ric_stern/RST said:2laps, it's worth bearing in mind that your Tacx may not be accurate for the purposes of power output. While i have *never* used a Tacx Flow, i have used several other Tacx trainer (Elite, Grand Elite and another) and the power they reported was somewhat different to my PT and SRM. Additionally, each one reported different power values when riding at a constant PT/SRM power. In other words one unit reported higher figures, another reported lower figures, etc.
Ric
2laps said:In the manual they already stated something like that, but i have nothing to compare with, but it seems you did. Would you say there is a avg 10% deviation in power values between the different trainers?
tomUK said:I have both a Tacx Flow and Power-Tap Pro (which I've check the calibration of) and to be quite honest, the figure shown on the Wattage figure shown on the flow is so far out it's not even usable. I've calibrate the Flow as described in the manual, however, this still produces wild readings.
Also, FWIW (old news here), producing 200W on the trainer feels about 50% harder than producing that same wattage out on the open road.
2laps said:tomUK, this comes as a shock to me. You are now telling me that i will not be able to simulate the montoux on my Flow because i can not rely on the Wattage figures it gives me. So my trainer is practically useless for this kind of stuff. I'm stunned. You think the Power-Tap is accurate? (i will have to get one, but i dont know much about it). You also say that the trainer feels harder than the same thing on the road? Do you mean it just 'feels' like it or is it actually harder (more wattage)?
And i thought i climbed the mountain
ric_stern/RST said:2laps, as i suggested in my previous post, it's unlikely that your Flow will be accurate.
The Power Tap is as accurate (if not more so) than the SRM Pro, as has been discussed in quite a few threads previously. The SRM Amateur is less accurate.
Some people find riding a trainer at the same power harder than the road. On the other hand i find it considerably easier than the road (and can generate ~10% more power in a 1-hr TT on the trainer)
Ric
2laps said:Yes, you did tell me the flow was not accurate enough but still i had some hope (could live with a 10% deviation) but the way tomUK presented it, there does not even seem to be any logic in it not being accurate.
If i would to calculate the speed outcome for the given power settings on a flat road, and then train on the flat road for the given speeds, would that give me a good training for the ventoux? Suppose not because my cadence would be much higher?
I just spend money on new gipiemme wheels with campa gears (9s veloce), not even sure if i could still use them if i'm going to buy a power-tap. Ohoh what a setback, i keep spending money and i'm not getting anywhere.
ric_stern/RST said:The Power Tap gets built into an entire wheel, so some or all of your new Gipiemme wheels would be redundant if you purchased a PT.
Additionally, our coaching group (RST; www.cyclecoach.com) who sponsors the forum can help you with these issues if you so desire, and of course there's several other coaches on this forum who would also be able to help.
I see you're in Belgium, do you read "Het Nieuwsblad"? I'm trying to translate an interview i did with them... If you are able to help, i'd be most grateful,
cheers
ric
2laps said:Ok ric, thanks for the info, i think i will visit your coaching group, remind you i'm not a pro
And yes i live in Belgium but no i do not read "Het Nieuwsblad" BUT if you give me some more details for that specific interview (date) maybe i can still get a copy and help you with translation. Or if you have a copy, just send it to me and i will help.
ric_stern/RST said:just to clarify, we coach a wide range of people from recreational/fitness, sportif riders, amateur racers, elite racers, and pro cyclists, as well as other sports such as triathletes, and paralympians. so, please don't worry that you're not a pro.
cheers
ric
Watoni said:Well, as someone who does not have a power meter but trained this year on a trainer (Cardgirus), I can guess that you should get quite low gearing.
Watoni said:I rode an organized century in June that climbed Mont Ventoux from Bedoin and then again from Sault (longer, but easier) for about 106 miles and 12,500 feet of climbing. I rode the climb in somewhere around 1:35 (where in Bedoin do you start the clock?) and rode a few days later in 1:29. I used a 34X23/26 for most of the steep section from the first hairpin after St. Esteve to Chalet Reynard, and did not hesitate to use a 34X29 on some occassions.
Watoni said:When you are fresh it is not so bad since the climb never hits more than about 12% but it is relentless after St. Esteve for 10km, and then gets steep again after Chalet Reynard. Also, I was lucky enough to miss the mistral that was prevalent that week. Good luck!
2laps said:I would like to train for climbing the Mont Ventoux and i would like to do it in about 2hours. Now i have a tacx flow trainer wich gives me a watts indication. I would like to know how much watts i have to produce for about 2hrs to climb the Mont Ventoux. I already went to the analytic.com site, but i don't understand half of it. Some figures: i weigh 64Kg; height: 1m72; Bike weight : +- 7Kg; gears:11-21/39-53; distance +- 20Km and slope avg 8-9%
Can someone pls give me a straight forward answer on this.
franco1 said:Hi 2laps
I'd like to ask you some questions on you Tacx Flow.
1. Do you simply start riding and then it automatically start to record the data or do you have to "start it" somewhere.
franco1 said:2. Do you leave the power connection on the whole night or do you disconnect the power after your sessions.
2laps said:franco,
You only have to plug in the power and you are ready to ride.
However, it does not record data for later use (there is no connection for a computer ) it does show you the current speed, cadence, watts etc.
I always disconnect the power after my sessions. There is no reason why you should leave the power on (data is not stored so you can not loose it)
Firstly I when I switched it on and went to set up I could'nt see my weight. I only saw the last digit.
And I didnt see the "km" sign either did see the Mile one.
Also when I started training and tried to alternate between Gradient and Power I couldn't see the power,only saw the last two numbers. Saw +90 not 190W or 290W
And lastly where do you see the number of Kcal or Kjoules burnt during the session?
What I've done is I've returned it to the shop where I've purchased it as I think there is a problem on the head unit.
2laps said:hi franco, some more questions hé
If you plug in the power you should see the following:
left top corner: frequency(50/60hz) next to it voltage(110/220V)
next rule below:software version number ( p28 or something like that)
next : scale factor (default 100)
next : body weight ( 75 Kg)
bottom line : speed unit (Km or Mi) ont the right Kjoules or Kcal
if you want to see the speed in Mi you should press the SET and MODE buttons until SETUP appears on the screen with the arrow buttons you should be able to alter the weight in steps of 1 Kilo. Press MODE to enter the value (Kg is the only weight unit). After this you should see the speed blinking, again press the arrow button to change this in Mi. MODE to enter.
Next you should see the Kcal/Kjoules. repeat the same procedure.
If you only can see the last digit of your weight you've got a problem.
-check: you can only enter weight between 40 - 120 Kg
-check: are your cable contacts not corroded
-check: temperature should be between: 5 - 35 C or 40 - 95F
Well, eh, i think you do have a problem with your display
You can only see your Kcal burnt if you are wearing a hartrate belt. If you press the MODE button the first line should show you the right numbers.
Did the shop gave any comment on your head unit
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