Trainer or Stationary Bike

Hud said:

I'm anticipating winter and am thinking about how I can continue to ride
through the snowy months to continue fitness. I'd like to do indoor cycing.
Would I be better off with a stationary bike or a trainer? I'm primarily
interested in trainers because with one I can continue to ride my bike (Trek
7200 Multitrack). Do they have variable resistance? What brand/model is a
quality one? Any thoughts or suggestions are appreciated. I've only been
riding for a month. Today I completed 25 miles. It's my longest ride so
far.

A trainer to attach your bike to is much cheaper. To get a stationary
bike that works well will cost much more and may present a storage
problem. As far as what is a quality trainer, you more or less get
what you pay for. Let your wallet decide.

You can also ride outside in the winter too. If it gets too snowy to
ride, grab some ice skates or XC skis to keep in shape. HAve fun!

Joseph

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hud said:

I'm anticipating winter and am thinking about how I can continue to ride
through the snowy months to continue fitness. I'd like to do indoor
cycing.
Would I be better off with a stationary bike or a trainer? I'm primarily
interested in trainers because with one I can continue to ride my bike
(Trek
7200 Multitrack). Do they have variable resistance? What brand/model is
a
quality one? Any thoughts or suggestions are appreciated. I've only
been
riding for a month. Today I completed 25 miles. It's my longest ride so
far.

A trainer to attach your bike to is much cheaper. To get a stationary
bike that works well will cost much more and may present a storage
problem. As far as what is a quality trainer, you more or less get
what you pay for. Let your wallet decide.

You can also ride outside in the winter too. If it gets too snowy to
ride, grab some ice skates or XC skis to keep in shape. HAve fun!

Joseph

I did some research on trainers and know fluid trainers are top-of-the-line.
Magnetic and wind resistance come in 2nd and 3rd. So a fluid resistance
trainer seems the best way to go. One potential problem is they may leak.
Can anyone recommend a fluid trainer they've had good luck with?

If you want to get exercise, improve your handling skills 1000% and not get
unbelievable bored in the process, check out rollers. They're a little
challenging at first--everyone has trouble--just like anyone learning to
drive a standard transmission car--but they're a lot more fun than a
trainer!

My two cents...

have fun!

--
ie
ride fast, take chances.

"Hud" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hud said:

I'm anticipating winter and am thinking about how I can continue to ride
through the snowy months to continue fitness. I'd like to do indoor
cycing.
Would I be better off with a stationary bike or a trainer? I'm
primarily
interested in trainers because with one I can continue to ride my bike
(Trek
7200 Multitrack). Do they have variable resistance? What brand/model
is a
quality one? Any thoughts or suggestions are appreciated. I've only
been
riding for a month. Today I completed 25 miles. It's my longest ride
so
far.

A trainer to attach your bike to is much cheaper. To get a stationary
bike that works well will cost much more and may present a storage
problem. As far as what is a quality trainer, you more or less get
what you pay for. Let your wallet decide.

You can also ride outside in the winter too. If it gets too snowy to
ride, grab some ice skates or XC skis to keep in shape. HAve fun!

Joseph

I did some research on trainers and know fluid trainers are
top-of-the-line. Magnetic and wind resistance come in 2nd and 3rd. So a
fluid resistance trainer seems the best way to go. One potential problem
is they may leak. Can anyone recommend a fluid trainer they've had good
luck with?

Hud said:

<[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hud said:

I'm anticipating winter and am thinking about how I can continue to ride
through the snowy months to continue fitness. I'd like to do indoor
cycing.
Would I be better off with a stationary bike or a trainer? I'm primarily
interested in trainers because with one I can continue to ride my bike
(Trek
7200 Multitrack). Do they have variable resistance? What brand/model is
a
quality one? Any thoughts or suggestions are appreciated. I've only
been
riding for a month. Today I completed 25 miles. It's my longest ride so
far.

Quoted message said:

A trainer to attach your bike to is much cheaper. To get a stationary
bike that works well will cost much more and may present a storage
problem. As far as what is a quality trainer, you more or less get
what you pay for. Let your wallet decide.

Quoted message said:

You can also ride outside in the winter too. If it gets too snowy to
ride, grab some ice skates or XC skis to keep in shape. HAve fun!

Quoted message said:

Joseph

I did some research on trainers and know fluid trainers are top-of-the-line.
Magnetic and wind resistance come in 2nd and 3rd. So a fluid resistance
trainer seems the best way to go. One potential problem is they may leak.
Can anyone recommend a fluid trainer they've had good luck with?

The difference between mag, air, or fluid is mostly how realistic they
feel. You can get a work-out with any of them, so suppose it's a
personal preference type decision. I'd go for something with as heavy
a flywheel as possible, as that feels most realistic to me, and
doesn't just stop the second you stop pedaling.

Or as others have suggested, try rollers! Way more fun.

Joseph

"Hud" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I'm anticipating winter and am thinking about how I can continue to ride
through the snowy months to continue fitness. I'd like to do indoor
cycing. Would I be better off with a stationary bike or a trainer? I'm
primarily interested in trainers because with one I can continue to ride
my bike (Trek 7200 Multitrack). Do they have variable resistance? What
brand/model is a quality one? Any thoughts or suggestions are
appreciated. I've only been riding for a month. Today I completed 25
miles. It's my longest ride so far.

I have a stationary bike and a fluid trainer. The stationary bike is much
more solid. I can switch positions, get out of the saddle, more of a
similar experience to riding outside. The downside is that it is bulky and
you really need a dedicated space for it.

I bet that you will get the roller people responding to your question and
explain why they are the best option.

"Frank Drackman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Hud" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I'm anticipating winter and am thinking about how I can continue to ride
through the snowy months to continue fitness. I'd like to do indoor
cycing. Would I be better off with a stationary bike or a trainer? I'm
primarily interested in trainers because with one I can continue to ride
my bike (Trek 7200 Multitrack). Do they have variable resistance? What
brand/model is a quality one? Any thoughts or suggestions are
appreciated. I've only been riding for a month. Today I completed 25
miles. It's my longest ride so far.

I have a stationary bike and a fluid trainer. The stationary bike is much
more solid. I can switch positions, get out of the saddle, more of a
similar experience to riding outside. The downside is that it is bulky
and you really need a dedicated space for it.

I bet that you will get the roller people responding to your question and
explain why they are the best option.

Well, I'm interested in anything that works smoothly and that will not send
me through the garage door. Lol. I'm going to hold off buying anything for
a week until after I get more feedback. I think this forum is the best
place to get honest opinions from serious cycling enthusiasts. I've been
leaning toward getting a fluid trainer...almost bought one today from Ebay.
They have a "Kurt Kinetic Road Machine Fluid Trainer" for $274, a "Cycleops
Fluid 2 Trainer" for $218, a "Blackburn Trakstand Fluid Cycle Indoor
Trainer" for $269, and an "Elite Fluid Alu Indoor Trainer" for $154. I
don't know which is the best. Anybody own one of the these? I'll check out
the rollers, but my initial thought is I'll come off it and slam into
something.

Hud said:

"Frank Drackman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Hud" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I'm anticipating winter and am thinking about how I can continue to ride
through the snowy months to continue fitness. I'd like to do indoor
cycing. Would I be better off with a stationary bike or a trainer? I'm
primarily interested in trainers because with one I can continue to ride
my bike (Trek 7200 Multitrack). Do they have variable resistance? What
brand/model is a quality one? Any thoughts or suggestions are
appreciated. I've only been riding for a month. Today I completed 25
miles. It's my longest ride so far.

Quoted message said:

I have a stationary bike and a fluid trainer. The stationary bike is much
more solid. I can switch positions, get out of the saddle, more of a
similar experience to riding outside. The downside is that it is bulky
and you really need a dedicated space for it.

Quoted message said:

I bet that you will get the roller people responding to your question and
explain why they are the best option.

Well, I'm interested in anything that works smoothly and that will not send
me through the garage door. Lol. I'm going to hold off buying anything for
a week until after I get more feedback. I think this forum is the best
place to get honest opinions from serious cycling enthusiasts. I've been
leaning toward getting a fluid trainer...almost bought one today from Ebay.
They have a "Kurt Kinetic Road Machine Fluid Trainer" for $274, a "Cycleops
Fluid 2 Trainer" for $218, a "Blackburn Trakstand Fluid Cycle Indoor
Trainer" for $269, and an "Elite Fluid Alu Indoor Trainer" for $154. I
don't know which is the best. Anybody own one of the these? I'll check out
the rollers, but my initial thought is I'll come off it and slam into
something.

If you come off rollers you don't slam into anything except the floor;
you have no momentum except the wheels and they are so light they
won't push you anywhere. You do go down though.

I use a Cycle Ops magneto in the winter and like it. Make sure you
have the right stuff to listen to, either training audio or tunes.

Ted

Hud said:

I'm anticipating winter and am thinking about how I can continue to ride
through the snowy months to continue fitness. I'd like to do indoor cycing.
Would I be better off with a stationary bike or a trainer?

If you have the room, a dedicated bike can be really nice--but
expensive. I often see very nice used ones on my local craigslist.

Ted said:

Hud said:

"Frank Drackman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

"Hud" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
> I'm anticipating winter and am thinking about how I can continue to ride
> through the snowy months to continue fitness. I'd like to do indoor
> cycing. Would I be better off with a stationary bike or a trainer? I'm
> primarily interested in trainers because with one I can continue to ride
> my bike (Trek 7200 Multitrack). Do they have variable resistance? What
> brand/model is a quality one? Any thoughts or suggestions are
> appreciated. I've only been riding for a month. Today I completed 25
> miles. It's my longest ride so far.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I have a stationary bike and a fluid trainer. The stationary bike is much
more solid. I can switch positions, get out of the saddle, more of a
similar experience to riding outside. The downside is that it is bulky
and you really need a dedicated space for it.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I bet that you will get the roller people responding to your question and
explain why they are the best option.

Quoted message said:

Well, I'm interested in anything that works smoothly and that will not send
me through the garage door. Lol. I'm going to hold off buying anything for
a week until after I get more feedback. I think this forum is the best
place to get honest opinions from serious cycling enthusiasts. I've been
leaning toward getting a fluid trainer...almost bought one today from Ebay.
They have a "Kurt Kinetic Road Machine Fluid Trainer" for $274, a "Cycleops
Fluid 2 Trainer" for $218, a "Blackburn Trakstand Fluid Cycle Indoor
Trainer" for $269, and an "Elite Fluid Alu Indoor Trainer" for $154. I
don't know which is the best. Anybody own one of the these? I'll check out
the rollers, but my initial thought is I'll come off it and slam into
something.

If you come off rollers you don't slam into anything except the floor;
you have no momentum except the wheels and they are so light they
won't push you anywhere. You do go down though.

If you do it in a doorway, or a narrow hall your crash possibilities
are much more limited. Or out on the lawn!

Quoted message said:

I use a Cycle Ops magneto in the winter and like it. Make sure you
have the right stuff to listen to, either training audio or tunes.

I like race DVD's. Like stage 17!

Joseph

landotter said:

Hud said:

I'm anticipating winter and am thinking about how I can continue to ride
through the snowy months to continue fitness. I'd like to do indoor cycing.
Would I be better off with a stationary bike or a trainer?

If you have the room, a dedicated bike can be really nice--but
expensive. I often see very nice used ones on my local craigslist.

A cheap stationary bike sucks. Wobbly, not finely adjustable, poor
resistance, etc. But a good one at a nice price is a different matter.

Joseph

Ted said:

I use a Cycle Ops magneto in the winter and like it. Make sure you
have the right stuff to listen to, either training audio or tunes.

I second that, but I set mine up so I can watch TV. Time does pass
more slowly on a trainer than out on the road, but you can either put
on a movie to distract yourself, or get some training videos (such as
Spinervals) for focused workouts. (I think Cyclops trainers already
come with a video to start you off.)

Old Tour de France videos are also fun -- especially the mountain
stages. Shift to a hard gear when they're going uphill, then spin a
fast, easy gear when they're descending.

....but -- I'm not ready for winter just yet...!

- JR