Matt H Macro Thread

mhime

When performing the bike test during the trial week, is it ok to use a spin bike? This way the elements and other uncontrollable elements can be reduced. Or is a spin bike just not indicative enough of actual performance?

Thanks,

Matt

Coach Rich

Posted By Matthew Hime on 06 May 2014 10:27 PM


When performing the bike test during the trial week, is it ok to use a spin bike? This way the elements and other uncontrollable elements can be reduced. Or is a spin bike just not indicative enough of actual performance?



Thanks,



Matt

A spin bike or your bike on a trainer?

mhime

A spin bike

Coach Rich

A spin bike is definitely NOT a good option. Bottomline is you should be testing on the equipment / in the venue in which you'll be doing most of your training. And if you plan to train indoors, we'd much prefer that to be with your bike on a trainer vs a spin bike, so you can duplicate the joint angles, muscle recruitment patterns, etc that you'll use when riding outside, when racing.

mhime

Even if I'm just doing the HR Test?  I don't have a power meter on my road bike or the spin bike at the gym anyway.  Would my LTHR be different on a spin bike than my road bike?

Thanks,

Matt

Coach Rich

Again, if you have to do our workouts indoors, we HIGHLY recommend you do those on your bike on trainer, at home:

• Duplicates joint angles / muscle recruitment patterns.
• Your bike on a trainer at home = ~5' of admin time before you start a workouts vs >5' if you're going to a gym.

Therefore, we want you testing on the equipment and in the venue that you're going to be training on.

Bottomline is that spin bikes, and everything associated with them, are borderline junk and far inferior to doing your workouts on a bike on a trainer. Spin bikes are at last resort, usually people with an extensive travel schedule and relegated to training in hotel gyms. Even then, we often tell people to run instead vs using a spin bike and shift their cycling to when they are at home.