Indoor Training
 

I'm kind of new to bikeforums, and was wondering where I could post a question (or two) about indoor training. I guess this is the place. I live in a high-traffic area, so it is hard for me to get a good, aerobic workout on the road. Especially in winter, I'd like to keep my aerobic fitness up, and might even someday enter my first race if I train hard enough to feel competent.
Does anyone have a link or suggestion on indoor training?

Indoor training is very boring. Get an old used mountain bike and find some trails in your area. You can avoid riding in traffic and get a good workout. Riding in the winter is fun as long as you dress in layers and practice a bit.

If you are immune to being bored, many high schools and middle schools have quarter mile tracks that are open to the public for jogging and running. As long as you are polite and stay FAR away from joggers, you can ride your bike on those tracks. Because there is no motor traffic to deal with, the only limit on how fast you ride on a track is your legs and your lungs. I ride on a track from time to time...but it is astoundingly boring.

Have you check out group rides in your area? Sometimes there's safety in numbers and you may find a training partner or two.
If you don't know of any group rides, ask at a few bike shops.
You can also ask the folks in the Northeast Regional subforum about group rides.

If you end up making yourself suffer indoors, I'll suggest a few things --

- Kurt Kinetic stationary trainer. The best resistance unit, patented, leakproof, and duplicates the power-to-speed profile of typical riders. It also comes in a "Rock and Roll" version that rocks side-to-side for standing sprints.

And/or:

- Rollers. Picture a set of rolling pins, two under the rear and one under the front, connected by a drive belt and adjustable for your bike's wheelbase. These range from very basic three-rollers-on-a-frame setups to nearly foolproof eMotion roller trainers.

- Something to watch, read, or whatever. Set aside an episode of the Simpsons to watch while you smoke yourself. Get a Tour de France DVD or two. Download some Sufferfest videos for real pain.

BUT, if you can find any other cyclists at all, or even just some regional info online, I'll bet you can find some outdoor routes for good riding. I'm lucky in that there's a small island a warmup ride away on the Potomac that's popular with the locals for simple hard riding. There are quite a few other places for me to go, too, whether on road or off.

incorrect.

get an indoor trainer or spinbike and some spinervals dvd's and go for it.