Turbo trainers

[thunderlips76]

Turbo trainers....worth buying??

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

Worth doing a search for

 

[Keith Oates]

If you can't handle the wet and cold in the winter months they are a good substitute but they are not even close to being as good as riding on the road!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

It'll probably cost less given how much gear is required to ride through a winter, never mind the added wear on the bike caused by grit and stuff. And less likely to fall off a trainer - unless you get rollers

 

[BSRU]

Turbo trainers....worth buying??

Yes, you can ride on cold dark and wet days, staying warm and dry, today being a perfect example.
Also they provide a controlled and more concentrated ride allowing you to target specific areas for improvement.

If you can, it's worth trying one out first to see if you get on with it, not everyone does.

 

[GrahamS]

Never used a turbo but I have rollers that I used a lot last winter, after a lot of research I decided they were a better bet. Combined with sufferfest videos my fitness really improved. Time to get the out again now I think.

 

[Gravity Aided]

Turbo trainers are good if you want to concentrate on power output, heart rate, and leg strength. A little weight lifting would do well to keep your core strength up. Rollers are good for developing a smooth pedal stroke and good bike handling skills. Exercycles ,like turbos, have many of the same benefits, but offfer more fine tuning of resistance. The problem is that that's another whole unit to set up to fit you. Your bike is already.

 

[thunderlips76]

Rollers look like a death wish, turbo trainer might be the way forward, although crap weather today so I just went running instead. Not much danger of death from a lorry crushing me, just maybe a heart attack

 

[nethfel]

Another thing to think about (I've been searching for one myself a lot lately as nasty weather here will be closing in soon and I want to be prepared) is choosing the right one - not just rollers vs other styles. Some have more adjustability then others in terms of resistance, some are computer controlled, some allow you to hook right into your drive chain (removing the rear wheel of course). Air, fluid and mag all work similarly, but have different feels while riding. Also with those - from what I've read, you will have accelerated tire wear on the rear tire so it might also be an idea to get either another tire or a second rear wheel with the same cassette specifically for using on those types of trainers.

Now, if you're getting something like the Elite Turbo Muin Fluid Direct Drive or a KICKR where the trainer replaces the rear wheel then you won't have to worry about excess tire wear, but the trainers are more expensive...

 

[BSRU]

Another thing to think about (I've been searching for one myself a lot lately as nasty weather here will be closing in soon and I want to be prepared) is choosing the right one - not just rollers vs other styles. Some have more adjustability then others in terms of resistance, some are computer controlled, some allow you to hook right into your drive chain (removing the rear wheel of course). Air, fluid and mag all work similarly, but have different feels while riding. Also with those - from what I've read, you will have accelerated tire wear on the rear tire so it might also be an idea to get either another tire or a second rear wheel with the same cassette specifically for using on those types of trainers.

Now, if you're getting something like the Elite Turbo Muin Fluid Direct Drive or a KICKR where the trainer replaces the rear wheel then you won't have to worry about excess tire wear, but the trainers are more expensive...

You can buy indoor trainer specific tyres.

 

[nethfel]

You can buy indoor trainer specific tyres.

You can? Cool! I didn't know that - most of the people that have talked about an indoor trainer never referred to a specific tyre (sorry, from US, used to using tire) for indoor. Seemed that most (including reviewers) just used their bike as is off the street without specialized tyres. It's good to know that for future reference

 

[Learnincurve]

Trainer tyres are just basic cheap as chips tyres without puncture protection, no point wearing out a nice expensive pair of Gatorskins when you can get some £5 from china tyres.

 

[nethfel]

Trainer tyres are just basic cheap as chips tyres without puncture protection, no point wearing out a nice expensive pair of Gatorskins when you can get some £5 from china tyres.

Interesting, I figured maybe the trainer tyres were made of a different style of rubber or tread design to lengthen their life on a trainer.

 

[Joshua Plumtree]

Don't buy tyres specifically for a turbo, just use tyres that have become too worn out to use on the road.

 

[GrahamS]

Of course if you get specific tyres you have to keep changing the tyre when you go out for a ride or get a spare wheel. No need for any of that with rollers.