watt Bike sessions

[Shooter999]

Hi everyone, I'm new to cycling, started going out on the roads last summer.

I currently do my indoor training on an exercise bike. Can anyone let me know what the benefits of a watt bike are and how it will improve my road riding.

Thanks

 

[Citius]

Wattbikes have no magical qualities. A turbo trainer is likely to improve your fitness just as much as a Wattbike. You could buy a good turbo and a powermeter and still have change from the price of a Wattbike. They are good training tools, but technology has caught up with them these days...

Either way, what you do on these devices is actually far more important than the device itself.

 

[Shooter999]

Thanks for the prompt reply. Think I'll stick to the exercise bike.

Cheers

 

[windyrider]

Watt bike?
Love mine, bought 18 months ago and have never regretted the purchase. Solid in comparison to a turbo trainer, full data analysis when linked to the laptop and also paired to my garmin 800.
I built a "mancave" for my indoor fitness training and having the availability of just getting changed and go train is a wonderful luxury and no need to clean a dirty road bike after a winter ride before hitting the trainer for a recovery spin.
Training plans and advice on line and a very good twitter presence keeps me up to date and motivated.
Worth thinking about in my opinion.

 

[zizou]

Wattbikes have no magical qualities. A turbo trainer is likely to improve your fitness just as much as a Wattbike. You could buy a good turbo and a powermeter and still have change from the price of a Wattbike. They are good training tools, but technology has caught up with them these days...

Either way, what you do on these devices is actually far more important than the device itself.

That might be true to an extent but for sprints and out the saddle efforts then a wattbike is much better than any turbo ive tried - no tyre slip and no feeling like i am about to wreck the bike frame!

 

[Milkfloat]

I have a love/hate relationship with Watt Bikes. In use they are brilliant, but getting data off them via their powerapp is flakey at best. I think it only succeeds 1 in 3 times for me. Plus the ones at my gym have horrible saddles so anything more than an hour sees me out of the saddle too much.

 

[ayceejay]

There is a world of difference between a regular exercise bike and a Watt bike and if you own one as windy rider does you can put your own saddle and pedals on.

 

[Citius]

That might be true to an extent but for sprints and out the saddle efforts then a wattbike is much better than any turbo ive tried - no tyre slip and no feeling like i am about to wreck the bike frame!

I would question the usefulness of 'out of the saddle' efforts on any static trainer, tbh. Stuff like that is best done on the road..

 

[Dogtrousers]

I have a love/hate relationship with Watt Bikes. In use they are brilliant, but getting data off them via their powerapp is flakey at best. I think it only succeeds 1 in 3 times for me. Plus the ones at my gym have horrible saddles so anything more than an hour sees me out of the saddle too much.

They had them at a gym I was using a while ago, and although I'm not a "performance" cyclist - just a trundler - I did enjoy using them, and I found the data interesting, if not actually useful. Your point about the saddles though! Ouch. My backside was done for in less than an hour. I did think of taking a B17 with me.

 

[Citius]

What was the 'interesting' data?

 

[Dogtrousers]

What was the 'interesting' data?

The separate read-outs for left and right leg, and the squiggly shape showing power output throughout the pedal stroke. Also just the number of watts, as I've never ridden anything with a power meter before (or since). I just found it an interesting toy to play with. Not really specifically useful for any purpose, not for me anyway, just interesting.

The "speed" figures were interesting too. I'd put in the effort that felt similar to what I'd put in to maintain a given speed in real life and it would return a figure waaay higher. Now, I'd told it my weight, so either my bike is really inefficient, or I'm really un-aerodynamic, or my local road surfaces are rubbish or else its algorithm is designed to flatter the rider into thinking they are faster than they really are. A bit like those bogus "moving average" figures that our GPSs like to flatter us with.

 

[Citius]

The left/right power readings are pretty meaningless, as they are measured downstream of the crank arms, so they are effectively just made up numbers.

 

[Dogtrousers]

The left/right power readings are pretty meaningless, as they are measured downstream of the crank arms, so they are effectively just made up numbers.

If I was making some practical use of the data, I might care.
Actually if I was making practical use of the data I'd be more concerned by the silly "speed" figures.

 

[windyrider]

Well folks, its blowing a gale outside. I shall be training inside. Interesting point on pedals and saddles. I replaced mine right at the start with like for like with my road bikes, big difference in the comfort stakes. However riding for more than the hour in a session is rarely done as I follow a structured plan for each ride. I read a lot of criticism of some of the readings that the Watt Bike produces and if in fact they are real. Well for my part the on screen info helps keep me focused and motivated and since owning the bike my overall performance levels have improved, so like the bathroom scales perhaps in that they may not be accurate but if you use only them you can still keep track your weight. The software I agree is awful, I tend to use the lap top to give a nice heads up display of the data as I am training but record the session through my Garmin.

 

[Aunty Tyke]

I'm having 1 to 1 sessions on a Watt Bike,measurably improving my fitness,not a substitute for road work,but fills a gap. I'm a fair weather rider!