Originally Posted by Jason05
Hi everyone,
I want to start cycling but indoors exclusively, I'm just interested in fitness and not competing or racing or anything like that. The reason being where I live theres a lot of maniac drivers and when I used to ride outdoors when I was a kid I crashed more often than I'd like to admit, I'm a bit of a clutz. I used a cheap stationary bike for awhile but it broke down, and I've heard using a bike trainer is better than a stationary exercise bike, so if I was to get a bike only for use on an indoor trainer, would any bike be adequate? I would like to use it everyday or close to everyday, I'm guessing the weight wouldn't matter since I'm only staying in one spot, would it matter if it was a mountain or road bike? Should I get one with as many gears as possible to simulate various conditions?Any other considerations as far as design? How much would be an adequate price? As far as the trainer, I would like to simulate long distance rides as well as intervals, sprints and hill climbs if possible. I saw this trainer on ebay,
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...154406878&rd=1 is this one good or is there another brand that is better? Any advice would really be appreciated from anyone who uses an indoor trainer, sorry for all the questions but I would like to get this right. Thanks
Hey, I understand you
completely! If that's what you want to do then that's great. You don't have to listen to any counter arguments that you'll no doubt receive. I actually commend you for wanting to avoid the nonsense. I lived in Atlanta for 5 years and gave up cycling because of all of the maniacs behind the wheels of automobiles there. I did maybe a dozen to 15 rides and said to Hell with it. I live in Indianapolis now and it's better but still I prefer to do much of my exercise on the trainer. One day a week I try to go to a nearby park during a weekday. Weekends at the park are just too crowded with joggers, walkers, in-line skaters, cyclists, yadda yadda. I actually prefer solitude when I ride/exercise.
The 1Up USA trainer is supposed to have a very good reputation and a liberal return policy. The Kurt Kenetic is also supposed to be a very good one with excellent reviews. I bought a CycleOps Fluid 2 last Fall and have noticed a small leak so I can no longer recommend that model. I thought they had fixed that issue with the newer models but apparently not.
As far as the bike goes, it's purely personal preference. If I were to only own 1 bike it would be a mountain bike simply because they can handle such varied terrain. However, indoors on a trainer it's going to be a matter of what bike feels the most comfortable as there will be no varied terrain on which to ride. That's a decision you're going to have to make on your own. Both mountain bikes and many non-racer road bikes will have a more upright riding position and will be suitable for indoor trainer use.
As far as the gearing goes, I don't think you're going to need a tripple up front as you won't be able to simulate going up hill on a trainer. You'll be able to work harder and push yourself just the same, however, you won't need to downshift to the granny gear. I would think a double up front and an 8 speed (Sora) or 9 speed (Tiagra) would be sufficient for a road bike that is for indoor trainer use only. Just be sure to buy the cheapest tires you can.
P.S. when we were kids we all crashed more than we'd like to admit. It's part of being a kid. I know I have my fair share of battle scars.