Training on rollers - single speed or geared?
03-27-15 | 05:46 PM
#1
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Joined: Mar 2015
Posts: 35
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Training on rollers - single speed or geared?
I'm ready to start training on rollers again - been a LONG time.
In getting set up to train on the rollers, I want to get a dedicated bike for it that I can keep in the basement. I don't want it to be fancy or expensive or pretty, just solid enough to get the job done as a trainer. I can pick up a decent fixie for a couple hundred bucks, or an older steel roadie. I want it to be low-maintenance, set-it-and-forget-it. A FG/SS is appealing to me for that reason.
The question is, will a FG/SS allow me to train as effectively as a geared bike? Obviously I can hold a steady cadence or speed it up/slow it down within reason, do some HITT within the capabilities of the gearing, etc. If I go this route, will I be missing out on on some training opportunities provided by a geared bike?
Thanks in advance for your thoughts on the matter.
In getting set up to train on the rollers, I want to get a dedicated bike for it that I can keep in the basement. I don't want it to be fancy or expensive or pretty, just solid enough to get the job done as a trainer. I can pick up a decent fixie for a couple hundred bucks, or an older steel roadie. I want it to be low-maintenance, set-it-and-forget-it. A FG/SS is appealing to me for that reason.
The question is, will a FG/SS allow me to train as effectively as a geared bike? Obviously I can hold a steady cadence or speed it up/slow it down within reason, do some HITT within the capabilities of the gearing, etc. If I go this route, will I be missing out on on some training opportunities provided by a geared bike?
Thanks in advance for your thoughts on the matter.
03-27-15 | 05:57 PM
#2
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Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 39,897
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From: New Rochelle, NY
Bikes: too many bikes from 1967 10s (5x2)Frejus to a Sumitomo Ti/Chorus aluminum 10s (10x2), plus one non-susp mtn bike I use as my commuter
A geared bike allows you to crank the speed up a bit more to where you'll be able to find at least moderate resistance, Other than that it's about what you're looking to get out of it. IMO if you use a fixed gear, it'll take you some experimentation to find a gear where there'll be enough pedal pressure to feel right.
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FB
Chain-L site
An ounce of diagnosis is worth a pound of cure.
Just because I'm tired of arguing, doesn't mean you're right.
“One accurate measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions” - Adm Grace Murray Hopper - USN
WARNING, I'm from New York. Thin skinned people should maintain safe distance.
