Bike Trainer Questions

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2012-04-03 7:43 AM

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Subject: Bike Trainer Questions
I have that Cyclops Magneto trainer. Had it a couple of years, does the job happy with it.

It comes with a skewer (spelling?) for the rear tire. I took out my existing one and put this one in.
I would think so, but anyone know if these skewers are ok for street riding?

Only downside of this type of trainer is that I cannot simulate steep climbs. On a regular exercise bike i just crank down on the resistence. Any ideas?

Thanks

2012-04-03 7:56 AM
in reply to: #4126452

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Master
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University Park, MD
Subject: RE: Bike Trainer Questions

JohnP_NY - 2012-04-03 8:43 AM Only downside of this type of trainer is that I cannot simulate steep climbs.

Sure you can. If you're pushing hard, then you're simulating a steep climb. 

There's a bit of a difference in terms of inertia, i.e., don't expect to coast on a climb. But if you do intense work on your trainer, you're doing good preparation for climbs. Of course, the other thing that prepares you for climbs is being as light as possible, since your climbing speed is primarily a function of your power-to-weight ratio.

2012-04-03 1:23 PM
in reply to: #4126452

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41° 4' 36" N 71° 56' 10" W
Subject: RE: Bike Trainer Questions
Thanks, yes, maybe but the trainer does not offer the resistance of some of the steeper hills. I only wish the hills that scare me were as easy as pushing the biggest gear on the trainer.

(Thinking of just getting an old used spin bike to get a different kind of workout.)
2012-04-03 1:25 PM
in reply to: #4126452

Master
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Subject: RE: Bike Trainer Questions
When you say it can't simulate steep climbs, does that mean you're running out of gears to increase the resistance? If you can push a lot of power with it, hill-climbing will be fine once you're outdoors, but I can see lack of resistance in the biggest gears being a potential issue.
2012-04-03 1:27 PM
in reply to: #4126452

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Master
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Subject: RE: Bike Trainer Questions
add some gear.. and crank
2012-04-03 2:57 PM
in reply to: #4126452

Veteran
353
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41° 4' 36" N 71° 56' 10" W
Subject: RE: Bike Trainer Questions
interpretation

even if I go into the most aggressive gears on the bike, when on the trainer, it does not come close to the level of resistance I feel on some of the meanest hills on the actual courses.

only way i can get used to that now is to use a spin bike and really crank it down

2012-04-03 3:15 PM
in reply to: #4126452

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Master
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Falls Church, VA
Subject: RE: Bike Trainer Questions

can't you tighten the resistance on the trainer?

On my bike on the trainer I can barely get the pedals around in the highest gears

2012-04-03 5:49 PM
in reply to: #4126452

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Subject: RE: Bike Trainer Questions

The skewer...

It should work fine for street riding.

The reason for it is- regular skewers are not equal size on each side and therefore will leave the tire off to one side on the roller. The skewer that came with the roller takes care of that.

Guessing though, it is a lot heavier than the one that came with the bike.

2012-04-03 6:57 PM
in reply to: #4127894

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Master
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University Park, MD
Subject: RE: Bike Trainer Questions

JohnP_NY - 2012-04-03 3:57 PM interpretation even if I go into the most aggressive gears on the bike, when on the trainer, it does not come close to the level of resistance I feel on some of the meanest hills on the actual courses. only way i can get used to that now is to use a spin bike and really crank it down

You have a trainer that can't handle 400w resistance (I'm assuming that you don't have much need to push higher than that)?

2012-04-03 11:58 PM
in reply to: #4126452

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Subject: RE: Bike Trainer Questions

Re: Skewers. I leave the steel bike trainer skewers on when I ride outside. One less thing to worry about and I've never had any problems doing that.

Re: Resistance. I tried a Minoura bike trainer which had a magnetic resistance unit and though the tension could be adjusted via a cable remote, it still didn't offer the same progressive resistance as my old Cycleops Fluid Trainer 2. Went back to the Fluid Trainer and sold the Minoura. You may have to consider buying  a fluid based unit like the Cycleops or Kurt Kinetic...

2012-04-04 6:55 AM
in reply to: #4127894

Master
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Northern IL
Subject: RE: Bike Trainer Questions

JohnP_NY - 2012-04-03 2:57 PM interpretation even if I go into the most aggressive gears on the bike, when on the trainer, it does not come close to the level of resistance I feel on some of the meanest hills on the actual courses. only way i can get used to that now is to use a spin bike and really crank it down

Gotcha. Get on that spin bike and crank it down or get a new trainer with a stronger resistance curve. Something like  KK or CycleOps Fluid2 usually does the trick.

I had a less expensive trainer before and could hold ~40 mph on it (~118 rpm) for a few minutes without a major HR spike, so know what you mean. I went with KK and use spin bikes at the gym, and don't have that issue anymore.

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