The Indoor Riding/ Zwift/ TrainerRoad etc. Thread

Caporegime
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Well thats ToS done, bit of a shame its only 7 stages this year but enjoyed it, especially the new videos.

Few days off then hitting the FTP test on Sunday.
 
Soldato
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I've activated my two free months of Sufferfest. Anything I should know?

It looks like I can run it alongside Zwift, so I guess I'll still clock the miles and XP up there, but try some Suf training plans.

Will try and rest a couple of days and then do the 4DP. (Is there any reason you wouldn't just take your 5s, 1m, 5m and 20m from your Strava/Wattsboard power chart?)
 
Soldato
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Took the bike of the trainer again this morning and with the wheels on, I can hear something rubbing as they spin. It's like the disc pads close in with no disc in? Last time I got a knife and jimmied them apart. This morning I just figured they'd stop as I rode. Tbh, I forgot until I got home and I could still hear something rubbing. Two questions if anyone knows, 1) Why does this happen? 2) What's the tool called that I've seen used to jimmy your breaks back wide? Ta :)

Oh, and also, I realise I pay a lot more attention to my watts and what zone I'm in when riding on the road now I've done some 'proper training'.
 
Soldato
Joined
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Shepley
Took the bike of the trainer again this morning and with the wheels on, I can hear something rubbing as they spin. It's like the disc pads close in with no disc in? Last time I got a knife and jimmied them apart. This morning I just figured they'd stop as I rode. Tbh, I forgot until I got home and I could still hear something rubbing. Two questions if anyone knows, 1) Why does this happen? 2) What's the tool called that I've seen used to jimmy your breaks back wide? Ta :)

Oh, and also, I realise I pay a lot more attention to my watts and what zone I'm in when riding on the road now I've done some 'proper training'.

I’d definitely stick one of those brake block things in there, if you accidentally pull the lever then getting the pads apart is a PITA!
 
Caporegime
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Couldn't do Full Frontal last night due to RL but just finished it and:
vxSvHuc.png

Last time I did the test was 214. Can't tell if I'm disappointed or not really.

My HRM strap is buggered and cut out after 10 seconds. I assure you I was on the redline for most of it :p.
 
Soldato
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Barnet, London
Looking at training plans on Sufferfest, they all seem rather full on and perhaps tricky to keep up with when you work full time. I also can't see how to have a plan actually based on my 4DP results. They recommend 4 workouts to improve my weaker areas, but then how do I get a training plan including them? So, I figure perhaps I'll just put my own together. Does anyone have any experience in this?

I guess best to plan week by week, so what would one week need to contain?

2 x Weaker areas hard workout (indoor, as suggested by 4DP)
1 x Recovery ride (after the hardest ride of the week perhaps? 1hr indoor or outdoor)
2 x 'Foundation' type ride (I'm thinking a steady/slow pace, decent distance outdoor ride)

Thoughts? Suggestions?
 
Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
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Hereford
After the hard TTT on Thursday I was on the verge of riding the new 3R Endurance Race series saturday afternoon but some thinking that morning made me want to do some 'test' rides again on my Flux, alongside 'finishing' TDZ with the catch-up stages (as it was the last day for catch ups and I was 2 stages short). I would then miss the first of the Endurance races, but as it's an 8 week series with your 'best 6 results' I'll ride the morning slot as that'll just fit in better with the changes in weather the next 2 months... To be honest, at the time I thought we'd be locked down for more than half of that, so then I would make the call later on riding it instead of saturday morning club rides for a couple of weeks (seemed a no brainer while things get back to 'normal').

https://www.strava.com/activities/4818709511
Stage 8. Found myself at my absolute limit but power output 'only' around what should be SST, so it reading ~40W low (or more). Also having my FTP incorrectly set on Zwift to 299W (+40/50W high) probably didn't help things as all my zones totally screwed the other way lol :o
https://www.strava.com/activities/4819080083
Straight from the sprint in Stage 8, late joined Stage 1 as my last chance to get it done. Joined with only 7km left to ride, my legs still throbbing... So didn't race it as late join had flung me up the road to a group of 3 riders in around 15th who where just splitting up. So just a measured effort to the end before then pulling up, doing a calibration and then spinning to the end. Couple of half efforts on the NY ramps to see how the numbers where but still not 100% convinced.

So for now I've given up trying to get my Flux V1 100% stable, switched my 4iiii over to the Zwift bike. So that will be primary power on Zwift at least for a few weeks (until I'm riding outside more). Rode a couple of testers/comparisons on sunday to compare the two (with another calibration between the 2 rides) and it does seem to be a bit more accurate now. Number still quite different but it's hard to 'see' when you're riding - head unit vs screen.

So anyone with tips on power dual recording software/analysis? Can I use the ZP one from .fit files rather than ZP events? Did the Flux on my head unit but saved/uploaded as separate activities and just wondered if there was a better way of doing it for comparisons (within Strava/TP/ZP) without additional uploading of .fit files. Most say to use the DCR tool (need to pay) or GoldenCheetah (free but then gotta learn 'another' website/service to get the most of out it!). Can I do it with TP? @xdcx

Cheers Roady, I've seen our local DC for TT's are going to be doing weekly TT's on our local sporting courses, so think I'm going to jump on those once they're set up too. Although the first is on Monday annoyingly. Once I have a few more details i'll post here as anyone can enter.
Mondays would be quite good, to be fair much of the 'week' for Zwifting is structured around race series which have nearly always been on tuesdays and thursdays. Now WTRL do TTT on thursdays every 3R race series moved to a tuesday. But now WTRL do ZRL on tuesdays too...

Oh, and all this indoor training seemed to pay off today, smashed a few PR's this morning :)
Result! :D

Well thats ToS done, bit of a shame its only 7 stages this year but enjoyed it, especially the new videos.

Few days off then hitting the FTP test on Sunday.
Wanted more of a write up than that so convince me I'd missed out! Or some links to your suffering activities just to see how hard you actually went ;)

128th in frappe , not ideal but only 5 of us and mediocre by me.

Nice one on your 14th.
Nice! We actually ended up registered in Z5 and actually rode in Z11! Doh! Admin error and WRTL changing the Zones around didn't help.

Bit of a plead and got us moved to Z11, came in 182nd. Very mixed team with 3 A's (or nearly A's) along, 2 recovering from illness and the other new to TTT'ing. The rest of us just attempted to hang on!

Not going to get a team together this Thursday as several regulars away, going to see if I can get in with a BRT team that's been setup with several local riders. Might be borderline Latte but hopefully Frappe with me there! ;)

I’d definitely stick one of those brake block things in there, if you accidentally pull the lever then getting the pads apart is a PITA!
Not only that, but you can damage the pads getting them apart. Don't do it without pads in the calipers as you will pop a seal/break a piston...

Great, thanks.

Spacers like these perhaps?
Exactly those. New calipers even come with them so if you ask around you may find someone with spares. I've only got 2 otherwise I'd offer one up!

But as mentioned can use anything, they're just a plastic spacer. Those have a little clip so they actually clip onto the caliper mounting bolt so you don't need to hold them while pressing. Plastic or wood are good as strong eould to use to push the calipers apart, but soft enough not to damage the compound. Also shouldn't contaminate it!
 
Associate
Joined
26 Feb 2020
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Kent
I went out on Sunday with a couple of friends who previously I struggled majorly to keep up with in November. I was skeptical that Zwift was actually helping me or if I was just hooked on a computer game. Each week it seemed like it has been getting easier.

Sunday was a breeze. I was waiting for them at the top of the hills every now and then so it must really be helping me. I've now done over 2000km this year, which is double what I did last year.

I measure myself on the Richmond course which is about 16.5km I think. Today I smashed my PB with an under 25 minute for the loop, and a loads of PBs on the way round. Just 9 or 10 weeks ago I thought i was going to collapse after a 10km ride, today I've managed 75km in just over 2 hours and I feel great. Also got an FTP increase to 295 so I must be doing it right.. how much more would it be possible to go up, surely it stops at a certain point!?

1614096613751.png
 
Soldato
Joined
22 May 2003
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10,855
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Wigan
One of those magic days today. Amazing legs seemingly for no reason. Smashed the efforts on Sand and Sequias, one of my favourite routes I know xdxc likes it too.

This was the route which it crashed on me the other week (despite having ridden it before probably 25 times), no issues today on windows 10, but yes I am getting a frame rate drop compared to win7.
 
Soldato
Joined
23 Nov 2004
Posts
10,646
I went out on Sunday with a couple of friends who previously I struggled majorly to keep up with in November. I was skeptical that Zwift was actually helping me or if I was just hooked on a computer game. Each week it seemed like it has been getting easier.

Sunday was a breeze. I was waiting for them at the top of the hills every now and then so it must really be helping me. I've now done over 2000km this year, which is double what I did last year.

I measure myself on the Richmond course which is about 16.5km I think. Today I smashed my PB with an under 25 minute for the loop, and a loads of PBs on the way round. Just 9 or 10 weeks ago I thought i was going to collapse after a 10km ride, today I've managed 75km in just over 2 hours and I feel great. Also got an FTP increase to 295 so I must be doing it right.. how much more would it be possible to go up, surely it stops at a certain point!?

1614096613751.png

It is just a game really but it's amazing the progress you can make on it. Couple of local guys have come on so much using zwift.

I managed windy 30ish ride at 19.3mph average on Sunday at an average of 250w. I could have easily went deeper but it was nice to put numbers to heart rate outside.

Had two crap sleeps in a row and wasn't feeling like a zwift at 8am when I got up. I had a choice for an itt round London to set my time for zwift Scotland to arrange teams better or an APR race with my boss.

He was D so figured 7 minutes gap was a good target to close as a C. So many Bs like myself ruining it a bit for others. A guy was nearly 5w/kg for the whole thing, I could hold his wheel for most of it until he just sat at 6w/kg and put 30s into us who had 2m 40s on the group that was in tatters.

Could have held the power I was doing for the hour as it was mostly comfortable heart rate wise with a bit of a niggle up the drags due to the pro. 303w at 77.5kg so 3.9w/kg. My form was at -11 so will see how I go again when I get around that mark again.
 
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