daneil

I just got a new (used) Mag trainer and last night was the first night on it. I surprised the hell out of myself by cranking out a 10mile tt in 24min at an average cadence of 105 and heart rate of 140 (my max is 180). Now I don't know where this puts me. I know that on my usual 20-25 mile relatively flat weekend rides I certainly don't average 26 mph. Does this mean that it's in my head that I only average 17-18 mph, or is it all in the aerodynamic drag? I'm just trying to figure out what this all means and how to train effectively to start racing next year. Thanks all. I appreciate the help.

ultimate

Forget comparing the two, its like chalk and cheese. If you intend to ride the trainer regularly they are usefull for measuring how well you are going by riding a set distance at a set heart rate and see what time you do. Make sure the bike is the same, and the setup is the same each time (ie same tyre pressures)

nutbag

I'm not sure if this will help, but I'm totally obsessed with counting
my miles (i don't know why), so I panicked when it was obvious to
me that the miles on the trainer didn't correspond to those done on
the road. So I synchronized (and calibrated) a Cateye computer with
my heart rate, based on my experience of what HR on the road corresponds
with what speed. For example, I know that 60% max HR corresponds to a speed
of roughly 20 mph, so I went from there.

While obviously not completely accurate, I think it's better than
just leaving it up to a normally calibrated speedo.

cyclezealot

HEre we rarely have to resort to trainers since we have nice weather almost all the year...I usually count trainer time in how many tunes i listen to.
Usually use the trainer only when desperate for a ride and cant' get one in otherwise. But, yes, putting an odometer on the rear wheel will give you some stats.