Turbo's

KMC1993
KMC1993 Posts: 101
edited December 2015 in Road general
Im looking to buy a turbo primarily for steady state riding as I dont really fancy being out on the roads in the dark and wet/ice over the winter. Looking around it seems that fluid resistance is probably the best option?

Has anyone got one of these http://www.wiggle.co.uk/elite-crono-fluid-elastogel-trainer/

If so would you recommend or anyone got similar priced alternatives they would recommend?

Comments

  • Plenty of people using wahoo kickrs and lemond revolutions without any fuss
    I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles
  • DavidJB
    DavidJB Posts: 2,019
    My recommendation is don't do steady state riding on a turbo it's uber boring. I'd do intervals even if it's 5/5 of higher lower HR/Watts. Means you have a target to aim for and it makes the time go quicker.

    I had the elasto gel...it was annoying because the resistance changed as it warmed up but guess you'd find this with any cheap turbo. I have the Elite Muin and it's awesome.
  • ForumNewbie
    ForumNewbie Posts: 1,664
    Im looking to buy a turbo primarily for steady state riding as I dont really fancy being out on the roads in the dark and wet/ice over the winter. Looking around it seems that fluid resistance is probably the best option?

    Has anyone got one of these http://www.wiggle.co.uk/elite-crono-fluid-elastogel-trainer/

    If so would you recommend or anyone got similar priced alternatives they would recommend?
    I've had that model for a few years and I think it's very good. It was £150 when I bought it so even better value now. Best to use it with a Garmin, speed sensor and Heart Rate monitor. It helps keep you motivated but I still find it tough going to be on the turbo for more than about 40 minutes at a time.
  • I would recommend a direct drive trainer. I use the cycleops silencer. Cant rate it highly enough. Much better than regular turbo trainers.
  • I fancy the tacx satori because it offers watts ect read outs
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    As above - a steady ride isn't the idea of a turbo.

    You'd not want to replicate your outdoor rides indoors.

    Shorter and harder is the way to go.
  • As above - a steady ride isn't the idea of a turbo.

    You'd not want to replicate your outdoor rides indoors.

    Shorter and harder is the way to go.

    I'm sorry but that post is complete rubbish, there is nothing wrong with doing steady rides on the turbo, in fact actually being on the turbo will ensure that you are working in the zones a lot better than being outside.
  • KMC1993
    KMC1993 Posts: 101
    As above - a steady ride isn't the idea of a turbo.

    You'd not want to replicate your outdoor rides indoors.

    Shorter and harder is the way to go.

    Cycling is not my main sport, I am going to be using the turbo as a form of cross training and so want to keep my training on it in a UT2 zone for the benefit of my chosen sport. Yes it may be boring but its the sort of training that gets results.
  • keezx
    keezx Posts: 1,322
    As above - a steady ride isn't the idea of a turbo.

    You'd not want to replicate your outdoor rides indoors.

    Shorter and harder is the way to go.

    I'm sorry but that post is complete rubbish, there is nothing wrong with doing steady rides on the turbo, in fact actually being on the turbo will ensure that you are working in the zones a lot better than being outside.

    +1 , Due to a crash I spent a couple of weeks on my old spinning bike and I was able to keep a good shape by sitting 4x 1 Hr. a week on the bloody thing with mainly low heart rate.
    1 Hr. is managable with a tablet on the bars, without any entertainment it's hard to do.
    Thing cost me 30€ , it's quiet and sturdy and I do not wear my bikes.
  • As above - a steady ride isn't the idea of a turbo.

    You'd not want to replicate your outdoor rides indoors.

    Shorter and harder is the way to go.

    I'm sorry but that post is complete rubbish, there is nothing wrong with doing steady rides on the turbo, in fact actually being on the turbo will ensure that you are working in the zones a lot better than being outside.

    +1 , Due to a crash I spent a couple of weeks on my old spinning bike and I was able to keep a good shape by sitting 4x 1 Hr. a week on the bloody thing with mainly low heart rate.
    1 Hr. is managable with a tablet on the bars, without any entertainment it's hard to do.
    Thing cost me 30€ , it's quiet and sturdy and I do not wear my bikes.

    I regularly do 90 to 120 minutes on the TT bike in position, it is hard work, but what do people expect? :shock:
  • fenix
    fenix Posts: 5,437
    As above - a steady ride isn't the idea of a turbo.

    You'd not want to replicate your outdoor rides indoors.

    Shorter and harder is the way to go.

    I'm sorry but that post is complete rubbish, there is nothing wrong with doing steady rides on the turbo, in fact actually being on the turbo will ensure that you are working in the zones a lot better than being outside.

    Not quite complete rubbish - I know of many people expecting to swap the outside ride for a turbo ride.
    Not many people bother after the first attempt. Doing a long steady ride is bloody hard work on the turbo.

    Much better off doing shorter and more intensive. Look at Boardman - he used to train for 8 hours a week at the peak of his TT racing.
  • fenix
    fenix Posts: 5,437
    As above - a steady ride isn't the idea of a turbo.

    You'd not want to replicate your outdoor rides indoors.

    Shorter and harder is the way to go.

    I'm sorry but that post is complete rubbish, there is nothing wrong with doing steady rides on the turbo, in fact actually being on the turbo will ensure that you are working in the zones a lot better than being outside.

    An hour isn't what I call long. I'm talking about a straight swap for the time you'd spend outside. So three hour ride outside = 3 hour inside.

    Most of my turbo sessions are an hour long - up to 90 mins for the steadier ones. That's fine for me.


    +1 , Due to a crash I spent a couple of weeks on my old spinning bike and I was able to keep a good shape by sitting 4x 1 Hr. a week on the bloody thing with mainly low heart rate.
    1 Hr. is managable with a tablet on the bars, without any entertainment it's hard to do.
    Thing cost me 30€ , it's quiet and sturdy and I do not wear my bikes.
  • You can do steady rides on the turbo. If you have a box set of TV programmes can pedal away and aren't the type of person to get bored very easily.

    But it is pretty mind numbing, even if you do have some entertainment.

    Besides the big advantage of the turbo is that you can do very specific training, with the likes of power based intervals you can compress the fitness gains from a longer outside ride into a shorter inside one, just because you're being so specific.

    Trainer Road coupled with a smart trainer is excellent for this.
  • cruff
    cruff Posts: 1,518
    Don't understand why people can't 'get' using a turbo

    Either use it as base fitness work - watching telly/a film or using Zwift or BKool or Sufferfest or just a training ride video off YouTube, or run a 'proper' interval/training zone session using something scientific

    I never find riding a bike 'boring'
    Fat chopper. Some racing. Some testing. Some crashing.
    Specialising in Git Daaahns and Cafs. Norvern Munkey/Transplanted Laaandoner.
  • Don't understand why people can't 'get' using a turbo

    Either use it as base fitness work - watching telly/a film or using Zwift or BKool or Sufferfest or just a training ride video off YouTube, or run a 'proper' interval/training zone session using something scientific

    I never find riding a bike 'boring'

    It's certainly a very different situation to how it was just a few years ago. If you think of turbo riding as locking yourself in a shed and just pedalling while staring at nothing but the wall / your stem then I'm not surprised if you don't think much of it.
  • Don't understand why people can't 'get' using a turbo

    Either use it as base fitness work - watching telly/a film or using Zwift or BKool or Sufferfest or just a training ride video off YouTube, or run a 'proper' interval/training zone session using something scientific

    I never find riding a bike 'boring'

    It's certainly a very different situation to how it was just a few years ago. If you think of turbo riding as locking yourself in a shed and just pedalling while staring at nothing but the wall / your stem then I'm not surprised if you don't think much of it.
  • stueys
    stueys Posts: 1,332
    People talking about not doing standard state on turbos are just reflecting the current thinking on base training. Most cycling coaches recommend sweet spot interval base work if you are riding for less than 12/15ish hours a week, if you're doing that then a traditional base (steady state) is fine.

    I use a combination of trainerroad, zwift and netflix on my turbo (a smart one) and reckon there are very few people who can spend 15 hours+ a week on the thing. 2 hours in one sitting is about my max, so I do intervals on the turbo and a bigger ride at weekends to keep the endurance ticking over.
  • DavidJB
    DavidJB Posts: 2,019
    As above - a steady ride isn't the idea of a turbo.

    You'd not want to replicate your outdoor rides indoors.

    Shorter and harder is the way to go.

    I'm sorry but that post is complete rubbish, there is nothing wrong with doing steady rides on the turbo, in fact actually being on the turbo will ensure that you are working in the zones a lot better than being outside.

    You can do intervals inside a zone you know...220/250 3min/2min is an 'interval' just inside zone 2 (your watts may vary)
  • DavidJB
    DavidJB Posts: 2,019
    Don't understand why people can't 'get' using a turbo

    Either use it as base fitness work - watching telly/a film or using Zwift or BKool or Sufferfest or just a training ride video off YouTube, or run a 'proper' interval/training zone session using something scientific

    I never find riding a bike 'boring'

    That's because you only ride one for 4 hours a week.
  • cruff
    cruff Posts: 1,518
    Don't understand why people can't 'get' using a turbo

    Either use it as base fitness work - watching telly/a film or using Zwift or BKool or Sufferfest or just a training ride video off YouTube, or run a 'proper' interval/training zone session using something scientific

    I never find riding a bike 'boring'

    That's because you only ride one for 4 hours a week.
    Why would you assume four hours? It's actually more like ten usually - probably twelve at the moment

    Three or four 'decent' sessions (i.e. with some structure and/or a specific training zone in mind) and two or three longer sessions where I'm not doing anything more than spinning whilst watching telly. It helps to live on your own and have the turbo set up in your front room, obviously - as there's no faffing around involved in pulling it out and setting it all up then taking it down again

    The turbo is also great for recovering from injuries. I've been seriously hampered by a knee problem for the past three months, and had a pretty bad crash earlier on the year that yielded a broken wrist. Being able to pootle along aimlessly for a couple of hours whilst catching up on TV or watching a documentary has been a massive help in my weight not ballooning to the point where I'm too fat to get back on the bike when I can ride 'properly' again - and also helped to ease the frustration of not being able to go out (or do something stupid like go out too soon and have a setback - like I did a couple of months ago...) :roll:
    Fat chopper. Some racing. Some testing. Some crashing.
    Specialising in Git Daaahns and Cafs. Norvern Munkey/Transplanted Laaandoner.
  • DavidJB
    DavidJB Posts: 2,019
    Don't understand why people can't 'get' using a turbo

    Either use it as base fitness work - watching telly/a film or using Zwift or BKool or Sufferfest or just a training ride video off YouTube, or run a 'proper' interval/training zone session using something scientific

    I never find riding a bike 'boring'

    That's because you only ride one for 4 hours a week.
    Why would you assume four hours? It's actually more like ten usually - probably twelve at the moment

    Three or four 'decent' sessions (i.e. with some structure and/or a specific training zone in mind) and two or three longer sessions where I'm not doing anything more than spinning whilst watching telly. It helps to live on your own and have the turbo set up in your front room, obviously - as there's no faffing around involved in pulling it out and setting it all up then taking it down again

    The turbo is also great for recovering from injuries. I've been seriously hampered by a knee problem for the past three months, and had a pretty bad crash earlier on the year that yielded a broken wrist. Being able to pootle along aimlessly for a couple of hours whilst catching up on TV or watching a documentary has been a massive help in my weight not ballooning to the point where I'm too fat to get back on the bike when I can ride 'properly' again - and also helped to ease the frustration of not being able to go out (or do something stupid like go out too soon and have a setback - like I did a couple of months ago...) :roll:

    Because your linked Strava profile said 3 hours 52 min on average /week over the last 4 weeks but I guess you don't put all your rides on there then :)

    I ride 10-11 a week and get bored but I'm a racer and stick to a specific training plan...100 miles of base alone on a Saturday morning = boring. I don't find the turbo boring because I've always got a next time goal where the effort changes...if I sit on there and put a constant power 15 min feels like 2 hours.

    Kudos if you can do it your attention span is much longer than mine!
  • KMC1993
    KMC1993 Posts: 101
    Well I've taken the plunge and bought an elite corn fluid, however I can't seem to get the wheel to sit in the middle of the roller. It sits a bit close to the edge, any tips to get it more central?
  • As above - a steady ride isn't the idea of a turbo.

    You'd not want to replicate your outdoor rides indoors.

    Shorter and harder is the way to go.

    I'm sorry but that post is complete rubbish, there is nothing wrong with doing steady rides on the turbo, in fact actually being on the turbo will ensure that you are working in the zones a lot better than being outside.

    Not quite complete rubbish - I know of many people expecting to swap the outside ride for a turbo ride.
    Not many people bother after the first attempt. Doing a long steady ride is bloody hard work on the turbo.

    Much better off doing shorter and more intensive. Look at Boardman - he used to train for 8 hours a week at the peak of his TT racing.

    He also used to do a lot of 5 hour rides in zone 3, and complained about how boring it was.

    The turbo is very good for medium intensity training; it's very targeted and convenient. A good steady ride before work for a couple of hours is nearly impossible for me because of traffic. A bigger flywheel and variable resistance so you can use a big gear gives a better road feel, but my basic Elite fluid turbo is perfectly fine.
  • DavidJB
    DavidJB Posts: 2,019
    Well I've taken the plunge and bought an elite corn fluid, however I can't seem to get the wheel to sit in the middle of the roller. It sits a bit close to the edge, any tips to get it more central?

    Nope that's just how they sit. I recommend you get a turbo tyre as well.