Spinning - Rollers - Turbo Trainer in winter?

[thehairycycler]

With the winter nights coming in and living in scotland were about 4 weeks away from snow , I was wondering if it is worth purchasing a turbo trainer or a roller, or is it just as benificial to go to spinning classes at the gym. could the more experienced of you give me advice on what is the benifits of each? I will try to get out on the road as much as possible but I want to keep the legs going over winter even if there is 6ft of snow at my front door

 

[teletext45]

Somone has just posted about this in the last week or so.

All have advantages and disadvantages you still can't get anything close to getting out on the road imo.

I use a turbo myself but just for interval training and get out on the road as much as possible, i've heard spinning classes can be quite good



andy

 

[thehairycycler]

Thanks andy, I wasn't sure if spinning would actually improve your cycling or just fitness/weight loss.

 

[HLaB]

Obviously the real thing is better but IMO a home trainer is better than paying to be shouted at in a spin class and you can start or stop when you want. I also think a home trainer is set up with your bike and is better for you, you get the better posture, etc. Out of the two (Turbo/ Rollers) I think the roller will develop your cycling skills best as there is more involved (balance, etc.) but I've got a turbo, less things to go wrong

 

[Willo]

I use the spinning bikes in the gym, not a class, and if you're self disciplined to crank up the resistance they offer a good workout. I live in relatively tropical Kent but in the week only have a small window early mornings and the gym enables me to keep up the fitness rather than a half-hearted cycle in the pitch black worrying about ice, pot-holes etc.

 

[Camgreen]

I give the Spinning a whirl a couple of nights a week and the odd weekend session if I'm otherwise pushed for time. Personally don't have any problem with instructors, who might shout encouragement, but the bottom line is it's down to the individual how hard you push yourself. I speak as I find, and for me it's a good work out; accept others may have different experience of it and that's fair enough.

 

[Arsen Gere]

IMHO you should decide what you want out of the winter sessions. The rollers are great for suppleness, balance and efficiency but no good for putting on a load. Spinning will be less boring than a turbo if you are in a class.

If I were you, I'd go for the turbo, with a mag or oil based resistance, the wind ones can be v noisey. Then get as many gadgets you can to measure your output. It is very easy to become disilusioned with turbo trainers because they can be boring to use.

If you monitor your heart rate, speed and cadence you can build routines around these that help show improvement and motivate you. If you write down what you have done!

You can look back later and see how you improved and use it as baseline to measure your fitness. The turbo is one way to buld speed ready for next season that you can't do so well on the road.

 

[thehairycycler]

Thanks for the tips guys! I think I will go for the turbo watched a few videos on the rollers and I think I would look quite silly a few times before I got the hang of it. I'm away to wiggle to get my cycle porn fix haha today it'll be turbos

 

[Herzog]

I think I will go for the turbo watched a few videos on the rollers and I think I would look quite silly a few times before I got the hang of it.

Yes, but you would only look silly in your own house...for about 10 minutes before you get the hang of it. Rollers are far more interesting than turbo trainers. Esapecially when doing long low intensity training rides ower the winter months.

 

[Brahan]

I have a turbo trainer and a set of rollers.

Turbo trainers are brilliant for hard intervals because you don't have to think about balancing after an 'all out' set. You can switch off on a turbo trainer, watch the telly, take your hands off the bars, have a drink etc. You're static, plugged into it so you're not going to fall over.

It takes a lot of faffing around to set up though. Especially if you need a turbo tyre meaning you either have it mounted permanently on another wheel that you interchange, or actually change the tyres each time. Done that before

Unless of course you have a bike which is always on the turbo. This is what I would like, if only I had an extra bedroom.

I keep the turbo in the greenhouse as it's a bit of a pain to store, because I already have the rollers under the bed.


The rollers are brilliant. Easy to learn, you'll have it cracked in 1 minute, they're no problem. Anyone who can't suss out how to ride rollers needs to take a long hard look at themselves. They are very easy to set up and put away and you don't need to change anything about your bike. Just stick it on and go. No distractions though, you need to pay attention here or you could be on the floor. Just like a normal bike I suppose.

They can be used for resistance training to a point too. Trust me, if you had a reasonably large gear and tyres at about 90psi, you'll break a sweat pretty soon.

You can really feel the pedalling sensation too, the movement afforded on rollers allows you to more accurately judge your pedalling technique and feel where your power is delivered in each revolution. I'm just off my rollers now, had a quick blast for an hour in the kitchen. The turbo doesn't get much of a look in until it's time for hard intervals.

The rollers can fit under the bed for easy storage.


I hope that helps.