Randomguy Posted September 22, 2013 Share #1 Posted September 22, 2013 I didn't much this year (3 rides?), my lowest by far since I started riding. Anyway, it would be nice to at least have a running start on riding next year, and a trainer might be the way to go for winter. What trainer should I get? Why? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Square Wheels Posted September 22, 2013 Share #2 Posted September 22, 2013 I wouldn't spend the money until you figure out what kept you from riding this year. Do you belong to a gym? How about a personal trainer, not one to bust your ass as much as one to point you in the right direction. I started cycling and exercising hoping it would make me lose weight. I lost nothing. Then my trainer said the three most profound weight loss words I have ever hear. He knew I was working hard and following his program, so he told me to "shut your mouth". Clearly if I am working hard but eating harder nothing good will happen. I started tracking what I was eating and it was 10 times harder than exercising. I can't tell you how many times I would swear at night when I wanted a snack but had no calories left. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randomguy Posted September 23, 2013 Author Share #3 Posted September 23, 2013 I wouldn't spend the money until you figure out what kept you from riding this year. Do you belong to a gym? How about a personal trainer, not one to bust your ass as much as one to point you in the right direction. I started cycling and exercising hoping it would make me lose weight. I lost nothing. Then my trainer said the three most profound weight loss words I have ever hear. He knew I was working hard and following his program, so he told me to "shut your mouth". Clearly if I am working hard but eating harder nothing good will happen. I started tracking what I was eating and it was 10 times harder than exercising. I can't tell you how many times I would swear at night when I wanted a snack but had no calories left. All true, but I am just talking about the fitness part. I think that diet is 80% of the health equation, but I like to ride more if I am fit, and the more fit I am, the more cognizant I am of what I am taking in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Square Wheels Posted September 23, 2013 Share #4 Posted September 23, 2013 At my wifes gym a bunch of cyclists bring their trainer in for Saturday sessions with a coach. She has this one as do most of the other folks. Silly me, I have rollers, was thrown off three times over the winter, the last time took me out for a month with a swollen knee. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indy Posted September 23, 2013 Share #5 Posted September 23, 2013 At my wifes gym a bunch of cyclists bring their trainer in for Saturday sessions with a coach. She has this one as do most of the other folks. Silly me, I have rollers, was thrown off three times over the winter, the last time took me out for a month with a swollen knee. I prefer the rollers. They force you to stay focussed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Square Wheels Posted September 23, 2013 Share #6 Posted September 23, 2013 I prefer the rollers. They force you to stay focussed. Or toss you to the ground. I spent a lot of money of those fool things and I'm still afraid of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reverend_Maynard Posted September 23, 2013 Share #7 Posted September 23, 2013 I have rollers that I've never gotten the hang of. Never used a trainer. My strategy for staying in shape in the winter...? Mountain biking! Unless there's too much snow/ice on the trails, I'm out there 3 days a week regardless of temps. If I really wanted, I could get studded tires and/or a fat bike and ride under even more conditions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randomguy Posted September 24, 2013 Author Share #8 Posted September 24, 2013 She has this one as do most of the other folks. Actually, I am deciding between this and the Rock-n-roll trainer, wondering if the price is justified. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indy Posted September 24, 2013 Share #9 Posted September 24, 2013 Or toss you to the ground. I spent a lot of money of those fool things and I'm still afraid of them. The bike really makes a difference. If you have a MTB, try that with slicks. I use my road bike on it, but it is far more twitchy on the rollers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Square Wheels Posted September 24, 2013 Share #10 Posted September 24, 2013 The bike really makes a difference. If you have a MTB, try that with slicks. I use my road bike on it, but it is far more twitchy on the rollers. I have a hybrid that I haven't been on all year. Maybe I'll give that a try now that winter is coming. I won't be riding outside much anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smudge ★ Posted September 24, 2013 Share #11 Posted September 24, 2013 I have the Nashbar parabolic rollers. I really like them... for rollers. I am not a hardcore trainer/roller person, but I do like to use them now and again throughout the winter. I think it really helped me learn to hold my line while riding outside; if you don't learn to do that on the rollers, off you go! ha! I set them up in a doorway. If I start to go over, I can reach out to the doorway to catch myself. Having said that, I'll probably break a wrist that way. The doorway is in the basement. The doorway used to be a wall. Concrete wall. The doorway was cut out when my husband built an addition on the house and wanted an addition to the basement under the new addition to the house. When I start falling off the rollers, I shoot out a hand to catch myself and I always end up slamming my wrist against the corner of the doorway. sigh.. Ya, I'll show you my cast this winter when I get one. P.S. After all that, I really DO like my rollers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indy Posted September 24, 2013 Share #12 Posted September 24, 2013 I have the Nashbar parabolic rollers. I really like them... for rollers. I am not a hardcore trainer/roller person, but I do like to use them now and again throughout the winter. I think it really helped me learn to hold my line while riding outside; if you don't learn to do that on the rollers, off you go! ha! I set them up in a doorway. If I start to go over, I can reach out to the doorway to catch myself. Having said that, I'll probably break a wrist that way. The doorway is in the basement. The doorway used to be a wall. Concrete wall. The doorway was cut out when my husband built an addition on the house and wanted an addition to the basement under the new addition to the house. When I start falling off the rollers, I shoot out a hand to catch myself and I always end up slamming my wrist against the corner of the doorway. sigh.. Ya, I'll show you my cast this winter when I get one. P.S. After all that, I really DO like my rollers! The doorway always caused me to be more nervous as I found myself focusing on it. What worked best for me is to set them with in easy arms reach of the wall. I'm all screwed up and am right handed but left footed, so I tend to go left when I go to catch my balance, so I set them up with the wall on my left side so I can catch with my left arm. Works well for me, but I'm also screwed up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reverend_Maynard Posted September 24, 2013 Share #13 Posted September 24, 2013 Another reason to be careful of the doorway... If you miss the jamb when reaching out to steady yourself and fall anyway, the jamb can break the top tube of your bike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thaddeus Kosciuszko Posted September 25, 2013 Share #14 Posted September 25, 2013 I would suggest this one: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smudge ★ Posted September 25, 2013 Share #15 Posted September 25, 2013 Another reason to be careful of the doorway... If you miss the jamb when reaching out to steady yourself and fall anyway, the jamb can break the top tube of your bike. Nah. The bike will have a soft, squishy landing ..... against me! Actually I'm pretty good at reaching for the wall the few times I have to (so far). Tasha (above) doesn't do much for me; but I DO buy my supplements from bodybuiling.com! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bikeguy Posted September 25, 2013 Share #16 Posted September 25, 2013 I ride my rollers in the winter. I ride in my garage, next to a wall on my right side. I always use my left foot down for stopping, and I didn’t want to fall to the right and damage my drive train either. I would not ride in a doorway I'd never want to take the chance of falling over and damaging my bike hitting the door frame. (a new way to get doored?) I also ride in the garage because I sweat a LOT riding my rollers, and the puddle of sweat doesn’t hurt the concrete floor. It’s been several years since I’ve fallen over riding my rollers. I think you stay focused too. I also have a fan accessory for my rollers, mostly for resistance (when needed) and for cooling. The fan in noisy, but it can generate a LOT of resistance and it’s adjustable. Just remember the noisy part for now… The last time I fell over WoBG entered the garage and she said “Hi” and that scared me to so much I lost focus and I swerved a bit too far to the left rode off of the roller, and fell over to my left. I never had time to unclip. I never had a clue WoBG was there I was very focused on riding. I’d be way too bored riding a trainer. Then again after a while rollers can get rather dull too. But I have better balance and I work on high cadence intervals to smooth out my pedaling. The first time I set up my rollers I didn’t do it correctly. I think it took me 2 winters before actually reread the instructions and went on line and read some more, and then I set up my rollers again. For the first 2 years I had the wheelbase for the rollers set incorrect. When I got it done correct, the rollers were noticeably less twitchy. Then again even with the set up incorrect, I was riding the rollers in about 15 minutes. I fell several times the first winter, but the more I rode the less I fell. I placed 2 layers of carpet padding on the concrete floor, after my first few falls. I figured it would be a lot softer on me and my bike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olas Nah Posted September 26, 2013 Share #17 Posted September 26, 2013 I have a Fluid2, but I used it once last winter, and it's been on loan to a friend for the entire summer so he can warm up at Crit events. What I started doing was simply making sure I got outside to ride. I'd schedule myself to leave work a little early once a week to get in a ride. And after discovering how beneficial toe warmers are, I'm not as reticent to get out when it's cold either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parr8hed Posted September 27, 2013 Share #18 Posted September 27, 2013 I've got a nice, cheap cycleops mag trainer and it works fine for me. I had rollers as well, did not like them as I had to stay too focused. Can't watch TV, can't do anything else. That's hard for 45-75 minutes at a time. Trainer, I can just zone out and enjoy the ride while watching a movie or something. I have a bike that stays on the trainer but it has not been used for almost a year as I tend to be stupid and ride in all weather. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creaky Posted September 28, 2013 Share #19 Posted September 28, 2013 Actually, I am deciding between this and the Rock-n-roll trainer, wondering if the price is justified. I went with the Rock & Roll Trainer. I pulled out the stops and also got the weighted flywheel to increase the resistance. It was pricy but I do use it a lot in the winter or when I'm rehabbng an injury or medical issue. (like now). In the winter not so much because of the cold but because of the lack of daylight. It's dark when I leave for work and dark when I get home. I prefer it to the rollers because I get a better cardio workout on it (more resistance options) Since it allows the bike to move laterally it has a more realistic feel than other trainers I've used. I'll work on my bikeskills when I get outside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torch511 Posted November 19, 2013 Share #20 Posted November 19, 2013 I have a Rock & Roll trainer as well with the Pro Flywheel. I love the thing. The rock and "bounce" of the trainer makes it fairly comfortable. I have rollers as well, I like both but for longer workouts the trainer is my go-to device. One thing about the trainer, especially a decent one - don't necessarily expect to keep the same MPH on the trainer as you do the road. On the road, I average about 20.5 mph over 50 miles. On my rollers which offer friction resistance only, I average about 25-26. The Rock and Roll I average about 17.5 over an hour and a half. That resistance unit kicks my butt. Intervals totally hurt. I go by Heart Rate and stick to HR Zone training rather than worrying about distance and MPH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louielouie-FP3 Posted December 6, 2013 Share #21 Posted December 6, 2013 I have a CycleOps Fluid 2 which I got for a STEAL(65.00US) on Craiglslist! Great deals to be had there on trianers, people get tired of them or don't use them and want to get rid of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Square Wheels Posted June 19, 2014 Share #22 Posted June 19, 2014 RG, did you ever get a trainer? If yes, do you use it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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