Training & Nutrition - Trainers and Mileage

I am confused as to how you can calculate mileage on a stationary trainer. Obviously the front wheel won't be moving. Do they come with their own measuring device or what??

They are stationary, there is no mileage. Even if there was it would be way to easy to log tons of junk miles. Track time on trainer and heart rate or if you have a power measuring device wattage.

My computer (Cateye Atrale) has a cadence sensor and so it's already designed to have the speed magnet mounted on the rear wheel. If you have enough wire, you can mount your magnet and sensor on the back wheel, too.

I am thinking of getting this unit. It is a Minoura 850 Rim drive. (Rim drive unit not pictured but the same trainer basicall) The unit without the remote is quite a bit less $$$. You have to adjust the resistance on the unit itself. Is the remote unit worth an extra $40 or is it really that useful. http://xs2.xs.to/pics/04111/trainer.jpg

fluid trainer best way to go

imo

FWIW, most folks don't calculate "mileage" on a trainer as they are not "real" miles. Because they're not "on the road" (or trail) miles, most folks just track the time they spend on the trainer.

FWIW, most folks don't calculate "mileage" on a trainer as they are not "real" miles. Because they're not "on the road" (or trail) miles, most folks just track the time they spend on the trainer.

Sounds reasonable. I have just seen where a lot of people have posted their trainer miles, here and other places. I agree that it sounds non applicable.

I am confused as to how you can calculate mileage on a stationary trainer. Obviously the front wheel won't be moving. Do they come with their own measuring device or what??You can either splice the wire to the wheel sensor and add some extra wire, which is what I've recently done. Or you can spring for a cheap wireless unit like this one ...

http://www.supergo.com/profile.cfm?LPROD_ID=21173&hotdeal=true#

SSP is right on the money that trainer miles won't add up the same as actual road miles. However, I still find it a useful tool to compare trainer sessions with other trainer sessions. I also measure time and heart rate. The serious guys measure their efforts with power meters as well.

Before committing to a magnetic rim drive trainer, give one of the fluid trainers a try, such as the Kurt Kennetic, the 1upUSA and the CycleOps Fluid 2. Use a cheap tire as trainers tend to chew them up. No need to waste a more expensive tire for such a purpose.

Use a cheap tire as trainers tend to chew them up. No need to waste a more expensive tire for such a purpose.

Uh-oh. I've never heard that before (this will be my first "indoor" season). How severe is this phenomena? Will a tire get totally used up over the course of the winter?

-Jim

real happy with the minoura trainer pictured above. i asked about the rim drive but no one responded so I bought the above trainer. bought a cheap tire. I had another trainer, simular design, don't remember the name that was noisy, wore the tire badly and got hot. unit pictured above has none of these problems. for the price and my experience i would go with the tire drive. for miles i figure I ride about 20 miles per hour at 140 average beats so I go that hard or harder on trainer and convert time to miles.

There are several computers available with rear wheel pickups. Many of them also have cadence options. Or you could buy rollers instead and have your front wheel spin. :D

Uh-oh. I've never heard that before (this will be my first "indoor" season). How severe is this phenomena? Will a tire get totally used up over the course of the winter?

-Jim

yup. I put about 100 "miles" on a tire by riding on the trainer for a total of about an hour and a half over the course of a race weekend.

just use an old road tire, or get a nashbar or performance cheapie. Or move south where you can ride outside all year :D

Look at the Computrainer. It give me everthing. No need to mess with the bike's computer, the unit feeds into a desktop and gives me everything and more. I do put an old tire on the back for the indoor season.

Cheers,
Dusk

Well recording "miles" on a trainer is rather bogus. I mean you can set the resistance really, really low and put it in your biggest gear have your little computer record your miles at tremendous average speeds but if you do you are fooling yourself.

Even being "honest" poses a problem. I mean, how does one know if you are going the equivilent of 17 mph or 20 mph or 23 mph?

About the best way to "calibrate" your wind trainer is to learn what your cruising speed is on a flat road with no wind at your average heart rate. You can get on the trainer and run that same heart rate in an hour do approximately the same thing. That is a way to put down your "mileage" on your training log.

Or you could get a computer that reads on your trainer of choice (either rear wheel pickup or use rollers), set the resistance so your heart rate and average speed are about the same as on a level road, and read the mileage off of the computer face. :)

I just got my Blackburn fluid, set the bike up and its now ready for my first "indoor" session as well. After I got it all setup, I tried it out for about 5 minutes, ran thru all the gears and my thinking is that is gonna suck. Bike dont move, no wind and in my basement. Oh well, at least Ill be on the bike and burning cals.

Miles not so much as cadence. Spinerval DVDs require cadence in order to get the full effect.
Kurt Kinetic seems to be the best. I'm getting one this week. I'll post my review on the new forum category that we should have. "Product Review".

I recently purchased the nashbar minoura trainer and I was so excited. I took my computer off and mounted it to the seat post so the wire would reach the back tire. I can see it when I peak down and it really like knowing the speed I am going and I also enjoy knowing the amount of miles I put on in a certain time. Even though they aren't actual miles it is nice to have something to go by if you use about the same gear and the same resistance and ultimately the same workout. After reading the other posts I did realize that they are "fake miles" and I plan to reset my computer back to the original miles that I recorded before I brought the bike inside to the trainer. But, back to the original question, you can splice like someone else said or if you won't want to cut into the wire then just move it.