Turbo trainer or get out and get wet

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    Topic
  • #14191
    Daza

    Hi, 1st post and very green to cycling but what winter training would stand by you better, spinning on a turbo trainer or hard graft out in the wind and rain?

    currently doing 100 miles per week and pushing as hard as i can “well i think i am” . 16 weeks so far and have lost 2st 6lb with another 1 stone to go which will leave me at a lean 12 1/2 stone, well that`s the plan!(5ft 10″)

    do i need to get more miles under my belt with the intention of doing some 10mile TT`s and a few road races next year.

    big thanks to any-1 for there advice.

Viewing 12 replies - 16 through 27 (of 27 total)
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  • #653801
    0
    Gkam84

    Its not a gimmick, but in my
    Its not a gimmick, but in my view, unless your a pro or very very serious then why do you need to know your power wattage? so you know how many light bulbs you could be powering? 👿

    Cadence you can get from a cycle computer and the same with heart rate, which in the long run is a lot better way to have it, because you can use those out on the road aswell

    The other thing IF i had that kind of money lying about, would be to get the full Tacx set up

    http://www.evanscycles.com/products/tacx/fortius-multiplayer-ec008680

    That you can ride against people on the internet 😀

    #653799
    0
    Daza

    thanks for the quick response
    thanks for the quick response GKam84, so is the power,cadence and other features on the higher cost items more of a gimmick than really required?

    #653797
    0
    nick_rearden

    Daza wrote:with my budget

    Daza wrote:
    with my budget whats a good T.Trainer??

    We ran a story on here a few weeks ago about Minoura doing a promo on its Magteq and V-Series trainers where you get a free £12 Sufferfest download: http://road.cc/content/news/40172-tech-roundup-new-ride-clothing-sram-electronic-and-much-more Those should just about be going into the shops now.

    Oh, and apart from from that, can I put in a vote for joining a local club of some kind. Those well-advised weekend rides will be a lot more enjoyable and you’ll get a lot more out of them both work-out wise and from an advise standpoint if you’re doing ’em with others. Plus, the old hands will know all the best routes.

    #653795
    0
    Gkam84

    don’t need £300
    Something

    don’t need £300

    Something like this £139.99

    http://www.evanscycles.com/products/tacx/sirius-soft-gel-t1435-turbo-trainer-ec006994

    Then something like this for the front wheel

    http://www.evanscycles.com/products/elite/travel-block-ec007764

    Then depending on your floor a training mat and a sweat thong 😀

    #653793
    0
    Daza

    And there was me thinking i
    And there was me thinking i just needed the turbo trainer, well i did say i was new to the sport.

    ok so a few bits to gather up then which shouldnt cost that much.
    with my budget whats a good T.Trainer??

    #653791
    0
    Gkam84

    Well with you having no other
    Well with you having no other bike, you’d be better picking up a 2nd hand rear wheel to put a trainer tyre on, just make sure its got the same gearing you normally use, else your going to be switching your tyres everytime you want to go back outside or tearing them to sherds on the turbo :B

    So with you having that budget, get a rear wheel (doesn’t need to be anything fancy, just a straight and true one) and cassette from ebay and then spend the rest on a trainer and tyre 😉

    #653789
    0
    Daza

    Big thankyou for the
    Big thankyou for the responses, so the turbo trainer is a no brainer and needs purchased, but which 1 as there seems to be lots out there??
    i have a budget of £300 so what make should i go for?
    going by the responses it needs to measure power, cadence,heart rate, any thing else required?

    sorry for all the questions but if you dont ask :/

    no mtb for the winter or even a spare bike unfortunately.

    #653787
    0
    Fringe

    yep, as above. turbo and get
    yep, as above. turbo and get out in the wind/rain etc, and if it snows get out on the MTB if you have one.

    most of all enjoy it, dont just force yourself outside into bad weather/conditions if you really dont want to.

    #653785
    0
    Chiswick

    I agree with the previous
    I agree with the previous comments. You need both. To duck out of lousy conditions means you’ll find it harder to get out when it matters. So you need the mental training as much as anything. I like the Carmichael routines for Realaxiom. They can be transcribed in terms of intervals, heart rates and cadence from the DVDs so you don’t have to listen to the excruciating American exhortations of ‘Good job!’ and ‘Way to train!’ but put your bike up on a slope and give it some gradient resistance on the programme.

    #653783
    0
    Farky

    You’ll get better quality out
    You’ll get better quality out if a turbo in really bad weather like today was. Thing is, you need structure and a plan or as mentioned, sufferfest training videos.

    They are a fun way to do reps which is to say, short periods of intense efforts separated by rest and flanked either side with warm up/down sessions.

    Otherwise known as suicides or just plain suffering.

    Nothing replaces mileage but not at the cost of quality. I can’t wait for full on winter, love my weekend 2 hours in the rain and mid week sufferfest sessions.

    Cycling Weekly had a short article featuring various riders recommendations on rep plans and what they each give you, power, climbing, aerobic etc.

    #653781
    0
    othello

    Depends on how much time you
    Depends on how much time you have, especially when the clocks change.

    A hard 1hr turbo session can equate to a 2hr road ride, depending on how hard you push that. A turbo can give you quality training if you do it right. Just don’t sit on it for 3hrs spinning. Instead do reps for an hour to build power, strength etc. Try sufferfest videos to give you something to watch and training instructions.

    Even 1 turbo a week with the rest on the road can benefit.

    #653779
    0
    Gkam84

    Hard graft all the time, i
    Hard graft all the time, i have a trainer, but only because the snow around here gets really heavy and roads dont get cleared or gritted properly

Viewing 12 replies - 16 through 27 (of 27 total)
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