Bicyclists?!
evayna
Posts: 66 Member
Has anyone tried bicycle resistance trainers? My husband says that it wont offer as much resistance as bicycling itself, and that they're a waste of money. I really want one because it's winter here and I can't bike!
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Replies
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Why not just use a fluid trainer?
I picked up a fluid trainer from Nashbar about 13 years ago and I'm still using it. I do commercial intervals ... cycle at a steady pace during the show on TV, cycle as fast as I can during the commercial. Makes the time go by quite quickly.
http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_559310_-1___2046780 -
Are you talking about one of these...
I have one and it's not nearly as enjoyable as riding outdoors and I don't get the same workout either...but it's better than nothing. I don't use it much...even in winter I will gear up and get out unless there's actually snow.0 -
I used to have one when I was competing in triathlon and again when my kids were too young to leave alone while I rode. It can actually be a better workout than riding outside since there are no downhills or traffic lights ;-) However, it can also be insanely boring which makes it hard to keep the intensity up. Most people find the trick is to use it with an entertaining interval based video. I used to use Sufferfest videos, but I hear there's decent spin workouts on YouTube now. If money isn't an issue, a coworker tells me there's even a video game based system where you can actually race against other people.
If you want to bike, go ahead and get one. You can buy new or check out Craigslist.0 -
I used to have one when I was competing in triathlon and again when my kids were too young to leave alone while I rode. It can actually be a better workout than riding outside since there are no downhills or traffic lights ;-) However, it can also be insanely boring which makes it hard to keep the intensity up. Most people find the trick is to use it with an entertaining interval based video. I used to use Sufferfest videos, but I hear there's decent spin workouts on YouTube now. If money isn't an issue, a coworker tells me there's even a video game based system where you can actually race against other people.
If you want to bike, go ahead and get one. You can buy new or check out Craigslist.
That's my problem, even with videos and whatnot...I just loathe it an usually mail it in...I might have to try the video game thing though...0 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »Are you talking about one of these...
I have one and it's not nearly as enjoyable as riding outdoors and I don't get the same workout either...but it's better than nothing. I don't use it much...even in winter I will gear up and get out unless there's actually snow.
Yes, that is it. Do you feel like you get enough resistance for a workout? Where I live winter makes it impossible to bike. What model do you have?0 -
Why not just use a fluid trainer?
I picked up a fluid trainer from Nashbar about 13 years ago and I'm still using it. I do commercial intervals ... cycle at a steady pace during the show on TV, cycle as fast as I can during the commercial. Makes the time go by quite quickly.
http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_559310_-1___204678
Yes that is the same thing, that is a really good tip! Thank you!
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cwolfman13 wrote: »Are you talking about one of these...
I have one and it's not nearly as enjoyable as riding outdoors and I don't get the same workout either...but it's better than nothing. I don't use it much...even in winter I will gear up and get out unless there's actually snow.
Yes, that is it. Do you feel like you get enough resistance for a workout? Where I live winter makes it impossible to bike. What model do you have?
Technically one could get a good workout, I just get bored out of my mind and don't put the effort in that I do on the road...basically just want it to end. The only time I get a good workout in on that thing is when I take it over to my coach's house and I'm too scared not to go all in.
I have an Ascent.0 -
Get a smart turbo and zwift!
The smart turbo will change the resistance itself when you hit a hill on the programme. My turbo is the bog standard kind, but you still have to change your gears if you want to get up the hills at any sort of speed, it all works from your height and weight which you input.
(Zwift is the 'game' type thing)0 -
Intensity is what you make of it and most people find it harder on a indoor trainer verses outdoor ride. See http://alex-cycle.blogspot.com.au/2009/01/turbocharged-training.html. I have a Kurt Kinetic Road Machine purchased three years ago. Given the recent price drop of smart trainer, I would have second thoughts if purchasing today. Still love it though. It gets me through the winter when light is short. I also response much better on the trainer as there is no goofing off (25%-50% depending on where and who you ride with, so an hour on the trainer maybe equivalent to 1:15 to 1:30 outside) and am more focused.0
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You'd be better off investing in winter gear and riding outside.0
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They are ok if a little boring, good for getting some winter time if it's unsafe to cycle outside. A turbo trainer tyre helps with the noise. Have you thought about a spin class?0
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cwolfman13 wrote: »Are you talking about one of these...
I have one and it's not nearly as enjoyable as riding outdoors and I don't get the same workout either...but it's better than nothing. I don't use it much...even in winter I will gear up and get out unless there's actually snow.
Yes, that is it. Do you feel like you get enough resistance for a workout? Where I live winter makes it impossible to bike. What model do you have?
Umm....yes? How would you not? It's very similar to riding outdoors in that the faster you go the harder you have to work. I can do max sprints on my trainer just fine.
I have the Wahoo Kickr, and if it fits the budget I would HIGHLY recommend it. It's pricey for a trainer at approx 1k USD, but still far cheaper than a stationary bike, and is all around excellent machine. It gives you power, which is the ideal training metric, has a very nice road feel that most trainers do not, integrates wonderfully with zwift, and perhaps nicest of all has an ERG mode feature where you set how hard you want to pedal, say 150 watts, and then no matter what you do with shifting or how fast your pedaling the trainer will adjust to make sure you're always pedaling at the intended difficulty.
A cheaper trainer like the one pictured above will certainly work just fine, but doesn't work as well with any virtual riding stuff, and will have a pretty different feel to riding outside.
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I'm not really comfortable going to a gym yet. But when I don't I think spin class will be my top choice!chrisbinns01 wrote: »They are ok if a little boring, good for getting some winter time if it's unsafe to cycle outside. A turbo trainer tyre helps with the noise. Have you thought about a spin class?
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47Jacqueline wrote: »You'd be better off investing in winter gear and riding outside.
Where I live even if the streets are plowed, it would be really unsafe to bike.0 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »Are you talking about one of these...
I have one and it's not nearly as enjoyable as riding outdoors and I don't get the same workout either...but it's better than nothing. I don't use it much...even in winter I will gear up and get out unless there's actually snow.
Yes, that is it. Do you feel like you get enough resistance for a workout? Where I live winter makes it impossible to bike. What model do you have?
Technically one could get a good workout, I just get bored out of my mind and don't put the effort in that I do on the road...basically just want it to end. The only time I get a good workout in on that thing is when I take it over to my coach's house and I'm too scared not to go all in.
I have an Ascent.
Yea, nothing is worse than 3+ hour sessions on the turbo.
If you're not trying to ride big winter hours and just want to keep some fitness, there is a really good solution for that: short, structured workouts. It's hard to get bored in 30-45 minutes of time, especially when half that time you're busy working too hard to be bored, and the other time you're getting air and recovering.47Jacqueline wrote: »You'd be better off investing in winter gear and riding outside.
Not sure how you can come to this conclusion. She could be in a place that always has snow and ice. She could be in a place with decent traffic density where having to have giant mittens and multi layers makes the riding extremely sketch.
Add that to the fact that you can generally train MUCH more efficiently inside on the turbo than you can on cold winter days with questionable weather and it just strange to jump to that as a default conclusion. I'm sure that's an excellent solution for some, but it's certainly wasn't in my case (turbo was a WAY better idea) and isn't a de facto answer.
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http://www.thesufferfest.com Never be bored again on your trainer, and you will get faster0
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cwolfman13 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »Are you talking about one of these...
I have one and it's not nearly as enjoyable as riding outdoors and I don't get the same workout either...but it's better than nothing. I don't use it much...even in winter I will gear up and get out unless there's actually snow.
Yes, that is it. Do you feel like you get enough resistance for a workout? Where I live winter makes it impossible to bike. What model do you have?
Technically one could get a good workout, I just get bored out of my mind and don't put the effort in that I do on the road...basically just want it to end. The only time I get a good workout in on that thing is when I take it over to my coach's house and I'm too scared not to go all in.
I have an Ascent.
Yea, nothing is worse than 3+ hour sessions on the turbo.
This is my life tomorrow. 3hrs on the trainer while the blizzard rages0 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »Are you talking about one of these...
I have one and it's not nearly as enjoyable as riding outdoors and I don't get the same workout either...but it's better than nothing. I don't use it much...even in winter I will gear up and get out unless there's actually snow.
Yes, that is it. Do you feel like you get enough resistance for a workout? Where I live winter makes it impossible to bike. What model do you have?
Technically one could get a good workout, I just get bored out of my mind and don't put the effort in that I do on the road...basically just want it to end. The only time I get a good workout in on that thing is when I take it over to my coach's house and I'm too scared not to go all in.
I have an Ascent.
Yea, nothing is worse than 3+ hour sessions on the turbo.
This is my life tomorrow. 3hrs on the trainer while the blizzard rages
Yea, this has been the past three months for me. Pretty much nothing but days in the 20s or 30s with a little snow here and there. Tomorrow looks to be first day over 50 in over 3 months...gotta savor that outdoor experience.
GL with the trainer session!0 -
Indoor workouts are great for working on specific things like eliminating dead zones in your pedal technique through one-legged drills. You can also do very effective interval training on an indoor trainer. I find that you don't need to spend more than an hour on these higher intensity workouts and when you are focused on specific work/recovery cycles, time goes pretty fast. I'm not a big fan of long (3+) hour rides indoors - that is much more suitable for the great outdoors, although I do know a few poor souls training for IMs that do that sort of thing. But if you use some of the training videos available to target specific areas for improvement an indoor trainer can be a great option when you can't ride outdoors, not as a substitute but as an alternate training method that can improve your overall fitness and performance. In lieu of videos you can come up with some training workouts on paper/web and just crank up the tunes - another thing that you can't shouldn't do when you ride outdoors.
I bought a Kurt Kinetic fluid trainer a number of years ago that I like quite a bit. Fluid trainers do a decent job of emulating a resistance curve similar to riding outdoors as you increase speed. I have not kept track of the latest indoor trainer options so there may be other things on the market now that are superior.0 -
Why not just use a fluid trainer?
I picked up a fluid trainer from Nashbar about 13 years ago and I'm still using it. I do commercial intervals ... cycle at a steady pace during the show on TV, cycle as fast as I can during the commercial. Makes the time go by quite quickly.
http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_559310_-1___204678
Yes that is the same thing, that is a really good tip! Thank you!
That's what I've got (but an older version) and yes, you can get a good workout with it.0 -
I've thought about getting a trainer, but have put it off. We have a solid elliptical at home, and I've found that workouts translate fairly well when I get on the bike. I do agree that any type of at home exercise can be boring if you let it, but if you get creative it's not nearly as bad IMO. I mix it up a lot on the elliptical and it kills more of the boredom factor unless I do longer endurance training.
I've thought about getting a roller setup for the bike and then adding in a resistance factor if needed. Just seems like it would be more fun to me. But really, I'd prefer the weather was good enough that I could just get outside to ride.0 -
The weather is fine. Get something with knobby tires and disc brakes and layer up. There are enough layers to bike almost anywhere. If you live somewhere like North Dakota and have truly nasty weather, order up some military surplus wool pants and bunny boots and raid the local thrift store for oversize windbreaker bottoms to layer on top.It's winter here and I can't bike!0 -
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47Jacqueline wrote: »You'd be better off investing in winter gear and riding outside.
Poorly maintained rural roads, in the dark and in foul weather.
Best case is new tubes every week or so, worst case is a cage dweller hitting you.0 -
I bought myself a turbo trainer but after the initial novelty and enthusiasm wore off it rarely gets used.
By the time I set it up and bring my bike indoors I can get to my gym where they have better kit than I do at home - Wattbike Pro and eSpinning bikes.
I live somewhere it's feasible to cycle outdoors virtually all year round but I have Raynaud's which means it varies from painful to downright dangerous in winter - plus I plain just don't enjoy riding in poor conditions and enjoying my riding is important to me.
People might find this article interesting, a different take on winter training...
roadcyclinguk.com/how-to/should-you-do-high-intensity-training-rather-than-base-training-during-winter.html?utm_campaign=newsletter_20151208&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter_rcuk#OeLWRGc7T7m90Pif.970 -
I have a Kurt Kinetic smart trainer linked up to Zwift. Zwift keeps my indoor pedaling from getting boring and I've found I put in much more effort than simply "mailing it in" on my recumbent stationary bike.0
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Got my 3hr trainer ride done. Time for beer!0
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I love my indoor trainer! I've set it up to BKOOL which allows me to choose a course anywhere in the world, and they aren't computer generated courses! I actually prefer indoor cycling in the winter, with good effort you burn a ton of calories. I also get my Netflix in while on the trainer, added bonus!1
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I too recently purchased a BKool Pro trainer, I'm still on the 1st. month of my subscription, and I've only used the thing maybe 10 times, but I find it much easier to use than a treadmill. Even watching a TV, treadmills bore me to death!!
I actually look forward to my ride tomorrow evening, maybe I'll tour the french countryside!0 -
We have are Cycle Ops fluid trainer. I like it much better than riding in the cold. I do intervals and watch TV. I can control intensity much better, keeping my heart rate where it is supposed to be.0
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