Originally Posted by
Hermes
I found this video that discusses why it seems harder, for most people, to make power on a trainer versus riding on the road. For me, it seems significant. Based upon the force I feel in the bottom of my feet, my 30 second power is 150 watts less on the trainer compared to the road and my steady state power about 30 watts. I have tested the watts measured by the smart trainer against my SRM and the smart trainer is accurate.
On today's workout on Zwift on the Kickr, I tried to pulse the power in versus a smooth spin. As one data point, the level of effort for a given power seemed to improve albeit harder on the trainer.
What is your take on this and is there anything you do to mitigate the effect, if any?
https://youtu.be/2QqxrUwX1bs?si=E2gpvOGzLnkvhqhO
What does your QA (that is, pedal force-pedal speed or cadence/crank torque) plot look like on the trainer vs. on the road for "similar" types of ride profiles? And, not so visible on the QA plot unless you zoom in, what do they look like during sprints and accelerations?
[Edited to add:] My outdoor sprint power is hugely higher than my indoor sprint. My outdoor hour power is a little higher than my indoor power, but at lower RPE. When I look at my QA plot, they seem different, and especially when I examine fast accelerations.