exercise bikes??

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hi
I need some advice please i'm completely new to cycling,but have been running long distance for a few years.
i've recently borrowed a road bike which is probbaly a few inches to small for me but its a start. I did my first 14k on it yesterday and did 28 minutes (avg 18mph) i'm not sure how bad that is but I would like to improve my speed and stamina.
due to crap weather lately and allot of traffic where i live I can't do that much out door training till weekends. I was wondering if an exercise bike with magnetic resistance would help improve my strength,fitness and stamina as a subsitute during the week? my budget is about £250 for one,some of them have preset programs to follow.

thanks for the advice

You don't want an exercise bike, they're no good. Further, your budget is much greater than you need, because what you need is a trainer that will turn your road bike into a stationary bike. They can be bought for easily under $200 and yes they can definitely increase everything you want. Some people use them for most of their training (I have in the past to great effect). I have a $140 magnetic trainer and it's been awesome.

You don't want an exercise bike, they're no good. Further, your budget is much greater than you need, because what you need is a trainer that will turn your road bike into a stationary bike. They can be bought for easily under $200 and yes they can definitely increase everything you want. Some people use them for most of their training (I have in the past to great effect). I have a $140 magnetic trainer and it's been awesome.thanks Skoorb
I didn't know these things existed, seems the perfect solution for me
definately going to order one

cheers

thanks Skoorb
I didn't know these things existed, seems the perfect solution for me
definately going to order one

cheersYou can also buy rollers which allow you to truly ride indoors and have to balance as well. I've not used them, but most people do use trainers. If you buy locally, the store may have rollers to try out.

http://performancebike.resultspage.com/search?p=Q&ts=custom&w=trainer

I know you're in the UK, but these products are available there. I use the $150 Mag 850 trainer and have been very pleased with it. Generally, the more expensive ones will have a heavier fly wheel, which gives it more momentum and feels a bit more natural, but I think you can get carried away with that and it's not worth fussing over too much.

Also, don't bother with a climbing block, just use a couple of books or wood or something :)

Now you can watch the tour on tv while you're training :D

You can also buy rollers which allow you to truly ride indoors and have to balance as well. I've not used them, but most people do use trainers. If you buy locally, the store may have rollers to try out.

http://performancebike.resultspage.com/search?p=Q&ts=custom&w=trainer

I know you're in the UK, but these products are available there. I use the $150 Mag 850 trainer and have been very pleased with it. Generally, the more expensive ones will have a heavier fly wheel, which gives it more momentum and feels a bit more natural, but I think you can get carried away with that and it's not worth fussing over too much.

Also, don't bother with a climbing block, just use a couple of books or wood or something :)

Now you can watch the tour on tv while you're training :Dwow that Travel Trac Real Axiom V3 Trainer
looks fun, probably not as good as it sounds i bet.

IMO Magnetic resistance trainers have an irritating pedal stroke which makes it difficult to do a 3x20. The Kurt Kinetic Road Machine or Pro trainer has a road like feel and a leak proof design with a fairly reliable power to speed relationship. http://www.1upusa.com/kurtkinetictrainer.htm



hi
I need some advice please i'm completely new to cycling,but have been running long distance for a few years.
i've recently borrowed a road bike which is probbaly a few inches to small for me but its a start. I did my first 14k on it yesterday and did 28 minutes (avg 18mph) i'm not sure how bad that is but I would like to improve my speed and stamina.
due to crap weather lately and allot of traffic where i live I can't do that much out door training till weekends. I was wondering if an exercise bike with magnetic resistance would help improve my strength,fitness and stamina as a subsitute during the week? my budget is about £250 for one,some of them have preset programs to follow.

thanks for the advice

thanks for the replies
i'm definately going to get a trainer not sure which one yet depends what i can pick up on ebay second hand here in the UK.
i hear they wear out road bike tyres quickly
so i'm thinking of using my mountain bike with an old road tyre
I would see the same benefits surely rather using my road bike?
i know top gear isn't as good on a MTB

That trainer with the sealed unit and magnetic axle looks awesome.

thanks for the replies
i'm definately going to get a trainer not sure which one yet depends what i can pick up on ebay second hand here in the UK.
i hear they wear out road bike tyres quickly
so i'm thinking of using my mountain bike with an old road tyre
I would see the same benefits surely rather using my road bike?
i know top gear isn't as good on a MTBQuickly is relative, actually, I think you'll be ok. I wouldn't use my prized possession racing tire on it, but I spend last year using the same tire for road and trainer and racing, though I wasn't doing more than 4-5 hours/week of riding.

I have also used my mountain bike on the trainer, and as you said be sure to use a road tire, otherwise it's loud with the knobs on the wheel! In terms of fitness, you'll get the same benefit because it's the same movement, though minutiae of riding position and stuff won't be the same.

I would give it a go with a road tire and see how it works, though. That's all I do; it's a hassle to muck around with it too much and, though I've used my MTB a lot, its q factor is higher (cranks further out) than my road bike, which I don't like.