are you sure biking is the sport for you?
He is a Frankenbiker
THE FUCKING POWER METER THREAD
- Thread starter jstuhlman
- Start date
He is a Frankenbiker
At least it's not a tall bike. Those dudes are fuckin weird.
This was a hard ride. I recommend you all doing it. Notice zone 1/2 substitution for zone 3 called out (I'd normally do zone 2 there but was gassed) at the end, but also some exuberance in the last 30 second interval. Power Zone Pack robbed me of some W via resampling error, too. Was close to 1 kW.
have fun on your donut safari
This was a hard ride. I recommend you all doing it. Notice zone 1/2 substitution for zone 3 called out (I'd normally do zone 2 there but was gassed) at the end, but also some exuberance in the last 30 second interval. Power Zone Pack robbed me of some W via resampling error, too. Was close to 1 kW.
That reminds me: I should pop in a CGM sensor now so that I have evidence of what havoc (or not) said KK donut wreaks.
With some unseasonably nice weather I haven't had to pedal indoors in 3 weeks, and hopefully will remain the case until October.
This was a hard ride. I recommend you all doing it. Notice zone 1/2 substitution for zone 3 called out (I'd normally do zone 2 there but was gassed) at the end, but also some exuberance in the last 30 second interval. Power Zone Pack robbed me of some W via resampling error, too. Was close to 1 kW.
I rode an actual bike.HRV was good this morning so did a nice, brisk ride before my 5-10 PM shift. Took the called out zone 3 as zone 4-5 intervals, variously 3-4 minutes.
(was going to ride outside but was informed too much snau)
Dunno, don't care, was riding in the woods.
:yawn:
call us when you can hold that for over 30 seconds.
call us when you can hold that for over 30 seconds.
What power for what duration are you looking for? I’m going to do intervals tonight so might as well take requests.
go for over 500w for 30s.What power for what duration are you looking for? I’m going to do intervals tonight so might as well take requests.
i did an interval earlier and increased from about 350w to almost 550w over 30s and woof that was rough.
@Full Trucker you still here too?
what was your dogs power output earlier?
Background easy intensity, in the 140-170W range initially and then chasing heart rate down to 125 bpm after the last interval. Did a 15 second, 30 second, and then two 1 minute intervals, the last one not at max effort. Note that the curve shape on the above Power Zone Pack graph is slightly wrong, because as I've noted before they resample and have buggy code (or are smoothing).
Better curve shape on the native Peloton-generated output graph:
15 seconds: spiked to 1300W, held 1100 through the end.
30 seconds: spiked to 900W, held 850 through the end.
1 minute: 560-600W+ for the whole thing. This one hurt.
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Yeah, still checking in on this thread when it gets updated... though it does seem to have largely become the @Toshi Peloton Workout Thread.
I'm still also Riding With Power™ down in my basement a couple-three times a week. Generally one-off workouts or "group rides" with some guys on another forum... I am not following any structured workout plan, program, or philosophy per se. I can definitely tell a difference in my fitness IRL, and a couple riding buddies have noticed as well. So it's cool that putting in some work is having a reward, and mostly it's felt less like "training" and has even been a bit fun... ish. Kinda.
Just last night Zwift has decided my FTP has increased, it's now sitting at 254, when I did a test back in December it was 214. That was a 20-min test which is estimates 1-Hour FTP as 95% of the avg watts for that 20 minutes. You all know this, of course. Anyways, Zwift has bumped up my 1-Hour FTP estimate three times now, and 40w is an increase of 18-19% or so in just a handful of months. I'd be tempted to call bullshit on this, except as I mentioned above I am noticing a difference in real life. I also don't know how Zwift makes this decision, though we did push pretty hard in the group ride last night for 46 minutes and change, and I would assume there was a 20-minute period in there where I was averaging ~270w or whatever it would take to bump my FTP up. I'm a heavy fucker, though, especially by Le Tour and Zwift standards. I estimate I'm right around 90kg, so my w/kg ratio is still pretty low to go racing on Zwift, and my top end is 750w max I think? I should probably work on that 30-second or 1-minute power, but eh fuckit. I'm mostly happy with increasing how hard I can push over an hour, since what we have in Colorado is 1-3 hour climbs followed by 10-45 minute descents.
Mostly I don't post in here as my setup is pretty dialed... I just use the Wahoo KICKR Snap to get the power thing into Zwift. Once outside riding returns in earnest, I'll probably only hit the trainer very occasionally when I am just not able to get out for a ride but want to get a quick 30-minute spin in. And when I'm outside, I don't give two shits or a fuck about power and watts and FTPs and such, so I (probably) won't be getting pedals or crank arms or whatever to track it outside. To me, the reason to Ride With Power™ is to hit specific training zones when training, and track progress over time. I just don't see myself training when I ride outside... I decided to train inside in the winter to make the outside riding more funner. Note, this ain't a judgement on anyone that tracks watts on their outside bike, I just doubt I will... I'm more concerned with how fast I can hit corners and if I'm gonna come up short on that root-to-rock gap and explode my rear tire.
My dogs or CJSP's dogs?
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When climbing on ye olde e-bike I track my heart rate now and then (via looking down at my watch running Strava). I try to stick to HRs that'd correspond to high zone 1/low zone 2 power. Actual power data would be fun but certainly not near-$1k-in-hardware fun.
This makes my ride more fun in that I don't blow up. That's the real beauty of the e-bike for me: I stay in the effort zone I want to be in but still have a nice, brisk ride instead of wallowing up Mountain Lion for an hour or the like.
You need a heart rate monitor to tell you when your heart is going to explode?
I think I'm right around 45 minutes on that climb, on a good day. Interested to see how long it'll take me this summer. Even a few minutes faster seems like a big gain, especially if I'm consistently a few minutes faster. And if that few minutes can be had with the same or less effort? FKNA.
EDIT TO ADD: I do think I "get it" why you (and so many other people) dig the eMTB. I try not to give you too much shit, you seem to take enough of it. I mean eMTBs still rustle my jimmies a bit in general, but I'm starting to become more ambivalent to them even leaning towards acceptance.
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i definitely noticed an improvement in actual riding as well. climbs i used to struggle up in my lowest gear i'm not able to climb in a higher gear.Yeah, still checking in on this thread when it gets updated... though it does seem to have largely become the @Toshi Peloton Workout Thread.
I'm still also Riding With Power™ down in my basement a couple-three times a week. Generally one-off workouts or "group rides" with some guys on another forum... I am not following any structured workout plan, program, or philosophy per se. I can definitely tell a difference in my fitness IRL, and a couple riding buddies have noticed as well. So it's cool that putting in some work is having a reward, and mostly it's felt less like "training" and has even been a bit fun... ish. Kinda.
Just last night Zwift has decided my FTP has increased, it's now sitting at 254, when I did a test back in December it was 214. That was a 20-min test which is estimates 1-Hour FTP as 95% of the avg watts for that 20 minutes. You all know this, of course. Anyways, Zwift has bumped up my 1-Hour FTP estimate three times now, and 40w is an increase of 18-19% or so in just a handful of months. I'd be tempted to call bullshit on this, except as I mentioned above I am noticing a difference in real life. I also don't know how Zwift makes this decision, though we did push pretty hard in the group ride last night for 46 minutes and change, and I would assume there was a 20-minute period in there where I was averaging ~270w or whatever it would take to bump my FTP up. I'm a heavy fucker, though, especially by Le Tour and Zwift standards. I estimate I'm right around 90kg, so my w/kg ratio is still pretty low to go racing on Zwift, and my top end is 750w max I think? I should probably work on that 30-second or 1-minute power, but eh fuckit. I'm mostly happy with increasing how hard I can push over an hour, since what we have in Colorado is 1-3 hour climbs followed by 10-45 minute descents.
Mostly I don't post in here as my setup is pretty dialed... I just use the Wahoo KICKR Snap to get the power thing into Zwift. Once outside riding returns in earnest, I'll probably only hit the trainer very occasionally when I am just not able to get out for a ride but want to get a quick 30-minute spin in. And when I'm outside, I don't give two shits or a fuck about power and watts and FTPs and such, so I (probably) won't be getting pedals or crank arms or whatever to track it outside. To me, the reason to Ride With Power™ is to hit specific training zones when training, and track progress over time. I just don't see myself training when I ride outside... I decided to train inside in the winter to make the outside riding more funner. Note, this ain't a judgement on anyone that tracks watts on their outside bike, I just doubt I will... I'm more concerned with how fast I can hit corners and if I'm gonna come up short on that root-to-rock gap and explode my rear tire.
My dogs or CJSP's dogs?
heart rate alone doesn't directly correlate to power. you also need to factor in cadence as well as gearing.
Nice, dude. Being less tired at the top of a climb equates to "moar funner" on the descent in my brain. I'm not yet sure if I'll be pushing higher gears on the common big climbs around here, haven't gotten to riding them yet this year on account of snow and such. But riding with a couple buddies who I ride with often has been the marker for me. I'm much closer on the climbs to the buddy I have that did 3k miles/300k vert on dirt last year and is just a strong MFer anyways... and I actually put the screws to my other buddy who has been historically just a bit faster than me on climbs for the last few years. I mean... duh-ROPPED him on a 3200' climb. So that was fun.
Haven't been on the trainer as the weather has been good riding outside if not always on trails. On my evening road rides on DH casing tires I hit a few really steep hills. Have gone from just trying to survive to the top to pushing myself and doing so in a higher gear.
yea, we also have different climbs around here. very little sustained climbing, its predominantly short, punchy climbs. it still helps me keep my pace up, which is nice.Nice, dude. Being less tired at the top of a climb equates to "moar funner" on the descent in my brain. I'm not yet sure if I'll be pushing higher gears on the common big climbs around here, haven't gotten to riding them yet this year on account of snow and such. But riding with a couple buddies who I ride with often has been the marker for me. I'm much closer on the climbs to the buddy I have that did 3k miles/300k vert on dirt last year and is just a strong MFer anyways... and I actually put the screws to my other buddy who has been historically just a bit faster than me on climbs for the last few years. I mean... duh-ROPPED him on a 3200' climb. So that was fun.
edit: i should probably note that i felt better/stronger climbing (and riding in general) on my ride this past weekend that i did at the end of last year. so theres that.
Yeah but his point isn't that he's trying to hit those power zones exactly, but rather that he knows what his heart rate is when he's in those zones on the Peloton and knows he can sustain that HR for a period of time to get him to the top of the hill and not be gassed. I see the logic in it, it's basically about using an actual measuring device instead of going by perceived effort. I am pretty in tune with PE for myself, I feel like I can pretty accurately ride an "all day pace" without knowing what my HR or w/kg just by how my body feels. The Doc is just adding a metric in there to ensure it.
I think.
True. I ride at similar cadences indoors and out, though, so I'm at least in the ballpark. For me I can definitely tell when I'm 150 bpm+ by feel, the blowing up and all. The watch feedback is more so that I can stick to 125 bpm instead of 135.
Exactly! and then take that thought to its logical end... (noting that riding an e-bike doesn't mean that one can't strive to improve one's own native power a la this thread)
If you're insinuating that the "logical end" is that an eMTB is moar funner because one is less tired at the top, well that logic doesn't account for the fun to be had on the climb when completely under one's own power.
what's weird for me is that i find it easier to hold a higher sustained BPM with lower perceived effort while riding outdoors than on the trainer. or maybe that's not so weird?
but yea, being able to hold a consistent cadence is crucial. i got real good at the riding fixies in college.
more funner = ski lift up, DH bike down.
I mean, there's a reason Pivot named their eMTB the Shuttle.
where's the tailgate pad for it then?
I think that is normal. For me riding outside, especially on a MTB, gets the endorphins and adrenaline flowing making the perception of effort disappear.
I don't think that's weird- it's easier to go harder and still be comfortable outdoors. Cooling is part of it, fun is another. For a long time, I was struggling to push 160BPM on the trainer. I did a few laps of a 4mi loop nearby and was pushing 165 the entire time, which at the time was zone 4 for me...so a really hard pace.
This is the thing. I wanted to measure power to be able to train more efficiently. I originally set up my trainer to lose weight. After a couple of years, it's turned into a sport-focused training in order to improve actual riding outdoors. I never got "training rides" outside, as I usually ride for fun, but when the weather turned nice and I had intervals on the agenda, I put two and two together and went outside and did a tabata set in the bright sunny air.
I usually am competing only with myself- comparing current ride PRs against previous PBs in order to see if I am improving...and yes, I'm a stravathlete/sshole (on the road). Boston has some fantastic riders and roads, and chasing these guys is a nice challenge in and of itself. Since I'm usually riding solo whenever I get the opportunity rather than on scheduled group rides, I need some motivator aside from "it's nice out". On the trail, I don't compete- I ride for fun/social/personal challenge...but I think 90% of you have at least at one point tried to race a buddy or be faster up a section than somebody else...strava just records it for you.
Anyways- I feel stronger at the start of this season than I have at the end of any season ever before. I wish I had gotten a PM earlier as I feel it's immediately made a change in my training...knowing my power zones lets me push my body whereas I was just staring at HR before, and that's a pretty shitty measure I'm coming to realize.