Me too. I think the TrainerRoad UI is perfect calm simplicity
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I’ve used TR for a number of years and have been very happy with it, in fact I’ve recommended it to friends and also my wife who is now an avid user. However after looking at last season’s TT racing, I came to the conclusion that I’d plateaued, my FTP had leveled off and to steal a phrase from somewhere else I’d become ‘permafit’.
I have WKO4 and set to getting my head around my data to decide what I should do, it quickly became obvious that just following an off the peg plan was in some ways holding me back, so I decided to make a change. I’m now following a plan, with email access to a coach and am using WKO4 iLevels, the difference is staggering. I’m no longer failing VO2 workouts, my longer range powers are improving very nicely and I feel like my program is now more reflective of what I need to progress. It was a leap of faith for me, and in someways I’ll be sad when my subscriptions ends in March. The future is very much individualising training (especially above FTP), I have never been convinced of the ramp test, it has never given me a result I can trust, likewise the 20min x .95 test give me a FTP number I could sustain but then I couldn’t do VO2 workouts at 120 of that number. I really like the simplicity of TR, and if they ever do bring in tools that optimise intervals based on your physiology I’ll be back. Until then though, I’d say it’s a great product for your first few seasons of structured training but after that you’ll most likely need to make a change if you want to carry on improving, as a good friend of mine once advised me “same input. same output”.
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Using Zwift and TR at the same time (I’ve done it) doesn’t solve my problem: I want the Zwift Companion App to be the thing showing me how much power I am/should-be putting out. I have a dumb trainer and a powermeter so I can’t just pedal and let the trainer sort it out. But I really don’t care for the TR UI (or the main Zwift UI for that matter). I like the Zwift Companion App for its clear, simple visuals. I know it seems like a minor thing, but… we all like what we like, eh?
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Just dropped in and picked up on the thread.
My two 'pennorth and its been inferred across a number of replies, as with all product offerings there are different brands within a market place - e.g. cars.
Zwift I think is now more expensive than TR or Sufferfest. As such it is attempting to do its own thing - the avatar - but is now developing a competitive offering to directly attack TR’s market.
TR can fight back attacking Zwift’s avatar, stick to it’s core values or pursue other avenues.
We all choose according to our needs.
Fundamentally TrainerRoad has always, to me, been an alternative to hiring a coach. I don’t need animations to motivate me, I need to know what I’m doing next to make me faster, why I’m doing it and what type of benefit I’ll get from doing it. TR is therefore the most (ruthlessly) efficient route to that…and long may that continue.
Maybe tweaks and developments are round the corner, but don’t stray too far from your core values.
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again proves that UI design is in the eye of the beholder. I don’t like the Zwift companion app, and prefer TR app.
I use Golden Cheetah at least 4 days a week on a MacBook, the user experience is horrible and far below the TR Mac app in my opinion. What the TR Mac app really needs is parity with mobile app, and both need parity with web interface. And from what I understand, TR is currently working on apps. Looking forward to future updates.
Same here, It’s like a group CBT session.
Although I may quietly come back next week and fix all my deliberate mistakes
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It’s hard for us as customers/users to really judge the full effectiveness of competing service provider’s offerings. None of them are public. We don’t know what the balance sheet looks like for any of them.
If we could look at everybody’s book, we might not be so sanguine about an annual contract at some cycling/performance software companies. I hear TR falls on the conservative side of start up finance. We all know zwift has recently beefed up their balance sheet. What about the rest?
Said perfectly, +1
TR is just right for my needs. I can be flexible with my entertainment, be it music or race re-runs or movies/TV—I never cared for Sufferfest’s music choices, and I don’t need/want the distraction of other riders around me when I’m doing intervals.
It’s clear that TR is devoting serious resources to UX and keeping the promise of making users faster cyclists. That’s all I need.
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I’d like to see more fun workouts. Most of my serious training is classic 1x45, 2x20, 3x15, 4x8, 5x5, over/unders, 30/30s… but some days, or whn not following a specific plan in the offseason I just want a nice 60, 60, 120 minute ride that is preformatted and not boring.
Not a Zwift or Sufferfest gamification, but something fun with lots of tempo changes or a race sim. Electra, Sirretta, Goddard, Cleghorn, Corcoran, 1/2 Disaster. Feel that I’ve found these by accident.
It would be fun to have a category of “fun” workouts for those days when you are JRA indoors.
Perhaps a “user” database of workouts that are approved by TR?
$0.02
I don’t want or need gamification from TR. I like the interface because in order of importance:
(1) the interface replaced cards with my workouts written out and removed the need for me to time each interval by hand. I love chasing the watts across the TR display.
(2) Easy to create my own workouts and run in the interface.
(3) Calendar function has replaced printing out months and penciling in workouts. Easy to adjust to a changing work / travel schedule.
Those three things make TR a solid training tool for my needs. Things that could be better:
(4) The workout plans need some updating or perhaps some options and more “how to use the plans” information. As cookie cutter plans go they are very solid. If you know how to modify them they are great starting points. But you can see from the questions in this forum that TR has attracted people using the plans to replace having a coach.
(5) I’d like to see easier ways to increase rest intervals or stretch warm-up or cool-down. Perhaps I haven’t figured it out yet.
(6) The analytics available aren’t very useful. But I put everything into WKO so not an issue.
IF trainer road had WKO or XERT type analytics it would be one stop shopping for me.
(7) I’d like a time of day clock on the workout screen. Upper right corner please.
Take Home - This is a solid training tool with great support. But it requires some knowledge to extract max value. Which is fine IMO.
Mark
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That is already a function. Is the there an issue with the implementation or use?
- You will see an “Extend” function during the Warm-up and Cool-down period.
- You press/click it and choose the amount of time you want.
- You can “stack” times to get more than the simple 1/5/10 minute options and get exactly the amount (to the minute) that you prefer.
- There is even an “Undo” option that seems to be available for about 30 seconds after making the selection.
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I purchased a training plan off Training Peaks. You can email the coach with questions, but essentially you are self coaching.
Actually this leads me to a thought of probably my most desired feature: better searching for workouts.
It often happens that I don’t have time for 2hr workout, sometimes I can use a -1 version for a 90 minute workout, but sometimes that doesn’t exist! If there was an easy way to find “similar” workouts that would be a great feature.
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Have you tried the website search. It is the most comprehensive option with the ability to filter, sort and search to find what you want.
Default
It takes a few checks and maybe even a search to cut the 2,000 list down to 20 or less.
To add, they are revising the whole search and favorite setup for finding workouts and will eventually be shared across all platforms.
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Those are there. Look at the 8DC catalogue. Just put ‘z’ into the search bar as they have all been moved to the bottom of the list.
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I think Zwift benefit lays in simulation mode which neither of their competitors offer. You can ride your intervals in ERG/Level mode on any platform. If you have your training plan and follow it, you will make the same progress on Zwift, TR, SF, Rouvy, etc.
Simulation mode is nice for those endurance rides or if you have free time and legs and want to extend your workout with some 30 - 60 minutes endurance after the interval set.
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Yeah, it’s better than searching on mobile but what I’d really like is a “more like this” type link when you’re looking at a workout that figures out all these options for you.
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That’s interesting–so what you’re basically saying is that the TR plans got you to a certain point, but to go to the next step, you needed something different. Is that correct? How did you pick the plan you purchased? Or, did the coach build it specifically for you?
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That is a great idea! I’ll add that to out suggestions for sure!
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