear.

P.s. i'm not sure the road dictates how hard you ride...more often than not that's up to you, yes you ride the route but you choose how hard, easy to go at it, up hill, flat or down hill...its rare that someone would ride a local route that didnt have the option to push harder or ride faster (unless you're elite)....or for me, atm its bloody Strava....damn segment chasing!!!!
 
danmon_81 said:
Fair doo's! It is nice to just put shorts, top and shoes on and ride rather than all the winter gear.

P.s. i'm not sure the road dictates how hard you ride...more often than not that's up to you, yes you ride the route but you choose how hard, easy to go at it, up hill, flat or down hill...its rare that someone would ride a local route that didnt have the option to push harder or ride faster (unless you're elite)....or for me, atm its bloody Strava....damn segment chasing!!!!
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Who said anything about shorts and a top? That's another plus to training indoors :lol:
 
neil_g said:
question for the guys with the trainers, do they make much noise/vibration?

i.e in a flat would it annoy the hell out of downstairs from droning?
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Depends a fair bit on which trainer etc. to be honest.

The fan and magnet trainers tend to be very noisy in use and put a lot of vibration through the floor. The quieter trainers tend to be the fluid trainers, both in use and in terms of vibration.

The vibration can be dampened a fair bit with a couple of yoga mats or similar (I know of one individual who has a couple of paving slabs sandwiched between some mats to keep vibration to a minimum) but there will still be some residual noise.

Whether that's enough to penetrate the flat below to such a level that they can hear it at any time other than when it is silent inside/outside depends on the flat you live in really. Normal day time noise/traffic or a TV on is normally enough to mask the vibration from those I've spoken to in similar situations.
 
neil_g said:
theyre concrete floors so transmit a fair bit of vibration..
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A fluid trainer on a concrete floor should be pretty quiet I would think.

Unfortunately, the only way you'll know for sure is to try it out. Maybe order from someone like Amazon so you have a no-quibble return option? :shrug:
 
As people have said, fluid trainers are pretty quiet. I use mine in front of a TV without turning it up anymore than usual. Higher end mag trainers are supposed to be quieter still, according to one Cycleops product video I watched on YouTube.

The mechanics itself of the fluid trainer produces very little noise at all. Most of the noise comes from the friction between the tyre and roller, and the drivetrain itself. You can get dedicated turbo trainer tyres which are a harder compound and supposed to be smoother and quieter still but I'm not sure i can see the point, particularly with the hassle of swapping tyres/wheels to then go on the road.

Most of the noise I suspect is air noise so won't transmit through the floor, but there will be a little vibration inevitably. Yoga mats tend to be the popular solution as an alternative the the branded cycling mats which go for 5x the price. I've also looked into interlocking gym mats which can be had for under £10 on amazon for a 4 pack. They are more than twice the thickness of yoga mats and can be easily stored away afterwards if you want to clear the space. This is the next thing I'll be adding to my growing collection!
 
danmon_81 said:
I use Schwalbe Lugano's - £11 a tyre and they've been brilliant...apart from the turbo trainer wearing them down i've had no problems on the road!
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I'll have a Google for them, cheers :thumbs:
 
I'm going to be cycling 5 days a week for the next 3 1/2 months to train for a 100km charity bike ride in June. I think I've worked out a distance plan, but can any of you experienced cyclists in here tell me if I've baths after a ride are beneficial?
 
Nikon_Nick said:
I'm going to be cycling 5 days a week for the next 3 1/2 months to train for a 100km charity bike ride in June. I think I've worked out a distance plan, but can any of you experienced cyclists in here tell me if I've baths after a ride are beneficial?
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Can't help you with ice baths...I'm not that mad :P But just a word about training 5 days a week, you want to make sure you have enough rest as well as training. Rest is as important because there's lots of recovery your body needs to do. Some people can manage fine riding 7 days a week, others top out at 3 or 4 and additional riding is to the detriment of their recovery so just be careful not to overtrain.

Most of all good luck, and enjoy it!
 
TriggerHappy said:
Can't help you with ice baths...I'm not that mad :P But just a word about training 5 days a week, you want to make sure you have enough rest as well as training. Rest is as important because there's lots of recovery your body needs to do. Some people can manage fine riding 7 days a week, others top out at 3 or 4 and additional riding is to the detriment of their recovery so just be careful not to overtrain.

Most of all good luck, and enjoy it!
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Cheers Jamie
 
Nikon_Nick said:
Got my voucher yesterday morning, and am collecting my bike in the morning :0)
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Excellent! I'll habe to wait to near lunchtime but should then be able to add in a short ride :)
 
It depends on your body, how used to exercise and how old you are. After a ride I come in and have a nesquik milkshake, that's pretty much it. Some people will need a few days to recover. Everyone is different.

What most people forget is that the training won't take any effect unless you rest. Riding your bike will rip your muscles, resting them after a hard ride will give your body time to repair them and make them stronger. Take it easy to begin with and build the duration or intensity when your body is ready for it.

Don't forget to have fun.
 
Im Bald Ok said:
It depends on your body, how used to exercise and how old you are. After a ride I come in and have a nesquik milkshake, that's pretty much it. Some people will need a few days to recover. Everyone is different.

What most people forget is that the training won't take any effect unless you rest. Riding your bike will rip your muscles, resting them after a hard ride will give your body time to repair them and make them stronger. Take it easy to begin with and build the duration or intensity when your body is ready for it.

Don't forget to have fun.
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Thanks Jason. Well, I'm combining the ride with a big weightloss push. I haven't done regular exercise for quite a few years, and I guess I'm just worried that I haven't got very long to train. I appreciate the downfalls of trying to do too much too soon, but I also know that if I don't push myself, I probably won't be able to complete the ride...
 
Nikon_Nick said:
Thanks Jason. Well, I'm combining the ride with a big weightloss push. I haven't done regular exercise for quite a few years, and I guess I'm just worried that I haven't got very long to train. I appreciate the downfalls of trying to do too much too soon, but I also know that if I don't push myself, I probably won't be able to complete the ride...
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...oh, and I'm 37 :0)
 
Nikon_Nick said:
Thanks Jason. Well, I'm combining the ride with a big weightloss push. I haven't done regular exercise for quite a few years, and I guess I'm just worried that I haven't got very long to train. I appreciate the downfalls of trying to do too much too soon, but I also know that if I don't push myself, I probably won't be able to complete the ride...
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Just break it down into small weekly goals like adding 5km to your longest ride each week, couple that with a few varied rides like short but intense rides, hill repeats etc. to work on different aspects of your fitness and you'll get there in 3.5 months.

There's a lot of legs in the case made for exercising before eating breakfast where weight-loss is the goal. Googling something like "post-absorptive postprandial exercise" should return some medical studies into it if it's of interest and you want something a little more reliable to base your decision off.

Just losing a little weight - if you have it to lose - will make a big difference to how strong you feel because you won't be carrying so much up every hill!
 
Thanks for that Jamie, I'll definitely look into varying the rides.

And yes, I DO have the weight to lose ;0)
 
Nikon_Nick said:
Thanks for that Jamie, I'll definitely look into varying the rides.

And yes, I DO have the weight to lose ;0)
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No problem, any questions feel free to ask!

Just remember to listen to your body and you can't go far wrong :)
 
akr said:
Excellent! I'll habe to wait to near lunchtime but should then be able to add in a short ride :)
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What bike did you go for?
 
Nikon_Nick said:
Thanks Jason. Well, I'm combining the ride with a big weightloss push. I haven't done regular exercise for quite a few years, and I guess I'm just worried that I haven't got very long to train. I appreciate the downfalls of trying to do too much too soon, but I also know that if I don't push myself, I probably won't be able to complete the ride...
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Similar for me.

I can't do it, but I have a friend at work who will be doing the Dunwich Dynamo in July I think it is, you should have some decent fitness by then, may be worth a go (it's 120 miles though!). It sounds quite cool and a great atmosphere - or could be something to aim for in 2014 - not too far if you can get the train to Liv Street.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunwich_Dynamo
 
akr said:
Similar for me.

I can't do it, but I have a friend at work who will be doing the Dunwich Dynamo in July I think it is, you should have some decent fitness by then, may be worth a go (it's 120 miles though!). It sounds quite cool and a great atmosphere - or could be something to aim for in 2014 - not too far if you can get the train to Liv Street.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunwich_Dynamo
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120 miles? Wow, that's almost double the one I'm doing in June. I think that will probably be a bit of a stretch this year, but could definitely be one for 2014.
 
what are you doing in June?

im doing the capital to coast 75miles, london eye to hove
 
Paul_W said:
what are you doing in June?

im doing the capital to coast 75miles, london eye to hove
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I'm doing the 100km London Nightride on the 8th June.
 
Nikon_Nick said:
What bike did you go for?
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Orbea Aqua - I basically decided to go with what my local bike shop stored. If they had not had this though, I think I would have gone for a Caad8. It was not a sensible choice in many ways, I think I'm going to upgrade the tyres as I can't afford too many punctures commuting to work.
 
akr said:
Orbea Aqua - I basically decided to go with what my local bike shop stored. If they had not had this though, I think I would have gone for a Caad8. It was not a sensible choice in many ways, I think I'm going to upgrade the tyres as I can't afford too many punctures commuting to work.
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Unfortunately, the scheme my company go with is the Halfords, so I didn't really have much choice either :0)
 
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