# So cycling indoors in warmth and comfort is the same as cycling outdoors ?



## Landsurfer (30 Apr 2021)

I don’t get this .... I cycle outdoors ... in the weather ... which to me is sort of the point ...
Ms Allen has done her cycling in the house ......


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## vickster (30 Apr 2021)

And therefore she’s not actually been anywhere on her bike, let alone 5000 miles, IMO you can’t cover distance without moving. 
She’s exercised indoors for x amount of time!

Coincidentally, I went to school with someone called Catherine Allen, won’t be her, she’s long married


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## Lozz360 (30 Apr 2021)

I suppose it is still cycling, it's just different. Apart from the very obvious difference, there are other things to consider. For instance, if I go on a long and challenging bike ride outdoors, I would have to pace myself to make sure I returned back to base. If I were to do a long and challenging bike ride indoors, I should be able to go much further (assuming I dealt with the boredom of it) as I could run myself until the tank was empty and I could collapse alongside the stationary bike.


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## Lozz360 (30 Apr 2021)

vickster said:


> I went to school with someone called Catherine Allen, won’t be her, she’s long married


I totally agree. Married women going on long bike rides, whatever next!

(Only kidding! ).


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## Ming the Merciless (30 Apr 2021)

That’s why it should be an hours challenge rather than mileage.


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## vickster (30 Apr 2021)

But the point for me is you’re not going anywhere on a turbo, you can exercise to the point of collapse without having to get home...while outside you need to be able to get home (but it doesn’t necessarily have to be on a bike, train, taxi, horse and cart can transport you if required)


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## vickster (30 Apr 2021)

Lozz360 said:


> I totally agree. Married women going on long bike rides, whatever next!
> 
> (Only kidding! ).


My badly made point was that her surname is no longer Allen


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (30 Apr 2021)

Breaking news! Cyclists talk down other cyclists achievements in "inclusive" sport shakeup


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## Specialeyes (30 Apr 2021)

Who does her cycling indoors inconvenience exactly?
She's on her bike by 4.30 every morning and clocks 100km per day on a calibrated smart trainer, so she's putting out more geniune watts in total than if she went for a 5-hour gentle spin outdoors (hence time being an equally inappropriate metric) every day.

To answer the very specific question from the thread title: in terms of the CW5000 challenge, yes. Yes it is.


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## fossyant (30 Apr 2021)

She must have a bottom of steel to sit on a turbo for that long. Oof


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## Twilkes (30 Apr 2021)

If you stand on a treadmill and it starts up, you get moved backwards maybe a metre or two and deposited on the floor. So someone running at 8mph for an hour on a treadmill could say that they prevented themselves from moving 8 miles backwards, so some kind of negative credit of Cartesian displacement. Doesn't really trip off the tongue though, and as a bicycle is always locked onto the trainer the same doesn't really apply.

Any kind of stationary indoor cycling is like having sex with a blowup doll - no matter what fancy features the manufacturers add to make things more realistic, it's still a spiritually empty experience.


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## Specialeyes (30 Apr 2021)

If you want a spiritually empty experience, try riding alongside the A127 every morning!


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## OldShep (30 Apr 2021)

Twilkes said:


> Any kind of stationary indoor cycling is like having sex with a blowup doll - no matter what fancy features the manufacturers add to make things more realistic, it's still a spiritually empty experience.


Thanks for sharing your experiences with us. 
Have you tried any other ways you’d like to share.


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## Lozz360 (30 Apr 2021)

Twilkes said:


> Any kind of stationary indoor cycling is like having sex with a blowup doll


Some of us will just have to take your word for that!


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## T4tomo (30 Apr 2021)

FFS its better than her sat on her arse eating mars bars. good effort and well done I say.

yes its different to cycling outdoors and, depending on her diet, she didn't have any wind to worry about but she's still done more exercise and burnt more calories than anyone above who's criticising her (and far more than me too)


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## Moodyman (30 Apr 2021)

Whilst cycling outdoors may be more enjoyable, it doesn't compare to cycling indoors for pure fitness.

There are too many external factors - traffic, road surface, weather, wind, etc. On an indoor bike, you crank up the resistance, hunch over the bars and put your legs and lungs through turmoil. There are no distractions. Not even the steepest outdoor hill comes close.


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## ClichéGuevara (30 Apr 2021)

Lozz360 said:


> I suppose it is still cycling, it's just different. Apart from the very obvious difference, there are other things to consider. For instance, if I go on a long and challenging bike ride outdoors, I would have to pace myself to make sure I returned back to base. If I were to do a long and challenging bike ride indoors, I should be able to go much further (assuming I dealt with the boredom of it) as I could run myself until the tank was empty and I could collapse alongside the stationary bike.



One of the differences I've found with static training compared to 'real world' is that no matter how hard I think I've pushed myself on a static bike, in the real world, due to hills and winds, I've reached that point, and then had to go further to get back. 

Point being, and it's perhaps just me, but I don't believe I push myself as hard as I'd like to believe when I'm on a static machine and can simply get off and stop when my legs jelly.


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## Specialeyes (30 Apr 2021)

ClichéGuevara said:


> One of the differences I've found with static training compared to 'real world' is that no matter how hard I think I've pushed myself on a static bike, in the real world, due to hills and winds, I've reached that point, and then had to go further to get back.
> 
> Point being, and it's perhaps just me, but I don't believe I push myself as hard as I'd like to believe when I'm on a static machine and can simply get off and stop when my legs jelly.


Interesting - I think there may be two different versions of 'pushing oneself' at play here. 

Personally, I've never pushed myself so hard outdoors that I've thrown up, but that's certainly happened on the turbo. In that context, an "effort" would be anything from a sprint up to an hour absolutely flat out (like the Alpe d'Zwift or Ven-Top, for example). I can push past the jelly indoors.

OTOH I find the the sort of effort where hills and wind force you to dig even deeper to get back on the road are tests of endurance and by definition take longer than an hour (otherwise you'd only be half-an-hour away from home which isn't very daunting unless you live in Alpe d'Huez )


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## ClichéGuevara (30 Apr 2021)

Specialeyes said:


> Interesting - I think there may be two different versions of 'pushing oneself' at play here.
> 
> Personally, I've never pushed myself so hard outdoors that I've thrown up, but that's certainly happened on the turbo. In that context, an "effort" would be anything from a sprint up to an hour absolutely flat out (like the Alpe d'Zwift or Ven-Top, for example). I can push past the jelly indoors.
> 
> OTOH I find the the sort of effort where hills and wind force you to dig even deeper to get back on the road are tests of endurance and by definition take longer than an hour (otherwise you'd only be half-an-hour away from home which isn't very daunting unless you live in Alpe d'Huez )



Fair point, I guess I am referring to the endurance element. 

As for the question in the OP, there are plenty of variations on the theme of cycling, and the lady in question has opted for one that fits her lifestyle and that she enjoys, so fair play to her in my book. Who knows, someone could be wary of cycling on the roads, and feel inspired to try indoor cycling as a result of reading her story, which could just prompt them to try outdoors.


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## DCBassman (30 Apr 2021)

Specialeyes said:


> try riding alongside the A127 every morning


Or indeed, being anywhere near the A127 at all, in terms of travelling that is!


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## Darius_Jedburgh (30 Apr 2021)

Many years ago, when Chris Boardman and Peter Keen surfaced, they came up with the theory that all training could be done on a machine. 
Chris turned pro and went to Europe. He tried his static training - but not for long. Soon he was put every day building up the miles and conditioning for the races he was in.


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## snorri (30 Apr 2021)

Do people who exercise on a rowing machine in a gym measure their performance in miles or nautical miles, we should be told!


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## Specialeyes (30 Apr 2021)

snorri said:


> Do people who exercise on a rowing machine in a gym measure their performance in miles or nautical miles, we should be told!


I asked the people who keep track of such things... they're knot telling.


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## Cycleops (30 Apr 2021)

Twilkes said:


> Any kind of stationary indoor cycling is like having sex with a blowup doll - no matter what fancy features the manufacturers add to make things more realistic, it's still a spiritually empty experience.


I wonder if you get as many punctures.


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## bridgy (30 Apr 2021)

Darius_Jedburgh said:


> Many years ago, when Chris Boardman and Peter Keen surfaced, they came up with the theory that all training could be done on a machine.
> Chris turned pro and went to Europe. He tried his static training - but not for long. Soon he was put every day building up the miles and conditioning for the races he was in.


For many (possibly most) pro cyclists, riding on a turbo trainer is a very important part of their training - and has been for many years. Matt Stephens who raced in the 80s and 90s talks about this in one of his recent podcasts, but points out the boredom of training on a turbo in the days before smart trainers and Zwift etc.

I find it funny that some people are mocking or belittling riding done on a trainer vs real world riding. Just do what you enjoy and works for you - why be negative about what other people choose to do and enjoy??

Personally I do both, and riding on Zwift is a big part of the cycling I do for various reasons. One is convenience but also there are different fitness/training benefits you can get from indoor training (which is why pros do it). And as for it being "spiritually empty" - it's _different _but not always inferior as an experience. Racing in Zwift can be very immersive and very sociable - and at times far more "spritually fulfilling" than a solo ride in miserable weather or dangerous traffic. Outdoor rides can also be fantastic of course - I've experienced plenty of both.

On a properly calibrated smart trainer and using software like Zwift I see no problem in measuring your activity in (virtual) miles or kms, just as you probably would on a modern running treadmill of rowing machine. The whole point of these machines is to replicate the effort needed


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## Landsurfer (30 Apr 2021)

Dogtrousers said:


> But that wouldn't take into account effort levels. So you could make it a Joules challenge.
> But that wouldn't take into account smaller, lighter, riders putting out lower power. So you could use some kind of algorithm to account for the effect of the power on the mass.
> And you'd be back to a mileage challenge!



Or just say “"Cycling only no exercise bikes ... bit like the motorcycle challenge i’m taking part in ... lots of places to visit and proof with pictures ...


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## Specialeyes (30 Apr 2021)

Would you pay full price for a new motorbike with 50,000 miles on the clock if you were told they were all done on a rolling road with realistic resistance, but indoors so they don't really count?


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## Ming the Merciless (30 Apr 2021)

Moodyman said:


> Whilst cycling outdoors may be more enjoyable, it doesn't compare to cycling indoors for pure fitness.
> 
> There are too many external factors - traffic, road surface, weather, wind, etc. On an indoor bike, you crank up the resistance, hunch over the bars and put your legs and lungs through turmoil. There are no distractions. Not even the steepest outdoor hill comes close.



Beg to differ I’ve hit my highest heart rates outdoors, closest indoors have got is around 97%


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## Ming the Merciless (30 Apr 2021)

Dogtrousers said:


> But that wouldn't take into account effort levels. So you could make it a Joules challenge.



Then the challenge could be to accumulate 1000 hours with a HR of 120 or above.


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## Ming the Merciless (30 Apr 2021)

Dogtrousers said:


> Nice idea. Although probably want to replace that with a personalised zone or something (just to make it more fiddly to calculate). But tbh it's probably simplest to just do distance as that's what the Zwift platform provides.
> 
> On a more general point It's worth noting that this challenge is a Zwift-only thing. All distances in the challenge are virtual, so the suggestion that there is some kind of implied equivalence between on road riding and virtual training is wrong.
> 
> Here's the link for anyone who wants to read further than the headline. How Catherine Allen hit 5,000 miles by March 9 - Cycling Weekly



or how she didn’t go anywhere outside by 9th March 😂


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## Ming the Merciless (30 Apr 2021)

Dogtrousers said:


> I think you'll find she does admit to nipping outside for lunch. _The only time I get to go out is in my lunch break._



Sad


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## Ming the Merciless (30 Apr 2021)

Dogtrousers said:


> Tragic. She should get her lunch delivered. Has she never heard of Deliveroo.



Zwifteroo


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## Landsurfer (30 Apr 2021)

Dogtrousers said:


> Did you say *motor*cycle?
> 
> Cheat.


Touche’ ...


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## Cathryn (30 Apr 2021)

As a runner, I think indoor miles are ten times harder than outdoor miles...so I think she's worked even harder.


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## Landsurfer (30 Apr 2021)

Cathryn said:


> As a runner, I think indoor miles are ten times harder than outdoor miles...so I think she's worked even harder.


As a Cyclist, I think indoor miles are ten times easier than outdoor miles... so i don’t think she’s worked even harder.


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## mustang1 (30 Apr 2021)

Cycling in the house: you build you leg muscles, stamina, it's soo aerobic, and the results are very consistent because you have exactly the correct number of minutes to warm up, do your sprints, do your tempo, it's quite scientific like being in the lab. 

Out on the roads you get aerobic benefit and leg strength improvement, and probably other muscles too as you have to pull on the bars when going up hill. But you develop other skills too, dealing with traffic or pedestrians, being alert, getting sharp, dealing with wind, inclines and descents, potholes, the dreaded rain but you also enjoy the sun. 

If all you want to do is get fit, go towards the indoor trainer. If you want to be a fit cyclist, go outdoors.

PS. The above is mainly for road cycling. MTBing homes skills in other ways.


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## Milkfloat (1 May 2021)

Landsurfer said:


> As a Cyclist, I think indoor miles are ten times easier than outdoor miles... so i don’t think she’s worked even harder.


Perhaps you should actually try it and see how wrong you are.


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## Arrowfoot (1 May 2021)

Can you imagine a thread on "Your indoor ride today".


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## Landsurfer (1 May 2021)

Milkfloat said:


> Perhaps you should actually try it and see how wrong you are.


Well you took that one out of context ...... well done


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## Twilkes (1 May 2021)

Arrowfoot said:


> Can you imagine a thread on "Your indoor ride today".



Isn't that pretty much what the Zwift thread in the Training forum is?

It's maybe similar to the difference between indoor and outdoor climbing, thousands of people could be amazing indoor climbers without ever having to insert their own protection and lead on an actual rockface.


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## Ming the Merciless (1 May 2021)

Cathryn said:


> As a runner, I think indoor miles are ten times harder than outdoor miles...so I think she's worked even harder.



It’s the bouncing off the walls, when indoor running, that doesn’t help


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## Arrowfoot (1 May 2021)

Twilkes said:


> Isn't that pretty much what the Zwift thread in the Training forum is?
> 
> It's maybe similar to the difference between indoor and outdoor climbing, thousands of people could be amazing indoor climbers without ever having to insert their own protection and lead on an actual rockface.


It is actually the Zwift which the article is based on. Reading the article I got the impression she had some issues and this approach appealed to her. 

Indoor Climbing however is a well recognised sport discipline by itself as suitable rockfaces are not easily accessible or safe. So indoor makes it easier for the masses as well as more affordable. I suspect that there are more people in indoor rather than the outdoor due to cost and access. 

Cycling outdoors however is accessible for everyone. Only inclement weather and the lockdown stops us. Cycling on a trainer however is excellent for training, no arguments there but as a sport not sure.


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## sheddy (1 May 2021)

TBH the inside scenery is rather dull


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## cougie uk (1 May 2021)

Not really. I use Zwift on one screen and Eurosport on the big screen. 

Indoor cycling is a great use of time. I train inside to enjoy my weekend outdoor rides more.


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## Milkfloat (1 May 2021)

Arrowfoot said:


> It is actually the Zwift which the article is based on. Reading the article I got the impression she had some issues and this approach appealed to her.
> 
> Indoor Climbing however is a well recognised sport discipline by itself as suitable rockfaces are not easily accessible or safe. So indoor makes it easier for the masses as well as more affordable. I suspect that there are more people in indoor rather than the outdoor due to cost and access.
> 
> Cycling outdoors however is accessible for everyone. Only inclement weather and the lockdown stops us. Cycling on a trainer however is excellent for training, no arguments there but as a sport not sure.


However, it is really not. Many people don’t want to mix with horrible traffic or perving men, or they fancy riding up some mountains and don’t live near any, as well as training and don’t have a suitable place for intervals on the road. Cycling is a broad church and I don’t think anyone should be cut out if it because they do it indoors. As a country we have won sackfuls of medals cycling indoors, something that has been going on for over a hundred years.


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (1 May 2021)

Milkfloat said:


> However, it is really not. Many people don’t want to mix with horrible traffic or perving men, or they fancy riding up some mountains and don’t live near any, as well as training and don’t have a suitable place for intervals on the road. Cycling is a broad church and I don’t think anyone should be cut out if it because they do it indoors. As a country we have won sackfuls of medals cycling indoors, something that has been going on for over a hundred years.


In the past few months I wouldn't have rode much if at all if it wasn't for an indoor trainer.

I'm still a cyclist, not a single person on the internet with a sh1tty not real/fake miles/easier miles take on indoor training will be taking that from me.

#youdoyou


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## Arrowfoot (2 May 2021)

Milkfloat said:


> However, it is really not. Many people don’t want to mix with horrible traffic or perving men, or they fancy riding up some mountains and don’t live near any, as well as training and don’t have a suitable place for intervals on the road. Cycling is a broad church and I don’t think anyone should be cut out if it because they do it indoors. As a country we have won sackfuls of medals cycling indoors, something that has been going on for over a hundred years.


Indoor cycling is no different to running on a treadmill. The primary focus is fitness training. I would not consider it a sport. I suspect most of us have a trainer including me for inclement weather and when I just don't feel like going out. It can really put out the watts without a gust on your face.

Calling the use of a treadmill as broad church of recreational running using the same analogy might paint the picture better.


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## Milkfloat (2 May 2021)

I am not sure how one of our most successful Olympic disciplines of all time cannot be classed as a sport


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## Arrowfoot (2 May 2021)

Milkfloat said:


> I am not sure how one of our most successful Olympic disciplines of all time cannot be classed as a sport


Bike on trainer in your home not velodrome cycling. Rather mischievous to equate the 2.


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## BurningLegs (2 May 2021)

T.M.H.N.E.T said:


> I'm still a cyclist, not a single person on the internet with a sh1tty not real/fake miles/easier miles take on indoor training will be taking that from me.



You’re absolutely a cyclist.

I personally think the closed views this thread are more representative of Internet culture than cycling culture.

I suspect that if you talk to a cyclist who rides exclusively or mainly outdoors they’d be unlikely to dismiss or criticise you as a cyclist for riding primarily or exclusively on Zwift (or any other platform). It does seem to happen on the internet though.


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## gzoom (2 May 2021)

cougie uk said:


> Not really. I use Zwift on one screen and Eurosport on the big screen.



We've got a Pelton bike coming in 10 days time, so am not anti-indoor cycling, but this was the 'view' on my morning ride today at 7am. No indoor setup can come close to delivering the smile inducing feeling you get when powering you way across the beautiful British countryside on a pedal bike. I love it.


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## FishFright (2 May 2021)

Twilkes said:


> Isn't that pretty much what the Zwift thread in the Training forum is?
> 
> It's maybe similar to the difference between indoor and outdoor climbing, thousands of people could be amazing indoor climbers without ever having to insert their own protection and lead on an actual rockface.



'Sport' climbing bridged that gap nicely .


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## SkipdiverJohn (2 May 2021)

Turbo training is gym excercise not cycling. Only actual riding on real surfaces is cycling. Claiming turbo time as cycling miles is cheating.


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## FishFright (2 May 2021)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> Turbo training is gym excercise not cycling. Only actual riding on real surfaces is cycling. Claiming turbo time as cycling miles is cheating.



Show me where it's written down.


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## SkipdiverJohn (2 May 2021)

FishFright said:


> Show me where it's written down.



You show me how many hours you can get from say, London to Brighton in, whilst riding your turbo trainer. I mean actually physically transporting yourself from one place to the other. You can spin the turbo from now until eternity and you still won't have left your garage. Turbo training is not, and never will be, real cycling.


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## FishFright (2 May 2021)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> You show me how many hours you can get from say, London to Brighton in, whilst riding your turbo trainer. I mean actually physically transporting yourself from one place to the other. You can spin the turbo from now until eternity and you still won't have left your garage. Turbo training is not, and never will be, real cycling.



I don't spin or any other kind of indoor pedalling but you said it was cheating so I asked to see the rules. You do seem to have a lot of them.


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## Twilkes (2 May 2021)

FishFright said:


> I don't spin or any other kind of indoor pedalling but you said it was cheating so I asked to see the rules. You do seem to have a lot of them.



There's honestly no point.


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## Milkfloat (2 May 2021)

Arrowfoot said:


> Bike on trainer in your home not velodrome cycling. Rather mischievous to equate the 2.


Have you actually read the thread, it is talking about the weather and lovely sights you get outside? Neither of which are common within indoor velodromes.


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## BurningLegs (2 May 2021)

And it doesn’t matter how many times you go round a velodrome you will never actually get anywhere, so it’s not cycling. It’s cheating.


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## cougie uk (2 May 2021)

gzoom said:


> We've got a Pelton bike coming in 10 days time, so am not anti-indoor cycling, but this was the 'view' on my morning ride today at 7am. No indoor setup can come close to delivering the smile inducing feeling you get when powering you way across the beautiful British countryside on a pedal bike. I love it.
> 
> View attachment 586798


What if you live in a big city ? Or it's dark when you finish work ?

Indoor cycling is great for generating endorphins. If it's that or sitting on the sofa I'm all for indoors. The fitter you are the more you'll enjoy outdoor rides.


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## shnjmsn (3 May 2021)

Each to their own, different people have different reasons to cycle inside, it doesn't worry me.......... For me cycling isn't about racking up the miles, being the fittest, fastest, K of the M........ Cycling for me is the adventure............ seeing different places, meeting people, fresh air and exercise..........

Though on the odd occasion like today riding up a mountain in mid Wales with sideways hailstones in the face and 70mph winds I almost........almost thought it might be nice to ride indoors......... But then again...............

In weather like today, when I'm cold, getting blown about, I can't feel my fingers or toes or barely see the road for the rain in my eyes......... I feel alive, more alive than at any other time..............

Die with memories, not dreams as they say 🥰


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## Phaeton (3 May 2021)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> Turbo training is gym excercise not cycling. Only actual riding on real surfaces is cycling. Claiming turbo time as cycling miles is cheating.


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^


FishFright said:


> Show me where it's written down.


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 
Assuming typing is writing & that is not cheating as well?


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## Venod (3 May 2021)

Well today I climbed, The Madone, 8 mile of uphill and 8 mile down.

Then I did a steady warm down over the Golden Gate bridge, I would have found it difficult to complete these two this morning.

And I will include them in my yearly total cycled, and if you don't approve all I can say is, get over it.


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## classic33 (3 May 2021)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> You show me how many hours you can get from say, London to Brighton in, whilst riding your turbo trainer. I mean actually physically transporting yourself from one place to the other. You can spin the turbo from now until eternity and you still won't have left your garage. Turbo training is not, and never will be, real cycling.


Real cycling is outside, whatever the weather. Not deciding to take the car because it's colder than you like, then moaning about the traffic being slow.


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## Ming the Merciless (3 May 2021)

cougie uk said:


> What if you live in a big city ? Or it's dark when you finish work ?



Lights solve that


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## Chislenko (4 May 2021)

I don't have a turbo trainer!

I am 99% an outdoor rider, probably only snow or ice would entice me indoors.

I do have an old exercise bike and very occasionally use it. Most of the time though if the weather is not safe for cycling I will go for a jog / run / shuffle, call it what you will.

On the odd occasion I have used the exercise bike I just can't get over the tedium, boredom of sitting there pedalling and going nowhere, seeing nothing but the wall in front of me and quite frankly after half an hour I have more than had enough.

The only advantage I can see to cycling in the garage is that I can have a smoke whilst I'm doing it!


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## Venod (4 May 2021)

Chislenko said:


> On the odd occasion I have used the exercise bike I just can't get over the tedium, boredom of sitting there pedalling and going nowhere, seeing nothing but the wall in front of me and quite frankly after half an hour I have more than had enough.



This was exactly my position pre 2015, but an accident in that year, prompted the purchase of a smart trainer in 2016 with the hope of getting fit again, its been a revelation, I have done up 3 hours on it, when as you say half an hour was torture previously, it did help me gain fitness as I would have had difficulty riding outdoors at first.
It's no substitute for an outdoor ride, but its a good alternative when the weathers bad, or if you don't enjoy riding in the dark.
I ride all over the world in the garage using real life videos or GPS files I ride with a large screen in front of me, I have done Zwift rides, its not my favourite, but is highly popular with turbo uses. 
To relive bum numbness from sitting in one position, I have built a rocker plate, that helps a lot.


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## newfhouse (4 May 2021)

Dogtrousers said:


> they start at home and end at home.


So on average there’s not even any climbing. At least on a turbo you can simulate an all uphill ride


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## Chislenko (4 May 2021)

Venod said:


> This was exactly my position pre 2015, but an accident in that year, prompted the purchase of a smart trainer in 2016 with the hope of getting fit again, its been a revelation, I have done up 3 hours on it, when as you say half an hour was torture previously, it did help me gain fitness as I would have had difficulty riding outdoors at first.
> It's no substitute for an outdoor ride, but its a good alternative when the weathers bad, or if you don't enjoy riding in the dark.
> I ride all over the world in the garage using real life videos or GPS files I ride with a large screen in front of me, I have done Zwift rides, its not my favourite, but is highly popular with turbo uses.
> To relive bum numbness from sitting in one position, I have built a rocker plate, that helps a lot.



Yes fair play to anybody that can do it.

I would never knock anybody for indoor cycling, it is just not me.

I would go as far to say that I have a great deal of admiration for people who can deal with the boredom of it and resist the temptation to just stop pedalling, go in the house and have a coffee or whatever!


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## FishFright (4 May 2021)

Phaeton said:


> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> Assuming typing is writing & that is not cheating as well?




Cool , so everything written on a forum carries its own proof. Ain't the future exciting.


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## Phaeton (4 May 2021)

FishFright said:


> Cool , so everything written on a forum carries its own proof. Ain't the future exciting.


Has it not always been that way?


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## johnblack (4 May 2021)

She done an awesome job, I hope she doesn't get disillusioned when she hears what some blokes on CC think.


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## matticus (4 May 2021)

Twilkes said:


> If you stand on a treadmill and it starts up, you get moved backwards maybe a metre or two and deposited on the floor. So someone running at 8mph for an hour on a treadmill could say that they prevented themselves from moving 8 miles backwards, so some kind of negative credit of Cartesian displacement. Doesn't really trip off the tongue though, and as a bicycle is always locked onto the trainer the same doesn't really apply.
> 
> Any kind of stationary indoor cycling is like having sex with a blowup doll - no matter what fancy features the manufacturers add to make things more realistic, it's still a spiritually empty experience.


(sorry, I've been away, freezing to death, just caught up with this: )
What a beautiful post.

I shall strive (perhaps in vain) to find use for the phrase "_some kind of negative credit of Cartesian displacement"_


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## Winnershsaint (5 Nov 2022)

At one point I bought a turbo second hand off a friend and began using it during the winter months. Various forms of interval training followed. From there I graduated to a smart trainer and subscribed to Zwift and Rouvy. Both these things made the experience more immersive, but the bulk of what I did was outdoors. Covid came along and if that wasn't enough my wife was diagnosed with bowel cancer. Although she would sometimes push back at the very idea, I effectively became her carer. Indoor riding on Rouvy (I binned Zwift) had to became the norm as I was close by and in no danger, and was it was part of my coping mechanism also. Spurred on by her 'kick arse' courage I also raised money for Bowel Cancer UK in the process. I dedicated each ride to her, the idea being that however far I virtually travelled we'd go on holiday to somewhere close by. I managed over 4000 virtual miles, but we were unable to take the holiday as her condition worsened and palliative care became the only option.
As one poster says its either for you or not. Those who don't get it for whatever reason are likely to be naysayers. Fine you do your thing and let us do our thing and yes I do count distance. To me turning pedals over at a certain rpm on certain gradients at a particular power by a rider of a particular weight can be translated into a distance. Yes, there is no wind and no rolling resistance as such. It simply means that speeds are a tad higher on the trainer than on the road. but not much. The game-changer for me was getting a Kickr Core and Climb combo. Having the front end raise to simulate a max of 20% uphill and 10% downhill along with the increasing sophistication of the Apps has taken the immersion to another level. I will continue to count my miles, continue to raise money for cancer charities periodically, ride both inside and out, whatever takes my fancy. Its pissing down outside, roads are wet, no riding buddies are venturing out so it'll be a route around Geraardsbergen this arvo. Whatever your riding preference keep going.


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## tyred (5 Nov 2022)

The views aren't very nice with indoor cycling. 

Perhaps I should change the wallpaper.


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## Oldhippy (5 Nov 2022)

As my bike is my transportation it is always outside.


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## Dogtrousers (5 Nov 2022)

No, it isn't the same. For a start,one is indoors and the other isn't. But there are one or two other differences.

You'd have to be slightly mad to describe the as "the same"


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## slowmotion (5 Nov 2022)

I've been wondering if anything interesting happens on her rides or if she sees new things.


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## Chislenko (5 Nov 2022)

My garage walls are a sort of cream / magnolia / turd sort of colour.


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## slowmotion (5 Nov 2022)

Chislenko said:


> My garage walls are a sort of cream / magnolia / turd sort of colour.



I suppose that might just count as interesting or a new sight if the decorator had done the job the previous day. I'm not sure it would float my boat.


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## Chislenko (6 Nov 2022)

slowmotion said:


> I suppose that might just count as interesting or a new sight if the decorator had done the job the previous day. I'm not sure it would float my boat.



I am the decorator!! 

To be fair it was loads of half empty tins of old emulsion of various colours all mixed together in one big tin just to use them up.


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## Illaveago (6 Nov 2022)

slowmotion said:


> I've been wondering if anything interesting happens on her rides or if she sees new things.



Ooh! The wallpaper isn't lined up !


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## Supersuperleeds (6 Nov 2022)

It wasn’t warm in my garage this morning. Though the scenery was new. I watched a Leeds win on MOTD whilst zwifting.


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## mustang1 (6 Nov 2022)

I'm going to put my e-bike on the turbo. Should be able to "ride" 5000 miles in no time.


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