Trainers

[arryb]

I'm looking at static trainers (forgotten their name for the moment), what do people recommend? This is just for doing a few more miles rather than my only method of training - are there any places to look and what features should I be looking for?

Thanks in advance, Arry.

[snotrag]

Turbo Trainers - Minoura / Tacx are the big one.

I've got a cheapo fan drive one. It is FAR too noisy to use inside, lives in the garage - but then it only cost £25.

Look for a fluid or magnetic resistance model with adjustment.

Also be sure your going to use it. It is min

However - its numbingly boring. Gotta be strict with yourself.

[g_stacey]

Mines in the garage facing a tele, still boring. If you can do a couple of hours on it, then its good mental training. Youl'l sweat like your in a sauna!

G

[Exige46]

g_stacey said:

Mines in the garage facing a tele, still boring. If you can do a couple of hours on it, then its good mental training. Youl'l sweat like your in a sauna!

G

A small electric fan makes a real difference, if you don't like sweating

Also worth protecting the bike as sweat is corrosive.

[Nick_F]

I have a cheap Elite 'Volare' fan jobbie - makes a lot of noise but folds up small. Probably cost the original owner £75 when it was new. No fun at all and difficult to achieve a consistent level of resistance, plus it doen't feel to stable standing on the pedals.

...So I also have a shiny new Kurt Kinteic 'Road Machine' which is hugely overbuilt by comparison, uses a fluid resistance unit and is quiet enough to allow me to watch DVDs on the laptop without headphones or separate speakers. I think they're around £170.

I'm not sure I get the need for variable resistance - that's what the gears on the bike are for - but to make the best of any turbo you need a heart rate monitor, speed sensor on the rear wheel, and cadence monitor. In effect your indicated speed is your measure of effort/workload.

[snotrag]

+1 for the HRM. Useless otherwise.

[Steve McQueen]

I have a tacx fortius and its brilliant.
I have been cycling in sunny colorado and misty holland this week, the ability to race against your last best time is fantastic and keeps you going back for more.
The uphill sections in some of the real life video have me jelly legged and unable to stand after 45 minutes. 6 continuous miles of 7.5% uphill gets a sweat up!
Stats and graphs for all rides let you work on stuff like cadence/gear selection and see which one gets the most watts/best time.

fantastic bit of kit and can't recommend highly enough.

Edited by Steve McQueen on Friday 23 January 10:23

[mk1fan]

Alternatively if you don't want to induce poor riding skils try a set of rollers. Same companies that do turbo trainers also do rollers. Wiggle have a selection on line.

[Nick_F]

Rollers are the static equivalent of singlespeeds...

[red355]

mk1fan said:

Alternatively if you don't want to induce poor riding skils try a set of rollers. Same companies that do turbo trainers also do rollers. Wiggle have a selection on line.

gotta agree with that suggestion, seen many that train a lot on the turbo and are a real liability in our Sunday group rides...(often triathletes due to the time constraints)

also makes the time drag much less than a fixed turbo.... I have a elite v-arion with 3 level resistance

Also got a an old tacx excel

[arryb]

red355 said:

mk1fan said:

Alternatively if you don't want to induce poor riding skils try a set of rollers. Same companies that do turbo trainers also do rollers. Wiggle have a selection on line.

gotta agree with that suggestion, seen many that train a lot on the turbo and are a real liability in our Sunday group rides...(often triathletes due to the time constraints)

also makes the time drag much less than a fixed turbo.... I have a elite v-arion with 3 level resistance

Also got a an old tacx excel

I'm still planning on getting out on the mtb most mornings with a few mates and doing a 15mile ride but it occurred to me that I do a lot of sitting around watching things on my pc and if I had a static trainer then I could do something useful while watching telly, but obviously I'd need one quiet enough to be able to hear other things, and I'd also not want to have to concentrate too much so I think a turbo trainer is better than rollers.....

[mk1fan]

Unfortunately, you need to concentrate more on a turbo trainer to avoid picking up poor riding skills. Once you're moving on rollers you naturally stay on them - like riding your bike.

Turbo trainers are good for doing interval training but I wouldn't use them in isolation again. I have done one winter (keeping up my mtbing and road riding) and when I returned to the road I couldn't ride for poo in the peleton!!

Turbo's do take up less room.

[red355]

Key question

Are you intending to ride your MTB on the trainer?

[arryb]

red355 said:

Key question

Are you intending to ride your MTB on the trainer?

I wouldn't imagine the tyres would cope on a static trainer? I've got a roadie too which is what I'd put on the trainer, I just use my mtb for morning rides because it's better on the slippery stuff!

[red355]

I seem to remember a trainer that used the rim to grip onto rather than the tyre....maybe I just dreamt it

Of course a road bike is the best option, with a purpose made trainer tyre.

[snotrag]

red355 said:

I seem to remember a trainer that used the rim to grip onto rather than the tyre....maybe I just dreamt it

Minoura ERDA rim drive.

If you want to use a MTB on one, the easiest way is to grab a spare wheel with a slicktyre on, shouldnt cost much more than £30.

[spenny_b]

Another vote for the Tacx Fortius - cracking bit of kit, and for the money, far more entertaining that a simple turbo.

Did a 14.5 mile Virt Reality ride last night, think I'll cycle in Majorca tonight, the weather looks nice!

[spenny_b]

snotrag said:

Minoura ERDA rim drive.

If you want to use a MTB on one, the easiest way is to grab a spare wheel with a slicktyre on, shouldnt cost much more than £30.

Ah, the illusive Mr Snotrag - did you have trouble working out how to return emails? Where was my call back/email re your car?

(Back O/T)

[Jesus Christ]

arryb said:

I'm looking at static trainers (forgotten their name for the moment), what do people recommend? This is just for doing a few more miles rather than my only method of training - are there any places to look and what features should I be looking for?

Thanks in advance, Arry.

I have a Kurt Kinetic Road Machine complete with continental turbo trainer specific tyre (26") that I bought a year and a half ago. Together they cost the thick end of £200 and are really quiet. The trainer is supposedly leak proof due to the seal quality and magnetic link to fluid resistance.

To be honest I have not embraced turbo training so it is barely used.

If you are interested then PM me with an offer. I work in Gloucester so could meet you somewhere between there and Bath.

Be warned though, you may not use it as much as you think. I wish I had gone second hand to limit depreciation...

Jon

[Nick_F]

mk1fan said:

Unfortunately, you need to concentrate more on a turbo trainer to avoid picking up poor riding skills. Once you're moving on rollers you naturally stay on them - like riding your bike.

Turbo trainers are good for doing interval training but I wouldn't use them in isolation again. I have done one winter (keeping up my mtbing and road riding) and when I returned to the road I couldn't ride for poo in the peleton!!

Turbo's do take up less room.

I'm curious as to what poor skills I'm developing as I turbo through the winter? Just as I'm curious as to how using rollers will help group riding?

Generally speaking the closest I get to group riding is when someone goes past the other way, but I'm still curious.