Road Cycling - Trainers...early I know

Ok, here in japan Sunset is currently around 5pm, giving me very little time to get out and ride. And the weather has been complete crap. Yesterday I rode through a hail storm. Thus to keep up with Training I'm thinking about buying my 1st trainer. My LBS choices seem to be cycleops, and minoura trainers and rollers.

Recomendations?!

I tried them both, the cyclops wins hands down, it's the closest thing you can get to real road feel and it's quiet as a mouse.

Cycleops..and the Fluid2 is the best of the bunch. It automatically makes it more difficult to pedal (kicks in more watts) the faster you go. Feels about as close to road riding as you are going to get with a trainer.

They now make one with a computer attached that has riding programs and tracks watts. We have one in the bike shop..it's about $200 more than the Fluid2, but if youcan spend the money it is worth it.

Performance Bike sells their Travel Trac 2000 for $149.99. It's a very quiet fluid resistence unit. I've used one for the last 2-3 years. It's solidly built, will mount just about any road bike, and doesn't take much storage space.

Well, I have tried wind trainers, magnetic trainers, fluid resistance trainers, and trainers with freewheels. Personally, I think a trainer with a freewheel is superior to any of the others. The freewheel resists you as you accelerate and it even lets you "coast" a bit when you pause for some reason.

Of course, the bigger the freewheel the better. The "bikes" that they use for spin classes have pretty good sized freewheels and those bikes have a pretty good "road feel" but I have never used one for more then a sit on and spin for a minute. If expense and space is no consideration, you might look at one of these.

The point of a trainer is NOT to coast. The flywheel on a Spinning bike is 38 lbs, and is essentially a fixed gear, so again you can't coast. It is also an expensive alternative to a trainer. My vote would be for rollers, since you will not only stay strong, you will also develop a more fluid pedal stroke and improve your balance. Start out by setting up in a doorway, so you have a place to grab onto in case of emergency. Second place would go to a trainer with either fluid or magnetic resistance. Stay away from the fan units, as they are noisy. Also, if you use a trainer, get a block for the front wheel to level the bike, and in any case, get a sweat guard for your bike. It attaches to the bars and under the seat post to keep sweat off of your frame, since it doesn't evaporate like it would if you were out riding. Don't want to corrode your tubes!!!

Instead of wasting money on a trainer block and sweat guard, you could also use a thick book (phone books work great) and just put a towel over the top of the bike. I'd also strongly suggest getting a fan at about body level and have it going. Your body can't cool itself properly if you're spinning in still air, and your efforts on the trainer will suffer.

Yes my guy at the LBS told me that our Phonebook is the perfect size for the front. I think that I am getting the Fluid trainer... cant wait to get it and catch up on some Taped TV

I use a fixedgear bike on tacx rollers.

It will make you a better and stronger rider.

having both Fluid2 and Rollers I would say go with rollers.
You get a much better work out, improve both balance and
pedalstroke.
I also find I don't get as bored on rollers, it takes too much
concentration for me to get bored. Lose concentration and I
end up riding off the side of the rollers (not a good thing).

Marty

captsven I use a fixedgear bike on tacx rollers.

It will make you a better and stronger rider

Never thought of a fixed on rollers. I'm getting both after my house sells this month :D

I had just planned on using my road bike.
I was going to get the kreitlers with resistance unit.

FXjohn

A buddy of mine that's racing cat 2's now broke his arm falling off of rollers. Pretty funny from the outside lookin' in.

I have broken a collar bone on rollers but that was back in the clip in days (12 years ago??).

Right now in Grand Rapids it is 45°F (7.2°C) with 15mph winds and 30mph gusts. Windchill is 38°F (3.3°C). They are also forcasting rain with some snow mixed in. Brrrr!!!

I think I may see if my rollers are in working order tonight.....


It is way to early for this kind of weather.

Oh well!

Originally posted by captsven

Right now in Grand Rapids it is 45°F (7.2°C) with 15mph winds and 30mph gusts. Windchill is 38°F (3.3°C). They are also forcasting rain with some snow mixed in. Brrrr!!!

It is way to early for this kind of weather.

Oh well!

That's one of the reasons I left Lansing!!!

Right now, 89 degrees F with 15 mph winds. "Windchill" is 85. Rain is forecasted for February.

A second vote for the Performance TravelTrac. This will be my third winter with it and it works well (although the fluid reservoir gets hot enough to burn you). A book is fine for the front wheel, but I recommend on the properly designed sweat guards. Rigging a towel is a pain.

Nah, put the front of the towel over the brake hoods to give your hands something cushy to lean on. Wedge a little of it between the rear brake housing and the frame in the back, and you're set!

What can I say? I'm distinctly anti-technology in many ways. Who needs a bunch of velcro?

Thanks for everyone's reply, it couldn't come at a better time, with the literal monsoon pouring down outside the faculty room. I most likely will only buy the trainer or roller from the lbs, shipping to japan is a real price hike. I'll most likely go with a trainer, I don't want to fall off rollers and end up losing the upcomming triatholon season.

Since japanese schools have no insulation, I'll just train in the school gym, I'll be cycling to stay warm.

Random question, how do rollers vary their resistance....or do they at all.


Thanks all

What about the Computrainer? Is it better than the CycleOps 2 Fluid Trainer?

Random question, how do rollers vary their resistance....or do they at all.

They vary resistance by either a wind type of system (Kreitler killer headwind)
or magnetic (minoura). These are options on both, Rollers don't need the
resistance. You can also vary resistance by letting air out of tires.
I'm of the opinion that rollers are more for cadence, balance, etc. than for
strength training and thus resistance is not needed.

Marty

I always got the idea that rollers are more for developing form, pedal stroke technique, and balance than for exercise. I've seen dudes riding on them and dudes riding on trainers, and it looks like you can get a whole lot more exercise benefits from the trainers.

Koffee

After much reading throught the forum, I've basically nailed it down to either getting the following:

A 1up Trainer or a Kreitler Dyno-Mite Roller

I can only get one or the other at this time. I've read issues about the trainer messing around with frame flexing on high power workouts, but if you concentrate on form how much of a factor is it really?

As for the rollers, I don't know if it will be sufficient enough for simulating hills which I really love doing? I don't want to mess around with a noisy fan setup.

Which one? I'm leaning towards the 1up...

I'm still hoping that someone has an answer for which is better: a computrainer or the CycleOps Fluid 2 trainer.

Koffee

Rollers---speed calibration question. I'm leaning towards getting the Kreitler rollers, but am wondering about which size rollers to get.

I'm a pretty fit rider and love to get my heart rate up to anaerobic capacity during long rides just to wake me up, plus I love riding up steep hills.

Kreitler offers the 4-1/2" dia., 3" dia., and 2-1/4" dia. The first may be too easy, and the latter may be too hard. The middle may be just what I'm looking for, but my questions is--->"Does 25mph on the rollers feel like 25mph on the road?" I don't want to have to mess around with the wind fan accessory if I don't have to.

Any ideas?

I always got the idea that rollers are more for developing form, pedal stroke technique, and balance than for exercise. I've seen dudes riding on them and dudes riding on trainers, and it looks like you can get a whole lot more exercise benefits from the trainers.

Koffee

I think you could do both.
(I haven't rode any yet) I am going to get some for winter.
I guess you can mount the front fork (there's an accessory for that)
and get the resistance unit.
Then wouldn't it be exactly like a trainer?

FXjohn

I'm thinking to get rollers to avoid the stresses from locking the bike on trainers. I only have one precious road bike and I need to take care of it :) !

Is there a lot of stress on the bike when clamped into a trainer? I have a cycle ops fulid and I notice that when I am using it, my frame flexes a little side to side. Is that not good for the bike? Is it going to wear out from flexing like that?

Is there a lot of stress on the bike when clamped into a trainer? I have a cycle ops fulid and I notice that when I am using it, my frame flexes a little side to side. Is that not good for the bike? Is it going to wear out from flexing like that?

Just from what I've read and observed---flexing is normal on a bike and you don't really notice it on the road---they are designed to take this kind of stress.

On the trainer, the flexural stress concentrations are greater on the stays, BB, fork, and headset because you are not permitting the bike to disperse the load as efficiently as on the road. You can only hope that the frame designers have added a good margin of safety in their design for fatigue loading.

Others on the forum have good recommendations to just use a beater bike on the trainer, but I don't have that option at the moment, thus the choice of getting rollers.

I just about a fulid 2 trainer. I'm more than sure Cannondale has enough safety margin to allow the bike to survive a winter training season. I hope. Anyhow the trainer feels good, and i notice the motion effect of pedaling on the bike more than one does on the road. But that would be normal. The bike riders the trainer well so no complaints there.

Question to the cycle op owners. The skewer you get with the trainer, is it good enough for the road. I mean should I switch to my original skewer when riding road and the other one when on the trainer?

I use the skewer they gave me with my fluid trainer all the time. It is fine on my cannondale. I put it on and left it, no problems, nothing, don't even notice it. It just fits well on the trainer too!

Question to the cycle op owners. The skewer you get with the trainer, is it good enough for the road. I mean should I switch to my original skewer when riding road and the other one when on the trainer?

I just leave the skewer that came with the trainer in all the time with no ill effects other than it doesn't look as nice as my "real" skewer.

I always swap out the skewer when I hit the road. But then, I'm a total FRED. What is someone sees you with that cheap no-name skewer? Wouldn't you just die?