rumblebelly

Just wondering if there are trainers/rollers designed for clydesdales/athenas. I heard trainers/rollers can put a LOT of wear on the bike and I'm assuming this is talking about 160-200~ lb riders using it, but does it affect our bikes more the more you weigh?

I'm looking to save up for one for the winter training. I'm not gonna lose all my hard work I've been doing, because the winters here are long. Not as bad as you canadians but from all the US I've visited, our winters are generally an 8 on a scale of 1-10. Last year snow went from late October through April

I'm going to grab a gym membership with a friend to help drop more lb's and build my core and all that, next year I will be signing up for as many events as I can including RAGBRAI and DALMAC (michigan one). I want to be in tip top shape coming out of this winter, I am hoping to have lost most if not all excess fat and I've used my recent road bike obsession as motivation. If I let winter kill my motivation and routine it'll all be for nothing, so I need a good reliable roller/trainer. I heard "never use your good bike on a trainer", well I only have ONE road bike, I am a college student that can hardly afford much after buying the bike and accessories. So this is an issue.

Thanks if anyone has any ideas for me!

zoste

I hadn't heard that trainers were hard on anything other than tires. Last winter I used a CycleOps fluid trainer about three or four days a week and I didn't notice any ill effect on my bike.

IAmCosmo

Get a trainer-specific tire and get a spare skewer (the trainer scratches up the skewer) and you'll be fine.

Redskin8006

+1. I outfitted a spare wheel with the trainer tire for when I want to do a trainer workout.

late

1) Kurt Kinetic trainers are made like tanks. They also have a computer that estimates watts.

2) Spinervals. Check the difficulty ratings at the Spinervals websites. Don't start at the top of the scale.

3) Old movies, tv shows... great for base training.

4) and speaking of base training, you will want to be on some sort of training schedule that plans out your training over the entire winter.

5) A couple years ago I bought a used Concept 2 rower. Love it.

Redskin8006

I forgot about Spinervals.... Tried to repress that memory. Those workouts hurt!! I did the one that came with my Kurt Kinetic once a week during the winter. I felt really strong by spring.

Someone here on BF was doing the Spinervals Lake Placid "virtual workout". I might try that one this winter to change it up.

MGtrack

Gee, just wrote another post about this. Must be getting close to indoor season

I really like the 1 Up USA trainer. For 4 seasons it's held my considerable weight. Never had a problem with the bike on it. I do run a heavier rear tire (GP3000) on it, but I've used that same tire for 2 seasons now and I think it'll keep working another season.
https://www.1upusa.com/bike_trainer.html

zoste

I think that I repressed the Spinervals, too Highly recommended.

Also neglected to mention the skewer...now that you mention it, I did hear that trainers are tough on skewers.

RatedZeroHero

and to think everyone in TX or FL are laughing right now...

taking the winter off??? why???

makes me wanna goto TX even worse... or possibly NM for some hillage...

Homeyba

I prefer rollers to a trainer. At least you are actually riding your bike even if you aren't going anywhere. As said above, just use inexpensive tires.

Kneez

Why would rollers put a lot of wear on a bike?

rumblebelly

Apparently they screw up the skewer and wear down the tires faster than normal, which is what I meant by wear on the bike.

IAmCosmo

Rollers don't use the skewer, so no problem there. While on rollers though you are really only riding on the center of the tire, so that part will wear out faster than outside riding where you use the edges of the tires when cornering. Plus, some rollers have a surface that is made to create friction, which will add to tire wear.

For me, however, rollers add to wear on my knees because I fall off them all the time...

jdon

Rollers will hone your handling skills in a hurry. Trainers are better for novice riders but do nothing for handling. Both provide a great cardio workout. Do Intervals and do them regularly. Most people I know are lucky to maintain condition but a few improve over winter. Those are the interval riders. The occaisional cruise watching a movie is fine for recovery but the gains come from pushing yourself.

Buy a stronger trainer as opposed to one made of lighter materials. The lighter ones tend to spread and the skewer drops out making a mess of skewers and sometimes spokes. Cyclops fluid trainers are great for clydes.

Wogster

Rollers and trainers will put some extra wear on tires, it will put some mileage on the chain as well, but no more then regular riding does.

If you use a trainer (this only applies to trainers) and plan on doing a lot, then plan on a new rear tire for spring. This is actually a good thing, because if you plan on replacing the tire, then you can buy the new one in late fall when the bike stores are trying to clear out their inventory and you can get a better tire, cheaper then your normal crappy tires. If your current rear tire is getting near it's best before date, then when the snow flies, swap your front and rear tires, and get two new tires for spring.

With rollers I wouldn't swap tires, as they put some wear on front tires as well, you will have to replace at least the rear tire, if not both....

Rollers are better training because your actually riding, however a trainer is easier to use, and easier to multi-task with, you can get on a trainer, grab a book you need to read for class and read while pedalling away. This is something you can't do with rollers.

zoste

Precisely why I took the Arizona bar exam after practicing in PA for 25 years

flip18436572

Rollers are better in my opinion as I own both. The rollers make me work on better riding skills and balance. I ride in a very wide doorway and watch a DVD while I ride during the crappy winter months. I would rather ride indoors and sweat a LOT, then go on the crappy roads and crash on ice and snow pack. I have bought a mountain bike now though, so I might do some single track trails while it is cool but not icy. That is only a month or so away.

I put over 2500 miles on my rollers without wearing out the tires, so I don't think rollers are a problem for any wear. Just my opinion.

rumblebelly

Thanks for the input and personal experience! I hope I can find some nice rollers, they sound pretty good right now for my winter rides.

gapwedge

I have saved up enough $$ to get a slightly used 07 Jamis Quest from the LBS. I already have the Cyclops Fluid Jet Pro trainer from last winter, but don't like the idea of using my Specialized Roubaix Expert on the it. So I will use the Jamis as my trainer bike. I am also building a rear wheel complete with cassette and a Continential Trainer tire so I can quickly switch rear tires when I want to take the Jamis outside. I , also, have worked too hard this summer to give it all back in the winter months. Luckily, I can ride most days here, but there are times when it will rain all week and it does get dark eariler as well so the indoor training will be a must for me.

Kneez

What are the pros and cons of rollers and trainers? I greatly prefer rollers but some people clearly like trainers. For those of you who prefer trainers, what do you see in them?

Wogster

Trainers allow you to do other tasks while riding, because the rear wheel of the bike is well supported, you don't need to have supports on either side of the bike in order to support you during starting and stopping. There is less chance of falling during start and stop. You don't need to concentrate to keep from going off the rollers. The disadvantage is that they are solely intended to keeping or getting the legs trained for distance. A trainer effectively turns a bicycle into an well fitting exercise bike. Trainers can be incredibly boring though, so setting the trainer up in a room with a television is usually a good idea.

Rollers, involve all of the skills of riding, in that you basically are riding your bike on the rollers. The advantage is that all riding skills are used. The disadvantages are that you need some kind of support beside the bike while you get up to a reasonable speed. It's possible, some might say easy, to go off track and run off the side of the rollers, resulting in a crash, starting and stopping are harder. There is an extra skill to getting good at using rollers, that you don't need with a trainer. I don't have rollers, so I can't speak to whether riding rollers can be boring or not.

Either one is good if you live in an area where ice and snow can make it impossible to ride for part of the year, losing 3-4 months of riding means that in the spring your starting all over with baby steps again, and by the time your able to do some nice long rides, the season is over again.

flip18436572

The pluses of a trainer are that you can pretty much do anything and pedal the bicycle. You can read books, or play video games, etc.... You can also change the friction of the trainer to make it harder to pedal. You can come to a complete stop and sit there and catch your breath after pushing really hard.

For rollers, you have to let air pressure out of the tires to get that extra friction and I really don't do that anymore. If doing a hard workout, you can't just stop the bike, unless you are next to something to hold on to. If you are doing a hard sprint in the small gear in the back at 35 mph, and want to relax, you have to shift up quickly and keep spinning, as it slows you down very quickly on the rollers. I have done a century on the rollers, as I have to keep going to make it happen. Yes, I watched DVD's while doing so, but the only stopping was to change the DVD's.

IAmCosmo

This guy could probably make a cup of coffee while riding the rollers...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wME5NTriTco

superdex

rollers may wear the tires, but I haven't noticed faster wear compared to riding on the road; I loves mine and they haven't affected the bike that I've noticed. Trainers typically come with their own specific skewer, use it. It's beefier on purpose...

rumblebelly

Nice thanks for the info. I'll definitely be looking at rollers.

And LOL @ the one legged no hands viking. That is awesome.