Turbo trainer = Educate me

[Kestevan]

Ok, I've never had or used a turbo, and in fact never really seen the attraction. When I want to go for a ride, I'd rather do it outside.

However.....Mrs Kes has broken her leg and is off the "proper" bike for a few months. She's checked with the physio and got the all-clear to ride a turbo at low resistance just to get things moving again, and to maintain a bit of fitness.

Can anyone point me at what to look for?
There seems to be a confusing number of models available - does it matter which type, or should I simply get the cheapest one from e-bay?

 

[accountantpete]

Hi - sorry to hear of the accident at the Cheshire ride.

They are very very boring - unless you are determined then there's a good chance it won't get used that often.

I'd just get the cheapest second hand model from a decent maker that I could find. Tacx are very good.

I wouldn't worry about the type (magnetic,fluid etc ) or all the add-ons.

 

[biggs682]

+ 1 re accountantpete s comment as see loads for sale all saying unused

 

[e-rider]

Tacx or Elite - cheapest models are about £90 ish if you get a good deal online. The boredom is a killer, I sold mine about 18 months ago and bought some rollers instead and now have much less of an issue with boredom on the rollers.

 

[Mr Haematocrit]

I run TracxVR which is probably one of the nicest turbo trainers, it allows you ride famous courses which are interactive, you can also ride against other people. TraxVR has some cool features such as the ability to drive the back wheel to simulate gathering speed during decending. I find turbo's without any interative element to be mind numbing and would rather be on my rollers.
Google for TracxVR its worth a look imho

 

[Mrs Kes]

Hi - sorry to hear of the accident at the Cheshire ride.

They are very very boring - unless you are determined then there's a good chance it won't get used that often.

I'd just get the cheapest second hand model from a decent maker that I could find. Tacx are very good.

I wouldn't worry about the type (magnetic,fluid etc ) or all the add-ons.

Hey, thanks to all for the replies, i thought i would chip in as it is for me! I am hoping to stave off the boredon by watching TV / listening to music, i hear they are noisy, is that going to be possible? Given that the alternative for me at the moment is nothing i don't think i have any choice. Something that gives me more control over resistance is going to be important because i need to start off at a very low resistance and build up gradually. Do fluid ones give you more control?

 

[ColinJ]

The old-fashioned turbos which used fan resistance were very noisy but magntic and fluid types should be much quieter. Having said that, I am not sure that you would get away with using one in an upstairs room because of vibrations transmitted through the floor to the room below.

You should get plenty of control of resistance on a modern turbo trainer. Don't forget that you can also change gears on the bike for really subtle control.

 

[fimm]

One thing I do to make things more interesting is interval-style sets. There's no need to do anything very complicated, just, say 2 minutes hard, 1 minute easy, repeat a few times, then say change the time interval and the level of effort. Much better than just spinning away mindlessly for an hour! (If you start getting into this seriously, then access to a cold drink and something to wipe away the sweat becomes important...)

 

[sdr gb]

I used a Cyclops Fluid 2 to get over a broken leg several years ago. The resistance gradually builds up the faster / harder you pedal. So if you start off in an easy gear the resistance is very low. It can get very noisy though depending on how hard you're trying.

 

[ColinJ]

One thing I do to make things more interesting is interval-style sets. There's no need to do anything very complicated, just, say 2 minutes hard, 1 minute easy, repeat a few times, then say change the time interval and the level of effort. Much better than just spinning away mindlessly for an hour! (If you start getting into this seriously, then access to a cold drink and something to wipe away the sweat becomes important...)

True, and it's the the kind of thing that I do, but not really relevant in this case because ...

Mrs Kes has broken her leg and is off the "proper" bike for a few months. She's checked with the physio and got the all-clear to ride a turbo at low resistance just to get things moving again, and to maintain a bit of fitness.

 

[Mrs Kes]

True, and it's the the kind of thing that I do, but not really relevant in this case because ...

Thanks to everyone for your replies. Bought a magnetic variable speed from Black dog on Amazon for £65, looks like it will do the job and for around the same price as some second hand ones on e-bay. Reviews seem good and it has resistance adjustments on the handlebars too all i thought quite good for the price. We will see on Monday when it arrives. I will also see whether my broken leg still actually works, but that's quite another thing.......

 

[fimm]

True, and it's the the kind of thing that I do, but not really relevant in this case because ...

This is a good point, but using a turbo can be tedious regardless of what your aims are, and Mrs K might find the "spin harder - spin easier" idea useful to make it a bit more interesting. Or she might not.

 

[uphillstruggler]

just a thought on this but what tyres are on the bike if they are knobblies, they will be noisy, it may be better in the long run to buy a turbo trainer tyre, you can get them for 700 or 26 wheels, although expect to pay about 30 quid.

best of luck with the recovery