The weight of expectation

Some days I am my own worst enemy. I am sure that there are very few athletes that wouldn’t be able to relate to that. Sometimes you will set the expectation on your performance so high that the journey to the result is well below capability. These are the most frustrating days and this weekend I had one. It is one thing to be physically underdone, but to work against yourself is the toughest reality to face. The final result may not have ended up being any different, but you know that you didn’t give yourself the best opportunity to ensure that it was the best you could have done.

It is necessary to have goals and to have determination and the confidence to back yourself. It is the ability to balance these factors without creating unrealistic expectations that make a successful athlete. It is when the balance is out that weight of expectation becomes too much.

NSW Points Race Champs may not have gone my way, but I know where things went wrong and am determined to overcome that and come back to the boards flying! In the meantime, I will accept the bronze and be grateful, given how I feel I performed, that I achieved any sort of result.

ENOUGH WITH THE RAIN ALREADY!!!

But a good opportunity for a product review!

Jet Black Fluid Turbo Trainer 2010 model

Last year I told you about the JetBlack Trainer that I had. Due to a design issue and a piece being lost, which rendered it unusable, I got the 2010 HydroGel Fluid Trainer. Since it has been raining continuously on the Eastern Seaboard of Australia for the last week, I have had ample opportunity to really critique this machine (we have been in drought for the rest of the year so I haven’t really needed it!!)

In a nutshell I can tell you that this trainer is awesome! The information from the website is pretty accurate (although I can’t vouch for the numbers provided). I hope that you find my comments on the points in the product information helpful. If you have any other questions, please flick me an email and I will see if I can answer it.

(NB: This is in no way a paid assessment of the trainer, nor do I have any commercial interest in JetBlack or other sponsorship arrangement- although JetBlack if your reading this...!!)

• Fluid Trainer with HydroGel Roller

• New Roller with Special HYDROGEL Composition creating a new type of contact between your bike and the trainer

• HYDROGEL Roller for increased tire grip, giving ultimate 'on road' feel while training indoors, with no slippage at the roller

This contact is great. The feel is a little bit tacky initially and the first 5 minutes may take a little bit of grinding to get through as the viscosity of the gel improves, but once you are off and going, it runs really well.

The ‘on road’ feel is not quite there- maybe I am just used to riding on rougher roads! But the ride is pretty smooth. The claim of no slippage at the roller is true enough, providing you have the “extra cap-bit” screwed down on to the base to ensure that the screw for the roller can’t come undone as I have had happen a couple of times- not the end of the world, just means you will at first slip and then have no resistance!

• Reduces Noise By 55% and Tire Wear by 25-30% - great for indoor training at home

• Super quiet and smooth

The noise is definitely reduced compared to the 2009 model and other trainers I have used. I haven’t done any active noise measurements so can’t really say if it is 55%, but it is pretty quite. The only caveat to this is that the first 5 or so minutes can be a bit noisier as the gel warms up. Once you are into a good rhythm it is relatively silent. There is still a little bit of a hum but if you have things set properly nothing that your ipod won’t drown out!

As for tyre wear, that is pretty well reduced, again no actual measurements to verify this claim. Like all trainers there is a bit of squaring that happens over time, but if you are only on there for a short time and infrequently you may not notice it. I have a spare wheel that I use with an older tyre that I don’t use on the road. I can tell you that the wear is less than on the 2009 model that I had.

• New CNC'ed head for more efficient cooling

I am not entirely sure what this means, but the unit has stayed pretty cool and has never been notably hot to the touch when I have finished the session.

• Smooth progressive resistance - Trainer automatically adjusts resistance when you change gears or increase speed. Adjustment levers are a thing of the past!

This is really very true and is awesome. The resistance is so efficient that I rarely need to use the big chain ring and can get through a wide vairety of different sessions using just the rear cassette.

• Fluid Trainers increase pedalling performance by helping you develop a circular pedal action

The smoothness of the roller and hydrofluid is what makes this happen. As already noted the first 5 or so minutes can be a bit tough, but once things are running the rear wheel always runs smoothly. Still doesn’t mean you can be lazy with your pedalling, but makes it easier to not be in squares if the equipment is not working against you!

• Progressive resistance 5 watts to 900 watts

I no longer have an SRM but I would be really interested to see how this claim and the callibration on the box actually measure up.

• Dual retention system for solid, precise wheel alignment & stability

The unit is super stable and can handle intense short sprint efforts (although if you are a track sprinter you might be looking at something else anyway). I have never had any problems with wheel alignment, and don’t expect to with the adjustment mechanism and width of the roller.

One additional comment, make sure you pick up a riser block from your LBS when you take one of these home; I think they now come with one, but double check as you will need it.

All up I think I would say 4.25/5 for this unit. It is excellent value for money. It is stable, it is reasonably quite, once the fluid is warmed up it is smooth and the resistance is great. The only problems I have found are the initial warm-up phase (but that passes) and the roller unscrewing (but that is rectified by tightening the extra cap, which is what it is for!).