Quote:
Originally Posted by curves2000
So I have decided to take the plunge on the advice of some cycling friends and I bought a higher quality road bike than the old Costco one I had before. I landed a Specialized Allez Sport, got a really good deal from what I have been told.
I am looking forward to putting in some good time on it in the spring but in the meantime, I'd like to improve my fitness and am in the market for a trainer.
I don't know too much about a trainer and am looking some advice on what to look for. I would say I have a $300-400 budget.
If anybody has one for sale, please fire off a PM.
Thanks!
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Having a trainer is one thing... knowing what to do with it and reap benefits is another thing. If you can afford a heart rate monitor and power then you are set up.
Info sources:
Look up the book Smart Cycling by Arnie Baker. Great spin sessions.
Look up Joe Friel's latest training book. Brilliant stuff.
I'll tackle the training here: I used to teach spin classes for years, and coached a number of racers for a few years, plus also raced road/mtb for over a decade. On trainers... boredom is your enemy. So is doing too many high intensity workouts. Great book with lots of training sessions laid out, even if it's kinda old. Next, you'll need a good tall table for next to your trainer for your remotes, music, phone, ipad, and probably a TV or computer in front of you. Some folks love watching spin classes (paid, or youtube specials), some love watching TV shows or movies. But they end up brainlessly spinning legs with hardly any effort (aka results).
Trainer... the latest greatest ones hook up to the internet (think Zwift, Peleton, etc...), some require subscriptions, and automatically change resistance/power. I have buddies that swear by these and they seem to find motivation doing them. Certainly you can use spin bikes, or the older rear-wheel setup for training. I did that for years. If you go non-electronic then you want the remote resistance lever on your bars.
For trainer setup... besides the table / tv, you'll want towels, at least 1 strong fan for blowing on you, probably a towel or rubber-backed carpet under your bike and trainer, a front wheel block, and as solid a floor as possible as these things make noise and hence p*ss off roomies. Not to mention you sweat and make smells. Your bike will get sweaty and crusty so TLC is required. Your rear tire (if you get that type of trainer) gets beat to hell too.
To improve fitness it's not about banging your head against that trainer 7x week / 3hrs day. Aim for consistency too week in and week out. have at least 2 days intensity per week. Vary your training volumes. But also when the weather is good enough actually take your bike outside because there's actually a huge difference.