Trainers...
 

Weather is changing fast and I have been riding a lot this summer. I don't want to have to start again when the weather clears after winter so I am already looking into how to keep up my riding over the winter. What are the best trainers/rollers out there. I have no experiance with either of them looking for some help for people that may know.

Fluid resistance trainer stand!

Rollers are nice as well, but really PAY ATTENTION when you ride on rollers or you can drift off the side and suddenly you do a burnout and plow into the nearest wall!

No, you don't have to start again every spring!! I remain active during the winter by jogging on my college treadmill, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, weightlifting, cycling outside in the snow, and using my trainer.

I have one of the Nashbar Fluid trainers which has worked very well for me for several years.



And just a suggestion ... when I ride a trainer I usually watch TV shows with commercials, and then I do "commercial intervals". During the show, I'll sit normally on my bicycle with my hands on the handlebars. I ride at a fairly relaxed pace so I can hear what's going on with the show. Then when the commercial comes on, I go into the drops or onto the aerobars, and pedal as fast as I can till the end of the commercial. Then I'll sit back up and recover.

Not only does the time go by quite quickly that way, but I'm rarely in the same position on a trainer for more than about 5 minutes!

Great idea, thanks, Machka!

I have an el-cheapo magnetic Cycle Ops trainer. Cheapest one they make. IMHO, I don't think there's enough difference in trainers to justify the higher priced ones. I mean, it's a trainer. It sucks! I'd rather be riding outside!

That said, it can give you a GREAT workout. Unlike the road, you can really torch yourself on a trainer. No traffic and you're not ever going to lay it down. You can really go balls to the wall on those intervals. (I highly recommend the Chris Charmichael trainer videos. Especially the time-trialing one. They're sadistic if you actually do what he's telling you to do.)

It's also good for keeping a good base. The UMCA has a trainer competiton that kept me pretty motivated last winter. Points for rides over 2 hours. Two hours on a trainer, you say? Crazy! Get some friends together, set up in the basement, get a bunch of movies and Tour videos out, and go nuts. We had a couple of 8-hour sessions on crappy days last winter that were a total blast. Warning: it's tough. Like riding a fixie on a LD ride. There ain't no coasting on a trainer!

Other issue for you: whatever trainer you do get, it'll wear out your rear tire very quickly. Those Continental trainer-specific tires are iffy and expensive for what they are. I just hold onto all the worn out tires from the season and throw them on the wheel for the trainer sessions. Chuck 'em when you see the threads.

Have fun!

A couple of other tips -- a fan set up in front of you to blow air across you and help evaporate your sweat. A towel on the carpet under your bike so your house doesn't start to smell like a gymnasium. A towel, or even better saran wrap or similar around your top tube to stop sweat working its way into the paintwork and corroding a metal frame. You can bypass having to set up your road bike by getting a cheap beater-type bike, ensuring it has identical fit to your roadbike, and leaving it set up on the trainer permanently.

Gosh, I wonder if anyone ever "reviews" stuff, and then posts it on the Interent, wouldn't that be sometimg?

+1

I've recently been training whilst watching early Sopranos on DVD - it's making me a Bada$$!! Bada Bing:D

I use a Cycle Ops Fluid 2 - which I love.

You didn't say how much jack you were willing to spend. If your trying to keep in under $170 and yet get a good workout then the Cyclops Wind trainer is the best deal and is capable of about 900 watts; but be forwarned of it's very loud nature. The next best trainer for the money is the Cyclops Magneto (not the Magnetic or Mag) this runs about $230 but is very quiet and has a more natural road feel to it plus is capable of about 550 watts. Cyclops best non-computerized unit is the Fluid2 but these run about $320 now, and it's capable of about 750 watts.

I have the Fluid2 but should have bought the Magneto and saved some cash. If you do a subject search you will find more details. The Fluid2 is a great trainer that is capable of over 750 watts. However I found out AFTER I bought the thing that Lance Armstrong is only capable of 700 watts for one minute; that means that Lance would never use the full potential of the Fluid2 (US Postal Team used the Fluid2), this also means that I would never come close to using it's full potential either, and since I'm not training to race it's even more riduculas!

What I'm trying to tell you is that if your not close to Lance's abilities and just one to stay in fit then get the Cyclops Magneto...NOT THE MAGNETIC. The Magnetic is only capable of about 350 watts whereas the Magneto is capable of over 500. Check prices on the web you may find it cheaper. All Cyclops units come with a lifetime warranty that Cyclops stands behind VERY well, and they come with a skewer so you don't mar yours, and a training video.


These things are also very boring so get something to entertain yourself with; also get a fan to blow on you while riding.

I personally think the $$ trainers are worth the money. They don't leak, and they are quiet and provide a great feel. I've tried some of the cheaper fluid trainers and had very bad experiences. For trainers, the CyleOps Fluid 2 (I think thats its name) or the Kurt Kinetic trainers are the best IMO, but I think they are both in the $200-$300 range.

After my trainer experiences I went straight to krietler rollers and love them. They have done wonders for improving my balance and my spin. These rollers come in large medium and small. The small diameter ones are harder to roll, large ones easier, medium in between. I find that with the medium ones effort is similar to outdoor on a smooth flat road with no wind. You can get resistance units but I use the trainer for resistance workouts.

My final comment is that you should get a cheap tire and put it on your rear wheel (or 2 and put them on both if you use rollers). Trainers eat tires.

Sure, Lance might "only" sustain 700W for one minute but have you considered the insane wattage put out during a 10 sec sprint? I'll look-up some numbers from my bike science book if I remember when I get home. Anyhow, no doubt some people on BF could put out 700W doing sprint intervals on a trainer. I'm certain that I could put out at least 500W myself during a sprint (long story short, a pair of power-measuring trainers at the festival at the end of a bike event hooked-up to a computer for a 1/10 mile simulated race, that was fun).

Oh and to prove my point, how convenient!

Not really - it's all to do with momentum, which when you're riding rollers is very low, as you have no forward movement. You just keel over, but if you unclip in time, then you can catch yourself.

- Wil