Turbo trainer: Noob question

[Rochester TVR]

I have just got myself a Turbo trainer. Its nothing special just the £150 Tacx one from decathlon...

Can someone tell me how I can measure the distance I've rode on it? My bike has a computer but thats attached to the front wheel...which is static

Other than moving the computers sensor to the rear wheel can anyone tell me how I can get a rough idea as to how far Im riding? (Doesn't to have to be exact)

Thanks
Lee

[louiebaby]

The distance you've travelled is not really a useful measure on a static bike. The amount of time you spend at a specific heart rate will give you a better measure of how much work you've done.

The lack of wind resistance and hills, although they can be simulated, mean it is difficult to compare with road cycling. It is more comparable with track cycling, but still not that good.

My arse always gets sore after about half an hour, yet I can spend hours on the bike in relative comfort.

[itsnotarace]

I agree it's not comparable to road for actual distance covered. I can have an hour on the turbo and literally be wanting to puke at the end, and what seems like the same effort on the road I can maintain for 4hrs. Not being able to freewheel is the biggest - well you can on the turbo but you know what I mean, the back wheel just stops

[Rochester TVR]

Ok thanks, so my workouts should be concentrating on my BPM / time rather than distance. I just see distance as an easy figure to measure fitness progression over a period of time.

So what I really need now is a heart rate monitor...

My turbo trainer has come with a cycling DVD, I haven't used it yet but how do you find them? Helpful or just a novelty?

[zasker]

I use a HRM but I also bought a cycle computer the also measures your cadence

[PintOfKittens]

Cateye Astrale 8 is a rear wheel sensor with a cadence sensor, will give you distance travelled. Its what I use at home.

And turbo trainers are fking dull. Just saying.

5 miles this morning, another 5 miles when I get in tonight

[IroningMan]

To get the most out of it you need a bike computer that measures speed on the back wheel - and ideally cadence, too, plus a heartrate monitor.

Your speed is the most accurate measure of the power you are delivering, and your heartrate tells you how hard you are working to deliver it: the cadence meter comes in because turbos area good way to train yourself to spin efficiently.

Thus equipped you can build turbo workouts that involve sustaining a target speed for a target period, whether it's long steady base work or short hurtbox intervals.

If you leave the resistance setting on the turbo alone, then you can use the bike's gearing to vary the workload - your speed is then still a reliable measure of what you are achieving.

You can make turbo time a lot more bearable if you vary the gearing and position as often as you would do on the road: go up and down the cassette, switch from big ring to small, stand up, sit down, get down on the drops, up on the hoods etc., but if you're not going a little nuts after two hours then you're a weirdo.

[mcelliott]

Turbos are a great investment for the winter and they can offer so many variations to your training, however I wouldn't bother using one this time of year - just get out on the road and your fitness gains will come just as quickly. I go to organised classes between January and March - doing it with a group of likeminded people makes it a lot easier mentally. I use a Garmin Edge 705 with cadence sensor and obviously the speed sensor off the back wheel. Here's a sample of a typical workout from the winter just gone:

Time: 00:54:23
Distance: 25.76 mi
Calories: 1,451 C
Avg Speed: 28.4 mph
Avg Moving Speed: 28.4 mph
Max Speed: 47.9 mph
Avg HR: 170 bpm
Max HR: 191 bpm