I was going to go out and do a road ride today. A brisk 3 hour ride in Surrey. I haven’t done such a ride for several months, but the threatening rain put me off, so I stayed in and did a 2x20.
I noticed during the week how my rear tyre was wearing down after going on the turbo, so I fitted an old Specialized Armadillo tyre. These things are bombproof, but weigh a ton. I’m wondering if changing the tyre would have affected the computer readings on the turbo since my wattage was a bit down today than on previous days, despite feeling well rested.
Anyhow, first session was a struggle to hold a decent wattage. It somehow felt harder than the last few times. Not sure why. I came in with an average wattage of 287w and pulse average of 172bpm. Had quite a longish break before I did the next session. About 15 mins due to a phone call, and found it really hard to get going again. For some reason I really couldn’t get the watts up. I was convinced my tyre was rubbing on the brakes or something since the first 5 mins I struggled at around 260 watts. As the 2nd session went on, I was able to pick up the pace and came in with 274 watts, which was a bit disappointing. Maybe I’m expecting too much too soon?
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4 comments:
Hi John,
I think there is quite a bit of power loss in Armadillos. I tried one on a turbo last year and it was harder work to produce the same power reading. The tyre also got quite hot and actually lasted less than a month before splitting right down the middle (the rubber was also de-laminating from the casing). I use a Conti trainer tyre now that stays cool, doesn't slip and has shown no visible wear in a year.
Neil
thanks for the recommendation Neil.
Problem is, I've only got one bike. That's one bike for training, turbo-ing , commuting and (hopefully ) racing. I'll see how I go with the Armadillo and if I continue to get low power, I'll change to another.
cheers mate!
A cheap 2nd back wheel+cassette is a good solution (I got a Shimano R500 wheel for £30 from parkers). I do TTs on my turbo bike and just swap wheels to race.
Neil
good idea Neil. I might invest in a new back wheel.
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