Training - Turbo or Spin Bike

mbosano

Hi,
I compete in triathlons but with work and home pressures find time to get on the bike difficult to obtain as simply do not have the time to be out of the house. I have considered either buying a turbo trainer or a spin bike and wondered if anyone had any thoughts or suggestions as to which would be best and any models recommended?
Cheers all!
Marcus

Lucky Luke

Why not take the bike to get to wherever you do your swim training ? It's summer man (at last ! ) get out there and enjoy it .

Steveorow

JMHO. If you cannot get outside on the bike then a turbo is next best , You will be exercising on the bike you will be using . Spin bikes will be a different geometry ; setup etc .
You can spend £50 to £500 on a turbo . Depends what you want from it .

Ive got a Tacx sirrius around £120 . Just wanted a wide range of resistance settings . Didn't want or need all the bells and whistles like power; wireless HRM ; interactive video etc etc .

It is quiet boring training indoors on a turbo ; or a spin bike as well I suspect so I listen to the ipod .

P.S. Get a BIG fan as well no matter which you choose ; you will need it especially if you use it in the summer .

cougie

A decent spin bike is more expensive than a turbo but it would be ready to go straight away without you having to mount the bike first.

Anything that is 'faff' puts people off turboing, so maybe get an old hack bike to mount on the turbo full time ? And yeah - biiig fan !

McBain_v1

Cougie!! Didn't know you had made the shift to these here parts.

I have a bike permanently affixed to the turbo trainer (Kurt Kinetic) and find it a real boon. After a week off due to bike injury (fell off on Sunday last and ruined my left elbow) I was able to still go on the turbo. Mind you, I must be eating too many bacon butties because I only just managed to do 10miles in less than 30mins on the turbo

stage_fright

Good advice over getting a fan as well - as good turbo trainer session turns you into a human Niagara falls.

as regard to set up of a spinning bike - I sometimes use the ones at my gym for a change (they have SPD complatible pedals) and I like them beause they have lots of adjustment and I can get pretty close to my road bike position. Reach adjustment is a bit limited (just to moving saddle backewards and forwards), but raise the saddle, lower the bars and away you go. Just looks a bit odd to everyone else in the gym I guess.

Monty Dog

I find that it's hard to get a decent position on a spiining bike - the bars are too high, the saddles too fat and the Q-factor massive in comparison to a road bike. Whilst you'll get some general fitness benefits from spinning, you'll get far more effective results by using the correct set-up bike on a turbo. I use an old track bike, so get the benefit of a fixed gear but with far more control from my Tacx with HR, speed, cadence, time and power readouts