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Kevin P.
Kevin P. Sendmail

Indoor Bike Trainers

posted about 2 years ago | Report

Looking for opinions on indoor trainers. Would like to hear peoples experience has taught them about the various trainers including rollers vs stationary trainers - the pros and cons of various types (wind, magnetic, fluid) and brands of stationary trainers.

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  • Kevin P.
    Kevin P. Sendmail

    My only experience recently has been with CycleOps PVC rollers.
    Pro - Great for building balance and smoothing out cadence. Requires more concentration than my memory of stationary trainers did >> a little more entertaining to ride. These rollers run true and are smooth and relatively quiet up til about 30mph when things start to go a little out of balance.
    Con - These offer very little resistance and I have to push at 30 mph to get a workout from them. After a while they become boring too.
    Learning curve - took about 5 minutes before I had to hold on. It took a few days before I had to worry about riding off the edge. Still can't ride them no handed.
    Compared to fixed trainer - thought they would be more interesting and they were til I mastered them, now I am thinking about switching to a fixed trainer for the workout and to be able to watch TV while riding as the rollers still require a bit of attention so's to not ride off the edge.
    I would recommend rollers if you want to improve balance and smoothing your riding. If you want a workout, at least pay for a resistance unit like they have on some models.

    posted about 2 years ago

  • Kv
    Kv Sendmail

    Ideally one would combine both rollers and trainers into their winter training program if riding outside is either undesirable or impractical.

    Rollers provide the advantage of refining balance, cadence, tempo, and pedal stroke. You can think of them as instability balls for cyclists. They require exceptional balance and fine control of the handlebars as well as body position to keep them from going off the rollers. They also require a smooth pedal stroke as well as a high cadence to keep momentum up. Rollers have helped my bike handling skills immensely.

    Trainers are great for building strength and power. They provide much more resistance than rollers, but don't have the same feel since the bike is held stationary. As far as types to consider, fluid trainers provide the most road-life feel in my opinion and are the most quiet of all types. However, it is worth investing in a reputable brand such as Kurt Kinetic or else fluid leaks are a possibility. Standing "climbs" and intervals are both possible on trainers but not so practical on rollers due to their low resistance.

    Whatever you pick, DVD's such as Spinervals help break up the monotony and provide some training structure. Hope that helps.

    posted about 2 years ago

  • Kv
    Kv Sendmail
    in reply to what Kevin P. said:My only experience recently has been with CycleOps PVC rollers. Pro - Great for building balance and smoothing out cadence. Requires more concentration than my memory of stationary trainers did >> a little more entertaining to ride. Thes... read more

    Cycleops makes an aluminum roller set with a built in resistance unit. It's still nowhere near as much resistance as a trainer, but it's a very good, smooth feeling system they've devised.

    posted about 2 years ago

  • Kevin M.
    Kevin M. Sendmail

    I use the Tacx...not sure what model but it's electromagnetic and you can crank up to 1000W or beyond if you want. Works great. They're not cheap though... It records average power, current power, max power etc...It's a great training tool! You can either set power to a desired level and spin at it, or you can increase your speed to increase wattage, and you can also increase the grade percentage to increase watts to simulate hillclimbs. It's perfect!

    posted about 2 years ago | edited about 2 years ago

  • Paul A.
    Paul A. Sendmail

    I have a CycleOps fluid trainer and am about to invest in rollers as well. The trainer is great for pounding hard, as others have said, but the monotony is killing me and I'm starting to worry more and more about overall balance, position, and how smooth my strokes are.

    I'm looking at the Kreitler rollers. They're more expensive, but offer a more road-like feel. The thing to note is that the smaller diameter the drums are, the harder you're going to have to work. I'm going middle-of-the-line 3" rollers for now. Reviews are showing that they seem to have the best balance between strength and skill.

    posted about 2 years ago

  • Kv
    Kv Sendmail

    Kreitler rollers are so nice. I demo'ed some at my bike shop. They're very smooth and very well made. I just couldn't justify the $400 price tag for something I barely use a month out of the year. I think you'll really like them. I know rollers have really improved my riding.

    posted about 2 years ago

  • Paul A.
    Paul A. Sendmail
    in reply to what Kv said:Kreitler rollers are so nice. I demo'ed some at my bike shop. They're very smooth and very well made. I just couldn't justify the $400 price tag for something I barely use a month out of the year. I think you'll really like them. I know rollers ha... read more

    Lucky you! I'll be riding on these clear through March, at the earliest! Damn Minnesota winters...

    I'm pretty excited to get them. Maybe I should have expedited the shipping!

    posted about 2 years ago | edited about 2 years ago

  • Library Girl
    Library Girl Sendmail

    I just got a Kinetic bike trainer for Christmas. I ride recreationally and will be using the trainer for off-season cross-training, so I have a regular, stationary model, but the company makes a model called the Rock & Roll that allows side-to-side movement. It's a fluid type. I don't know that much more about it since I just got it. I'm happy with it so far, though. Good luck!

    posted about 2 years ago

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