Turbo trainers

toombah

Hi,

Can anyone give advice on buying a turbo trainer?

I live in an apartment so would be looking for the quietest possible. Not worried about paying extra if you get value for money. Not particularly interested in hooking the trainer into tv for racing against others etc.

I'm not particularly bothered by cycling in the cold/wet. The real motivation behind buying the trainer is to knock a bit of time off triathlon bike legs next year. Do any other cyclists/triathletes think that a trainer is a good tool for this?

Thanks.

Pete4779

I have a Tacx Speedmatic T1810. It's basically an entry level trainer, but it is magnet-driven, so is quite a bit less noisy than the air ones. It's fine for an hour while watching a DVD or playing Xbox, but after an hour I get a bit bored.

WHile it doesn't replace going outside, daily cycles for me anyway are not an option as it's dark by 1800hrs now. There are a load of exercises on the Tacx website for speed, power, etc., with intervals for high resistance, low resistance and so on.

Some people don't like them at all, but it beats not being able to cycle at all IMHO which is what happens now during the winter except for weekends. You tend to sweat like a pig though . The alternative is getting rollers which require you to balance constantly and cycle "for real". I don't have any experience with those except that I would like fly off it quite quickly.

I got it for €150 from a shop. This is slightly above the RRP which would be around €130-140. It has 10 levels of resistance and they do really work you. The action is very smooth on the magnet ones; I've read that the air ones less so, and that the best for resistance and "realism" is oil/fluid based ones, but they cost around €500. One thing that I find useful is using clip pedals - I have Look Keos on my road bike. This helps with practicing cadence and heart rate monitoring, but IMHO the big advantage is being able to sort of relax while doing it and not worry about feet flying off, so if you get one, get pedals and shoes as well.

toombah

Thanks for that reply. I have the clipless pedals alright and plan on doing maybe 2x30min interval sessions a week (maybe building up time after a while).

Might seem like a stupid question, but do you know if turbo trainers suffer from much wear and tear. I know with an hour a week it's hardly likely for the thing to break any time soon, but just checking what peoples opinions are anyway.

E@gle.

might be a good idea to get the special rear tyre for use on turbo trainers, because standard tyres are know to blow

rob1891

A fluid trainer will be more quiet than a magnetic, more expensive too. You could also get some kind of acoustic mat, the bike specific ones are probably more expensive than they need to be. Perhaps make your own (board under trainer to spread weight, ontop of some layers foam camping mat?)

Here's a run down on a few trainers I have come across.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=15791
I have this, I find it ok, sometimes the resistance disappears for an instant, need to slow down and then it comes back, strange ... not quiet either.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=5360019997&N=CycleOps%20Fluid2%20Trainer
My brother has this, definitely quieter, much better feel to it, a good bit more expensive. He started on the trainer I have and when he decided he had the right mind for it spent a bit more cash on a better quality.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=5360020040&N=Tacx%20Sirius%20Soft%20Gel%20Folding%20Magnetic%20T1435%20Trainer
Friend of mine uses this. Definitely quieter than mine, can't say if it is as quiet as the fluid trainer. He's happy with it.

There is a cheap fluid trainer knocking about, but I couldn't find any reviews of it when my friend was buying his ...
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=6056


Rob

toombah

Cheers for that info Rob.
Looks like the second one (CycleOps Fluid2) is winning out for now.

Anyone else out there like to recommend/condemn this trainer?

tunney

Don't underestimate the benefits of training (even only on a turbo) with power

http://www.wheelworxbikes.com/product_info.php?cPath=131&products_id=517

toombah

Didn't know there were trainers with power measurement.

Do you have one of these? Or a similar model?

tunney

My turbo isn't as good as the one above, I have the Elite Hydroforce with power measurement add on. I've had it now three years with no problems and over the last two years I've gotten more and more use out of the power aspect.

Pete4779

tunney wrote: »

Don't underestimate the benefits of training (even only on a turbo) with power

http://www.wheelworxbikes.com/product_info.php?cPath=131&products_id=517

That looks quite good and price is good as well. HR monitor and cadence, etc., very nice indeed.

smithslist

I've a Tacx Sirius for sale, bought it last year but rarely used, will sell it for 140e.

It is great for indoor or anybody who wants less noise from there turbo cos it has a soft gel roller which reduces heavy noise.

http://www.tacx.com/producten.php?language=EN&ttop=&lvlMain=16&lvlSub=57&lvlSubSub=83

or

http://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=0&idproduct=17834


Thanks

Wheelworx

Turbos are more efficient than riding on the road, no freewheeling/tailwinds/downhills/drafting or stop starting etc that you get out doors, very easy to do very specific sessions, drills single leg pedaling etc that is harder to do outside.
That being said it is not very exciting
You can also do brick sessions very easily without the problem of where do you put the bike if you are out doors or live in an appartment.

Training with power is as Tunney said the best way to go, not only is it a better more accurate way to train, you can also use the power and heart rate monitor to get your position set more effectively for example where do you produce more power? saddle up 1 cm or down? forward or backwards on the rails?

A friend of mine who is a cycle coach reckons 1 hr turbo is worth 2 hr road work.

Rob

Pete4779

When you say "Training with power" - is it that you mean training with some sort of meter to measure Watts output?

I've been trying to just do cadence at between 70-80 with intervals.

Is it "better" to do it with watts, HR, etc., ? I suppose it must be!

smithslist

Pete4779, it all depends what type of training you are doing on the turbo, but the best way to train on a turbo is using a HR monitor, and do zone training.

Cadence can be good if you dont hav access to a HR monitor.

hope this helps.

tunney

Training with HR on a turbo isn't the best IMHO. The heat and lack of ventilation can have you beating a fair bit higher.

Power zones and power based training is much more accurate and useful, and repeatable (and painful)

smithslist

tunney you need to be setup with proper ventilation if u are doing any type of turbo training.

U see in gyms or private sessions that windows are opened during spinning sessions, this should be the same at home, and also use a fan at home is highly recommended.

Yes it can be argued, that Power zones and power based training is best over HR zone training, but personally i like to know how much im pushing myself by using a HR monitor.

tunney

I turbo a few times a week, in a shed with the door and windows open and with a fan. I still sweat buckets and HR is higher than for same wattage on the road.

Hermy

Using a turbo trainer can be detrimental for your bicycle. Because the bicycle is clamped rather than moving freely beneath you it is subjected to stresses it may not have been designed to take. As mentioned by others you will sweat profusely on a turbo trainer which may lead to corrosion on some bicycle parts. Also with the bicycle always "going forward", the headset bearings are prone to uneven wear. For this reason I would suggest using an old bicycle set up identically rather than your aluminium/ carbon/ titanium pride and joy.

Wheelworx

smithslist wrote: »

Yes it can be argued, that Power zones and power based training is best over HR zone training, but personally i like to know how much im pushing myself by using a HR monitor.

A combination of both hr and power is the best option once you know your levels in both. It is also a very good way to measure improvement, if you start training and produce x watts in November at a given heart rate you should be able to see your power output rise during your training block at the same heart rate.
You will be training by heart rate but measuring/gauging progress with the power readings. You will very quickly realise if you are training in the correct zones, 6 weeks training with no noticable improvement and maybe you need to do different sessions or vice versa if you are seeing good improvement you can be sure of your training zones and sessions.
I would hate to train all winter and be 10% outside of my zones and only realise I had made no real improvement in March at the first race of the season.....:(


Rob