Saturday, October 16, 2010

High-end Trainers vs. Pedal Force Simulator

It is not enough to get the resistive power right; one also has to get the pedal force due to acceleration of the mass right.  

Outdoors, the force from the foot accelerates the mass of the rider and bike while forces from wind, gravity, and rolling resistance act on the rider.  High-end trainers get the average resistive power right but ignore the effect of acceleration of mass.  The foot feels a force, but the problem is that the force the foot feels is not the force the foot feels outdoors. Muscle activation is wrong.
 
This is an absolutely important point.  It's a subtle difference that makes all the difference.  It is not enough to get the resistive power right; one also has to get the force due to acceleration of the mass right. 

 
The consumer's test is to ride up hill.  Does cadence naturally fall as it does outdoors on a hill?  Does the resistance feel right climbing out of the saddle?  When it does, the consumer knows they are on a simulator and not a trainer.  They go from training to ride a trainer to training to ride outdoors.  Effectiveness of indoor training grows by leaps and bounds.

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