rydwhite

Ok, I am fairly new to the cycling world and really like cycling, however, once winter hits and the temps are in the low 30's and below and the snow starts coming, I'm not going to be riding outside anymore. What is the best way to continue riding during the winter? Are there any specific types of workouts that are more conducive to improvement?

Markedoc

Buy a trainer or rollers

Buy some training tapes, do intervals, etc. For example:

20 min warm-up
2 mins hard (90%) at 90 RPMS, 20 sec rest, 2 mins hard, 20 sec rest, 2 min hard, 2 min rest
cool down

I will probably do some indoor rides with a buddy this winter, just to keep it fun


do this 4-5 times

bpohl

You should join NIFS and take a spinning class. I hear that they're great wintertime workouts for cyclists. You could also lift weights there.

Markedoc

oops - forgot ...

You can do different types of rides indoors just like you do outdoors ... distance, strength, endurance, etc .. .mix it up and have fun

duracann

I usually restrict my workouts to a bag of potato chip and a tv remote, but if you want improvement......

rydwhite

What type of trainer would you guys recommend? Wind, Fluid? I know that a wind trainer is noiser than a fluid trainer, but is there much else that is different?

I have thought about a spinning class at NIFS, but haven't really looked into it yet. What is everyone's thoughts about spinning classes? Are they worth it or is it better to just use a trainer at home?

Michel Gagnon

Why? Get fenders, install a long mudflap under the front fender, and get good footwear. Then go out and ride.

Look at https://www.icebike.org for more info.

duracann

I do not recommend that you ride icy roads during the winter often. You WILL get hit by a car. The canadian above doesn't have to deal with sliding cars as much I guess. I am sure you have loads of traffic in indy. Don't let the cold keep you from riding though, you can get setup clothingwise for quite frigid temps.

Good job on riding all year though Michel

brunning

i ride in the winter, but only when the roads are dry or almost dry and the temp is 28+

otherwise.. trainer trainer trainer. it's not much fun, but it keeps you moving.

duracann

so will spinning, bad music usually but it will keep you from going dormant.

sm266

Once winter of trainer workouts, and I invested in fleece, a baclava, and headlamp. I'd rather ride outside.

NW NJ Biker

Last fall I promised myself that I would continue to ride through the winter. I was shocked that with the proper clothes, it was quite enjoyable. In the mid 30s, I had no problem going 20 miles. In the upper 20s, I limited my rides to less than 1 hour.

I would go out when the roads were dry and the temperature was above 27 degrees.

duracann

roads are rarely dry here in WY and when the wind isn't howling it is rarely above the teens.

Homer_Simpson

I live in Utah and it gets pretty nasty and cold outside, so for most of the winter I am doing my training inside. I bought a fluid trainer last year from Performance Bike and really enjoy it. It is really smooth and feels like I am riding outside. My favorite workout is to pull out one of the Spinervals videos, my favorite being Suffer-O-Rama, and ride in front of the box fan and crank out a killer workout. I usually turn the sound down pretty low and then crank up some Disturbed or Blink 182, or Metallica or something like that, and it seems to keep me going and gives me a killer workout!

bpohl

rydwhite, I rode all of last winter here in Indy, and I didn't have any problems. I skipped a few icy days, but I was still able to put in 400+ miles per month. It wasn't until late march that I got hit by a car. Man did I miss solid food!

bac

Buy a single-speed - strap on some studded tires, and go outside. I did this last winter, and had the time of my life! You won't do the same distance as you do in the other seasons, but it's different, and really fun. Don't worry about the cold - I was never cold once last year, and I rode when the temps dropped below zero.

Murrays

I HATE riding indoors. My philosophy is: My worst ride outside is still better than my best ride inside! Even spinning classes drive me crazy.

That said, 40 minutes on a trainer twice a week over the winter will make your first spring ride a couple mph faster.

A couple other tips:

-Music! Loud and upbeat. I wonder what Lance is playing on his iPod when he’s warming up for a TT?

-Intervals. Something to keep your mind off the boredom. After warmup, I’ve done 3 minutes hard, 3 minutes easy or (killer workout) 50 seconds all out, 10 second recovery.

-Fans. You will overheat!

For me, a child limits my winter workout time so I’ve adopted a new strategy – skip the aerobic stuff and concentrate on strength. I can’t drag myself to the gym when the weather is nice so winter gives me a chance to add some strength. I also figure that a couple 200 mile weeks in the spring (outside) will do more good riding a trainer all winter. That seemed to work pretty well for me this year.

Of course, adding aerobic training in the winter and weight training in the summer would be better, but, as I said, I’ve got limited time.

-murray

Methos

I crank the MP3 player and ride away on the rollers. My roommate forces me to the garage on the rollers because it is too loud in the house. Oh well. I bought my dad old tours, (de France), on DVD and that's all he watches when he rides inside. I guess it's all what you make of it. I have an old mountain bike and I am thinking of studding it and trying to go for at least a couple of rides in the winter.

lennyparis

How much do trainers take out of your back tire/wheel? I would think with all that rubbing it would wear away quickly; how do you handle this?

rlimbert

I have an indoor trainer, and it's defeated all my attempts to make it interesting - I can't manage more than about 45 minutes on it, even though it's in front of a TV set. But it does help maintain fitness over the winter (I'm in northern Massachusetts).

This past year I tried to ride at least a few times through the winter. My take was that (a) I liked cold-weather riding more than the trainer, even if I did question my own sanity a couple of times, and (b) getting in a good outdoor ride every few weeks did more to keep me in shape than riding the trainer for half an hour every week. But last winter, though cold, was fairly dry (i.e. not much snow). I probably couldn't have ridden as much during a snowy winter.

Re: spinning. I can see how spinning classes, which offer a group atmosphere and an instructor for motivation, might work better for some people than riding a trainer alone in the basement. I took a spinning class once and kind of enjoyed it, though it was short (50 minutes, which included 10 minutes of warm-up and cool-down). It'd probably be worth a try.

Rob

rlimbert

My experience is that trainers are tough on rear tires. I use an old hybrid, with big, thick tires, for the trainer.

Rob

naisme

I really take exception to your statement "you WILL get hit by a car." No you won't! I have ridden the past three winters in snow, ice, below zero weather and have not been hit by a car. Thousands of cyclists ride all winter long without getting hit, so who are you to say anyone will get hit? You will fall in the bathtub and crack your head open, so you better shower with your helmet.
Man pull your head out of the sand, or the snow bank.
As to suggestions, get a beater and continue to ride. You can have a great time out there, I do every winter. I've come to enjoy the winter rides more than the summer, it's less crowded, not as hot, and the scenery is a nice change. Don't let it stop you!
AND YOU WILL NOT GET HIT BY A CAR! That's just stoopid

Read some of last year's winter cycling forum posts, not a one about being hit by a car. Sorry dude, you outta here. I can't believe you even read the posts here. Oh this one has me lit up, sorry fans, but I love the winter months, not necessarily that deep freeze cold, but man it's something else to be out on two wheels in the snow. Sort of like commuting, you feel you're the only one and everyone else is missing out. No, I don't get out on my best roadie and ride, there are caustic salts, chemicals, and water to name a few things. Winter riding punishes the bike, not the rider. You don't have to get all bundled up either, as your body is a furnace and the the harder you ride the warmer you get. I rode in below freezing with a long sleeve poly shirt, a wool sweater, and a wind shirt/vest, and was plenty warm. My feet were stuffed in boots, and wool socks. One of the best investments I made was a pair of fleece lined tights with a wind cover on the front of the legs, I'm toasty.
I'd also like to say I lost 30 pounds in the first three months of '04. I was also commuting 200-250 miles a week from November '03 on. I went without a car the whole winter! That only happened because of the encouragement of my fellow forum members who'd put up with my endorphine induced posts about riding at -4F.

Markedoc

Well, indoors in front of a TV sucks and you (well, I) don't work that hard. Get tapes, do intervals, or better yet, get one of these:

https://www.computrainer.com/pro3d.asp

Days are verry short and the weather sucks here in Mass.

raceon4

Man that would be sweet to have one of those. It looks like it could be a lot of fun to bad it costs about the price of a nice new bike.

duracann

I don't know where you live, and you may be right about your particular location. But everytime I go out on the ice, someone always manages to slide within inches of nailing me. I think most people here would agree with me that cycling on an icy road in traffic is much more dangerous than showering. I am not saying that he will get hit right away, but eventually it will probably happen. You told him he will NOT get hit by a car, how can you possibly know this? Can you see the future? Have you ever wondered why there are more accidents when the roads are icy? Because it more difficult to maintain control of your car. The other problem that I have is tha the roads here don't get cleared so I would have to ride in the grooves provided by cars which puts me right in the middle of the road, and that is not safe. Again, before telling me I am stupid, you should ask questions about where the person lives, traffic, road maintenence etc.