So my plan for this winter is to get the Cycle-Ops Fluid 2 Trainer and the Polar S 720i for my training. I'll have the power (wattage) readings from my Polar monitor, and I'll be downloading that data, plus the speed, cadence, and heart rate from Polar, plus working with the readings from the trainer.

What do people think, does this sound like an optimal plan for training?

Koffee

That is cool. I too wish I can have a trainer and the new S720i. Too bad I'm not financially independent. Otherwise I would have got it. Anyway, how do you intend to get the speed readings on the polar s720i? Are you going to put the speed censor and magnet on the rear? You won't get the speed readings if you are putting it on the front.

I have a cadence and speed function already and it's going on the rear wheel, so no problems about that.

Don't worry- I'm full aware of the need to stick that bad boy on my rear wheel if I'm using a trainer. But thanks for your concern.

Koffee

hehe, k, got me worried for nothing. i should have known better. hehe. Anyway, I really appreciate those neat features. It helps to really keep track of your fitness progress with much more information on hand. How I wish ...

Well, that depends. You seem to be putting a very high premium on information. And that does have an appeal. Shoot you can make graphs of various data and do it over time and have lots of fun.

If I were getting a new trainer, I would be tempted to get one of those "spinning bikes" with the 35 lb fly wheel. They give a much better road feel then conventional trainers because you can stop pedalling for a second and "coast" and the fly wheel resists you when you accelerate like a real bike would.

Personally, I don't care for even the best trainers much. They are way to boring. Doing 1 hour on a trainer is about my limit. I can go out and do 3-4 hours on my bike easy. The best exercise equipment is that which one uses.

If you enjoy using this system, get it by all means.

I disagree.

I am an indoor cycling instructor, and let me tell you, the indoor cycling bikes do more to f*ck up your cadence, speed, and comfort with regular road bikes than getting a trainer. In fact, my fitness level DECREASES over the winter months, despite my INCREASE in teaching indoor cycling classes more frequently in the winter. This is why I decided to get a trainer.

I do think indoor cycling has it's place, and it probably does work for some, but I think that the trainer and some good doodads and gadgets are better for you if you want to train competitively.

I understand that some people like to coast- but I am not for this. I want to pedal and make every pedal stroke count, and I think this will help me to develop my pedal stroke (for me) more efficiently, as well as my endurance. Besides, if I need a break, I can always shift to low gears and pedal slower.

I think some people do find trainers boring- the visual stimulation you get from the road is gone. However, I think I am not one of those people... I just love the bike, and the visuals are the bonus for the riding I do. I actually think the indoor cycling is boring, and sometimes, it just down right sucks to be on a bike that you can coast on whenever and doesn't go anywhere, just stays confined to a room with lots of mirrors and some bunny instructor screaming "up... down..." over and over. Uuugh, I am not up for another winter of indoor cycling unless I have a trainer at home to work with.

Thanks for all the comments, folks!

Koffee

Hi,
I like the Edwards and Reed book. I use the logbook more than the book itself, but that may change now that I have a trainer. OTOH, I bought a 15 watt light yesterday, so I guess I'm not quite ready to hang up the spurs. I am hoping to use the trainer once a week, and do a spinning class once a week. It's not much, but I hope I can hang onto some of my fitness.

Koffee - have you looked at the Cateye CS-1000 trainer? It has some of the functions you are trying to accomplish. A friend of mine has one and loves it. Was wondering if anyone else was familiar with the Cateye.

Hi Koffee.

There may be some problems between the polar power sensor and trainers.

www.cyclingforums.com/showthread/t-26178.html

Hmmmm. Thanks.

I'm thinking now I should get a trainer that definitely measures power output and use the polar for measuring power when I'm outside riding. I can understand how those sensors can move and slide down the cranks- I have that problem with my bike computers too, and it's a pain in the freakin' butt.

That's good to know. I won't waste my time getting the Polar power output thing and just concentrate on getting a trainer that measures power instead.

Thanks again, everyone!

Koffee

Koffee - let us know what you come up with - I am researching trainers too. Need something soon - these short days are killing me!

I too had a Fluid2 and the i710 Polar HRM last year but found it a little boring and was not impressed with the reviews on the Power option on the 710. Elected to sell my Fluid2 and purchased a second hand Computrainer that has the power output you are probably looking for. I can't see needing to upgrade from a Computrainer. It is an outstanding trainer and will satisfy your training requirements for years to come. Garry

Garry- where did you get your Computrainer from, how did it work for you, what are the readings on the Computrainer?

Questions, questions, questions....

Koffee

www.analyticcycling.com

Ok, now I'm wondering if that Kinetics trainer would be better for me- I'm looking to purchase a trainer in the next two weeks, and it's either a Computrainer, a Kinetics trainer from Analytic Cycling, or the Cycle-Ops. I definitely want something that will measure power, speed, and cadence. If anyone has something to say about which of these three trainers would best meet my goal, I'm delighted to hear from them. It's just that it's so much money to plunk down on something, I really do want the best value for my money. I would be just catatonic if I dropped all that money and couldn't get everything I wanted.

I have my polar 720, so no need to be concerned about stuff like VO2 max and heart rate. I'm going to head down to one of the universities for a comprehensive test so I can be sure to know all my values, then take it home and train, train, train all winter....

Koffee

Koffee...

Living here in Oregon, I have my fare share of days where riding a trainer is my only option. I ride a recumbent tricycle with a set of mini rollers (just the rear wheel is on free wheeling on the rollers). I also use a Cateye MSC3Dx to record Heartrate, cadence, speed, distance. I have been looking at several programs to keep track of what I have done over the months and have found one from FitCentric called "UltraCoach" - it works with several download devices (such as the Cateye and Polar series of heartrate/cycle computers). FitCentric also has a companion program called NetAthlon that works with several trainers - from the basic speed/distance to complete computer controlled trainers. FitCentric's site: www.fitcentric.com

Cycle-Ops Fluid 2 Trainer+ Polar S720i= Complete boredom of looking at 4 walls.

I completely understand some of you guy's concerns about the boredom issue. Consider this- I am an INDOOR CYCLING INSTRUCTOR. We spend plenty of time on an indoor bike with no interaction, only four walls surrounding us as we work through potential profiles. I've been known to spend hours on an indoor cycle bike, so I am TOTALLY used to the idea of getting on a trainer for my training.

Living in Chicago, I have totally awesome views of the lakefront and the city, plus the fireworks on the weekend. It's not like I'm totally going to be devoid of visual stimulation, but I'm not concerned about that either.

What concerns me when looking for a trainer is getting the most efficient, intense, and serious training in that I've ever done in my life. I've moved to a building with a 24 hour gym in the building so I can do my strength training anytime, and I'm determined to see how far I can push myself to become as efficient and successful with my cycling as possible. To that end, I know I can improve much more on a trainer in the winter months than in my indoor cycling class. I just need help from you all as to what trainer will help me to achieve my goals.

Please... no more claims about your experiences with your trainer as being boring or talking about being out of your mind with nothing to do- I am totally fascinated with sitting on a trainer while being wired up and downloading the programs onto my computer and seeing what the results are and analyzing my progress from day to day and week to week, and I'm totally psyched that I've been able to take the time off from work and teaching classes to see what I can do to improve myself. It takes a lot to get me bored- believe me. I could sit on a couch all day with no television, radio, or people and stare out the window all day without saying a word just looking out at the city and the next day, tell everyone I had the best time. I could repeat that for an entire year without once having human contact and tell everyone it was the best year of my life. You are only as bored as you make your activity, and I just don't get bored that easily.

Now indoor cycling- sometimes that does bore me, but that's because when I teach to a bunch of spoiled, rich, bratty grownups who act like they know it all and treat you like crap and complain all damn day, there's nothing I do but glaze my eyes over and zone out until class is over. I hunker down and pray for daylight. When class ends, I get on my bike and whizz out of there as soon as possible.

Anyway, I digress. Any suggestions about the three trainers I've picked, I'd seriously love to hear about. I'm not terribly interested in any other trainer at this point, just these three. I just can't wait to get started with my program!

Thanks to everyone for the help so far.

Koffee

I'm not up-to-date on all the trainers that give power readings but as far as I know, none of them gave satisfactorily accurate readings. Even the Computrainer had/has problems.

I've been doing workouts indoors with a powermeter since '98. I use Kreitler Classic rollers with the wind resistance unit (a combination that provides hundreds of watts of resistance) and an SRM powermeter. I also have a trainer that I use rarely because good rollers have a much more outdoor-riding-like feel and are less boring to ride.

I would recommend an on-bike powermeter and a conventional trainer or rollers. The Polar powermeter doesn't work well at all.

What universities were you considering being tested at?

I know you stated you are only listed in those trainers, but have you considered rollers instead? I know there are drawbacks since you can't get the power readings directly from the trainer, but you work on alot more things when using rollers. You get to work on balance, smooth cadence and helps you develop riding in a very straight line so is more then just on you're power output, they do take a bit to get used to though and they put alot stress on you're bike vs a trainer.

I found some reviews of the different power meters out there you might find interesting.

-
https://www.bike.com/template.asp?dat...rectory=techno

Thanks for the link, Kev. I'll be spending a lot of time reading and re-reading that link! I already read it once, and it gives me more answers than I could have hoped, but I definitely need to understand the discussion regrding power output a bit better!

Koffee

do you mean a lot "less" stress (using rollers)?
I plan on getting rollers with resistance fan, and front fork clamp to use at first.

I like exercising indoors but I need TV or music.
I'm probably repeating myself, but nothing kicks my butt like a real hill!!

FXjohn

Edited [added: (using rollers)]

When you ride a bike on a trainer the bike is fixed in place, can not move side to side. When you ride on the road the bike can move and the wheels absorb quite a bit of flex you put of the force you put the bike through while riding. So when you put the bike on a trainer it is mount via the axle in the back wheel so all that force you are using to push the bike side to side and downwards is put directly on rear triangle and your BB of the frame which has damaged frames. Now in reality would this be a problem for 99% of us out their probably not, but why put extra stress on you're frame if you don't have to. When you ride rollers the bike can move a bit side to side and the wheels still are there to absorb alot of the force.

I have not heard of anyone damaging their frame on a trainer. I have heard of people falling off of rollers and injuring themselves.

I have used neither, so what do I know. I have been told that unless you are going to concentrate on the ride, a trainer is safer. Personally, I want a device that I will be able to use sitting in front of a TV while I watch the news or a ball game, so I am leaning toward a trainer.

But, I think we have hi-jacked Koffee's thread, which was to answer this question:

>>>Ok, now I'm wondering if that Kinetics trainer would be better for me- I'm looking to purchase a trainer in the next two weeks, and it's either a Computrainer, a Kinetics trainer from Analytic Cycling, or the Cycle-Ops. I definitely want something that will measure power, speed, and cadence. If anyone has something to say about which of these three trainers would best meet my goal, I'm delighted to hear from them. It's just that it's so much money to plunk down on something, I really do want the best value for my money. I would be just catatonic if I dropped all that money and couldn't get everything I wanted.<<<

I've decided on the SRM trainer. Now I just need to find one. Does anyone know where I can find one? I went to Performance, and they don't carry them- they only carry their Performance brand. I went by my LBS, and they only have magnetic trainers. I checked online, but so far, I don't see a place that carries them.

Any suggestions?

Koffee