SBR "U" (Page 27)

Maybe this is a dumb question, by why not just ride in non-erg mode (whatever that's called) and work on holding steady power based on what your PT is reading?  For those of us with "dumb" trainers, we just shift into harder gears for working intervals and easier gears for recovery intervals.

Seems that the CT and PT are not reading the same (not even really within an acceptable error), so until that's all worked out, rides should not be created for the CT erg mode and then analyzed with the PT output or it really doesn't make sense....not to mention, as Marc noted, the CT should force you to a given power regardless of cadence or anything else. 

Sometimes I'm grateful for my "dumb" trainer and single power meter

-13F here this morning. Actually seems nice out. Everything so quiet with all the snow we have now.

From time to time it might help to do so, but most of the time just do what you need to get the work in.

Good luck with the prognosis, Jim - keep us posted. I agree - it is the not-knowing exactly what is going on that is the worst. Once you do you can put together a  plan of attack and execute it - most of us are good at that bit, but we are terrible about the figuring-it-out part.

Ben - I absolutely love, love, love snow silence. We don't get much of that here. Had to face a few below-freezing bike rides the past couple of weeks, but today the weather is turning and should have mid 60s by the weekend. I have a 12 mile trail race on Sunday, so I actually am hoping for a little cooler than that even.

You have that right, Nicole. The only thing worse than having 2 power meters is having 3! I run a Quarq on my road bike, vectors on my TT bike, and when I want to do structured intervals I use a kickr to provide the load. Each of them are a little off from the other, but I may have figured out my issue - I just haven't had a chance to actually corroborate all three with one another.  One cool thing that Wahoo is about to release as a firmware update is the ability for your ANT+ power meter to control the load the Kickr is generating rather than the power meter built in to the kickr itself - it seems this is a much better way to implement ERG mode to me if you already have a power meter on the bike.

Jason - you are definitely one of the lucky ones with the the 975 - I had 3 of them replaced before Quarq gave me a Riken. My wife's 975 has been rock-solid for almost 4 years now, so who knows, right?! A few months ago I began to have similar issues with my Riken that you were experiencing and did the same thing: took it apart, cleaned everything, re-greased and re-torqued the bolts, and after a hard ride in the mountains everything was right as rain. Funny how we actually have to do a little maintenance on our equipment every now and again for it to work properly - heh.

The "funny" thing is that now that I have done that, the one time I rode it with my Kickr since then is that the power numbers were within 1 watt of each other: the kickr had historically been about 8~10w too high, or now maybe I should thing the quarq was that much too low? Who really knows. I know someone mentioned Segal's Law here recently (A man with two watches...) and it really is apropos. 

One of these days soon I am going to make the time to try both he vectors and the Quarq on the Kickr again just to see if there is still any significant offset between the three.

Why not use a 30s average on your screen if you have that much fluctuation?

The best part of only having one PM is that you have nothing to compare it too, thus its always right .  On a serious note, I have never had any noticeable issue with my Powertap G3 - always seems to be consistent from ride to ride.

Jim, hope you get results quickly and a good prognosis. My experience with shoulder issues has been that ROM improvements can be slow (comparatively) but continue for a long time. Good luck.

Ben - Rusty beat me to the snow-silence comment.  It's one of the things I honestly miss about living in the south now (but not enough to take the pounding my friends and family back in New England or north have gotten the past month).  Maybe I just need to visit... 

Nicole - Rusty beat me to the trainer comment (I don't like this "Rusty beat me" trend - I'll have to avoid racing you or James this year!).  I also have a dumb one and have come to enjoy trying to hit a number during an interval.  Not sure it helps pass the time, but I'm trying to convince myself of it!  That said, I've been eyeing those fancy trainers for some time.  Once we move (again!), I might set up a pain-cave and get a smarter one.

I've actually had really good luck with Quarg's - on my roadie and tri bike (I think both are 975's, but now want to go home and look!) have been rock solid for a couple years since I got them.  Must have gotten one of the early "good batches."

Jim - Rusty... Oh, heck, everyone beat me, but I'm also crossing fingers for you.  Shoulders can be a beyotch, so I hope yours is nothing major.  Good news is that they can come back from most anything - just different amounts of time depending.  Again, fingers crossed for it being only a niggle/wonk.

I use an 800 and Kim uses the 500.  I've "borrowed" hers on occasion (think, "I forgot to charge mine") and really like it.  I rarely use the map function on the 800, so the 500 is good.  Wireless upload would be nice, though.

Matt

I'm not sure I am using it "right" either     But I have certainly gotten results from doing it that way.  I don't think when I bought mine there were the options there are now for power on the trainer, the CT was it.

So , just for discussion sake....

I use my CT in erg mode with just the head unit and manually program in the wattage during the workout, given by Shane.  I get off the bike and report to Shane I did the workout as given

What additional steps can I /should I be taking, and what will those steps do for my training?

Honestly curious as if there is something that will make a dramatic difference that I am not doing, I would certainly consider it (within the confines of my limited technical computer abilities and patience levels).  I like data as much as the next guy or girl, but frankly I usually forget to even turn strava on my phone before a ride