Originally Posted by
tntom
I have been thinking about eather joining a health club or buying a trainer. It seems to me a trainer would be less money over the long hall than paying every month for the club. Tell me which you use and what you think is best.
PS If you use a trainer please tell me what is a good one to buy.
Tom
There are no right answers. I had a network of friends at the gym and the group motivated each other to push harder. I was at the gym 3 days a week to lift and depending on the weather to either run on the treadmill or use the stair machine. I also had a network of friends that I rode with and we also pushed each other. I'm no longer anywhere near a gym, and have not found any organized rides, and I will say I miss the motivation that I got by being with others.
Personally, I would never buy a stationary bike, if that's what you mean by "trainer", but that's personal preference. If you mean something that you attach your bike to that allows you to spin, then by all means, consider one. I've got a basic variable resistance one that I bought from Performance 10 or 11 years ago. It's a bit noisy, but it works fine. I use it on days where it's too cold, wet, or windy to ride outside. Rather than having to bring my road bike inside every time I need to use the trainer I have my old bike semi-permanently mounted on it. I like this setup because the riding position is essentially the same as when I'm on the road.