I took up cycling this year for the first time and I am in love with the sport. I've worked hard all summer to get in shape and lose weight and I've dropped like 40 lbs. I don't want to gain it back over the winter but I am not about to ride in the snow. I want to buy a bike trainer and I've been given conflicting information regarding whether a trainer or a set of rollers is the best bet. I only have around 200 bucks, maybe 300 at most to spend and I want to get it right the first time.
Thanks in advance!
Our Answer
Shawn...welcome to the sport of cycling! It's very addictive and is a great way to keep the pounds off so congratulations on the weight loss. I am not going to expound terribly much on this subject as I am sure
| Kinetic by Kurt Road Machine Indoor Bicycle Trainer |
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| Retail Price: $379.99 |
| Amazon Price: Too low to display |
A good set of rollers more closely resembles real bike riding than a bike trainer but they are hard to balance on and can be frustrating. So I would recommend that you go with a solid bike trainer and with a price range up to $300 dollars then you can buy a really nice one that will last you a long time AND give you a great quality workout and closely emulate real road riding.
Our own favorite is a Kurt Kinetic bike trainer which you can squeak in just under $300 dollars if you look. These are listed for $369 on the Kurt website so this one at $285 is a great deal. The Kurt Kinetic trainer is a fluid trainer and the design is superb. In a nutshell this is one fluid trainer that will not leak, period.
Check it out and enjoy and we'll see what everyone else has to offer.
My opinion, YMMV:
Indoor trainers put wear and tear on your bike. They tend to use up rear tires pretty quickly. You can buy one heck of a nice stationary bike just for the parts and labor cost of replacing a good set of cranks. Also, you sweat a lot when training indoors. Sweat is corrosive and has potential to damage your bike or its components if not handled properly and promptly. For those reasons, I use a stationary bike.
HTH
Rollers are best for promoting good form (You have to be smooth or you come off) … but many people find them intimidating. Note, you need ones with some form of resistance mechanism to give a real workout. A resistance trainer is less demanding since the bike clamps into it (and therefore it is easier to read or otherwise zone out than on rollers), but does wear tires. That said, you can buy special tires for use on trainers.
Personally, I hate exercise bikes since they are invariably uncomfortable (unless they are pretty high end like those used for spinning classes … but those are outside your price range).
The big advantage of rollers or a resistance trainer is you use your own bike and therefore exercise the muscles exactly as you would on the road.
Safest bet: a mag trainer. Pro choice: rollers.
Personally, my opinion is the indoor trainers, since you are using your own bike, you are used to the fit and form of it. A nice one costs about 100-200, that price range can only get you a low end stationary bike that is tailored to couch potatoes who doesn’t want to exercise.
Once you have your bike cleaned and lubed, there should be not a lot of wear and tear except the rear tires (and they do wear them out quicker than regular riding). But I’ve always just used an older tire that is almost worn, but not busted enough to throw away. They do make special indoor tires too, if you’re interested. Also, put a towel over the top tube, carefully wrapping it with a bungee cord or something to keep them from getting into the cranks. Then music, TV, or a computer in front and you are all set!
I have not tried rollers, but you have to pay more attention riding them so you won’t fall off.. I don’t feel confident enough to watch TV or listening to music while using these.