[Closed] Exercise bike? Turbo trainer? Options? What should I be looking for?

If you're going to get some sort of a static bike, mike it a spinning bike

Elite RealPower turbo FTW.... 😉

£150 for a turbo, most likely double that for a spinning bike.

Turbo's are quite loud and would require you to move your bike inside and set it up, or leave one permanently set-up. If you've only got one then this might be an issue with regard to cleaning the bike before moving it inside, or motivation to get it from the shed in the first place.

Unless you are really keen, don't bother. Cycling indoors is painfully boring.

Get a cheap road bike and go out for a blast on that instead.

Cycling indoors is painfully boring

I quite enjoy using my Elite RealPower turbo but they're not cheap. A 2nd hand RealAxiom could be a good purchase for some.

£150 would buy you 2 years of winter gym memberships at your local clouncil gyms, and I find them much more motivational than stareing at the same bit of plaster in the spare room every evening.

Usualy start with 10minutes each on the bikes, treadmill, crosstrainer, rower, side-step-doo-dahh machines. Then aim to increace the time on the treadmill and rower to 30 minutes each by the end of the winter at the same pace I could sustain for about 5 minutes at the start. Couple that with weights and core exercises and I usualy start the year fitter than I end it.

+1 for indoor turbo. Its great, warm and far tougher training and I think safer. No stopping for traffic lights etc. Certainly improved my cycling fitness. I have it setup in fron the TV. Polar HRM and training program and your away. I ended up buying a Trek road bike just to sit in the turbo. Clearly it can be used for a summer hack when it gets better weather.

key question for me is do you have a road bike or other spare bike you can leave a slick rear tyre on? (Or does your back wheel have v-brake surfaces?)

if the answer is no to this then get a static excesize bike. if the answer is yes then get a turbo ( or rollers - keeps it a bit more interesting!) and download some sufferfest videos on a laptop in front of you to help you train.
remember to use a big fan to get some air flowing over you, makes it much more comfortable

Pierre - if you're in Melton Mowbray, you can borrow my turbo for a week or two to see if you (or the Mrs!) can stand the noise/vibration. Might help you make up your mind. I have mine set up in the garage with a stereo, laptop and fan.
I'd recommend it, but not for long endurance type stuff. Much better for an hour at most.

Spinning bike, much better than a turbo.

On my turbo+road bike setup you can't get property out of the saddle and hammer it, as your weight shifts forwards you lose tension at the rear wheel, and the whole setup feels a lot flimsier compared to the bikes at the gym. Spinning bikes are also a lot quieter.

Edit: not the clearest post I've ever written! Edited for clarity...

I use a Turbo in doors and use this

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/elite-crono-fluid-elastogel-trainer/ £140

Very quiet (with a road bike) and offers plenty of progressive smooth resistance. I did alot of googling about training programmes and most said your wasting your time doing long sessions as you can get more out of your training in 1 hour doing the right training than spending 3 hours or so on the bike.

On the turbo, Sufferfest on the laptop, cadence computer (not bothered with HRM so far) fan in front and 1 hour passes quite quickly!

I do have a road bike (well a decent commuter bike) which would work with a turbo but the Mrs defo wouldn't use it as she is disabled and wouldn't be able to get on the thing - one of my reasons for tending towards the static bike. Having said that the "road" bike has been ridden once this year so at least it might get some use with a turbo!

No garage is a problem. It's gonna have to be the spare room.

Gym/road biking is out. This is gonna be for quick "hour blast, no time for anything more" type of workouts.

Gym/road biking is out. This is gonna be for quick "hour blast, no time for anything more" type of workouts.

Appart from grabing a spare innertube, whats the difference between getting ready for a session on the turbo Vs road ride?

"Appart from grabing a spare innertube, whats the difference between getting ready for a session on the turbo Vs road ride?"

Theres less chance of loosing your life on a turbo than riding on road in the dark.

Wet, cold, dark = mountain bike night ride NOT road ride. It's bloody bad enough on a clear sunny day. Note: I've only done 1 road ride all year in teh light!

....and then there's cleaning the bike too

so anyway if we could veer away from road vs indoor back on track:

If I go TT what should I be looking at?
If I go static what should I be looking at?

Specific types of technology better than others? Specific brands better than others?

Unless you're massively motivated or have a very high boredom threshold then only buy a turbo/exercise/spinning bike if you want to do specific high-intensity interval type stuff (the key being the sessions are short). Don't get one thinking you'll get some extra calorie-burning hours in pedalling away in front of the TV - I actually fell asleep on mine watching a film once (it's now a clothes horse, ironically for cycling clothes...)

On my turbo+road bike setup you can't get property out of the saddle and hammer it, as your weight shifts forwards you lose tension at the rear wheel, and the whole setup feels a lot flimsier compared to the bikes at the gym.

To be fair more expensive ones don't have that problem.

Type depends on what you're using them for to, some are better for a more realistic fluid pedalling style, some can offer much better resistance for sprint sessions, sometimes it's just about how much noise they make

Some tips:
Follow a structured training plan
Use some form of monitoring HRM or power meter
TV and DVD will allow you to do long steady base for 2 - 3 hours. You can split the session down so long as its done on the same day
Any training requires dedication
Turbo is very convenient warm safe
It's brilliant for interval training - anaerobic
Training is more consistent and more intense than road
Add some gym work to help core, arms, back fitness it's not just about legs

Ask yourself, 2 hours in the cold wet dark or hour on turbo? When the good summer returns take bike off turbo and go back to road.

To be fair more expensive ones don't have that problem.

Fair enough, I've only tried the one I've got, from the photos I've seen more expensive models do seem to have more adjustment points.

I'd still be worried about the stress you're putting through the rear dropout, though, and I'd rather sweat all over a spinning bike than my proper bike 🙂

Ask yourself, 2 hours in the cold wet dark or hour on turbo? When the good summer returns take bike off turbo and go back to road

i was told by a coach a while back that 1hr on turbo indoors can equate to 2 hours riding outside. Reason being you can keep your heart rate in a specific zone for the whole hour. This is very hard to achieve outside

Agree TD. My experience shows that you can achieve intensive training over hour or so. Even with this type of training progression depends on intensity and some lengthening of time. I use the same method.

Getting out of the saddle? No need as that's aimed at improving core stability and control. Gym can I think produce the same result quicker without getting out of the saddle.

Getting out of the saddle? No need as that's aimed at improving core stability and control. Gym can I think produce the same result quicker without getting out of the saddle.

Not [i]needed[/i], I agree, but nice every now and then, and the Downward Spiral Sufferfest video has a bit where you're supposed to do it. (Although you're not going to lose any major benefits by not doing it, I fully agree.)