recneps345

I have been cycling for two years and can never seem to get in a routine for more than three weeks or so. Up until May, being busy with dental school has been the problem. Now I have been in the real world working for the last six months. I still seem to be getting home too late on weedays and only have the weekend to ride. Will getting a trainer to supplement my riding during the week be the answer?

If so, I have searched through threads to determine the which trainer would be best. I will either get the Fluid2 or Kurt Kinetic, or am open to any cheaper trainer that will some of you might think are as good as the other two, just not as popular. Thanks in advance.

Mentor58

I've got a Nashbar Fluid trainer, and I've been very pleased with it. It's stable, the noise level doesn't seem to be objectable. I also have a few of the Spinerval DVD's, they help keep me motivated, as opposed to just spinning mindlessly. In any case, you may want to look at getting a fan to point at you, you might be shocked at just how much you'll sweat on a trainer.

Steve W

Look486

Trainer and an incentive worked for me last winter, and hopefully this winter too. The company I work for offered a rebate on health insurance if you exercised 4X per week for 10 weeks. For 10 weeks during the winter I used the trainer instead of/in addition to weekend rides. I Dropped 10lbs and improved my fitness quite a bit.

FWIW I have the Kurt Kinetic trainer and I'm very happy with it. Part of the reason I chose it was the computer that gives you an approximation of power. I find that riding the trainer is interesting if I use a DVD such as Spinervals/Carmichael Training System (CTS) and have lots of data to stare at including cadence, approx power, speed and HR.

Good Luck
Look486

recneps345

I saw the Nashbar Fluid for $119 on sale from $209. Are there any more coupons to make this even a better deal? Is the Kurt Kinetic worth the extra $200?

badkarma

Trainer/Rollers are good to use in the winter for the days where it's either too cold/dark/snowy/etc. to ride. However, be advised that they are incredibly boring to ride.

domestique

I use my trainer year round.... especially early mornings before classes. Just jump on the trainer spin for an hour shower, eat and off to class. A great way to wake up.

I have a Performance brand fluid trainer (with resistance control)... paid $125.00 on sale last year.

FWIW, I find you will use the trainer more if you have a bike dedicated just for trainer use and not have to keep swapping skewers etc. Saves a little time in the mornings and doesn't ruin my race tires.


*Make sure you have a towel and a fan to to keep you cool.... you will sweat!..... +1 on CTS DVDs.

phantomcow2

I bought a trainer myself. It is very boring to ride indeed, I have difficulty riding it for over 45 minutes. Turning on the TV does help more than anything to keep boredom away though. I feel it using a trainer does make a difference. I was not able to ride at all last week, but used the trainer almost every night. Come saturday, I felt much stronger on the road. That might just be the feeling of being on the actual road again though

recneps345

How does an hour on the trainer compare to an hour on the rode as far as effectiveness of the workout. Also, anyone have any other opinions on whether to spring for the Kurt Kinetic or just get the Nashbar Fluid. Thanks.

oilman_15106

+1 to the person that answers the question on time spent on the trainer vs actual road riding. I know my club does not allow trainer miles to be included in your milages.

Tequila Joe

I beleive riding on my Cyclops Fluid 2 is requires more energy than riding on the road. On the road, I coast down hills and stop for lights. I ride non stop on the trainer and tend to hammer cause I'm pissed that I'm not out on the road.

To your original post, try riding in the morning. I've read that folks that get into the routine of excercising in the morning are 3x more likley to stick with the program. Riding in the eveining is tough for me due to family commitments and the fact that sometimes I'm just way too tired to ride from the days grind at the office. I also have problems falling asleep from the adrenalie rush if I ride too late in the evening.

phantomcow2

I am pretty wiped out after 1 hour on my trainer at a decent setting, much more tired than the road.

Lion Steve

I bought a CycleOps Magneto trainer from this company. They carry the Fluid2 and Kurt Kinetic. Excellent prices, quick service, no tax, and free shipping. Hard to beat.

https://shop.sunrisecyclery.com/display/1857/0/

DocRay

This depends on how you do the hour. The higher the gear, the more wattage output. You can certainly exceed effort on a trainer over a typical road workout using intervals and recovery. Depending on the gear and cadence, you can mimic rolling hills, or climb for the whole hour. You can even climb out of saddle using 53X11. A good trainer can give up to 1200W resisitence -you won't outpower a trainer.

Guys who describe trainer riding as boring are not doing it right, they're spinning . A good session should really wipe you out, and a HR monitor really helps to allow you to push your thresholds. Due to the stability and lack of required road concentration, you can focus on just ripping out your lungs and pushing your leg muscles to points beyond what you can do on the road. The idea that a trainer doesn't count as road miles is ridiculous, they are not using the trainer properly.I found some issues of the British cycling weekly, that had professional level intervals for fluid trainers, that beat anything I've ever done riding with a group.

Watching TV on a trainer is certainly less boring than watching it on a couch.


I would suggest buying a large floor fan, otherwise you will overheat and now have much potential output, a fan helps mimic road wind.

I'd spend the extra on the Kurt kinetic, its design cannot leak like o-ring sealed designs.

Machka 

Quite frankly, if you have not been able to be consistent with riding over the past two years, getting a trainer won't help. Believe me! It's too easy to think ... "oh, I'll do it later" ... and then when you're getting ready for bed, you realize that "later" didn't come that day so you think, "I'll do it tomorrow", and then tomorrow all sorts of other more interesting things happen ...... and so on and so on.

Riding a trainer is B-O-R-I-N-G!!!

However, if you've got a purpose in mind ... a goal you want to accomplish, then maybe the trainer might help.

But here's a tip ... put the trainer right there in the middle of the living room, in front of the TV, where it is easily accessible. Put it in a place where it is very easy to use, and put any of the accessory equipment you'll use with it, where those things are easy to access and use. If the trainer has to be moved into position every day, or if it is a complicated process to get everything ready to use it ..... you won't use it.

I've got a Nashbar Fluid trainer ... I like it ... when I use it.

BIGPAKO

Cycleops Fluid, catching up on movies.

StanSeven

Good advice. It is boring and you need a goal.

Try some cycling videos like Spinergy. Most people need something structured to stay focused. Most people also cannot use a trainer as their primary means of getting training in because they quickly lose interest. I found that it's a good way to supplement my riding in the winter but not a replacement.

merckxxx

Hi I have only been somwhat successful lat riding a trainer.. (very VERY boring) krietler rollers and a fluid trainer... .. I found a couple industrial parks near my house. I can go there at night because they a a lot of warehouses and factory suff.. the lights are huge.. You can see like daylight.. I have a course about 2 miles in one of them that I can loop... one prett good hill.. and zero traffic at night.. its like I have the whole place to myself..
some other riders are starting to find it and I am trying to get a group ride out there through the winter.. it is very cold... but great pavement.. NO DOGS... and zero traffic.. I have been doing a 9:00pm till 11:00 pm ride 2 nights a week...

just an idea.

merckxxx

bbattle

When I was getting fitted to my bike, the LBS had the trainer in front of a tv and I watched TdF videos. That was actually kinda fun and when I looked at the cycle computer I'd gone over twenty miles. The guys at the shop just left me there.

blue_nose

I personally like rollers better than a trainer – a little less boring for me.

My advice for your dilemma about not having time to ride is to schedule your workouts. Put them on your calendar and treat your workout like another class, meeting…

Once you establish a routine you will find it easier to stick to it.

Good-luck.

curiouskid55

Agreed that time on a trainer is just that...time not mileage. However ,unless you have a 20 mile stretch of flat road with no stop signs, intersections, or traffic, time running drills on a trainer can be twice as effective as the time trying to do them on the road. A very effective way to commit to a workout is to have a partner. It's a lot easy to bail on your self than someone else. Once the time Nazis chnage the clocks so that all daylight hours must be spent at work, my wife and I will go on our winter work out schedule.

M Recovery Stationary
T Drills Stationary
W Drills Staionary
T Drills with group and coach at LBS Stationary
F Off
S Team training ride
S Fun/social ride

It's not ideal but makes the weekend rides much more fun since you have done all your drills during the week and you can just get out on the road and hammer , or not, whatever you feel like. Working out together we may only miss 2 or 3 workouts a month.

Zouf

As the trainer IS a boring thing, you have to make it less boring by making it a lot more intense. Spinning for an hour is neither fun nor useful. If you do intervals, spinning drills, power work, isolated leg intervals, etc., you will find the trainer to be a lot more intense than many of the road outings you can do. If you can watch tv while on the trainer, you are not working out...

And if money is no object, you can go the Tacx way (Holland is flat and wet, so the Dutch are forced to be creative), and get a virtual reality trainer.

But keep in mind if you can't motivate yourself, no new object will turn you into a motivated person...

recneps345

Got the Kurt Kinetic from bicycledoctorusa, and it has been great. I am riding 2x on the road a week and 2-3x on my trainer a week. I really feel like it the consistency has been great for my conditioning. The Kurt Kinetic has been great. Thanks for all of the advice.

bbp

If you find trainers boring you should check either a Tacx I-magic, Tacx Fortius, or if your budget allows a Computrainer. With the Tacx you can either ride a to a video type simulation or you ride to a videos or real routes like Milan-San Remo or Mt. Ventoux. You can also "race" other people. These units also come with wattage control so if you're serious about training these are great trainers.

Havs

Another thing to remember, you will want to consider the warranty offered by the company, especially w/a trainer, which takes alot of abuse. I purchased a Kurt Kinetic last Dec from my LBS. So I recently noted that the resistance had dropped way off, (no fluid leaks and no obvious mechanical failure was evident) and I was just spinning it out. I called Kurt up, advised them of the problem. No questions, no lectures, just excellent customer service (a real person answers the phone!). I had a new resistance unit in 2 days, w/pre paid S&H to return the old unit. I bolted on the new resistance unit to the frame last night and got an excellent 80 min ride (like new again).


IMO-this was well worth the extra $$ spent (You get what you pay for w/trainers). This is what warranty service should be with everything.


After posting this, I see you went w/the Kurt. Good choice!

E39M5

After leaving the dental school some 20 years ago, working in the real world is more demanding and exhausting than in the school. I still have to come home so late that nobody would think of riding a bike outdoor. So I can only spend time on my rollers, 3-4 times a week and around 90 minutes every time. As a newbie, I have to be very concentrated on rollers, so it won't be boring to me. It's a good way to learn balancing. In order to train for more power, I will look for a fluid trainer. Let's have both sides of the world.