Don't Skip That Work Out Tomorrow...

Wow.  This really hits home to anyone my age (Canadian or not).

Thought provoking stuff.  I will not miss tomorrow's workout.

Don't let this happen to you friends.

http://youtu.be/Qo6QNU8kHxI

Inside the CycleOp's Fluid 2 Trainer...

Photo - Courtesy CycleOps

For anyone who's interested in what goes on inside a fluid based cycling trainer go here:

http://www.bicycling.com/bikes-gear/bikes-and-gear-features/how-it-works-fluid-bike-trainer

The illustration above shows the Cycleops Fluid 2 trainer.

Felt Z-85 Long Term Review...

Date Reviewed: April 18, 2013

Strengths:    Value, comfort, performance.

Weaknesses:    Paint (USA - 2012 version ). OEM Brakes.

One of 2 Felt bikes in my assortment and arguably the one I like the most based on 9500 miles of riding experience with this bike during the past 2.5 years. This was my first Felt bike (also recently purchased an F4). 

Comfortable and predictable ride, good choice of components out of the box (2012 version anyway). Straight off the sales floor this is a great everyday training bike for the Cat 3-4 racer or the perfect tool for the weekend group rider. The OE build offers both great performance and solid value for the money. Can't add much more to the previous reviews other than to reinforce the positive and say you definitely need to upgrade the brakes. Immediately if you live in hill country.

For someone looking for a long term relationship with this bike note that it is totally worth upgrading the group-set (or individual components) as the stock 105 components wear out. The frame is worthy, even if others might scoff at the idea of putting higher level components on an alloy "recreational" frame.

I've upgraded my saddle to a Prologo Skratch Pro, the crank to a full size Ultegra 6601, the front and rear mech's to Ultegra 6600 and my wheels to Ksyrium Equipe (which came from my F4, but which wears Cosmic Carbones). I changed out the brakes to 105 very soon after initial purchase and started riding Conti GP4000s when the OE Vittoria Rubino's wore out. Built up with these components the bike is a very solid trainer or A level group ride or fondo bike.

The only issue I've had is with the paint bubbling-up around the breather holes in the seat stays, seat post clamp area and bottle cage bosses. A little irritating since I basically put the bike thru a pro-level cleaning after every ride, but not structural and I suspect easily repaired. In fact it probably says a lot about how much I like this bike that I am considering investing in a custom paint scheme in the near future.

Bottom line:  You could do a lot worse and might be hard pressed to do better! 

Can Trainer Road and the CycleOps Fluid 2 Trainer Produce Consistent Results?...

Test-1 @ 80 rpm

Test-1 @ 85 rpm (dropping 2 cogs)

Test-2 @ 80 rpm

So one of the biggest questions about Trainer Road (and other similar programs) that produce a virtual power is "Are the numbers accurate?" or "Can they produce repeatable results?"

My somewhat non-scientific testing done today and seen in the charts to the left would seem to indicate that the results are repeatable enough to allow use of the program as a reliable training tool.

Are the numbers the same as you would get using a $1000 to $1500 power meter?  Probably not.  But they do match up pretty well to the numbers I got last year riding on the CompuTrainer, a system which sells for $1600 plus and that doesn't include all the software necessary to graph results and create workouts.  My testing was done by warming up the trainer for 5 minutes.  Then spinning for a minute at as consistent a cadence as humanly possible.

Test-2 @ 85 rpm (dropping 2 cogs)

One minute tests were done at 80 rpm and then dropping 2 cogs and spinning for one minute at 85 rpm.  Then the bike was removed completely  from the trainer, a bit of air was let out of the rear tire and the resistance unit backed off from it's clutch locked tire tension position.

The tire was then aired up again to 100 psi, the bike placed in the trainer and locked into the same position.  The resistance unit was then tightened until the clutch mechanism slipped one notch indicating proper tension on the tire.  The second set of tests was then run.

As you can see from the charts, the results are very similar, accurate to a watt or two at the same cadence.  That's close enough that I think it safe to say you can use Trainer Road and similar programs as a useful (if not completely accurate) training tool.  And given the cost it's a bargain for the cyclist that would like to train with power on occasion but who isn't ready to take the $1500 plunge into crank or pedal based power metering.

As I spend more time using the program I will post updates, so stay tuned :-)

(For those interested: Testing was done using a Mavic Ksyrium Equipe wheel with a CycleOps Trainer tire inflated to 100psi, CycleOps Fluid 2 trainer with slip clutch tension adjustment and Garmin GSC-10 speed/cadence sensor.  The test file was then exported from Trainer Road and imported to Strava for "analysis").

Trainer Road Update...

So here's yesterday's workout from TrainerRoad (www.trainerroad.com).

After about a week of using it I'm starting to understand the program a little better and find it loaded with potential.

Workouts can be scaled up or down depending on the intensity you want and the on screen coaching works pretty well.  For example in the 4 tempo blocks shown here the coaching prompts tell you what goal is for cadence in each block, when to work out-of-saddle and what to watch for in terms of form (knees straight up and down, light on the pedals, kick forward over the top of the pedal stroke, etc.).

So I think this will be my trainer software of choice for when I'm stuck indoors this season.  Now I just need to figure out how to best work with video to keep longer workouts entertaining.

Holiday Gift List for the Cyclist on Your Shopping List...

Everyone seems to be putting together top-ten gift lists, so here's one I put together for the Prouty (or other) event rider on your Holiday shopping list:

Road ID Interactive. – On the road peace of mind for cyclists or runners.

http://www.roadid.com/Common/default.aspx

Strava Premium Membership. – Track your rides, watch your friends & claim KOM’s.

 http://www.strava.com

SRAM Handlebar mount for Garmin Edge. – Great improvement over standard mount. Puts the unit out front for better visibility and access

Garmin Edge 500 or Edge 510. – GPS based bike computer.

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/into-sports/cycling/cIntoSports-cCycling-p1.html

Garmin GSC-10 Speed/Cadence sensor.

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/into-sports/cycling/cIntoSports-cCycling-p1.html

Continental GP 4000s tires. – One of the very best road tires out there and don't under-rate the importance of good tires.

http://www.conti-online.com/www/bicycle_de_en/themes/race/

Shimano Ultegra Carbon Pedals. – A great bang-for-the buck upgrade you can make to any bike.

http://bike.shimano.com/publish/content/global_cycle/en/us/index/products/road/ultegra/product.-code-PD-6800.-type-.pd_road.html

Shimano C 24 Wheelset. – Better wheels are the best upgrade you can make to any OEM spec bike.  Watch those Ulitmate miles melt away under this all-around wheelset.

http://bike.shimano.com/publish/content/global_cycle/en/us/index/products/wheels/road_wheels/product.-code-WH-9000-C24-CL.-type-.wh_road.html

Professional Bike Fit – The benefits of a professional bike fitting are huge.  Increased comfort, improved power output and better handling are just a few.

http://drummondcycles.com/about-us/

http://thebikehub.com/

Prouty Ulitmate (Full) Donation. – The Ultimate Holiday gift for the rider who's been very, very good this year!

http://cancer.dartmouth.edu/dv/friends_event_prouty_ultimate.html