General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Indoor Trainer help ! Rss Feed  
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2008-09-14 1:10 PM

Member
14

Subject: Indoor Trainer help !
Folks,

with winter approaching (and living in Ireland) I'm going to have limited time to train outdoors and on the bike so looking for a good indoor trainer for my bike or an exercise bike.... any recommendations?

Am I right to go for an indoor trainer or should I go for a exercise bike?

Thanks a mill for any advice ..

Cheers,


2008-09-14 1:14 PM
in reply to: #1673128

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Master
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Nashville, TN
Subject: RE: Indoor Trainer help !
I like the trainer, i have a blackburn one. the only issue with the trainer is it chews up the tire therefore dont use your best tire on it
2008-09-14 1:22 PM
in reply to: #1673128

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Expert
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Subject: RE: Indoor Trainer help !
Mine does not chew my tire and I have a KK.
2008-09-14 1:48 PM
in reply to: #1673128

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Master
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Loughborough, England
Subject: RE: Indoor Trainer help !
Definitely go for a trainer.  I've got the CycleOps Fluid II and think it's great.
2008-09-15 7:11 AM
in reply to: #1673148

Veteran
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Rutland Ohio (South Eastern Ohio)
Subject: RE: Indoor Trainer help !
I have owned 5 trainers...

tips from my experience
- fan (wind resistance) trainers are noisy even though they are cheaper and still provide resistance for my level
- magnetic trainers are quiet and can't leak anything (like the potential for fluid), but some people say they don't provide enough resistance like fluid trainers
- centrifugal clutch (1up) good trainer with lots of resistance and quiet but somewhat expensive. Can be setup with accessories for speed indication
- fluid - never owned one so I can say much about but they are supposed to have good resistance

You will probably want to get some training tapes or DVDs to make it more interesting, even though regular movies will work great for long rides. (I once watched Braveheart and one other movie during a roughly 4.5 hr ride.)
2008-09-20 8:04 AM
in reply to: #1673128

Member
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Subject: RE: Indoor Trainer help !
Thanks for all the responses - I'm in Ireland so have been limited in the local shops for options and found this trainer online here - is this decent? http://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=171&id...



2008-09-20 8:58 AM
in reply to: #1685713

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Subject: RE: Indoor Trainer help !

I've never tried that one, but Tacx does make fine equipment and if it's available to you, the price seems decent...I would go ahead and purchase that one.  I also agree about having something to do while on the trainer.  Music, DVDs of some sort, anything that will keep your mind occupied.  One tip is to make sure you wipe down your bike after each session, especially if you sweat a lot.  A whole winter of body sweat dripping into your components, like your front brakes etc, will leave them pretty gummed up.  I speak from experience on this!

 

2008-09-21 7:06 AM
in reply to: #1673128

Extreme Veteran
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West Windsor, NJ
Subject: RE: Indoor Trainer help !
If you can swing it..go for the computrainer. I love mine, and its great feedback/motivation. Also very quite, as the resistance is electrical.

Also: with regards to tires..I use the continental trainer tire. Works well. No slip.
2008-09-21 7:47 AM
in reply to: #1685713

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Elite
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Armpit of Ontario
Subject: RE: Indoor Trainer help !

ManUtd - 2008-09-20 9:04 AM Thanks for all the responses - I'm in Ireland so have been limited in the local shops for options and found this trainer online here - is this decent? http://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=171&am...

The Satori trainer is a great magnetic trainer, used by pro Tour teams. I looked into one of these when I was trainer shopping, and initially the high price put me off ($400CDN). I did try a lower-end Tacx model at an LBS and after trying magnetic and fluid trainers, I went with fluid. I did like the up-front resistance control on the magnetic, but didn't like the fact theat when you stop pedalling, the wheel stops. Dead stops. It just felt too much like the excercise bikes at a gym. Fluid trainers have more of a "road feel", so that you can stop and coast along a bit, and the harder you ride/higher gear/higher cadence, the resistance automatically becomes harder - lust like on the road. But there's an arguement that on a trainer you should be spinning, not coasting, so it really is what feels better to you.

If you can try out both magnetic and fluid trainers, then do it. If not, and you've never tried a trainer before, then you could go with either one.

If you look at fluid trainers, two popular ones are the CycleOps Fluid 2 and Kurt Kinetic.

 

 

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