Indoor trainers

[Lurch the stalker]

Hi all,

 

After having a crash that is going to keep me off my bikes for a while I have been thinking about investing in an indoor trainer.

I have never had one before so not really sure what I should be looking out for.

I'd ultimately like something I could switch between either my road bike or MTB, if it is possible.

I don't want to spend a fortune, but also wouldn't want the cheapest thing that will fall apart in minutes.

 

I've had a look through https://www.bikehub.co.za/classifieds/category/62-indoor-trainers/ and there seems to be quite large discrepancies between pricing (I accept that to someone who knows about trainers the difference(s) may be blindingly obvious).

What is 'better' (which may be open to interpretation) - one that you just hook the rear wheel into, or one with rollers?

 

Should I even be looking second hand or should I only buy something like this new?

 

[Madone69]

Hi all,

 

After having a crash that is going to keep me off my bikes for a while I have been thinking about investing in an indoor trainer.

I have never had one before so not really sure what I should be looking out for.

I'd ultimately like something I could switch between either my road bike or MTB, if it is possible.

I don't want to spend a fortune, but also wouldn't want the cheapest thing that will fall apart in minutes.

 

I've had a look through https://www.bikehub.co.za/classifieds/category/62-indoor-trainers/ and there seems to be quite large discrepancies between pricing (I accept that to someone who knows about trainers the difference(s) may be blindingly obvious).

What is 'better' (which may be open to interpretation) - one that you just hook the rear wheel into, or one with rollers?

 

Should I even be looking second hand or should I only buy something like this new?

if you have never used one before , i suggest borrow one before spending the bonus   on a Powerbeam   from Bicycle Power Trading or the Wahoo KickerR.     

indoor trainers are not liked by everyone  . its a daunting task to go nowhere for an hour

[venom1]

If you can get a deal with something second hand, excellent condition I wouldn't say no to that. 

Indoor trainers is not for everybody and you often find sales of people that bought it new and then sold it months later. 

 

Nothing beats being out in the open but i use my Indoor Training for convenience (if i came home late or poor weather). 

Secondly, when ever i use it i make sure that i'm entertained. 

I set it up in front of my television and put on a movie or series. Some Pro guys even have videos of trails they watch. 

 

Moving along to the trainer make sure you choose 1 that has a switch at hand to change the resistance. Secondly, I would choose 1 that also has a good resistance. 

 

Good luck on your purchase!

[Lurch the stalker]

if you have never used one before , i suggest borrow one before spending the bonus   on a Powerbeam   from Bicycle Power Trading or the Wahoo KickerR.     

indoor trainers are not liked by everyone  . its a daunting task to go nowhere for an hour

That's a good point. I've never wanted to ride and go nowhere and stare at my wall, but I am also thinking it would be better than not keeping the legs moving.

I broke the collarbone and had surgery on Tuesday this week so it is not like I need one right away so I have time to shop around.

 

Do these companies do demo units maybe that you can 'try before you buy'?

[AlanD]

I bought an indoor trainer yeras ago, nothing expnsive. Infact the cheapest one where you hook up the rear wheel and mine never had a cable to adjust the resistance so i had to get off the bike to adjust.

 

The porblem i found is that at the time i had to change the rear tire to a smooth one each time to use the trainer and then put the knoblly one back on to go ride (not tubeless at the time) which enventually let to me not using the trianer at all as it was a pain.

 

Now i manged to get an entire spare rear wheel, went out and bought a cheap smooth tire and now i can just pop that one on the rear and off i go.

 

Like Lurch has said, it is extremely boring standing still and pedalling and i can't seem to really get going before i hop off out of boardom. I put the thing outside now and have my little 7 month daughter in her chair that laughs at me when i pedal and makes some odd sounds, that is rather entertaining and keeps me on for longer:-)...(until she cries and wants a bottle). Tely is good too. They can be boring so i reckon try test one out or a really cheap one on the hub and if its for you then you could invest in a better one and if not then sell the one you bought.

[Jaco-fiets]

Cycleops powerbeam pro! Best investment I made in cycling and fitness ever!

[Sportsworld.co.za]

http://www.sportsworld.co.za/img/p/952-2415-thickbox.jpg

No need to stare at the wall with one of these

 

Available online.

 

I will agree with Madone69 though - borrow one to start off with, and if you like it, then go ahead and purchase one.

Personally I like riding my bike outdoors, but these days it's all about time management, and an indoor trainer is safe, quick, and effective.

[SwissVan]

If you are seriously going to get an IDT and use it, then do it properly and buy the best you can afford.

 

You can either buy a basic unit that just offers resistance training with no external interaction (i.e. does not allow real route profiles/ viws to be downloaded or online riding).

 

Or

 

Buy one that allows you to download routes and ride online.

 

Depending where you will use the IDT is also important due to the noise they tend to or can make. Some or reasonably quite while others are very noisy. If you going to ride in the garage noise might not be an issue but if you going to ride in the house somewhere noise could well be an issue....

[SwissVan]

For those who think and say its boring, you:

1. Not training correctly or hard enough.

2. Have not done an online race yet

[Madone69]

That's a good point. I've never wanted to ride and go nowhere and stare at my wall, but I am also thinking it would be better than not keeping the legs moving.

I broke the collarbone and had surgery on Tuesday this week so it is not like I need one right away so I have time to shop around.

 

Do these companies do demo units maybe that you can 'try before you buy'?

give Dave or Michael a call, they are super helpful.  i am sure they have demo models

[Lurch the stalker]

Thanks for everyone's input and advice so far.

I see, at least on the classifieds here, the vast majority seem to be Tacx trainers.

Is there something inherently wrong with the brand that people are trying to get rid of them?

 

I had never considered the noise factor. I would definitely need to train in the house so that would be a factor for me. 

 

I see from a quick internet search the different manufacturers have their own apps.

Do any of them integrate into Strava? This is definitely not essential but would be a 'nice to have'.

[Frosty]

I bought a Cycleops SuperMagneto trainer last week - would have liked a power based unit, but it's out of my budget. This one has 4 resistance levels (warm up, ride, intervals, mountains) which suites my purpose.

 

Otherwise I would have taken the Fluid2 as it works on progressive resistance - the faster you go, the harder it gets. They (distributors of Cycleops) have ex-demo units (used for the Joe Friel talk only) going for a very good price.

 

Whatever unit you get, make sure you get a subscription to the Virtual Training website, which turns a boring IDT session into a productive one with racing/video functionality on a tablet/phone/PC. It works with most trainers with a speed sensor on the rear wheel.

[Lurch the stalker]

They (distributors of Cycleops) have ex-demo units (used for the Joe Friel talk only) going for a very good price.

Do you perhaps have contact details for them? 

[Frosty]

Thanks for everyone's input and advice so far.

I see, at least on the classifieds here, the vast majority seem to be Tacx trainers.

Is there something inherently wrong with the brand that people are trying to get rid of them?

 

I had never considered the noise factor. I would definitely need to train in the house so that would be a factor for me. 

 

I see from a quick internet search the different manufacturers have their own apps.

Do any of them integrate into Strava? This is definitely not essential but would be a 'nice to have'.

Noise: The fan that I use makes more noise than the trainer.

 

Strava: Yes - hook up a speed/cadence sensor on your back wheel and you can upload your data just like a normal ride.

 

For a start, find out what type of training you will be doing - these websites helped me narrow the selection down (be honest and select what you will be doing, not want you THINK you will be doing):

 

http://www.realaxiom.com/en/elite-trainer-selector?dealer=elite

https://www.cycleops.com/catalog/trainers-rollers#f64/f73

[Frosty]

Do you perhaps have contact details for them? 

Email: info@bicyclepower.co.za

Telephone: +27 (0)11 023 2777

Office Hours: Monday - Friday 09:00 - 16;00

Fax: +27 (0)865 234 313

Postal address: P O Box 783615 Sandton 2146

Physical address: 1st Floor, Rivonia 777 Building, CRN Rivonia & 7th Ave, Rivonia

 

Ask for David

[Karman de Lange]

Kickr and Sufferfest .. you will never look at your indoor trainer the same again