I've been throwing around the idea of getting a trainer, but every time I think about it, I think after a week or so I'll get bored of it and never use it. Part of why I ride is that I'm outdoors and get to see different things while I ride, but a trainer takes away all that. But at the same time having a trainer would be convenient on bad weather days where I can still build muscle and endurance. I'm conflicted here..for those who do ride trainers what do you do? Park yourself in front of the TV? Also could you guys recommend me a good trainer around 100-150?


Thanks,

Steven

God no. It's more work and no fun.

Depending on where you live. I live in the NorthEast and I personally cannot have a meaningful/productive training at 20F and below.

As for boredom just get lots of CTS or Spinerval videos. The only time I put a regular show on was for easy spin days but otherwise Spinervals/CTS videos will whip your butt.

Buy a quality trainer like the Kurt Road Machine or Cycleops Fluid 2. Never settle for anything less than those 2.

It's a pretty good aid for me. I would imagine if you're at a high level of fitness it may not have as much benefit as it is indeed hard to motivate. For me 45 minutes to an hour seems like eternity but it helps. I use a few interactive ways to keep going, I have a couple of Sufferfest videos and they're pretty good but the best for me currently is a beta-test of Roller Racing (www.rollerracing.ca), that I signed up for which allows you to race against "bunnies" or have online races against others. It's definitely in the un-finished or polished category but I'm having an absolute blast with it and it's really helped me on the trainer. A definite suggest once you get a trainer and if you have an Ant+ speed/cadence sensor or Power Meter, etc

i ride rollers and watch netflixs,. Only thing that i can do.

Well it really comes down to if you want to get faster, be able to ride longer, and increase your performance. If you only ride to be outside and like the scenery but don't care about getting faster then I don't think it's nesccesary. I got my trainer because I want to get faster and and be competitive.
I was on a tight budget like you and went with the Travel Trac fluid trainer from performancebike.com on sale for $120. It's a solid unit if you just want to get some spinning in and some workouts. It's not comparable to the Kurt Kinects but it gets the job done for about $300 less.

Here are my thoughts based on your post

Observations:

1) You never mentioned a long winter, just bad weather days - which would lead me to assume you live in a temperate climate, and that you're talking rain, wind and such, and somewhat unpleasant temperatures.
2) You also mentioned that you like riding outside because you like seeing stuff.

Deduction - You are a casual/enthusiast rider who can afford to miss a day or two when its raining. If you were an uber competitive racing type, you would see nothing on your outdoor rides except the red mist of suffering and pain. You would also not be looking for alternate means to ride because of a bit of rain or wind.

Conclusion - No, you should not get a trainer.

If you ca hook up TV, movies, DVDs- yes. Just one thing. I had a Cycleops Fluid II and hated it. I sold it and got a Minoura V270...far nicer and quieter with magnetic resistance. With the Cycleops, you have to pedal faster and faster to get more resistance. Here, we climb like maniacs and I needed resistance even at lower speeds. It was a pain. I sold the Cycleops cheap (6 months old for $100) to a friend, and now he hates it.

I use both trainer and rollers during the winter months. Usually Dec. thru Feb. The two best racing seasons I ever had I used these tools in earnest and came out fresh in the spring. Yes, they can be boring but what I did was watch some great cycling movies or watch two half hour programs on tv. Workout vids just didn't do it for me. I would hammer threw the commercials and recover during the program. Made for a decent workout. HINT: get a fan to blow on you to keep you cool, you will need it! It takes discipline to get good results from this type of training. I suggest a magnetic type trainer.
Cheers,
Rick in Tennessee

Trainers can make for fantastic workouts, but it depends on what you want out of riding.

I am a casual rider but I am trying to get faster and ride longer, and eventually tour with my bike. I don't race, nor do I plan on doing so anytime, it's more of a personal goal to beat my times and get stronger and faster. I do on occasion do charity rides and what not. Long winters usually are not a problem, it's just gusting winds and rain that I would not ride in.

Thanks for all the help! I have another question though, are there specific things to look for in a good trainer? The only thing I've read are that some are really loud. Besides that is there anything to look out for?

This. My trainer is a rather important part of my training plan for racing due to a variety of reasons.

My friend uses rollers and much prefers them to a trainer (he's training for triathlons).

The rollers are much quieter, and don't send vibrations through the house. The bike moves naturally on rollers, unlike (most) trainers, where the bike is in a fixed position. He did need to get a much harder tire for the rollers, as they ate through his usual road tires pretty quickly.

No.

I am in Socal and use a trainer. Not necessarily for the weather but don't like riding in the dark much and work and daylights savings don't leave me much options. I get much better and focused workouts. I use trainerroad.com which keeps it interesting

Unless you're going to use it, you might want to pick one up at Performance, or get one used. I use one regularly. But this is like a clip-in pain machine in your basement... you need to know what you're getting into.

Are there trainers that fit a 650 wheel? Looking around I Only see 700 and 26" trainers

You can get a decent fluid trainer from Nashbar for about your price range, and yes, you park yourself in front of the TV and do things like commerical intervals.

This one will work with 650 wheels:

https://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product...2_531626_-1___

I want to work on climbing, so more resistance at lower cadence...what would work best? You can adjust a magnetic trainer correct?

Or just use those weird devices that move your chain around on to different sized things on the back. You know, the make-it-harder-to-pedal-izers.

You might want to take a spinning class ... one that emphasizes standing.

Exactly why I like my Minoura V270. You need several levels magnetic resistance. Some have no magnetic resistance.

I have a Kurt Kinetic and a Cycleops Mag +. The KK has wayyyyyy more resistance.