Why You Should Buy An Indoor Trainer

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You're not going to hear a lot of people celebrating epic indoor trainer rides this time of year.  Heck, you're not going to hear that they are even looking forward to tromping down to the basement, flicking on the TV and the fan, and riding an hour or two to nowhere.  I'm not gonna lie to ya, riding on the trainer is not fun. At all.  But, for a lot of people it is often the only option to get in miles this time of year.  Not all of us are blessed with a California climate.  If you're one of the unlucky ones, like myself, who dwells in a wintery land December-March (or beyond), trainer time is a reality.  There's nothing wrong with that.  Today, I'm going to share with you why I think investing in a trainer is probably one of the best moves you can make if you're getting into cycling.

First off, I'm not going to tell you which type of trainer to buy.  Honestly, they are all (Wind, Mag, Fluid) going to do the job.  Which one you decide to go with probably depends on your budget.  Personally, I would love to get one of those fancy virtual reality Tacx systems, but shelling out over $1,000 for a trainer isn't going to happen.  Ever.  But, as fun as riding in a video game would be, I know I can get just as good of a workout on something much cheaper.  We own two trainers, one wind and one mag.  I prefer the mag because it offers more resistance options and is quieter, but the wind works just as well and travels easily.

What I am going to tell you is why a trainer can improve your cycling experience in more ways than you may think.

1.)  The obvious reason to get a trainer is so you can still ride your bike if the weather is less than desirable.  The definition of "less than desirable weather" is completely up to you.  Some people will ride outside every day no matter what the weather is, even in gale force winds.  The rest of us aren't paid to ride our bikes and draw the line in other places.  While I'll still do the short ride to meet my husband at his office in the afternoons, lately my line for long rides has been been around the 40F degree mark.  I'm getting tired of wearing all the claustrophobic face gear (ski goggles, Cold Avenger balaclava, etc.).  I'm also getting tired of the long post-ride bike washing sessions.  Believe it or not, I do have other things to do during the day.  The trainer spares me from all of that, and I will be eternally grateful.

Sometimes, there are conditions where it just isn't safe to ride outside.  Ice storms, blizzards, dense fog, hurricanes, and thunderstorms are just a handful of examples when being out on the road, cranking out the miles, may not be the best idea.  Here, we've been getting a lot of freezing rain this winter.  The roads and paths become ice rinks.  When the snow starts flying, the entire country descends into panic and drivers lose all sense of reason.  I don't feel like dealing with them.  Sometimes, a lot of times actually, the winds have been really high, like 40mph in the valley.  I don't feel like dealing with the flying debris.  Having a trainer available means I don't have an excuse to skip a ride.  I can still do a tough 20, 30 miles in the safety of my basement and stay on track towards meeting my fitness goals.

Some people will scoff at choosing the trainer over getting on the actual road. I say whatever way you can get on the bike without being 100% miserable or risking your safety is the better choice.  If you're riding with a goal towards building fitness on the bike the trainer will make that possible.

2.)  You can use a trainer to break in new equipment.  I think we've all been out on a long ride when our brand new saddle/shoes/shorts/gloves/what have you start feeling extremely brand new and quite uncomfortable.  There are few things more depressing than knowing you have another 30miles before you can get out or off of whatever is rubbing you the wrong way.  If you use your trainer you can break in that new whatever doing shorter sessions.  So, when it's time to head out on that long Saturday ride you won't be suffering from a stiff pair of shoes.

Additionally, you can use the trainer to familiarize yourself with a new component or bicycle.  How many people fall over at an intersection because they aren't used to their new clipless pedals?  It hurts.  It's embarrassing.  If you pop your bike onto the trainer and practice clipping and unclipping over and over again, chances are your are going to be much more confident and comfortable when you head out on the road.  If you get a new bicycle that is significantly different from what you're used to you can get comfortable in the new riding postion and with operating its components.

3.)  A trainer makes the dialing in process much easier, safer, and comfortable.  Not all of us have access to or the funds available for a professional bike fit.  In fact, when it comes to getting things to fit just right, it's usually up to us to make the necessary adjustments.  A lot of times, this process can take a while.  With a trainer, you can ride 30mins, jump off, whip out your allen wrench, make the necessary tweak, jump back on, and continue the process until you get things just right all with the bike in a stable and stationary position.  There's no need to go for a ride and Eddy Merckx it, adjusting saddle height and tilt while on the road.

And, dialing in fit typically isn't a one time thing.  As you build fitness and lose weight you will ride differently.  For example, as you build confidence you may end up in riding in the drops more than you used to.  Those things can require an adjustment in fit again.  It's much easier to work that out on the trainer than discovering it 50 miles out on the road.

4.)  You can do a lot for your fitness while locked into a trainer.  Don't let someone try to tell you differently, riding your bike is better than not riding your bike.  With a good workout plan or a training video you can really challenge yourself and improve your fitness.  You may be surprised how much your riding has improved when you get on the road again.  When the weather got really nasty here for two weeks all my long distance riding was done on the trainer.  When we finally caught a break from the snow and ice, I had knocked 5 minutes off the ride to my husband's office.  Even with a 20mph headwind.

It also allows you to focus on your riding, really focus.  I've been riding for a while now, but it was only recently that I had realized I had been trying to force my body to ride in a way that was causing discomfort.  My right foot naturally wants to sit on the pedal with the toes pointing out just a hair, but I had my cleat positioned so that it would force my foot straight.  All this time, I thought it was saddle position  that caused my knee pain when it turns out that it was my cleat position   It was only when I was able to really focus on my position without all the other distractions of the road and trail that I finally noticed what the problem was.  In addition to picking up little things like that, the trainer can also  let you pay attention to the numbers, if that is what you want to do. You can manage your ride completely by heart rate zones and stay in them without making stops for traffic or other stuff that can interrupt a good stretch of road.

There are many sources for good trainer workouts out there, and some trainers like CyclOps come with DVDs.  The infamous Sufferfest site is another good option.  Another option is to head to one of the local indoor cycling gyms and join a group.  Don't worry, they're not like a soccer mom spin class.  You bring your own bike and lots of them will let you bring your own trainer.  Sometimes riding with a group makes all the difference.

So, yes, a trainer isn't going to provide the most exciting ride in your schedule, but they really will improve your cycling overall.  In my opinion, besides the bicycle itself, a trainer is probably one of the most important things you can buy.  If you're still debating with yourself about buying one, then I'd say splurge a little.  You won't regret it.