Cateye accuracy

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Anyone know how accurate the cateye cyclosimulator is?
Thanks

Anyone know how accurate the cateye cyclosimulator is?
Thanks

it's simply not accurate whatsoever, and each cyclosimulator displays significantly different powers for the same external power. for e.g., two of the riders i coach have one, and when i rode both the simulators at a steady 300 (SRM) W (with both of them on the same 'incline' or whatever the grade measure is) one said i was riding at 200 W, and the other said i was riding at 700 W. whilst riding other cyclosimulators (at different powers) i've noticed hugely different/wild estimates of power.

it's a great feeling unit though!

ric

it's simply not accurate whatsoever, and each cyclosimulator displays significantly different powers for the same external power. for e.g., two of the riders i coach have one, and when i rode both the simulators at a steady 300 (SRM) W (with both of them on the same 'incline' or whatever the grade measure is) one said i was riding at 200 W, and the other said i was riding at 700 W. whilst riding other cyclosimulators (at different powers) i've noticed hugely different/wild estimates of power.

it's a great feeling unit though!

ric
Are there any trainers that you know of that are cheaper than the computrainer and give a somewhat accurate power output?

Are there any trainers that you know of that are cheaper than the computrainer and give a somewhat accurate power output?

I've used Elite, Tacx, Cateye, Computrainer and others and not found them overly accurate. However, as i have a variety of power meters at my disposal i chose my trainers based on other factors - e.g., feel, how easy it is to store, whether it can be used online to 'ride' against others, etc.

i would also guess it depends on how much you have to spend on a trainer?

ric

Are there any trainers that you know of that are cheaper than the computrainer and give a somewhat accurate power output? What exactly do you wish to get? A trainer with a good feel or a good power meter? Unless you're willing to spend over a couple thousand dollars you have to choose between the two. The cheapest thing to do is forgo the power meter altogether and ride a longish known climb and us analyticcycling.com. It's amazingly close to the numbers that people get when they compare the data versus using a power meter.

What exactly do you wish to get? A trainer with a good feel or a good power meter? Unless you're willing to spend over a couple thousand dollars you have to choose between the two. The cheapest thing to do is forgo the power meter altogether and ride a longish known climb and us analyticcycling.com. It's amazingly close to the numbers that people get when they compare the data versus using a power meter.
I wanted a combination of the two. But, since I already have a somewhat decent trainer, a power meter would be the best option. Using the hill and analyticcycling.com might let me estimate my power, but it would be hard to train using "power" unless I used that hill exclusively, right?

I wanted a combination of the two. But, since I already have a somewhat decent trainer, a power meter would be the best option. Using the hill and analyticcycling.com might let me estimate my power, but it would be hard to train using "power" unless I used that hill exclusively, rig
ght? Actually I do most of my longish intervals on the same two or three hills just because I have a limited amount of time to train (and get to good hills) and many close hills are unsuitable for *me* to maintain a constant power for over 5 minutes. Your physiology, situation and location may be different.

There are a several options short of buying a power meter
a.) find several hills of known length and altitude to mix it up
b.) get a coach who will rent you a power meter
c.) train with friends who have power meters
d.) reportedly the HAC 4 works pretty well on uphill portions so you could use that in lieu of recording your time and going to analyticcycling.com

One thing I do instead of the 2x20's is 8x5 or however many I can do on a shorter hill with no rest between repeats just because this hill is much easier for me to get to than a 20 minute hill.

Actually I do most of my longish intervals on the same two or three hills just because I have a limited amount of time to train (and get to good hills) and many close hills are unsuitable for *me* to maintain a constant power for over 5 minutes. Your physiology, situation and location may be different.

There are a several options short of buying a power meter
a.) find several hills of known length and altitude to mix it up
b.) get a coach who will rent you a power meter
c.) train with friends who have power meters
d.) reportedly the HAC 4 works pretty well on uphill portions so you could use that in lieu of recording your time and going to analyticcycling.com

One thing I do instead of the 2x20's is 8x5 or however many I can do on a shorter hill with no rest between repeats just because this hill is much easier for me to get to than a 20 minute hill.
Don't know anyone with a power meter. That would be cool. I really don't have any hills that are long enough to do intervals on that hold a steady grade. Well, maybe 1 but it has a short downhill in the middle. I usually do intervals on my current trainer and keep track of gears/cadence/tire pressure to track improvement.

Don't know anyone with a power meter. That would be cool. I really don't have any hills that are long enough to do intervals on that hold a steady grade. Well, maybe 1 but it has a short downhill in the middle. I usually do intervals on my current trainer and keep track of gears/cadence/tire pressure to track improvement.
You could make a trip on a weekend to a known hill and try to gauge fitness every once in a while like that. Or if you live near a velodrome you can do known distances in a somewhat controlled setting without the hill and use analyticcycling.com.

I have trouble calibrating my effort with perceived exertion - it's super hard for me to maintain power over little dips in hills so that's part of why it's just easier for me to find a hill that's constantly going up rather than doing an interval on a rolling course. You may not have these issues with perceived exertion. Also, even when I think I am maintaining constant cadence and power, I look down and see the power fluctuating quite a bit.

I wanted a combination of the two. But, since I already have a somewhat decent trainer, a power meter would be the best option. Using the hill and analyticcycling.com might let me estimate my power, but it would be hard to train using "power" unless I used that hill exclusively, right?


If you can afford one, get a power meter (PT is best for money; SRM Pro is good but expensive). You can use it on any trainer and outdoors, too.

If you have the cash, a dedicated trainer may be useful (though their power functions may not be great). However, I would highly recommend getting a power meter FIRST. It's so much more useful than just about any expensive equipment you can buy, except the bike itself.

If you can afford one, get a power meter (PT is best for money; SRM Pro is good but expensive). You can use it on any trainer and outdoors, too.

If you have the cash, a dedicated trainer may be useful (though their power functions may not be great). However, I would highly recommend getting a power meter FIRST. It's so much more useful than just about any expensive equipment you can buy, except the bike itself. A dedicated trainer would not be worth the money unless it was the SRM or PowerTap equipped one which cost more than a power meter by itself. Every report I've seen indicates you need to calibrate the other ones to a known power meter and with the SRM and PowerTap trainers, at least one can calibrate (SRM)or check the calibration(PowerTap). Any other trainer will require you to ride a bike with a power meter to check it's calibration.

A dedicated trainer would not be worth the money unless it was the SRM or PowerTap equipped one which cost more than a power meter by itself. Every report I've seen indicates you need to calibrate the other ones to a known power meter and with the SRM and PowerTap trainers, at least one can calibrate (SRM)or check the calibration(PowerTap). Any other trainer will require you to ride a bike with a power meter to check it's calibration.

I agree, but a dedicated trainer has other benefits to some people. Even if power isn't reliable, things like programmable courses, road feel, stability are selling points.

However, I totally agree with your point and that's why I say first buy a good power meter to use with any old trainer.