Broken Collarbone - Immersive Turbo Trainer Required

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SgtRock
Posts: 63
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2015 9:22 pm

by SgtRock

Woe is me. Out with a mate yesterday and we hit some damp road on a short descent and wallop broken left collarbone. We werent dropping fast or braking etc. I think the rain had lifted oil or diesel. My mate hit me and came down but he got away with some bad cuts and gashes (All be it gravel filled).

Anyway after a great April getting back into shape after a poor winter I am now facing an enforced period off the road. It looks like my break is bad enough to need surgary, should find out tommorrow. Had my right collarbone one done with a pin a few about years ago. Anyway if they do plate or pin it I should at least be able to get on the turbo and keep my form from dipping too much.

Thing is if I am going to be spending a long time on the turbo, especially now the good weather is coming, I would like to make it more interesting. I have an old Tacx Flow which I use, in conjunction with the standard head unit, linked to Motivo on my iPad. I could do a head upgrade to allow me to use Tacx VR software. Alternatively a new turbo could be worth looking at since setting up between different bikes on the Tacx flow is a pain because it is the head and speed / rpm sensor are wired and I need an additional speed sensor to send to the iPad (might not be the case if I upgrade to VR?).

I have had a look at the Bcool Trainer, Tacx Bushido, Cyclops Powerbeam and yes a Wahoo Kickr. Lemond is too noisy and a Kurt RnR probably not the best in current condition.

So I would like something with good computer interaction i.e. preprogrammed routes and resistance but also a trainer which can serious workouts, once everthing has healed, so accurate power measurement (or at least consistent) is important.

Pricewise up to £700 is OK beyond that maybe a stretch?

If anyone has any advice or thoughts on VR type trainers (or broken collarbone recovery!) I would really appreciate it.

Thanks in advance.

aaric
Posts: 430
Joined: Thu Jun 09, 2011 4:10 pm

by aaric

I'm 9 weeks out from a collarbone break: no surgery required.

I've had good luck using the wahoo kickr with trainerroad, as well as an occasional zwift session. Zwift was nice at the beginning because I couldn't do intervals for the first few weeks, and it helped with the monotony. Eventually, Sufferfest videos and trainerroad worked well to pass the time quickly too.

I eventually chose a build plan from trainerroad, and did it while listening to music / watching movies. I've managed to address some of my weaknesses as a result, but lost a bit on the long term power as I can't handle more than about 90m on the trainer mentally. Also, my comfort in a pack during races suffered quite a bit, but I'm not sure there's anything to remedy that.

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SgtRock
Posts: 63
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2015 9:22 pm

by SgtRock

Thanks for the feedback aaric. Along with you comments, and other reviews, I decided to go for a Kickr. Ordered a refurb unit off their website, £800 with full guarantee and all the bits. A couple of cosmetic scratches but otherwise fine.

Regarding collarbone operation scheduled for Friday. Hopefully a bit trainer virtual reality will help keep some form.

spdntrxi
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by spdntrxi

Wahoo kickr with Zwift
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sanrensho
Posts: 433
Joined: Tue Aug 02, 2011 5:54 pm

by sanrensho

Have a look at CycleOps VirtualTraining. Haven't used Zwift (not supported on my old laptop), but I enjoy doing climbing workouts (routes) on VirtualTraining.The Virtual Partner feature where you race against someone else's previous ride is great motivation to push harder.

xena
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Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2014 9:49 pm

by xena

I have broken my collarbone 4 times. First time was the most serious as the Dr's considered surgery but in the end it worked out fine without it. The last time I broke/fracture was after Xmas I slipped on some black ice.
The 3rd time I broke it I did not even know it was broken until the insurance firm sent me for a x ray.
Its one of those injury's that you just have to manage and cope with the pain as best as you can. I tended to keep my shoulder moving as much as possible so it does not stiffen up to much. You could suffer with a bit of Arthritic Pain in the cold.

Good luck with it all :thumbup:
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SgtRock
Posts: 63
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2015 9:22 pm

by SgtRock

Thanks for the replies.

Had my op yesterday (7th) was meant to be last week but got cancelled. Got some metal and screws in there now. Think it went well. When I broke my other collarbone they put a rod trough the broken bone sections to bind them together, which was eventually removed. In that case I was allowed to use my arm pretty well straight away within reason. This time I have been told to keep my shoulder immobilised for two weeks, which is frustrating but I will do it nevertheless.

Wahoo Kickr also arrived yesterday. I will certainly get TrainerRoad software and will look at the Cyclops and BKool stuff for the real course stuff so I can try twiddling up a few cols.

Fingers crossed for a good bond.

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vejnemojnen
Posts: 406
Joined: Fri Nov 08, 2013 7:11 pm

by vejnemojnen

Interesting to see that there are places where surgery is not used for fixing these. Here, after a broken clavicle, I got a titan elastic nail inserted the day after, and two weeks later I was back on the road with my bike, albeit, with higher stem-handlebar setup. :noidea:

The surgeon advised me to move my arms-shoulders as soon as I can and use them as much as I can to avoid any later complications of stiffness-weakness. Evaluation of healing was done via regular X-rays in a monthly fashion, and finally removed the nail after 4 months.

It was very hard for me mentally in the first two weeks, but after I got back on track, my recovery was aided by some positive attitude :D

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