Trainer stats

How do you ladies get your stats from riding on your trainer? Do you have a cyclecomputer w/a rear wheel setup? I only have cadence on my rear wheel, but I want to be able to get a speed or at least a distance from my time. How should I do that?

My cyclometer is on my rear wheel (Cateye Astrale), so I get all the same readings as when I ride outdoors (although I really hate the trainer- unless it's absolutely impossible outside :) ).

Alas my computer is on the front wheel. I guestimate.

Guestimating is just fine. If you average 15mph on the road, estimate 15 miles for an hour on the trainer. Of course, it really depends on your intensity (which will affect your speed), but who cares, right?

BTW, I don't program my clients in miles. I simply use time. Mileage is such a variable depending on terrain, wind, traffic, etc. That makes it easy to record your trainer time. One hour = 1 hr.

I use a heart rate monitor, a clock:) and do planned workouts, i.e. interval training, leg spin training and stuff like that. Don't really care about mileage and speed - doesn't matter.

Calculating all the road ride numbers I keep track of in my fitness journal doesn't really apply when I ride my trainer. I HATE my trainer. It lives in my basement with the mice and the walls that are caving in. I have it set up with my ancient Trek 700 that no longer sees the light of day because it weighs a ton. I ride my trainer because it allows me to resume a decent level of cycling when spring returns. I procrastinate on the days I ride the thing. I finally make myself get on and put my feet on the pedals. Once I start, I will not stop even if I forgot to set up the fan so I don't burn up. 40 minutes of "MY LEGS ARE ON FIRE!" and then I climb off with pride because I know 100 women my age are sitting on their butts shoving food in their face. I am disciplined. So, I face another winter with this hated torture device. But, I'm not the only one out there. Get that heart rate up so you know you're alive. One day at a time.

Stats from the trainer? Right off the power meter, which is quite handy at 5:30 AM when it is cold, gray, and dark outside.

Many of the better trainers publish a power curve which equates 'speed' on the trainer to a particular wattage. Also some of these sell a 'computer' that works with the trainer and can give you detailed stats - the trainer I use, Kurt Kinetic has this, although I don't use it in lieu of the PM.

Even more sophisticated would be the computrainer or velodyne, which let you create workouts and even use it in ergmo mode.

I just go on mine like if I were riding outside, just not as long. I log the minutes and the miles and that is about it. My mph are less than they would be outside. But bottom line, although I have to push myself to get on, I do what my body feels like. No matter what, I found that when spring time comes, I can jump right in on the ride like I never left and that is what keeps me hopping on the trainer now and through the winter. However, if I catch a weekend day in the 40's or above, I will head for the outdoors.

~JoAnn

My cyclometer (Cateye Astrale) and my Polar F4 HR monitor.