howellhandmade

I know I've seen TrainerRoad threads, but I can't seem to find them using the search function. So, my apologies, I tried.

When you use TR, do you have to follow a preset workout, or can you also use it primarily as a display as you pedal more or less as you feel? Anybody here use TR with rollers?

bruin11

You can use it both ways.

trevorderuise

Yep, as long as you're not in erg mode on a Kickr or computrainer, you can ride freely on any of our workouts. I would recommend using the workout builder to make a flat/simple workout to your desired length and riding on that. This way, you don't have the distraction of intervals going by or the on-screen feedback that our workouts give you.

-Trevor from TrainerRoad

howellhandmade

Thank you very much, Trevor. I've gotten a KK trainer and Wahoo speed/cadence sensor and am just waiting on an ATN+ stick to sign up. I have rollers and have spent a good bit of time on them keeping my cadence up and my heart rate down with the idea of getting my weight down. It strikes me that looking at the computer screen would be a big improvement on squinting at little numbers on the cyclocomputer, especially if your readout somewhere includes calories.

trevorderuise

Absolutely, much better than staring at the cyclocomputer. Our readout does include kJ, which is essentially the same as calories. Will you be using Virtual Power on both the Kinetic and your rollers?

-Trevor from TrainerRoad

howellhandmade

I think I'm more likely to use heart rate on the rollers since I ride them mostly to burn calories on crappy weather days with a side benefit of smoothing my form and raising my cadence. I see that there is a virtual power curve for my Kreitlers, and one of the things I like about the new smaller rollers is that you do get some resistance, but right now there's an inverse relationship between their width and my fatigue. The Kinetic trainer will be the FTP tool.

Thanks again.

bruin11

I thought that I've seen flat freestyle workouts that can be used in this manner listed already.

trevorderuise

Great point, if you search "free" in the workout player you will see all of our free ride workouts. As long as there's a duration you like, these are great options, too.

-Trevor from TrainerRoad

howellhandmade

Trevor, I have a question; it's a bit selfish of me to use this forum as a shortcut to you, but the topic may be of interest to others. When I checked my equipment for virtual power before I signed up, the menu said that Kreitler 2.25 rollers were supported, but on the trainer menu under "devices" now that I have the program, there are no rollers, only forkstands. Is there a trainer that you would suggest as a stand-in for rollers?

I had a couple of workouts with my KK trainer, though, and I think I have it sussed (didn't do the FTP test yet, just my rainy day zone 2 hours). When you say that kJ roughly equal calories, I vaguely remember reading something about the difference and how metabolic inefficiency more or less makes it a wash, but I can't find whatever it was I read online, only calculators that tell me that they aren't equal at all. Can you (or anyone) point me toward a site or discussion that can help me understand?

Thanks!

howellhandmade

Just in case anybody was interested in the answer, the virtual power curves for Kreitler rollers are in the "beta" section of the menu.

Still a little fuzzy on the kJ to calories conversion (when the readout says, say, 550 kJ I KNOW I burned more than the 130 calories the online conversion calculators say), but my weight is getting to the point where I'm not as worried about accurately counting the calories I've burned as I once was.

Spld cyclist

If the online calculators are just giving you the unit conversion between kJ and calories, then you still need to divide 130 by the metabolic efficiency of 0.20 to 0.25 (i.e. 20 - 25%). For example, 130/0.23 = 565 calories.

howellhandmade

Thank you very much. That's exactly the bit I was missing.