Trainer at home is superior for serious training. You ride your own bike and can design the workouts. Focus is the key. Regarding the tire, Continental makes a tire for trainers only. It works very well and I fit it onto my wife's bike and mine during the winter.Aussie Steve said:4. Trainer at home- the way the rear tyre runs on the metal roller can apparently cause splitting of tyre tread from sidewall. Heard of it happening to one young fella I used to train with, but he was not normal, he was almost as powerful as Robbie McEwan or Baden Cooke
.
I have a third bike that I only use on the trainer. I set it up to mimic my road bikes (same saddle, bars, geometry etc) and I use an old set of wheels and tires on it. I run a wired computer with a rear mounted speed sensor, as well as a cadence sensor and HRM. It's a good way to work on certain skills, and when the snow clears and I hop on my road bike, I feel like I haven't missed out on too much. I watch cycling videos and try to mimic the efforts and cadence of the pros. It's a fun workout and since I can't watch the cycling videos in the family room without catching major grief from my wife and kids, it's a nice outlet.vascdoc said:Trainer at home is superior for serious training. You ride your own bike and can design the workouts. Focus is the key. Regarding the tire, Continental makes a tire for trainers only. It works very well and I fit it onto my wife's bike and mine during the winter.
I agree. I have a computrainer as well. Everyone in the family in the winter keeps a bike in the basement. Great investment for sure.allenpg said:I dumped my gym membership and got a Computrainer instead. I think it was a much better investment. This winter I got quality training in with it. I never got bored with different courses, plus I could measure my progress with test rides (not to mention training with power--see the other Cyclingforums for that). I also was stuck on the trainer for 2 months with a broken wrist. I biked hilly courses on it and actually came out of my injury faster than I was before I broke it. Yes, Computrainers are not cheap, but I think it's a worthy investment if you're going to spend a good deal of time training indoors. Good luck!
Aussie Steve said:The riders who posted after my post made some excellent points that hit home. The benefits are enormous, one time I used it twice in a week in place of two of my normal training rides, and on the Saturday bunch ride, the bike felt lighter, as if it had lost 3 kgs...
One big difference I noticed,
is that when on the road you can freewheel when you get lazy,
however on the trainer you can't: which means
as a right-hander, I know my right leg does about 60% of the total work
- so you get a better workout/more honest workout, more consistent
- your pedalling action is improved and becomes more efficient
and the trainer makes my left leg pull its weight...
I wish I could be motivated to do a half-hour 3 times a week...but my philosophy is, you work in an office with 4 walls around you, when you're at home- 4 walls...you get out on the road on your trusty iron horse and you are free...
We use essential cookies to make this site work, and optional cookies to enhance your experience.