Specifications

Personal Power
HOW THE BIKE CONTROLS YOUR EXERCISE
Z8 Bike Owner’s Guide
33
On average, bigger people can produce more power. Also, it's
desirable to have the same workout program or workout level
feel the same to riders of different sizes.
Personal Power is a new kind of control system that makes the
Z8 Bike feel the same to every rider. This system is used in
almost every workout program.
Personal Power works by adjusting workload for each level
based on body weight entered by the rider. It does so in a
unique way, not a simple METs-based formula. (See Appendix B
to learn about METs and Appendix C for more about Personal
Power.) For example, Level 9 for a 150-pound rider is 100
watts. For a 200-pound rider, it's 122 watts.
All this takes place without the rider's knowledge. The new
mathematics used to do this were developed by True Fitness.
The Z8 Bike closely controls how hard
you're working, so that you get just the
workout you want. It does this by
keeping track of both how fast you're
pedaling and how hard you're pressing
on the pedals. At any given level in a
workout program, the Z8 Bike will keep
your exercise intensity constant, no matter how fast you
pedal. Technically, this kind of workload control is called
constant power.
The only exception to the use of constant power is Bike Mode.
It works just like a real outdoor bike: if you pedal faster, you
work harder. This is also called constant torque + compensa-
tions. See Appendix C for more details.
HOW THE BIKE CONTROLS
YOUR EXERCISE
PERSONAL
POWER
For comfort reasons, if
your pedaling speed
goes below 55 rpm, the
Z8 Bike reduces the
resistance on the
pedals, so they won't
feel like they are
"locking up."
WORKLOAD
CONTROL
D
ETAILS