Turbo Trainers?

rossbarney2003

Does anybody here know much about trainers? I ask because I was all set to go for another cycle today (since I had a great one yesterday) but I woke up to find everything covered in a think layer on snow (even after the beautiful clear sunny day yesterday). I have been moaning all day about the weather being crap, to which my friend replied "Why don't you get one of those trainer things?".

After him mentioning it I think it might be a good idea since sometimes I don't have the time to go out for a proper cycle (usually due to really crap weather or loads of uni work) but I don't really know much about them.

I'm willing to spend around £100-£150

Is it worth investing in one?

MegaCycle

I would say it's definitely worth getting one. Whilst it's pretty damn boring, there are some days when you just can't go out (weeks, even) and you just have to stick a DVD on the telly and grind it out.

Also I use it to test my fitness (heart rate vs power) from time to time. You can set a variety constant power setting and measure your heart rate to do the curves.

But it's only a last resort.

I have a Tacx Flow and it seems to tick all the boxes.

rossbarney2003

I'm probably looking to buy one from either wiggle, or edinburgh cycling co-op. Any ones you would suggest from there?

MegaCycle

I am sure Wiggle have all the main makes.

One of the main issues is noise (depending on your living situation). They darned noisy when you get some speed up and you can make yourself pretty unpopular with the neighbours if you're not careful. I sit mine on top of two rubber shower mats. Seems to kill most of the vibration.

rossbarney2003

Is there anything else I will need to know about trainers? I literally know nothing about them lol.

Noise shouldn't be too much of a problem since I have no neighbours, the only problem I can think of is annoying my family lol.


I found this one on wiggle. It has a good review from cycling plus and I can afford it.

CycleOps Mag Trainer

Click Me
*There is also a Plus model which comes with 5 adjustment settings for varied workouts and includes Remote shifter at £20 more*


This one also caught my eye

Tacx Sirius Soft Gel Folding Magnetic T1435 Trainer

Click Me


I'm wanting to get the best I can for my money. I tend to jump into things too fast and end up regretting it, so i'm gonna get some help before spending what little money I have this time lol. :P


Oh also, do trainers wear down the tyre faster than normal? I'm sure I remember hearing that somewhere.

azzerb

Yes, though you can buy an indoor tyre for on the trainer (special tyre) which runs quieter, with less vibration and less wear. Can't be used outside though.

I have a trainer, CycleOps Fluid (First one i think), nabbed off my Dad. But don't use that much as my gym membership costs about £10 a month, and i can just use gym bikes which sets the resistance to a specific power level, oh and huge motivation as i refuse to give in when there are lots of people around.

A turbo is worth getting though, though you need a fair bit of motivation.

rossbarney2003

azzerb wrote:

Yes, though you can buy an indoor tyre for on the trainer (special tyre) which runs quieter, with less vibration and less wear. Can't be used outside though.

I have a trainer, CycleOps Fluid (First one i think), nabbed off my Dad. But don't use that much as my gym membership costs about £10 a month, and i can just use gym bikes which sets the resistance to a specific power level, oh and huge motivation as i refuse to give in when there are lots of people around.

A turbo is worth getting though, though you need a fair bit of motivation.

I'm thinking of getting a gym membership with my uni for next semester. I used to be a member, but I stopped going due to the gym being on the campus that was too far for me to travel, but I have now recently been moved to the campus with the gym. Too bad a hate the bikes in the gym though....the seats are like big cushioned seats, and they always make that area go really numb!

I'm just hoping to get a trainer for those days that are just too crappy to go out since at the moment the days are becoming a hit or a miss (well it is scotland lol :P)



Oh and by the way, how long would I have to spend on a trainer daily? I'm hoping to get back in shape for the summer since I stupidly stopped cycling over the winter. I am now going out on my bike when I can, and will use the trainer in between. Is it a good way to get in shape and lose some weight?

nmcgann

rossbarney2003 wrote:

I'm thinking of getting a gym membership with my uni for next semester. I used to be a member, but I stopped going due to the gym being on the campus that was too far for me to travel, but I have now recently been moved to the campus with the gym. Too bad a hate the bikes in the gym though....the seats are like big cushioned seats, and they always make that area go really numb!

I'm just hoping to get a trainer for those days that are just too crappy to go out since at the moment the days are becoming a hit or a miss (well it is scotland lol :P)

Oh and by the way, how long would I have to spend on a trainer daily? I'm hoping to get back in shape for the summer since I stupidly stopped cycling over the winter. I am now going out on my bike when I can, and will use the trainer in between. Is it a good way to get in shape and lose some weight?

The problem I used to find with gym bikes is (as you say) the uncomfortable seat and difficulty of getting a decent riding position. That aside, none of the gyms I have used have had proper cooling fans either, so I have ended up literally soaked and dripping sweat when I tried to do a decent workout. I gave up on them and use a turbo at home now with a large pedestal fan in front of me.

As a generalisation, I'd recommend about 3x1h turbo sessions per week plus road riding. Not many people can handle turbo sessions over 1h as the boredom factor is too great. (although there's always someone pops up to say they do 5h sessions and can't see what the problem is :roll:)

Neil

rossbarney2003

nmcgann wrote:

rossbarney2003 wrote:

I'm thinking of getting a gym membership with my uni for next semester. I used to be a member, but I stopped going due to the gym being on the campus that was too far for me to travel, but I have now recently been moved to the campus with the gym. Too bad a hate the bikes in the gym though....the seats are like big cushioned seats, and they always make that area go really numb!

I'm just hoping to get a trainer for those days that are just too crappy to go out since at the moment the days are becoming a hit or a miss (well it is scotland lol :P)

Oh and by the way, how long would I have to spend on a trainer daily? I'm hoping to get back in shape for the summer since I stupidly stopped cycling over the winter. I am now going out on my bike when I can, and will use the trainer in between. Is it a good way to get in shape and lose some weight?

The problem I used to find with gym bikes is (as you say) the uncomfortable seat and difficulty of getting a decent riding position. That aside, none of the gyms I have used have had proper cooling fans either, so I have ended up literally soaked and dripping sweat when I tried to do a decent workout. I gave up on them and use a turbo at home now with a large pedestal fan in front of me.

As a generalisation, I'd recommend about 3x1h turbo sessions per week plus road riding. Not many people can handle turbo sessions over 1h as the boredom factor is too great. (although there's always someone pops up to say they do 5h sessions and can't see what the problem is :roll:)

Neil

Yeh, I had that problem at the gym too...by the time I was done on the bike I was totally soaking of sweat and so was the bike...ewwww

I'm sure i'll be fine doing 1 hour sessions on a trainer since as long as I have some music on I tend to be happy enough to keep doing what i'm doing.


I'm hoping to buy a trainer within the next few days, so would anybody be able to recommend a good one from wiggle that is within my price range? (£100 ideally)


* Edit*

I just remembered that trainers were tested in a recent issue of cycling plus and the recommended one was the Gist Magnetic. Do you think that one would be worth going for? It got a good review and is within my budget. If so where is the best place to buy it? I only ever seem to buy cycling stuff from my LBS or from Wiggle so i'm not sure which sites are trusted and offer good P+P rates.

rossbarney2003

Hmmm after reading the issue of cycling plus with the tested trainers, i'm beginning to worry about the noise level....just exactly how noisy are they? Cycling plus stated that a washing machine is at 80dB and most trainers that i'm looking at tend to be at around 70dB.

I'm worrying because I live in a house with my mum, dad and little brother and the walls are quite thin lol.



I'm still having trouble on deciding on what trainer to go for......this one is still grabbing my attention based on the good review and the fact that it's supposed to be quite quiet. Anybody experienced this trainer at all? Any help would be appreciated.

simbil1

I've got the cycleops mag trainer and it is seriously noisey - nearly as loud as a washing machine sounds about right. When just spinning, it isn't too bad. When you crank up the power it makes a noise like a jet engine spinning up!

Turbo trainers are good for LT, cadence and interval sessions IMHO and I spend around 45 mins a session. I only use it as a last resort or when I want to do some very specific training though. You can definitely get a very intense session in 45 mins

Harry B

I've got the Minoura VFS-GR and have to say that it's pretty quiet. I can use it in the same room as faimly who are watched TV without any complaints (although I'm at the other end of the room).

But it is soooo boring. I can only last about 30 minutes before my motivation fails completely. having said that it's useful for those occasions when you can't get out and feel the need to use up some energy.

have you thought about rollers? I understand that they are a bit more interesting although you won't get the variable resistance

rossbarney2003

Harry B wrote:

I've got the Minoura VFS-GR and have to say that it's pretty quiet. I can use it in the same room as faimly who are watched TV without any complaints (although I'm at the other end of the room).

But it is soooo boring. I can only last about 30 minutes before my motivation fails completely. having said that it's useful for those occasions when you can't get out and feel the need to use up some energy.

have you thought about rollers? I understand that they are a bit more interesting although you won't get the variable resistance

That trainer does look really good, but it's out of my budget

I'm actually really confused now what to go for. Wiggle seem to have sooo many with good reviews that are within my budget (£100-£150). I'm really needing somebody to point out which one would be best for me since I don't know enough about them to make the decision on my own.....

So which one is good in wiggle, that is within my budget, is good value for money and is relatively quiet?

rossbarney2003

Sorry for bumping the thread again but I keep coming back to this trainer:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.a ... %20Trainer


I'm just worrying that it's a waste of money. There aren't many reviews for it either which is making me worry, but the reviews it did get were very positive.

Any comments on this trainer?

SteveR_100Milers

Ive used one, and its very good. Not the same as a fluid one (I since bought a cycleops fluid2) but tons of resistance and simple to use. Just doesnt feel like riding on the road much, which is where a fluid one is better.

azzerb

rossbarney2003 wrote:

azzerb wrote:

Yes, though you can buy an indoor tyre for on the trainer (special tyre) which runs quieter, with less vibration and less wear. Can't be used outside though.

I have a trainer, CycleOps Fluid (First one i think), nabbed off my Dad. But don't use that much as my gym membership costs about £10 a month, and i can just use gym bikes which sets the resistance to a specific power level, oh and huge motivation as i refuse to give in when there are lots of people around.

A turbo is worth getting though, though you need a fair bit of motivation.

I'm thinking of getting a gym membership with my uni for next semester. I used to be a member, but I stopped going due to the gym being on the campus that was too far for me to travel, but I have now recently been moved to the campus with the gym. Too bad a hate the bikes in the gym though....the seats are like big cushioned seats, and they always make that area go really numb!

I'm just hoping to get a trainer for those days that are just too crappy to go out since at the moment the days are becoming a hit or a miss (well it is scotland lol :P)



Oh and by the way, how long would I have to spend on a trainer daily? I'm hoping to get back in shape for the summer since I stupidly stopped cycling over the winter. I am now going out on my bike when I can, and will use the trainer in between. Is it a good way to get in shape and lose some weight?

Going to uni this September, and it costs £50 for yearly membership so defo joining there.

I hate the seats too, but i can get exactly the right height setting and foot setting, and i just go in cycling shorts. Oh and i use the same bike each time.

I do either 3-4 times a week, and i try to get out on the road.

3 lots of 2x20, 5mins warm up-20mins-5mins rest-20mins. So about 1 hour really for that session 3 times a week. And the other type is 6x5.

Thing with the bikes in the gym i go to is that i only use the one bike so power is same each time, and i can set it to a specefic level. So yes, very good way to lose weight. Though I've put on a couple of KG since going to the gym for about a month.

rossbarney2003

Lol I have changed my mind again. I'm thinking of going for the Gist Magnetic as it got a good review in cycling plus and was the cycling plus best buy. Plus it's within my budget

Also as my dad has cleared out the garage for me to use noise won't be an issue anymore.



*Edit* I just bought the Gist Magnetic. The good review in cycling plus sold it to me. It should be here tomoro so i'm gonna nip down to my local LBS to buy a training tyre.

Old Git On A Bike

@ Rossbarney2003, did the trainer arrive yesterday, and if so, what's it like noise wise? I take it that it's the same as this one?:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... delID=6055

rossbarney2003

Old Git On A Bike wrote:

@ Rossbarney2003, did the trainer arrive yesterday, and if so, what's it like noise wise? I take it that it's the same as this one?:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... delID=6055

Yeh it's the same as that one

It still hasn't arrived yet though.....I don't understand why though because I paid for next day delivery and about an hour after I made the order I got a call saying they won't be able to deliver it till Monday (but they are still charging me for next day delivery :? ).

It's now 4.30pm on Monday. Still no sign of the trainer and the site where i'm supposed to be able to track the item doesn't work. I have also tried calling to see where it is, but get no answer and as you can imagine i'm really not that happy since I took the day off uni to wait for it and have been up since 7am lol.


I'll tell you what the noise level is like once I get it.


*Edit* I just sent off an email to the site since they didn't feel like answering their phones today, and about 10 mins later got a phone call from the courier saying that they had just been called regarding my delivery. The women told me that my package was supposed to be sent out last Thursday and would be with me by Monday but it wasn't sent out. They are sending it out tonight instead.

This has really pissed me off. I paid for next day delivery but haven't got it and even though they didn't send out my package and knew fine it wouldn't be with me today they didn't even bother to contact me! :evil: