TSS vs hrTSS Discrepancy in Training Peaks
For many reasons, this last year has been a season of minimal training for me. I'm trying to get back in the rhythm of training though and have recently uploaded my data to Training Peaks. I've always like the data side of things, and it's motivating to me to see my training in formats like the Performance Manager Chart.
My question relates to the two ways to calculate TSS on my bike. My tri bike has a power tap hub. My road bike has no power. I will continue to ride both for the foreseeable future bc of my riding groups.
This week as a test, I rode my typical route around the lake near my house...Tuesday on my road bike and Thursday on my tri bike. All variables were similar: time of day, how I felt, temperature, wind, length of ride and my heart rate (avg 139/138 for 20 miles). It's a pretty steady ride and only a few Dallas "hills."
Training Peaks gave my road bike ride a hrTSS of 108. It gave my tri bike ride a TSS of 178...65% higher. My concern is that over time, my accumulation of TSS points will seem inaccurate if I continue to let Training Peaks assign such different values for virtually the same ride.
Has anyone else run into this? Should I manually adjust all rides on my road bike to TSS points more similar to what it would be on my tri bike? Am I missing something? I'm curious to know what y'all think! Thanks!
Comments
Since you have a Powertap wheel, can't you just move the wheel from bike to bike and have power on every ride?
Power is a much more accurate and true measure for what you're trying to do and swapping the PT wheel back and forth is a new brainer.
Maybe I'll give it a try this weekend. :-)
Switching your wheels requires that you have the same general set-up in both your bikes. Meaning, if you had Campy gearing on your road bike and Shimano on your TT bike, it would not work.
Now, how could your TSS calculated from HR be so different than that taken from the PT hub? The most likely issue is the baselines you have set in the Training Peaks program for your FTP (stated in watts) and your "threshold" HR (Zone 5 bpm). If you have not manually inserted a value for one or both of these, then the program will insert a default number. Given your ride was 20 miles and really didn't have hills, its doubtful your TSS was much higher than 100 (depending on how hard you rode and what your FTP is), so you may have the wrong FTP being used by TP to calculate your TSS.
I don't use the online version of TP, so I can't tell you how to adjust those baselines; I'm only familiar with the WKO+ program from TrainingPeaks.
The YouTube is here to help
One tip the guy doesn't make clear in the video is to shift to the small chainring in the front and to your smallest/outside-most cog in the back. This gives you a lot of slack in the chain and makes it all much easier.
Al - good thoughts on the zones. I entered in my info, but it's probably outdated. I'll retest and reenter soon.
Thx all!
Just lean it up against something and or figure out how to do it without leaning it against something, as you'll need to do this when you flat out on a ride. You don't need a stand at all. Do the skewer loosening thing with the bike up right (you can squeeze the rear tire between your knees). Then when you're ready to pop the wheel out, lift it up with your left hand holding onto the seat tube and remove the wheel with your right. Don't worry, you'll figure it out.
You do know how to change a flat, right?
The YouTube can help you there too 
Rebecca....I have the same setup as you....tribike and road bike, but only one PT wheel. I switch them every time I ride....never riding without power (just a numbers/data freak!). As Al mentioned, if you don't have the same cassette on your road bike currently, it can cause some problems shifting. However, your LBS can put the a cassette on for you (or you can but the same cassette and switch it yourself with a couple of simple tools and a youtube video) on your road bike and adjust it perfectly. Then, when you want to swap, it's just a matter of switching out the rear wheel. Once you've mastered it, it takes <5mins to swap. Shifting will be the same/good and you'll always have power. If you're not a "wrench" at all, just take your PT wheel to your LBS along with your road bike and tell them what you're wanting to do. They'll match the cassette and adjust your derailleur on your road bike (and the brakes if needed). Then you'll be all set to just do the swap each time. </p>
I do have issues with having to adjust my brakes though, as my road wheel is more narrow than the Zipp 101 which my PT is laced into. But that's pretty easy too.
Sorry about that! See Al's answer. What the rest of us are getting at is that you have tools to get the for realz data that you want and that many of us use...you just gotta swap out that wheel from bike to bike and no more data friction