Thoughts on Winter Options
 

I have been contemplating a few ideas for winter training but can't seem to decide which route to go and would appreciate any advice. Below are the three options I'm looking at.

1. Purchase cold weather gear (due to school schedule I'll only be able to ride twice a week maybe 3x if I bike to work)
2. Purchase a membership or group of classes at a spin studio
3. Purchase a trainer (fluid)

I'm leaning towards purchasing a trainer so I can potentially put more time on the bike i.e. I can squeeze in a quick 30 minute workout when I have some downtime vs. gearing up, getting the bike ready, and going out for a ride. I can make a couple of spin classes a week before work but its a large money investment for a short return vs. a long return by purchasing a trainer.

Winter gear.

If you can ride at any time at home (no roommates or you have an isolated room/area, no shared walls/floors/ceiling with neighbors) then I'd get the trainer. With a trainer you need a massively powerful fan. I also watch vids and listen to music if I can.

For a busy household that needs to be quiet it might be easier to get out and ride, but there's a substantial amount of time spent getting ready and getting back to normal. Figure 20+ minutes to head out, 10 minutes coming back in. Plus if you have any problems, like a flat, it's a real pain.

Training outside does use more energy by far, if that's a concern.

Training outside will also teach you riding skills, if you allow yourself to learn.

If I ride outside in the winter my inclination is to ride my mtb, a traded bike that's pretty beat up. However I almost always ride indoors.

Depends where you are, winter gear here, will get you to mid decembre in you are really luck. After that, it's snow and ice everywhere.

I had the same situation last winter and ended up with a Kurt Kinetic RR trainer.

If you want to do focused training, the trainer is your best investment. You can do a lot over the winter with 3-4 one hour trainer sessions, and one long outdoor ride.

You've got to be disciplined though, and it's not a lot of fun for most people.

Without knowing your location and HTFU quotient it is hard to give any kind of advice.

I do a mix of 1 and 2. I much prefer to be outside if possible, but if the weather's really bad on a Saturday or Sunday morning, I'll go to a spin class. Let's face it, the scenery's much better at spin class.

I live in Albuquerque, NM. Winter temperatures vary, in the morning it can be anywhere from 0-30 and the highs are usually 20-40. Noise isn't a concern as of yet, I live in a house with my spouse and no kids.

Winter gear. There are lots of good riding days in the winter, even here in Chicago. A cold, clear, sunny day can be perfect. As long as the roads aren't icy, I'll ride. I've ridden down to about 10 degrees F and been sweating by the end of the ride. The most essential piece of gear is a balaclava that fits under your helmet.

Also, trainers are the work of the devil.

I can't help you... :)

I find stationary trainers to be inexorably boring, and the rollers to be slightly less. At least with the rollers you have to pay attention or you'll fall off of them. I can manage to get 30 minutes on the rollers during winter, although I'd still rather swim. Funny how you can ride 5 hours outdoors and not be bored once, and after 10 minutes indoors want to shoot yourself.

For what it's worth I regularly do 1-2 hour rides indoors on a trainer. Just like working on speed, power, cadence, etc, if you go longer then a shorter ride seems fine. A 5 hour trainer ride makes 1-2 hour rides seem short. I use the trainer year round. I've even taken the effort to put my training on Strava so people can see that it's possible to be a somewhat competitive Cat 3 on 15-17 hours a month. A trainer is more convenient for me for various reasons during virtually all seasons here in CT.

I race outside, of course, and I ride outside if I'm on a trip where I bring my bike. At home I tend to pick riding indoors versus going out.

We have an 18 month son at home so when he's awake I look after him. Otherwise I can ride the (fluid) trainer in the office, which used to be the dining room (so it's on the main floor of the house), usually at night or during the 9 hours a week he's at day care.

Seriously... with daytime temps in the low 40's and almost no precipitation it sounds like Albuquerque would be a great place to ride in the winter unless your schedule forces you to ride in the early morning or late evening as the desert can also be a colder place.

Then you might want some tights, arm covers, full gloves, shoe covers, and this thing we call a toque.

i vote trainer.

Winter gear is the only real option. You can't practice actual bike skills like cornering on a trainer.

Trainers are incredibly boring, so if you go that route, make sure to always find a way to set up your laptop/iPad/tv remote/whatever so you can be working out and watching the game/show/video etc.

Group winter night riding on gravel roads on CX bikes with full lighting is one of the best times of the year.

http://waterloocyclingclub.ca/archives/14571

http://waterloocyclingclub.ca/cx/rid...ay-night-cross

Mother of God CDR you are insane!!! I have a hard time finishing 1hr rides on the trainer! Any other tips you might have? So if you are doing a 2 hour endurance ride, do you break them up into 2 1 hour sessions instead? That seems manageable.

I'm a desert rat, 40 degrees is cold :lol:. My schedule would force me to ride mostly in the early mornings ~5am and late afternoons/evenings 6pm. After reading a lot of the opinions I think it might be a better idea to go and purchase cold weather gear. I may end up getting a trainer down the road to alleviate schedule/time concerns.

I'll be in the same situation when december hits and i think a trainer makes more sense. There is no gym membership and the time you spend driving to and from gym can be spend on the trainer.

My friend was taken out by wild hogs at night in a group winter ride! Had hip surgery.

Alburquerque is like Florida with altitude and without the 'gators. Buy some winter clothing, some lights and ride outside. This light is bright, lightweight and doesn't break the bank.

I live in Florida and I plan on buying a trainer. It get's too cold down here.

say wut now

Most of my rides are basically non-stop, although on rides over 1-1.5 hours I may have to go fill a bottle or take a leak. With our son I sometimes gamble on riding while he naps - those days end up broken up into the "nap ride" and the "night ride".

The 3-5+ hour rides are almost always non-stop except to refill bottles (on long rides I usually start with 3 bottles next to the bike or to pee. I experiment with gels, bars, etc while doing those rides so I'm usually eating while I'm riding. I try to do about 200-300 cal per hour on long rides.

Last night I did 1:45 straight. Ate one bar, drank about a bottle of water.

A long time ago a friend of mine, racing pro in Europe, asked me if I thought that doing 2 rides totaling a certain time would equal one ride of that same time (so 2x2.5hr vs 5hr). He wanted to do 2 rides a day because it was easier. That by itself told me that doing one ride would be harder. You're forced to recruit rarely used muscles as your main cycling muscles get fatigued. It's those muscles that make a rider complete, allows a rider to get into a lower, longer position, etc. As you develop those cycling specific muscles you enable your body to get into a more "experienced" riding position. This is what makes a Cat 5 look like they're upright compared to the same rider a few years later when they're a Cat 3 or whatever.