Home Trainers
Home trainers enable you to turn your bicycle into a stationary bike making them perfect for indoor training. Home trainers are an inexpensive alternative to exercise bikes and spin bikes; all you need is an adult sized bike with a smooth tyre on the rear and you are good to go.
Most people use home trainers as a riding alternative on rainy days, on cold winter mornings, at night or as a part of their training program.
When deciding which home trainer is right for you, consider the following.
How often do you expect to use the home trainer? Knowing how regularly you want to use the trainer and how long your sessions are likely to be will help work out what type of unit will best meet your needs. As with all cycling products, quality of indoor trainers varies greatly but it is fairly easy to identify the right trainer for you once you know how much use it will get. As a rule, if you are looking for a rainy day alternative; unless you are living in Tasmania or Victoria, the trainer won’t be seeing a great deal of action so a budget model will be perfect.
How long will your sessions be? If you are doing sessions of longer that ½ an hour you need to consider the amount of heat that will be generated through the trainer and your body. As heat builds up, components wear and the body starts to perspire in an attempt to keep you cool. Continental has a tyre in their range that is specially designed for use with home trainers; it has a rubber compound that resists heat and is less likely to overheat and shred. If you perspire a lot, you should consider covering your bike with a special net that will stop perspiration from dripping onto your bike to prevent corrosion. Some people use a fan to circulate air and keep themselves cooler.
Where will you be setting up your home trainer? Will you have a permanent place allocated inside your home for your trainer or will you be setting it up each time you use it? If you are doing the latter, choose a model that is easy to set up and put away or you may become frustrated with the amount of time you spend doing this. If it is quick and painless you are more likely to use your trainer.
Will the noise from the trainer bother those around you? Indoor trainers produce noise. Trainers with alloy or steel rollers generate more noise than those with GEL rollers, so if you are working out close to other people in the house or close to your next door neighbors wall or fence then you need to consider which option is best for you and those around you. Just remember, all the motivation in the world may not help you if the people around you are not supporting you.
Will motivation be an issue? If motivation is likely to be an issue, don’t let this stop you from achieving your goals. Workouts for indoor cycling is a book that has a series of different individual workouts and programs that helps you mix up and change your workouts keeping the sessions you do on the indoor trainer interesting and challenging. You can also listen to music or watch television as you train to help distract you and make the time go faster.
How much have you budgeted for? In an ideal world, you should consider and answer all of the above questions and look at the models that are best suited to you before finalizing your budget. In a nutshell, the more you put into the trainer, the more will get out of it. Prices for indoor trainers vary between $100 and $1000 and the models in the mid range tend to offer the overall best value for money.
Tranz X is a brand manufactured in Asia that offer solid home trainers at entry level pricing. These units are generally available for under $300 with the top model offering a GEL roller, alloy frame and adjustable resistance.
Elite home trainers are manufactured in Italy. They are structurally stronger than the Tranz X models and better suited to regular training schedules. Elite trainers offer advanced resistance systems like the fluid system. Instead of using magnets for creating resistance they use fluid; the purpose of this is to create resistance that adapts to the pressure generated which creates a more road like feel for the user. Fluid trainers also place less stress on the frame of your bike because the weight on the bike is supported by the wheel rather than the frame.
