bike trainer

[boy_bye]

hey there,

well, after much consideration i have established that i am not yet badass enough to ride the snowy and icy streets and trails of pittsburgh. at least not this year!

but i do want to keep getting stronger on my bike, so i'm thinking about getting a trainer -- amazon has some that aren't too crazy expensive, and if i can keep getting stronger for the next few months it might be worth it.

my questions are
1 - is this a dumb idea? should i just walk and do squats and run stairs till the next thaw comes?
2 - if i do get a trainer, what do i need to know about tire size and compatibility? for instance, would a hybrid bike with 700x35 tires work on this trainer, do you think?

thanks for your help, i'm still kind of n00bie at this whole riding thing.

[Russ]

I have a trainer... it's ok to ride on for an hour or so, but any longer than that is really a drag mentally. When I was racing I sucked it up and did it anyways, but now that I'm not I tend to choose other more fun activities. Stair climbing is great, hiking through high snow is deceivingly difficult, and of course riding bikes outside when the roads are nice (which is more often than not, even in winter) is my favorite. Pretty much any activity will make you stronger for cycling in one way or another. If I were you I'd pass.

If you do go for it though, your bike will fit in any one you pick.

[Emg03063]

I just got a trainer used off Craigslist for about $63.  My advice is go with a fluid trainer, and use a smooth tire for minimal noise.

[jnik]

Shouldn't be much issue with tire size compatibility on most trainers.

The fluid trainers are usually much quieter and smoother than the mag trainers. Don't forget the hidden costs: you will need a trainer tire (trainer use is very hard on road tires) and your floors will appreciate having a trainer mat. Most trainers also require a quick release rear wheel: you replace the wheel's skewer with one the trainer provides that enables the connection between the two. If your hybrid has nutted wheels, that's not going to work so well.

I made the leap this year simply because I need to do long rides which are longer than are pleasant in really bad weather, and I had decided to upgrade my wheelset anyhow. So it's an easy matter of swapping the old wheel + trainer tire in for the new wheel if it's a nice day and I'm going out. I watch Netflix or DVDs while riding to fight the boredom.

[Matt K]

Never buy a trainer (or any home exercise equipment) new. There are too many people who buy them and never use them, then sell them at a huge discount. I got a $200 magnetic trainer for $80 still in the box. Personally, I prefer magnetic or fluid over air/fan because they can exert more resistance and they are quieter (er, less loud).

I highly recommend a trainer setup in front of your TV (with headphones and a long cable, the trainers really are pretty loud) watching high adrenaline movies on Netflix. You'll burn an insane amount of calories watching Crank ;)

As mentioned, use a smooth tire. There are trainer specific tires (because of the heat a trainer generates on the tire, it wears normal tires out quickly - but none of these tires will fit your hybrid anyways, they are usually 700x23). My solution is just to use old tires or the cheapest I can find. Trainer specific anything is a hugely expensive waste because they are targeting the hardcore roadies, the guys who think little of dropping $200 on a bike chain because it is 20 grams lighter than the $15 chain. Instead of a $100 trainer mat, you can use a $20 yoga mat, or a $25 standing work pad from a hardware store. Basically you're goal is to isolate the vibration form the bike to the rest of the house and keep sweat and grease off your floor.

Have fun.

[Russ]

FWIW I and a few of my friends have had awful experiences with trainer-specific tires. They're so hard that they shred themselves after just a few hundred miles on the trainer. Old road slicks that are too worn to still use outside are the best.

Either way, 23s probably will fit on OP's rims, provided they're 19mm or less interior width which they likely are.

[GoStumpy]

Anyone have something that can attach to the handlebars to hold a laptop?  I'm thinking that I could probably ride an exercise bike if I was able to browse, read, or play on my laptop at the same time?

Only one I know of is the fitdesk..

[Russ]

sweat + laptop sounds like bad business to me. that's a lot of weight to attach to handlebars too. but if you want, a folding tv table would probably fit over your tire and between your handlebars. or you could make something similar yourself.

[GoStumpy]

Never thought about that part, thanks!  I remember when I read books on the treadmill, dripping sweat was a constant danger... had a towel handy at all times

[GuitarStv]

The idea of using a trainer seems very anti-moustachian to me.  You're paying money for something that you can get for free outside by toughening up a little.  You're going to miss out on beautiful rides and the chance to run errands with the bike.  You're not going to learn winter riding skills that translate over to better year round bike handling.

I don't want to be a downer, but honestly . . . this seems like a wasted opportunity.  Why the fear of going outside?

[boy_bye]

The idea of using a trainer seems very anti-moustachian to me.  You're paying money for something that you can get for free outside by toughening up a little.  You're going to miss out on beautiful rides and the chance to run errands with the bike.  You're not going to learn winter riding skills that translate over to better year round bike handling.

I don't want to be a downer, but honestly . . . this seems like a wasted opportunity.  Why the fear of going outside?

You are right and I know it ... I think that's why I posted here, to get talked down! :) As a very beginner cyclist I do not feel up to riding on snow and ice just yet, and the roads around where I live are in pretty bad shape right now.

BUT it looks like we may be getting a thaw next week, so I'll get out then for sure.

[m8547]

Instead of a normal trainer, I built a set of rollers. For anyone who doesn't know, rollers are just what they sound like- rollers that you place your bike on. Riding on rollers is more fun than a fixed trainer because you still have to balance, and it takes some practice to get the hang of it. It doesn't seem like they should work, but they do. Here's a video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Q14g-C8FXI

I modeled my design on Kreitler rollers, which I've used. Kreitlers are nice, but insanely expensive, like $400 for a metal frame and aluminum rollers that just sit there. I made mine out of a wooden frame and some 3" PVC tubing. The most expensive single component was the roller belt ($20 shipped), which I couldn't think of a good way to DIY. The total cost was around $70, and if you can source some of the parts for free it could be a lot less.

Overall my rollers work almost as well as the Kreitler ones. Sure they build up a bit of a static charge, make more noise, and have cheap bearings that run hot, but they get the job done. I'll post pictures later if I have a chance.

[GuitarStv]

The idea of using a trainer seems very anti-moustachian to me.  You're paying money for something that you can get for free outside by toughening up a little.  You're going to miss out on beautiful rides and the chance to run errands with the bike.  You're not going to learn winter riding skills that translate over to better year round bike handling.

I don't want to be a downer, but honestly . . . this seems like a wasted opportunity.  Why the fear of going outside?

You are right and I know it ... I think that's why I posted here, to get talked down! :) As a very beginner cyclist I do not feel up to riding on snow and ice just yet, and the roads around where I live are in pretty bad shape right now.

BUT it looks like we may be getting a thaw next week, so I'll get out then for sure.

Snow and ice seem much scarier than they are.  The next time you have snowy, blizzards conditions break you bike out, find a empty parking lot close by and spend a half hour or so just learning how your bike handles.  You'll find that in deep snow you want to avoid sharp turns, might use the rear brake more than normal, and of course will be going a bit slower than usual.  Aside from that it's really not hard at all!  Don't get a trainer, improve you biking ability!

[boy_bye]

Snow and ice seem much scarier than they are.  The next time you have snowy, blizzards conditions break you bike out, find a empty parking lot close by and spend a half hour or so just learning how your bike handles.  You'll find that in deep snow you want to avoid sharp turns, might use the rear brake more than normal, and of course will be going a bit slower than usual.  Aside from that it's really not hard at all!  Don't get a trainer, improve you biking ability!

This is a good suggestion. The thing that frightens me is the elevation change, especially going downhill -- I have a biggun on my commute. It freaks me out to get going that fast even when the roads are perfectly clear and it's balmy out, let alone when there's ice here and there on the roads, and potholes and cracks galore, and Pittsburgh drivers ... but it's true that each time I ride it gets a bit easier. I can at least give the snowy parking lot thing a shot.

[boy_bye]

99% of my ride is on bike trails in Pittsburgh. I ride from Millvale to the South Side all on the three rivers heritage trail totaling 7.5 miles. I found that the city plows the majority of the trail. They are a couple days late but they do plow it.

hey brian,

i take the trails a lot, too -- all along the river in the south side, then from the point to the strip district. when i went on the trail in the strip the other day i could not even walk on it as it was a solid sheet of ice. that's the point at which i wigged out (a little). a bit of snow doesn't concern me as much as slick ice. i fell once walking on ice and broke my foot so i try to be wise/cautious. but i also don't want to be a complainypants wussbag. trying to find the line there ...

and hey! i love thick bikes -- that's where i got my bike, too, and they always take really good care of me. i just bought my hybrid so i'm not really up for buying another bike at this time, but depending on how bad the weather gets over the next few weeks, i may spring for the studded tires.

[fallstoclimb]

I love my bike trainer, I use it every morning in the winter.  It's nice to be Mustachian and all but lets be honest, I would not be getting out there in the cold and dark at 5:30 am on a daily basis, like I can do the with trainer.  You do have to figure out if you're the type of person to use gym equipment you buy or not.