Trainers for the Colder Weather
rileysowner
Posts: 8,321 Member
While I have an exercise bike, I don't find it is the same in any way as sitting on a real bike. Not to mention how tender my behind gets after a whole winter of not riding on a real saddle. With this in mind I have decided I would like to get a trainer, but I really have no idea what I should get. Money is an issue, so I want something affordable. I will likely put my road bike on it, and I will be getting a trainer tire so as not to eat up my road tires. I may even go so far as to get a whole wheel assembly so I can switch quickly back and forth from the trainer to the road during the fall and spring.
Any help would be appreciated.
Any help would be appreciated.
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Replies
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One of the better thought of budget turbo trainers is the CycleOps Classic Mag trainer. The basic one has 5 levels of resistance you can alter before getting on the bike, or iirc there's a variant with a remote that fits on the handlebars that allows you to dial up or down the resistance while riding...0
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I have a Kurt Kinetic Fluid Trainer. Fluid trainers are quiet and offer increased resistance based on speed. It is extremely well made, and guaranteed not to leak.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omdaq_EWMv8 0 -
Kurt Kinetic Road Machine and CycleOps Fluid 2 fall in the category of best bang for the buck. Mag trainers tend to be a bit louder. Fluid trainers tend to give more realistic power curve.0
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The Bell Motivator from Amazon is a decent mag trainer, under $100 shipped. It does not have any adjustment features, but it works well. The Kurt is a significant upgrade and worth the cost if you can afford it, but if not, it's hard to beat the Bell.0
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How funny - I was just going to ask this same question. Hubby is looking at trainers for this winter too. I just told him to go look at the fluid ones. Thanks for the post!0
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One of the better thought of budget turbo trainers is the CycleOps Classic Mag trainer. The basic one has 5 levels of resistance you can alter before getting on the bike, or iirc there's a variant with a remote that fits on the handlebars that allows you to dial up or down the resistance while riding...
I have a basic mag trainer very similar to this and it's served me well for 5+ years.0 -
Does anyone have an opinon on rollers vs trainer? I understand that rollers are very good for improving riding balance/skill, and was thinking of going that route. I can take spin classes at my gym for power training.0
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Does anyone have an opinon on rollers vs trainer? I understand that rollers are very good for improving riding balance/skill, and was thinking of going that route. I can take spin classes at my gym for power training.
How about rollers with an in-built resistance (controlled from the bars) ? - http://www.elite-it.com/arion-digital/
Personally, I had rollers way, way, WAY back in the day, and they were great for warmups and for general "souplesse", plus they at least mean you have to pay attention or you'll ride off the side of them. I just remember them as being fiendishly noisy unless I was riding out in the garage on a concrete floor, the whole unit would resonate like crazy indoors on the timber floors.
If I only had room for one or the other, I'd have a Turbo, if I'd room for both...i'd probably still just have the Turbo.0 -
Does anyone have an opinon on rollers vs trainer? I understand that rollers are very good for improving riding balance/skill, and was thinking of going that route. I can take spin classes at my gym for power training.
Rollers vs trainer, I have both and am of the opinion that they are used for two different purposes. One very big factor in rollers is the diameter of the roller. The smaller the diameter the more resistance, the larger the diameter the less the resistance. I have owner all three diameters that Kreitler makes, I settled on the 3" diameter roller. The 4.5" offered not enough resistance and the 2.25" too much. The 3" roller allows for an easy spin when you want that and can also provide enought resistance to get a good workout. Rollers provide a great way to spin out your legs, balance your spin, increase leg speed and provide a good workout when weather is just too bad to go outside. They are also easy to set up with no frame strain or tire issues. Just ride them like you were outside.
I have had a number of trainers too. I currently have a cyclops fluid which works great for its intended proposes. I use it for race warm ups. I can get the legs opened up in 30-40 mins pretty easy. Trainers are also easy to set up for high resistance efforts. They will eat rear tires so many if not most people have a "trainer" specific tire (they are not overly expensive) to avoid premature wear on a good road tire. I have just saved old road tires that I deemed no longer any good for the outside and use their last little bit of life as a trainer tire. Balance is not an issue but skewers can get buggered up in the trainer clamps. Also if you really put the watts to it you will see your frame flexing quite a bit. Probably not so good for an expensive carbon fiber frame.
Noise is not an issue for me with either as I go in the garage. This is the ONLY time I will wear an I-something and listen to music. Sweat is another issue that necessitates being in the garage. Even with two fans and the door partially open I will sweat like a pig. Not so good inside the house.
Whichever way you go in 1-2 hours you can absolutely fry your legs with either rollers or a trainer. Makes you pray for an early spring.0 -
Thanks for the replies. I picked up a magnetic trainer with 5 resistance settings. Can't remember the name at the moment, but so far I am liking it.0
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Another option is to buy a fatbike and ride outside all winter long. This is my approach, and I haven't been on a trainer since!0
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Another option is to buy a fatbike and ride outside all winter long. This is my approach, and I haven't been on a trainer since!
I have done that with my Mountain Bike in the winter, but I am no longer that interested in cycling on snowy, or more often the last few winters, Icy roads. Too much chance of being hit by cars. I usually spend my winter cross country skiing, but we have not had enough snow the past couple of winters, so I thought I would get a trainer this year. Of course we might have a bunch of snow, then I will do more skiing.0 -
These days you have more options, such as parabolic rollers with resistance units. The best of both worlds!0
