telebianchi

Last spring after having done very little riding all winter, I hunted eBay and picked up a used Kurt Kinetic Road Machine. Made sure it worked and then stuck it in storage all summer.

Last night I took it out and set it up for a spin. A bit boring after only a half hour, but I've got Spinervals DVDs on my Christmas list. I can also feel that it's using muscles a bit differently but I guess that's the trade-off for being able to ride when it's dark outside.

And now I have a couple of questions if anyone can help out. Thank in advance:

• How tight is tight enough on the skewer? The bike feels secure, but I'm guessing there is some happy medium between too loose which will allow the bike to shift, and too tight causing damage to the skewer, wheel and/or frame.
  
• Rocking of the bike. Sort of related to the first question. Reading some other threads after searching for info it seems that a little bit of rocking is normal. But how much is too much? I'm guessing that with a little practice I'll improve my form, but still I expect that there will be some rocking especially if I'm in a higher gear or out of the saddle.
  
• Saddle comfort. I've got a Specialized Alias 130 on the bike right now. It felt a little narrow when I first put it on the bike this fall but now I think it's great and I've done 50 to 100 mile rides with no ill effects. On the trainer, however, I seem to be sitting back a bit more and feeling the saddle more. Does anyone switch out saddles between the real road and the trainer?
  
• Does anyone use the trainer as a warm-up before going outside? Like doing twenty minutes before the sun rises and then head outside once it is light? If so, any tips for dealing with the inside-induced sweat becoming a too-cold feeling once outside?

Thanks again.

GeoLes

I don't have Kurt Kinetic (I have 1 Up USA, which I absolutely love). I would invest in a "Sweat net" (a velcro-fitted towel that hooks to the handlbars and seat posts to catch sweat that would drop on your frame. Or drape a couple of towels on the top tube. Be sure to wipe the bike down after each ride. Acids in sweat can kill a finish.

I set my pressure to be just snug enough to hold without play, without undue pressure. You don't want the skewers to slide around, but you don't want a vise grip either. You didn't mention drum pressure on the tire - Just enough so you have no slippage. If you spin and stop the drum the wheel will do the same without skidding.

Saddle should be the same as your regular saddle. It feel harder because you are sitting back on in with the comfort that the trainer has your balance. You should approch the trainer the say way you do the road. If you put more pressure on the pedals, you put less on your tush. Meaning if you train on the trainer (as the name implies), as opposed to riding on it, you will feel better. Also, take time to break in on the trainer, gradually incresing duration until you develop your chops. It's not quite the same as on the road.

As for what to do on the trainer, avoid mindless miles at the same pace. I see that it the gym all the time. Some guy gets on the exersice bike and casually pedals along while watching the tv or something. Instead, mix it up. Start with a 3 minutes of gradually increasing pace until your reach 110 rpms. Recover and try the spinning 90 rpm, gradually incresing the resistance one gear at a time until you cannot maintain the 110 rpm's. That sort of thing. A good workout on the trainer should be difficult and time should fly. In fact, I don't work with time. As I watch the clock, time seems to go too slowly. I count pedal strokes instead. 100 strokes at 90 rpm's, followed by 100 strokes at 110 rpm's. That sort of thing.

sirshnike

Hey question for you guys: do you really have to use the skewer that comes included with the Kurt Kinetic? The skewer on my Roubaix fits fine. Is there any chance I could be damaging my skewer by not using the KK one?

Thanks.

s4one

No you don't have to use the skewers provided.

I use my stock Specialized skewers because the ones that came with my cyclopes are total crap.

telebianchi

Thanks for your response. I already had the sweat catcher thingy, and keep a towel over the flat of the bar. I'll keep the saddle as is....could just be my needing to get used to using the trainer set-up a little different from being on the road. My tire-to-drum pressure seemed good. Just a very slight skip if I shift to a higher gear and immediately hammer the pedal down. With smooth acceleration there's no problem.

I've used spinners and treadmills at the gym. Other than warmup and cooldown phases, if I can read or pay attention to the TV, then I know I'm not working hard enough.

Thanks again.

DocRay

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Yes, especially on cold days. Invest in a large floor fan. I would not recommend sweat towels or whatever, this just makes you get overheated and less efficient. The trainer is calibrated for road speeds, if you don't have wind to cool you, you will not be pushing your muscles as hard as you should be, plus the sweat can make a mess.

DocRay

Yes, if they are aluminum ends. Light road skewers are not designed to be handles like this.

Use a cheap steel skewer.