If I use a turbo for 1 hour is that the equivalent to riding on the road for 1 hour 30 minutes?

Or will a 1 hour session on the turbo be like 2 hours on the road….

Or is there no difference at all??!!

turbo = hotter

equivalence = depends how hard you work. (I’m told) it’s easier/safer to ride to exhaustion on a turbo since there’s less danger of falling off or getting flattened

Surely it depends on the effort you put in… It is easier to put in maximum effort on a turbo though as scaredypants said. Less to worry about.

I mean more at a steady pace, example…

An average of 15mph for 1 hour but because you are stationary and keeping same pace and same technique for the duration of that hour is that harder then say…

On the road where terrain/condition of road(Down hill) or wind could assist you so your average speed increased/decreased frequently thus making it easier or harder at times?!

Hope that makes sense…

There is NO let up on the turbo though really, whereas on the road unless I am going for it I will take it easy or even coast downhill a lot of the time. No stopping for traffic/junctions/mates/cake/puncture/etc on the turbo either.

Steady state on the turbo is pointless IMO, but I really wouldn’t put all that much difference versus just going outside.

Agree with njee20 regarding steady state on the turbo. It does all depend on what intensities you’re riding at. Got some figures somewhere for riding on the road with a power meter when just riding along and looking at it in terms of things like TSS I think it did work out as 45 mins at 2/3rds FTP on the turbo being very roughly equivalent to an hour and a half of flatish road riding when taking it relatively easy… but it is trying to compare two very different things, each with loads of variables.

Riding turbo trainer for an hour is the equivalent of riding on the road for an hour.

Your clock doesn’t go any faster, you might ride further but you don’t have hills or corners or wind…. Or in fact anything interesting.

Turbos are as mentioned above, for specifics, and riding to exhaustion. Some roads are not safe for this, or just don’t allow you to ride full gas and then recover due to variable road surfaces/gradients/conditions. They are for specific training sessions, not for riding on for an hour and thinking it’s like a 90min road ride.

However I’m sure that there are plenty of choppers across the country sat slogging away as we speak, and have been doing for the last 45 mins, dreaming of ‘winning’ the fred whitton.

How do you do a facepalm smiley?

if you use the turbo or rollers properly, you can do sessions that you would never be able to do on the road – have a look on google for some specific turbo sessions – you can literally ride til you drop on the turbo and in my opinion, that’s what it’s for….if you want to pootle for an hour – go outside!!