turbo location

vermooten
vermooten Posts: 2,697
edited December 2008 in Training, fitness and health
Hi,

I use a Tacx turbo that plugs into a PC. I don't have a garage.

Problem is that it's easy to have the turbo set up as a permanent fixture but it takes up loads of room. But to set up and take down after every session is a pain in the backside.

How do you deal with this?

Cheers,
Andy
You just have to ride like you never have to breathe again.

Manchester Wheelers

Comments

  • liversedge
    liversedge Posts: 1,003
    I go outside as often as I can :lol:
    --
    Obsessed is just a word elephants use to describe the dedicated. http://markliversedge.blogspot.com
  • GavH
    GavH Posts: 933
    similar problem here, it's just too easy to leave it attached to the turbo in the house. However, I'll have to get into the habit of moving it now back to the garage after each use seen as I recently had to replace both my bottle cages. It appears that someone (Wife, kids, dog?) tried to move the bike whilst it was still hooked upto the Turbo by holding onto the cages. I didn't notice until out on the road I could here a rattling noise that was definately not present on the turbo. Only when I got home, having realised my bottles were hanging out all over the place did I notice the trashed cages. Of course I used it as a good excuse to put a pair of blingy CF ones on but that just means all the more reason to ensure it doesn't happen again!
  • guv001
    guv001 Posts: 688
    I have mine set up in the front room, where it is no one walks so the wife has no reason to move it. I also get to watch the tv while riding and after a year my wife has stopped moaning about the noise of it. As always you need to persevere.
  • phil s
    phil s Posts: 1,128
    I take mine out of my bike store cupboard which we had built into the hallway of our flat and put it away after each use. Pain in the arse, but I've learned that if I am doing a one hour session then to budget for an hour and a half to get set up, stick the turbo tyre on, do the session and then pack up. Can't wait to buy a house with a shed or decent garage.
    -- Dirk Hofman Motorhomes --
  • Alex_Simmons/RST
    Alex_Simmons/RST Posts: 4,161
    Hmmm. not sure. I have a dedicated trainer room.

    Where do you store your bike when not being ridden? Could the storage space become the training space?

    You could tilt the bike vertically around the rear axle while still locked into the turbo and either have something to clip the front wheel into or have it close enough to a wall that it leans back slightly against the wall, thereby making the whole unit take up much less floor space.
    RST Sport : Coaching - Training Plans - Powermeters -- My blog -- AeroCoach Australia
  • gb-locks
    gb-locks Posts: 62
    Mine stays set up in the bedroom during the winter, the thought of having to set it up each time would probably put me off. Wife is very understanding, she'd rather me be on the bike than down the pub.
    It's not the size of dog in the fight but the size of fight in the dog.
  • skavanagh.bikeradar
    skavanagh.bikeradar Posts: 1,097
    Sorry Vermooten I'm in the garage permanently setup on a dedicated bike. Just have to move it over a bit. At my previous place we had an unused porch that I setup in with the added bonus of being able to open the front door and be able to watch tv while doing it. Used to go outside on it too, but gave that up after coming a cropper - I was doing a turbo - run - turbo - run interval session and in the process of cycling while trying to put my cycling shoes back on I leant over too far and fell off buckling my back wheel. An embarassing and expensive cockup.

    Doesn't help you in the slightest of course. Sorry.
  • scapaslow
    scapaslow Posts: 305
    Vermooten

    I'm in the same boat. I can't leave the turbo up permanently so i just put up with the small hassle of setting up each time and tidying it away when finished. It really doesn't take more than 5 mins (which is what it can take for the pc to boot up anyway!)

    I can't tell the kids to tidy up after them if i leave a bike taking up half the spare room for days on end.
  • vermooten
    vermooten Posts: 2,697
    Lots of good stuff, thanks everyone!

    My solution is:

    (a) for now, simply add 15-20 mins each side of the session to put it all together then take down and put away again (pain in the arsch but no biggie)
    (b) long-term buy a house with a garage or enough rooms to have a dedicated set-up.

    Thanks again!

    Andy
    You just have to ride like you never have to breathe again.

    Manchester Wheelers
  • mclarent
    mclarent Posts: 784
    My wife made me build (pay for) a side extension for my training, mainly to get me out of the way! Before that I was doing the set-up / put away thing. Not the end of the world IMO...
    "And the Lord said unto Cain, 'where is Abel thy brother?' And he said, 'I know not: I dropped him on the climb up to the motorway bridge'."
    - eccolafilosofiadelpedale
  • DaSy
    DaSy Posts: 599
    I'm also one of the lucky ones, I have a dedicated gym area that has my Tacx Fortius setup permanently along with a dedicated bike. Next to that are my rollers in front of full length mirrors. My wife is a marathon runner, so her treadmill is next in line, along with fans, mirrors, widescreen TV etc.

    It was a big selling point of the house to me, and all means that training is much easier to find motivation for as there is no setup time.
    Complicating matters since 1965

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