Originally Posted by
awesomejack
like this: http://www.amazon.com/CycleOps-Stack...0927504&sr=8-6
It clearly says that this is used to level the bike and/or raise the bike up to "simulate climbing workouts." I'm pretty sure that's impossible.
I'm in college to be a mechanical engineer and I like to believe I have a firm grasp on how physics works and interactions between forces. On a trainer, the resistance is provided by the magnets/fluid in the trainer, and raising the front wheel should have zero effect on the resistance. You could even be riding a vertical bike on a trainer and it should be the same workout.
Now, I know CycleOps employs many engineers to design these things (plus every other trainer manufacturer out there), and I don't believe they would sell and market a product that absolutely does not perform its function. Am I missing something? or is this a full blown marketing scam?
Take a physiology class next semester instead of physics... Or better yet, go ride your bike up some hills, and realize that you use slightly different muscle groups. Think of the effort required to ride a recumbent vs. an upright bike.