Originally Posted by
agarose2000
Which would you take though - smoothness or power? I can always ride smoothly (esp on the rollers) if I'm not going at a pace that's very hard for me. Crank it up to VO2 or above levels though, and it gets substantially more difficult.
To me at least, it seems that the smoothness is more a function of riding within your O2 limits and less a function of technique. I don't think all the technique in the world would allow me to ride smoothly if I'm going all-out on the rollers.Trouble is, for me, the key benefit of the roller/trainer is to be able to go hard. No traffic, no stops, and good reliable computer data. Backing off the top speed just so I can go smoothly seems to detract from this training stimulus.
Thousands of riders have proven your assumption wrong. Keep in mind being smooth does involve physiologic adaptations. They are to your neuro-muscular system. When power is applied by a muscle is just as important as how much is applied. This is critical to efficiency, with "smoothness" being an effect rather than a cause. My experience has been that this is also our slowest adaptation to being a true cyclist.
Don't believe me? Put a pedal at the bottom or top and push on it as hard as you can.