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Any users of Trainer Road? Thoughts on it please.

Title says it all really. Just signed up for it only to discover that I need to get a Ant+ dongle phone or computer adapter thingy.
Have 30 days to cancel but would like to hear what users think of it.
Thanks.

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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14 comments

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fixedgeartony | 9 years ago
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Ianrob - thanks for the heads-up. will get back to it and follow your advice for Virginia this week.

KiwiMike - thanks sorted with all the HR, cadence and PM kit.

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KiwiMike | 9 years ago
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If you have an iPhone 4S or newer, or a new-ish Android, SportsTracker sell Bluetooth Smart/LE cadence/speed sensors for £27 on Amazon. We have two in the house now.

Seem to be the same as Wahoo et al, but not £40+.

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ianrobo | 9 years ago
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No like any plan it is vital to stick to what it says. The first weeks are about base endurance and will be easier than expect but it will ramp up.

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fixedgeartony | 9 years ago
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How important is it to stick to the target power TR plan states? 1 week in to the mid volume 1 base plan and feel I can over achieve but not sure if I should?

201 FTP - Wattbike ramp test in Nov 14.
176 FTP - TR 20 min test in Jan 15. Despite gym strength training, Spin and 50k in runs a week since Nov.

Any advice would be appreciated....

(TR iOS app, Wahoo ANT+ case linked to Wattbike).

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Eebijeebi | 9 years ago
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There will be a slight delay in using Trainer Road whilst my Powertap wheel is rebuilt and I get my bike back from LBS with hopefully a clean bill of health.

Always, always, always push the locking pin in when you attaching the turbo to the skewer.

Who the fek manages to crash in their own lounge!

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fenix | 9 years ago
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its awesome.

Use their plans too.

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Eebijeebi | 9 years ago
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I do have a PM, just looking for a bit more structure than my own ad hoc efforts and the video idea sounds interesting.

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giobox | 9 years ago
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Trainer road is excellent, the Sufferfest video integration is really good as well. I'd go as far as to argue, assuming your bike has no 'real' power meter, a turbo trainer is a wasted investment without trainer road or similar. You simply can't exploit the potential of a trainer without establishing an FTP base line.

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mellowmiles | 9 years ago
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Got it last month when i got a wahoo kickr to fully establish the pain cave and definitely love the set up. HRM, Cadence sensor and kickr PM all picked up and display next to the realrides videos i've been doing. straightforward to set up and definitely feels more involving than just pounding the miles away.

I'd say if you're planning some regular sessions over winter and occasional use during summer it's worth the investment.

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Eebijeebi | 9 years ago
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Thanks for the info chaps. Have now ordered a stick thingy for the laptop and look forward to having a go.

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fukawitribe | 9 years ago
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Started to use a couple of winters ago for injury recovery, as I couldn't ride unsupported, and now actually look forward to it (as best one can). The sheer number of rides can look somewhat daunting but I find the design, choice and depth of plans to be very good.

The desktop application is very good - easy to use, robust and improving - and the work-out editor started out pretty good and has got a lot better over the last year or so.

Video integration is excellent. I use a few (RideFit, Epic, Cyclocore) but by far my favourite is The Sufferfest and the Tour of Sufferlandria is coming up in a few weeks which is good craic with or without the visuals (9 days of indoor 'racing').

As you can drop in and out of TrainerRoad and retain your training history it's a doddle to only use it when you want but I tend to use it randomly throughout the year so go for the yearly sub, YMMV.

I'd be tempted to give it a whirl, the training options are excellent, the support is top-notch, the subscription is cheap and flexible and the USB ANT+ stick is cheap - and you could always use with another online training setup if TR isn't your thing or re-sell it.

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Ropedoctor | 9 years ago
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Have used it the past two winters, well worth the money as long as your turbo or rollers are on the list. Do the 8 minute or twenty minute test to start with and follow the plan that best suits your time constraints. By the end of the winter I can see a marked improvement in my FTP etc.

The latest version for Apple devices is out, however the only Ant+ dongle they say is compatible is a bit of a rip off, and its only really set up for the iPhone so far.

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Ropedoctor | 9 years ago
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Have used it the past two winters, well worth the money as long as your turbo or rollers are on the list. Do the 8 minute or twenty minute test to start with and follow the plan that best suits your time constraints. By the end of the winter I can see a marked improvement in my FTP etc.

The latest version for Apple devices is out, however the only Ant+ dongle they say is compatible is a bit of a rip off, and its only really set up for the iPhone so far.

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ianrobo | 9 years ago
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You can get a cheap ANT+ USB stick from Amazon, I got one for £15.

Trainer Road is superb, for a few quid a month you get plans, a very good virtual power meter rather than spending £600 at least on one and good interface that has worked every time for me.

I presume you have a decent turbo trainer to take full advantage of the virtual power ?

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