Road Cycling - Do you use a resistance trainer?

Even though I much rather be out riding, sometimes I'm stuck in the house with kid-duty. I'm thinking of getting a resistance trainer. Do you use one? I hope it won't be one of those contraptions that ends up just collecting dust. Which kind do you recommend...magnetic, liquid, etc.?

Living in Southern California, I mostly use it for storing the spare bike in the computer room.. Sort of like a converstion piece , the other bikes being locked up in the garage.Yes, after the rare days of rain, it gets used maybe 10 times a year.Mostly when suffering withdrawl.....If I lived in Minnesota?

I swear by mine. I have a crappy commute and most often cannot get back home in time for a road ride. For me, the trainer is an item I cannot do without. And during the Winter it's about the only thing that keeps me sane.

make sure you have a place to use it, after an hour of staring at the wall, i go nuts.

Even though I much rather be out riding, sometimes I'm stuck in the house with kid-duty. I'm thinking of getting a resistance trainer. Do you use one? I hope it won't be one of those contraptions that ends up just collecting dust. Which kind do you recommend...magnetic, liquid, etc.?

i have magnetic blackburn trainer. it's pretty noisy though, so i don't really use it for fear that it would drive my roommates crazy. also, i can't seem to get enough resistence on it even with the highest setting.

i hate mine, b/c that means that i am inside (winter when it gets dark at like 5.30) but for a trainer, i have been very pleased with mine (1-up www.1upusa.com), it is not noisy and there are three resistance levels which you have to take it apart to change, but once you have it on the level that you want there is no need to adjust it (i have mine of the second, and am happy with it) and i would suggest it to anyone
i do find that i get bored on mine, so i set it up infront of the tv and watch a movie or something, just to keep my mind occupied

I use a 1UP-USA as well. These are well thought out and nicely built. I use mine to do intervals on, I hate riding on a trainer, and figure as long as I'm gonna hate it I should really hate it and maximaize the effect while minimizing the time spent on it...

how loud is the 1UP-USA? i may have to trade up. i live in an apartment with thin walls and need something really quiet.

I bought one this past winter to use to during the off-season mostly. I have a love/hate relationship with it. I love it because it keeps me going but I hate it because it means the weather is too bad to ride. This is the one I have...

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/large_photo.cfm?SKU=17413&Store=Bike

how loud is the 1UP-USA? i may have to trade up. i live in an apartment with thin walls and need something really quiet.

I think i have to raise the volume on the tv five (i know that means nothing to you) but since it use friction between the metal drum and a polymer plate it is very quite

i have magnetic blackburn trainer. it's pretty noisy though, so i don't really use it for fear that it would drive my roommates crazy. also, i can't seem to get enough resistence on it even with the highest setting.


Thanks for all the responses. If I use a taller gear (52/12) while spinning, would the resistence increase? I guess the loud whinning noise that some trainers give off would be annoying, but I think the screaming my kids give off while fighting will drown out everything. :D

BTW, I just remember a funny incident where my neighbor was riding on a trainer in his garage this past winter. It was raining quite heavily, so he was getting his workout inside with his garage door open. This guy was all decked out in his team jersey, shades and a helmet pedaling like mad. He got all dressed up with nowhere to go. It was a strange site.

Thanks for all the responses. If I use a taller gear (52/12) while spinning, would the resistence increase? I guess the loud whinning noise that some trainers give off would be annoying, but I think the screaming my kids give off while fighting will drown out everything. :D

BTW, I just remember a funny incident where my neighbor was riding on a trainer in his garage this past winter. It was raining quite heavily, so he was getting his workout inside with his garage door open. This guy was all decked out in his team jersey, shades and a helmet pedaling like mad. He got all dressed up with nowhere to go. It was a strange site.

yes - the gearing on the bike does change the resistence. i just think the blackburn is a little too weak.

as for the guy riding in the garage: :lol:

Winters up here in Maine are pretty unkind to cyclists, so I have a trainer. I have a Cycle Ops air-resistance trainer, which I like. The air-resistance trainers ride the smoothest, and are the least expensive, but are also the loudest!! (Think vacuum cleaner x2.) Magnetic ones are the least smooth, mid-priced, and make the second-most noise. Fluid trainers are the most expensive, quietest, and second-smoothest.

If you want to put your trainer in the garage, the air resistance trainer is good. If you want to put it in your den next to the TV, you'd be better of with a fluid trainer. I wouldn't get a magnetic trainer under any circumstances.

I, being single, have my air resistance trainer in the den room in front of the TV during the winter months. :D

The Blackburn Fluid trainer is good. The resistance does change as you travel through the gears.

I never use a trainer because we can ride outside all year in Florida, but I used a really nice one doing a VO2max test. It was a Cateye, I think it was a CS-1000. It was really smooth, quite and provided your watts output. If I were looking for a trainer, I would check it out.

I bought a Minoura trainer similiar to this one: http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=123&subcategory=1087&brand=&sku=7564&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=

Works great for winters and rainy days. I friend told me they are notorious for stressing and breaking frames. Not sure of that though, works fine for me.

I have a Cyclops Fluid 2 (squared) and Rollers.
I much prefer the rollers but there is a steep learning curve.
Once you get to the point you can stay upright its really nice.
I haven't used the Cyclops in over a year, my wife uses that.
Do I prefer riding outside? of course.
Would I give up my rollers during winter? hell no.
BTW the cyclops is VERY quiet.

Marty

Before I bought my trainer about 5 months ago I researched several forums and found the one brand that came up consistently was the Cyclops, and the favorite model was the Fluid 2. Armed with that info I went to my LBS and the good folks there let me try all the Cyclops including the Wind, Magnetic, Magneto and the Fluid2 (there is a more expensive Fluid2 that's computerized but that was way more than I wanted to spend). The Wind was the worst-poor road feel, noisey, low power workout around 200 watts but the cheapest; the Magnetic also felt unnatural and the power workout was low at around 290 watts, also noisey, second cheapest; the Magneto had a very good smooth natural road feel and natural power increase, and it was quiet, but the max watts load was 450-not bad, and the price was reasonable at $190. The Fluid2 had the same pluses as the Magneto except the max watts load is 750! The downside was the cost at $260. But I decided on the Fluid2 because I felt I could grow more into it than I would with the Magneto.

I also tried a Minoura trainer for kicks because the same LBS sold those but I personally did not like the feel of it compared to the Cyclops plus the wattage workout was very low for the price. The LBS also did not prefer that brand either.

So here's the summary, if money is an issue or your not wanting to get a real high level of training out it then I would get the Magneto; otherwise get the Fluid2. Both come with a lifetime warranty, a training video tape, and a cheap skewer so you don't mar up your good one.

I also own and recommend the 1UP. Besides looking at reviews at http://www.roadbikereview.com, you should browse their web site http://www.1upusa.com/bike_trainer.html and look at some of its features. The amount of resistance it can produce is impressive and is shown in a chart comparing it to its leading competitors. There is another option they don't mention for producing more resistance: you can have one ball in each of the six slots. They sent me an extra set of three balls free so I could produce more resistance when I was using the lower gearing on my mountain bike. It is expensive, but seems to be worth it.

Yes, bordom can be is a problem. I have a couple Spinervals videos I got from Performance. They are challenging and provide enough motivation to make the 45 min or so pass fairly quickly.

Dave

I have a Minoura Rim-Drive trainer. I have a hard time spending more than a half hour on the thing and an hour is about the longest I've managed to spend on it at any one time. I have found that it is better to just suck it up and go out in the nasty weather. During the summers, the trainer sits and collects cobwebs and dust. I have been guilty of using it while working from my home-office though.

http://www.neebu.net/~khuon/images/cycling/trainer/Image6.jpg

I used to have (still do, it's in the closet!) the cheapest wind trainer on the market. The brand escapes me, but holy cow it was loud. Seeing as I didn't want to wake the kids, much less the neighbors, I ultimately decided to upgrade to the Cycle Ops Magneto. It's got a nice feel to it and it's QUIET! It's not quite the trainer the Fluid 2 is, but it doesn't have the Fluid 2's pricetag, either. (BTW, I ordered my Magneto from AEbikes for lots less than I could find it anywhere else.)

Historically, I haven't really had the discipline to stay on the trainer (Hey, is that a piece of lint on the floor? I better get off the bike and investigate!), but I'm in a position now where it's the trainer or nothing. I'll take the trainer.