Half Monty questions

Hi - I have a couple of questions ahead of doing the Half Monty.

Firstly, I’ve just upgraded from using a traditional trainer with virtual watts to an interactive smart trainer. I have a feeling that the FTP I got from the HM I did using virtual power might be way off (probably too high). So, when retaking the HM on ERG mode on the new trainer, is it worth considering knocking down my FTP (and other?) numbers before starting? Or does it not matter?

Secondly, I don’t have a heart rate monitor. I understand the FTP results won’t be totally accurate from HM without a monitor. But my question is whether I literally just end the test after the ramp (or after the cool down) or do I need to aimlessly pedal my way through to the end for the test to update the numbers? I pedalled through to the end when doing the HM on virtual watts but I’m guessing it was a waste of time without the heart rate monitor. I’m just wary of ending the test too early and losing any information collected from the ramp part of the test!

Any advice gratefully received!

says

If you do NOT have a Heart Rate monitor After completing the ramp, we suggest spinning easy for 5-10 minutes to properly cool down. If you complete this session without a heart rate monitor you will only see updated FTP and MAP values.

Or you could always do Full Frontal instead :sweat_smile:

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I would also consider getting yourself a HRM at this point to get the most out of your investment.

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Thanks - yes, I saw that text on the Half Monty, but I wasn’t certain it meant I can simply end the workout/test after the 5-10 mins cool down. I’ve not (yet!) ended a workout before it finished, so I was a little hesitant to do so as I didn’t want to lose the data from the ramp part of the test.

I’m building up my confidence before considering the FF! :smiley:

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Yeah, something to consider in the future… my other half might take some convincing, having just shelled out on the smart trainer :rofl:

I would sell them the idea that the HR monitor is for safety, especially in Zone 1 with its 0 bpm floor.

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Haha, I’ll try that one and see how I get on!

Sorry, for the avoidance of doubt, are you saying I’m fine to a) finish the ramp section on HM, b) spin/cool down for 5-10 mins, c) end the workout manually? Sorry to labour the point, its just that I really don’t want the ramp effort to be in vain!!

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Sorry I don’t know how ending the workout early affects the app, but I would guess that fast forwarding to the end should be ok because the instructions tell you to fast forward through the ramp when you can no longer meet the power target on the ramp.

Without a HR monitor, Half Monty would just calculate your FTP from the ramp, without any fine tuning from the 20 minute interval.

If it were me, I’d do the 20 minutes anyway, just because you get to ride your bike and spend more time suffering.

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Ok, thanks all for your advice, much appreciated!

There’s that true Sufferlandrian answer we were all waiting for :joy:

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Half Monty Question: When I did my Ramp Test (ERG mode) on my Wahoo Kickr 2020 model - Wahoo Tickr HRM went crazy - basically didn’t read the correct HR for about half of the ramps and was lower than normal half of the time and then shot up to 181bpm at the last ramp I completed. The last ramp my HR was where it should have been at the time in the test. So, I am trying to figure out if I should do a new Half Monty or just focus on the power side, which seemed to be about right. Any help would be great.

It sounds like the tickr was not positioned adequately or was not moist enough.

Up to you but if it were me I would want to schedule in another HM test.

Here is advice from uncle Ray:

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And everyone licks theirs don’t they?

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It might be time to replace the battery. My cadence sensors do the same thing when the battery gets low.

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Sufferfest Nation,
I have been using HRM for year’s. It was positioned correctly. I even checked the position quickly while doing the Ramp test. Finally, it was brand new out of the box from Wahoo so I would think the battery would be fine.