Trainer/rollers advice
cdoesthehula
Posts: 141 Member
Hello
Just a quick question. Do any of the training rollers/turbos have published weight limits?
I'm not getting enough miles in to keep up my training goals now the nights are getting darker, I thought this would help.
Just a quick question. Do any of the training rollers/turbos have published weight limits?
I'm not getting enough miles in to keep up my training goals now the nights are getting darker, I thought this would help.
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I think they do but I also think they are quite generous .. I got mine in a sale last year at Halfords of all places .. all I will say is this .. training on the Turbo in Winter will NOT prepare you for the road in Spring .. I speak from experience haha .. I am going to try and still get out over this winter .. Cafe runs here I come !!0
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A part of me is thinking I should just MTFU and get out more.
My new MTB has vertical dropouts and quite a high bottom bracket. I could build a fixed wheel back wheel for it and add ice tyres. I wouldn't come off on ice then. But it's more stuff, and it might mean I don't use it at all!0 -
Don't know your weight, but I've never had a problem at my heaviest. I disagree that the trainer won't get you ready for the spring. I have a Blackburn hill and wind trainer, and if you push it, it will kick your butt. Wear a heart rate monitor and make sure you get a workout. Like all workouts you get out of it, what you put into it.
If you are thinking rollers and are really heavy stay away from the plastic rollers and look at the metal. I'm thinking about getting some rollers, but my experience with them are limited. What I have done was really difficult. Like riding on ice LOL.0 -
Go with a trainer and not rollers. CycleOps states on their webpage that they are tested to 300 pounds, but don't give a weight limit so to speak.
I have had mine for years, but only weighed 275 when I got it. It has held up to the workouts. And, yes, just riding it will not make you ready for hills in the spring, but you will be ready to ride. Instead of taking a month to get into riding shape, it takes a week. I also use mine in the summer simply when life is too hectic with schedules and i want to get a ride in.0 -
I'm the opposite way round; back in the days before I put my weight on, I had only ever used rollers. They are like riding clipless; worrying at first, but you get the hang of it soon enough.
I was sort of leaning towards a turbo though, because it strikes me that's what people use. I might even get an excercise bike, then my dad can have a go (I stay with him in the week when I'm working so that's where it'll live).0 -
I use rollers, the metal ones. They are so sturdy I can't see how the weight of a rider could be any real concern.
Good points are they do help train your balance and ability to hold a line, as well as keeping up a steady pace. Once you get the hang of them, you can watch TV, etc. Sounds like you got that down tho.
Bad things are that that there isn't much option with resistance as you probably know. I let some air out of the tires and just use higher gears and cadence to get a decent workout.
Like any indoor training, I find it so boring it is a challenge to make myself do it. I got a new light and some clothing now for cooler weather, so I personally plan to try outside until it is just too cold to go on.0 -
I have a Kurt Kinetic liquid mag. The only weight limitation is with respect to their Rock and Roll model which is 250 pounds. For me the trainer was invaluable in jump starting my training this year since I resumed riding only in May. The only limitation I can see now is that I can only stand to say on it for 90 minutes or so, therefore it's not going to help on the endurance side of the house but its great for improving power (tempo/sweet spot training but not great for sprinting). Look into liquid mag, it gives a more realistic resistance feedback and it's quiet. I ride it on most week nights.0
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I have a Kurt Kinetic Road Machine. I don't think it has a stated weight limit and it's built like a tank. I have to think any bicycle frame would give way long before this trainer would. I can't recommend them highly enough.
I also VERY strongly disagree with the notion that the trainer won't prepare you for the road. I've been using mine for about 3 years now and it makes a huge difference in my early spring fitness. I'll even go so far as to say that, up until this year when I hired a coach, my fitness (based on power and heart rate numbers) has typically been lower overall in late summer than in early spring because I shift from doing hard, high-intensity, structured workouts on the trainer to easier and unstructured, but much longer, rides on the road and mountain bikes during the spring and summer.
Use the trainer with a heart rate monitor, and even better, pair it with a service like TrainerRoad (www.trainerroad.com) and/or Sufferfest videos/training plans and I promise you that if you put the work in, you will get the results back out. For sheer fitness, trainers are generally considered *more* efficient than the road because there's no coasting or stopping for stop signs or traffic lights. Coaches will, in my experience, routinely tell you to reduce workout durations by 25% if you're doing them on the trainer.
Edit:
I remember reading about a pro triathlete that rides almost exclusively indoors on a trainer. A little digging turned up this article about that triathlete, Andy Potts, and the efficiencies of indoor training.
http://www.ironman.com/triathlon-news/articles/2013/06/indoor-bicycle-training.aspx#axzz3E4FNjyq90 -
For sheer fitness, trainers are generally considered *more* efficient than the road because there's no coasting or stopping for stop signs or traffic lights. Coaches will, in my experience, routinely tell you to reduce workout durations by 25% if you're doing them on the trainer.
Hey that is a good point. Maybe outside riding is closer to interval work, especially when doing lots of up & down hills like the rolling countryside around where I am. I do try to pedal downhill too, but sometimes I'm not at all diligent about it.0 -
I vaguely remember something about the Tacx trainers being recommended for rider weight of under 135kg (300lb) but I was certainly over that when I bought mine, and it stood up to the stresses perfectly well. In fairness to Tacx however, I think that the recomendation re: the weight MAY have been more to do with the resistance modelling of the computerised training software that came with the Bushido Trainer rather than the physical "can it stand the weight of the rider" aspect of things.
I'd definitely say that indoor trainers CAN provide a far more intense workout in a shorter duration than you'll ever do out on the road. A one hour intervals session on the Turbo can leave me slumped over the 'bars unable to even throw my leg back over the saddle and dismount... Equally, I can get on the turbo, set low resistance and sit and spin for a hour, barely raising my HR over 80, if the training plan calls for a gentle active recovery ride. They're as hard as you want to make them - but if you're genuinely interested in a real training plan for the bike, look into the TrainerRoad website, www.trainerroad.com and buy a turbo trainer that supports their "virtual power" stuff, sign up with them, and give their training programs a go - they also integrate with the Sufferfest Videos to provide a little "entertainment/motivation" to the whole process.0
