Mates had a really bad elbow after deciding to break, by hand, a fair amount of concrete. He’s seen physio and got exercises but had a go with my powerball, Google them, and seemed to help so got one. It’s not done him any harm and they do say it can help.

Not had a problem with my 510 using glonass in either wooded areas or open, had issues in the past with a 500 dropping signal in woods but never in open ground. Have you made sure that Glonass is enabled as it can be switched off to save battery.
Been very impressed with mine in speed of pick up in new areas and general accuracy compared to the gps alone 500.

I will enjoy the week off the turbo, just need to not do too much other riding as well..
mrblobby, I was well away from max HR and no issues with HR climbing so maybe there is some uplift but not sure what is normal for these sweetspot sessions as this is the first year I’ve used a turbo properly. I’m on the Trainerroad team so the sessions are there and I have been having a look to compare but everyone’s different.
It was just hard from a mental standpoint, I am trying to change from being very sprint orientated to more endurance so the longer sessions are not normal and at mid forties it’s taking its time to change 😉

Palisade today. That was hard.. Don’t tend to do the longer lesser efforts on the turbo, as get plenty of other miles in, so that’s me off the turbo for a week for recovery until Sweetspot part 2.
However got to do some working out backwards from my first event next year to decide on next step and if to skip that. Although I do find the more sprint biased intervals from the xc plan relatively easy so maybe I should keep doing the sessions I don’t like and are not particularly good at.
After all the talk about FTP increases I’ll be interested if I’ve had any, find out in a week 🙂

Ferrals, not good te lack of motivation, it happens for all sorts of reasons. Been racing on and off for a long time, had some big accidents leading to time off the bike, too much work and general life getting in the way but have always come back to the reason why I ride. I enjoy it.
The competative urge ebbs and flows as does the drive to train, don’t be hard on yourself. When the mtb is built up just go for a ride and don’t record it, just ride.
mrblobby, I’ll have a look re local TTs but in winter the main use for the road bikes is comutting. May do a few TTs next year though so could be a sneaky heads up.

Done nearly 4 weeks of sweetspot mid volume, tried to do one of the sessions today on the road coming back from a longer than usual commute. Just couldn’t do it, traffic, bends junctions etc. I also don’t like looking at a screen too much on the road either.
What today did show me though was how much improvement I’ve made in ability to hold a power for longer and having a much better feel for how far to push. Most probably a mental thing, or certainly an element of it.
However was even more surprised when towards the end of an hour ride thought I have a very quick sprint over a railway bridge and hit my highest peak power ever and it didn’t kill the legs 🙂

I use ipad for trainerroad with Kickr and occasionally stages both on BLE with no issues or dropout. Have recently started using a Mio link arm/wrist HR and that runs through BLE perfectly and records on Garmin as well as Trainerroad app. I just need to get a BLE cadence then won’t bother with Garmin on the turbo.
Use the Mio for commutte as well, can be a big of pain to make due in right place but when right no issues, but can’t use on mtb as slips or misreads.

Really fancy one of those, just heard not so good feedback with side loadings and tracking. The small bump sensitivity is supposed to be incredible though, maybe more marathon than for xc racing ? Not seen one on a full sus before and only one on a fat bike in the flesh.

Whitestone, I ride every day either commuting or just messing around in winter and find the rigid nature of a plan difficult to follow so end up following the order but not always the days. I’ve always been more of a sprinter and never done much turbo work before so find the constant efforts interesting… It’s a big mental thing for me not to give up, use an erg trainer so handily don’t get chance or I would.
Gray, as above re FTP but for me sweetspot is hard but as they say it’s not that fatiguing, ie hurts a bit while doing it but can do it again the next day, and the next.
However I did have the thought why ? Not getting paid to do this, never likely to and all this work to hopefully get a few podiums if I’m lucky. Then sod it, why not 🙂

Whitestone, your not helping me… I’m a week behind on sweetspot, Warlow was tough enough yesterday. Very wet, windy and muddy mtb today was a good reminder that I do actually enjoy riding bikes 🙂

Just spun up mine for you and the app shows v2.0.76 and that mine is up to date, I would presume that the 7.6 would be the same ie abbreviated. Contact stages if unsure, they are great at responding.

Tunnabora done tonight, after Kickr tension adjustment only 3 watts ave difference, nice to have a proper sweetspot session as I was struggling on previous ones with the extra 10% loading !
Something going to have to keep an eye on but know easy enough to sort.

To be honest I can live with it having a mechanical issue ie belt tension, something I can monitor and adjust if need be. Just glad I’m in a position that I can test against a known value, be a bit stuffed otherwise. The annoying thing is it was fine a month ago when I compared, I have moved it and done a recalibration in the meantime though.
Life was simpler and less frustrating without gadgets but when they work they are great…

After half an hour of Allen key work, fine tuning the belt tension, got what seems to be a calibrated kickr. Legs are too fried to do a decent session after mtb today but it’s looking good.
Cheers for the pointer mrblobby, seems the key is to calibrate it through the app then mess with tension until matches a trusted power meter.
The remainder of the sweetspot programme is going to be easier 🙂

Dirtyrider, not easy coming back from injury motivation to just get out was the hardest thing for me as just felt so slow. If your fit and happy, fast will come as and when.
No wonder sweetspot training has been pretty hard for me, Kickr definately under reading by 10% now. Tried my wife’s stages and was reading exactly the same as mine, which is a relief as worried my stages over reading.
Using the stages to power match the Kickr seems to be the way to go but not happy using decent bike so going to have to bodge an old road frame.

It’s not what you have become it’s what you will be 🙂
Eclipse tonight for me, put the decent bike on with stages to compare again and to have a proper position, unfortunately my Kickr seems to lost the plot a bit. Had thought it was hard last time when I attempted Eclipse, know why now as the intervals needing iro 330 watts was showing more 360 on the stages.
Bit of faffing about mid session with calibrating Kickr then stages, having a go controlling Kickr with stages then just dropping the % to get HR in the right ball park. Not had a problem before so hopefully just a glitch, going to try some steady state stuff tomorrow to try and get a definitive answer, technology bah.

Gone to work in some stupid winds before, sidewind is far worse than headwind. I know my route very well by now and know where the gaps in the hedges are… Be known to hit well over 400 watts to do 10 mph before and 30mph just sat up and not pedalling.

Thanks, it’s a good thought and something that I need to address. I’m using an old mtb frame as a turbo bike with probably less than perfect set up and have just started on the turbo in earnest this last week and a bit.
Worst bit is that my brother bike fits for a living and would go spare if I told him I’d just chucked a spare frame on the turbo with little thought to set up other than that feels ok..
When I started doing some more road miles a few years ago couldn’t believe how much set up mattered compared to mtb for comfort and it seems the turbo is a step on again.

Knee pain was exactly the reason/excuse I bailed from Eclipse yesterday. It’s funny, watts I can do without an issue as an ave over 20 minutes on the road is a lot harder to do with very little variation and constant work on the turbo.
Really bringing home to me that I have always trained to my strenghs and not my weaknesses, never enjoyed steady state work and have always had a reasonable level of power but not enough fitness or stamina.

Cheers, didn’t know if you had used them prior to this build. Only seem a pair in the flesh on the front of a fat bike, I really like the idea behind them but wifes not convinced.

That looks really well. You used the Lauf’s yet and if so how are you finding them ? Really fancy putting a pair on the front of my wife’s race bike, but she is resisting as they are ‘ugly’.

Joined the STW team as a bit of encouragement to keep going with a plan this winter. Doing the sweetspot mid volume, missing out the steady rides as I ride most days and the turbo is a fill in to get more intensity in winter. Focusing on form, in particular cadence, is going to be good for me as trying to get more leg speed. 75 is ok for me, 120 is interesting !!

Ignore those TSS figures, don’t use Garmin normally for eval, just easier to screenshot the figures.
For some reason my FTP Is not showing right in Garmin and as I don’t use TSS normally, use Strava fitness and freshness, I didn’t click that the TSS was far too much…

Nice one ferrals, it doesn’t really matter what the figure is as long as consistent.
mrblobby, looking at NP – 284 for stages, 274 Kickr. TSS 200 and 186.4. There is a differance and not unexpected seeing that the Kickr loses the peaks when I spin up for intervals, however doesn’t appear to degrade over the session.
Don’t use the Kickr for the big intervals anyway as don’t like to sprint fixed in and really don’t like the frame twisting, turbo for me is to improve my aerobic fitness so if the figures are slightly low will just give me incentive 😉

Just done Goddard using Kickr in erg mode with a stages recording on a separate device. Top graph shows Stages and bottom Kickr. Ave pwr Stages 245, Kickr 242. Hadn’t realised Goddard included single leg drills so didn’t do them as obviously this would have skewed the figures massively.
More than happy with carrying on using just the Kickr after seeing this, what this experiment has shown me that while the Kickr being reactive is slower to show peaks and troughs in comparison to the Stages it doesn’t really affect the overall result. The spikes in the last two intervals are down to a big jump in cadence and the Kickr resistance catching up.
Did this after once again reading about Kickr misreading issues, I seem to have a good one 🙂

Look at an mtb plan and do the last week, as they are set up as a taper week ie short but intense sessions. Or just do any short session with a high intensity factor. Idea is to not fatigue but still push a bit.

Got a Kickr and a stages, if I use my road bike on the Kickr with stages measuring the power and not controlling it I find it difficult to maintain a power accurately enough and match what TR is asking for. Not been much of a turbo user before so might just be me.
However when I use the erg mode it matches the resistance perfectly, no need to change gear can just alter cadence when want to.
If I had got a ‘normal’ turbo I wouldn’t be using it now, basically I am lazy and probably would back off but don’t get the opportunity with the Kickr. Was worried re resistance initially when looking at turbo’s but no issues at all with the Kickr.

Wasnt meaning dodgy data as such, just exactly what you’ve cut and pasted. I’ve got a fair bit of power data now and can, without overthinking it, use that while out on the bike.
For me to have one set of data offroad and one set on road would be far too confusing and would also distort any TSS.

Really rate them on my mtb’s, would like to use on road but run a stages power crank and understand they can distort the figures, this has stopped me getting a stages for the mtb as wouldn’t want to lose the oval off-road.
However looking again, thanks to your link, may get one for my singlespeed roadie if I can get the gearing right.

Funnily enough did Mountfield last night, starting the Sweetspot mid volume, not going to manage the two and half hour sessions though couldnt cope on a turbo that amount of time ! I normally ride everyday but the intensity drops through winter so I am hoping doing a proper turbo programme will maintain and improve gains made this year.
Aiming to increase pwr by at least 0.2 by March to 4.7, doubt I’ll lose weight so more power needed !

Trail rat has it spot on re not forgetting to ride a bike. I use the turbo and road bike for fitness and strength in winter but make sure I get plenty of mtb hours in, don’t have to ‘worry’ about training then. It’s meant to be fun as well.

Used Thunder Burts front and rear in the latter part of last season, very fast rolling and find the transition onto the side more confidence inspiring than the Ikon I had been using. Running on American Classic race wheels that give them bit more volume and ability to run lower pressures than I would normally.

Always wanted a Lancia Integrale, about 15yrs ago had the money ready and waiting. Perfect evo found in Yellow, bottled it. Regretted it ever since but in a way glad didn’t, should never meet your heroes…

Rolled rather than folded for me. Worked for years.

Depends on the rim and the tyre, some combinations are really tight and may only need one, some slack and need more. Not a hard and fast rule but to be fair two is probably more likely.

Can be needed for bead seating rather than just sealing, so yes sometimes more than one.

As far as I know you can’t put the tokens in the dual positions ? If that matters to you. Recently put some pikes on instead of old coil lyriks, what a difference. But trying a token in it at the mo so it ramps up a bit more.

Test ride if at all possible, not ridden a top fuel as yet but they are very differant propositions. Top fuel, hopefully, will be a xc race bike that can be used a trail bike and the fuel ex is a trail bike that could be used as a xc race bike.
For me if your focus is fast xc then top fuel or if wanting a more all round bike then fuel ex, which sounds more like it if you want a dropper. I have a trek superfly FS that I have put a dropper on but don’t bother normally as it is my race bike, done plenty of trail centre black and reds on it but feel like I am battering it a bit…

Agree with a lot of the comments re fitness having a bearing on cramps, however general hydration in normal life can have a huge impact when asking the body to go above what is normal. I ride and race a fair bit and know that the only time I will really suffer from cramp is either being dehydrated (not drinking enough in the past few days) or pushing just that bit too hard.
Loads of info re interval training to help re fitness if short of time, as said before need to mix it up as body adapts to certain stresses and caters for that stress.
Good luck and hope find a solution soon.

Got a power meter last year for the road bike. Same as you used Golden Cheetah, read a few books, looked at power to weight charts etc etc
Wanted to understand it fully, then realised it wasn’t going to happen and why did I want to know ? Was it for numbers sake or actually benefitting cycling ?
Then got trainerroad from advice on here and It has given me far better understanding of training from identifying strenghs and weaknesses to my first proper training plans in a ‘few’ years of mtb racing and the results have been very worthwhile.
Don’t get too caught up in the numbers, unless you enjoy that sort of thing..