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First "Ride" on the Mag Trainer
Aug. 4th, 2020 05:44 pmFor my first ride on the magnetic resistance bicycle trainer, I didn't follow any particular regimen because (1) I don't have one and (2) I have absolutely no idea what it's gonna look like when I do.
The closest thing I have to that would be the beginning parameters of time x the 6 resistance settings on the trainer x the 21 speeds in the gearing of my bike. Beyond that, I'm really just "riding" to get a sense of the possibilities.
At first, I was going to use the elapsed time function on my bike computer. So I put on my cycling shoes, swung up onto the bike, and started peddling and... zero, zip, nada.
Suddenly, a blinding flash illuminated the basement. The computer sensor, which is wireless, reads off of the front wheel while the wheel I'm actually peddling is... the back wheel. Duh.
So I ran upstairs and grabbed the little countdown timer that I'd gotten 5 or 6 years ago while rehabbing my knee and, miracle of miracles, the battery was still good.
Back in the basement, I found a long, narrow piece of 3/8" plywood scrap, cut a 2-1/2" hole in it to hold the timer, and clamped this bizarre creation to one of the overhead joists--which put it right in front of my face when I got on the bike.
Which worked fine. Then I set the countdown timer to 16 minutes, allowing 2 more minutes than my normal ride because, I figured, this'd be a cinch after the 300 miles I'd logged in the last two months out on the road.
What I forgot was that, out on the road, the effort is not continuous. There are minutes and seconds of extreme effort--on hills and from dead stops, stretches where the terrain is flat, and a few downhill runs mixed in.
Not so on the mag trainer. That effort IS continuous. On top of which, although my house has central A/C, I've capped off the outlet into the basement.
And so, by the time I was done, the sweat was running into my eyes and dropping onto the rubber mat I'd installed under the trainer. I ended my first ride by quitting with 2 minutes left on the countdown timer.
I mean, dude, I'm old enough to know when enough is enough, lol.
Eventually, I'll work out a regular, progressive, daily routine. But for now, I've found out what I most wanted to know.
That this is gonna work for me when the weather actually closes in and my preferred choice of being out on the road is no longer a choice at all.
Safe and happy riding to everyone...
LPK
Dreamwidth
8.4.2020
The closest thing I have to that would be the beginning parameters of time x the 6 resistance settings on the trainer x the 21 speeds in the gearing of my bike. Beyond that, I'm really just "riding" to get a sense of the possibilities.
At first, I was going to use the elapsed time function on my bike computer. So I put on my cycling shoes, swung up onto the bike, and started peddling and... zero, zip, nada.
Suddenly, a blinding flash illuminated the basement. The computer sensor, which is wireless, reads off of the front wheel while the wheel I'm actually peddling is... the back wheel. Duh.
So I ran upstairs and grabbed the little countdown timer that I'd gotten 5 or 6 years ago while rehabbing my knee and, miracle of miracles, the battery was still good.
Back in the basement, I found a long, narrow piece of 3/8" plywood scrap, cut a 2-1/2" hole in it to hold the timer, and clamped this bizarre creation to one of the overhead joists--which put it right in front of my face when I got on the bike.
Which worked fine. Then I set the countdown timer to 16 minutes, allowing 2 more minutes than my normal ride because, I figured, this'd be a cinch after the 300 miles I'd logged in the last two months out on the road.
What I forgot was that, out on the road, the effort is not continuous. There are minutes and seconds of extreme effort--on hills and from dead stops, stretches where the terrain is flat, and a few downhill runs mixed in.
Not so on the mag trainer. That effort IS continuous. On top of which, although my house has central A/C, I've capped off the outlet into the basement.
And so, by the time I was done, the sweat was running into my eyes and dropping onto the rubber mat I'd installed under the trainer. I ended my first ride by quitting with 2 minutes left on the countdown timer.
I mean, dude, I'm old enough to know when enough is enough, lol.
Eventually, I'll work out a regular, progressive, daily routine. But for now, I've found out what I most wanted to know.
That this is gonna work for me when the weather actually closes in and my preferred choice of being out on the road is no longer a choice at all.
Safe and happy riding to everyone...
LPK
Dreamwidth
8.4.2020
