Winter and riding



cyclintom

Well-Known Member
Jan 15, 2011
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My brothers use trainers. My older brother just had a heart attack and I bought a Schwinn indoor trainer that has everything automated. My young brother (59 is young?) uses a CyclOps trainer because of the rain and cold. He says that it really improves his spin.

I simply cannot STAND sitting on a trainer and so I miss a whole lot of cycling during the winter from rain or cold. The ride I did the last Friday I was rather surprised that I have a pretty high spin though I was running out of steam at the end of nearly 21 miles. For about 20 minutes in that 2 hour ride I was putting out at least 200 watts so I've lost perhaps a third of my fitness.

What is your experience using trainers vs. just missing rides?
 
Stopped using the trainer last year when I purchased a 29 plus, and fat bike so I could play in my backyard on the trails during winter. Best move I could have made, and has been such a blast. Won't go back to my rollers or trainer again.
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Stopped using the trainer last year when I purchased a 29 plus, and fat bike so I could play in my backyard on the trails during winter. Best move I could have made, and has been such a blast. Won't go back to my rollers or trainer again.
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Paging though Ebay Thermal long sleeve jersey's there is a couple of Chinese companies making thermal jerseys for dirt cheap. I got one to see how they work. They have a cheap plastic zipper but otherwise it is a well made and well fitting jersey for 1/4th the price of the Pearl Izumi. So I hurriedly bought a second. Just remember to not wear one too tight so that you break the zipper. And always be careful to pull the zipper together easy.
 
Thankfully we have pretty good weather year round here in SO Cal so no need to ride in rain unless I'm looking for something different.

I will say though, one year we had a LOT of rain so I did use the trainer. I read some articles on doing intervals indoors. Ended up developing my own program. Lots of short high reps and lots of big ring TT efforts for intervals.

I thought trainers were stupid but by the end of the rainy season, maybe a month, I hit the road and noticed a HUGE difference.

I used to push big gears at 80'ish RPM but after that trainer season, I was spinning at 110 RPM.

I get a ton of comments by fellow riders who mention my high cadence. Most figure because I am a big guy, I'm pushing the big ring.

Nope, I ride flats in my 39/14 and hold 20 MPH while spinning.

If I had a reason, like bad weather, I would definitely use a trainer and expect gains when I hit the outdoor road again. :D
 
I've never liked riding a trainer, but smart trainers with interactive video make it tolerable. Given the choice, I'll always go outside. I'm debating that today, as the temp is in the mid-20's F. I can either take the MTB or gravel bike into the woods or do a trainer ride. We'll see...
 
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I've never liked riding a trainer, but smart trainers with interactive video make it tolerable. Given the choice, I'll always go outside. I'm debating that today, as the temp is in the mid-20's F. I can either take the MTB or gravel bike into the woods or do a trainer ride. We'll see...

I've gone out with temps at -16F for several hours, and had some of my best rides in colder weather. Will be hitting the trails again today as temps get into the teens.
 
I've ridden down to 10 degrees, though it wasn't intentional (a cold front came through in the middle of the ride). I won't say it was particularly fun, but I was dressed well enough to survive it. ;)
 
I was looking at thermal jerseys on Ebay and one of the Chinese companies was advertising them for $25. I got one to try out. They are in fact pretty good. They do have the usual cheap plastic zipper that can break out if you get too small a size so be sure to size them properly. Not the quality of Pearl Izumi but then I would have to drive 140 miles round trip to the outlet to try them on.