Sign up ×

I am training to do a charity cycle ride and I want to supplement my road training with some work on a cycle machine in the gym. My difficulty is that I don't know what to set the resistance level to on the machine.

I need to train to do an average of 15mph, but I can easily do this by reducing the resistance on the bike.

I know the distance I have covered according to the machine and in what time, but can I estimate using the Watts and/or RPM what resistance level to set?

share|improve this question

2 Answers 2

This is actually one of the better estimations, although any of them are basically educated guesses. Without a properly calibrated power meter, it's hard to get a completely accurate reading of watts.

share|improve this answer

Not really.

You can get something by paying attention to how you feel riding at a specific speed outside vs on the exercise bicycle, but it won't be terribly accurate.

However, I recommend that you don't try to duplicate your outdoor training. You would see greater improvement if you did some intervals instead.

share|improve this answer

Your Answer


