The Carmichael (trainright.com) Field Test (http://trainright.com/info.asp?uid=1265) is an 8 minute `maximum sustainable effort' baseline measure performed on an indoor trainer. Carmichael recommends that the Field Test include two 8 minute efforts separated by a 5 minute recovery period. The key measures are heart rate and watts (and rpm, which I don't use).
I completed a Field Test Thursday, the 26th, on the recumbent. I hadn't done a Field Test since February of 2007, and at that time it was on the upright bicycle. (All my field tests were done on a CompuTrainer that was calibrated to reflect accurate wattage/power).
The results of the current Field Test are very, very satisfying in comparison to the previous ones. (Here is a link to an Excel spreadsheet with the FT data:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AsQblJfC4sZndExxcHpPQVpBU085cVRKOG1kdkZ6Wnc&hl=en
First, in past FTs the result of second effort was always less strong than the first. Today's FT was the opposite: the second FT was stronger.
Second, my average HR for today's FT was 10 bpm less (147bpm), for nearly the same watts, than in 2007 on the upright (157bpm).
Third, I finally have confirmation that my power capability on the recumbent is the same as on the upright.
Fourth, the fact that I was able to do better on the second FT on the recumbent than on the upright suggests that ... I'm doing something right.
Fifth, the 2007 FT was completed in February, 4.5 months into a fairly good indoor training program. The current FT was completed at the beginning of the indoor training program.