Velobambina
08-26-2007, 07:30 AM
I bought this one with some trepidation because, while I love Spinervals in the traditional format, I was a little worried how the "virtual reality" concept would translate into an effective workout. After doing the workout, no regrets. A good purchase.
This morning, it was raining and because I'm recovering from an eye injury (corneal abrasion), sustained--literally--at the paws of my "bad girl" golden retriever, Maeve, I didn't feel like riding outside. A good excuse to test out this Spinerval. It's almost 3 hrs in duration (2:57 or so) and amounts to more than 50 miles, so it was a good replacement for my Sunday endurance ride.
The workout: more of an endurance ride done in your aerobic zone, there are some tougher segments where you're climbing hills. Primarily, you alternate between small chain ring/15 to big chain ring/15. The final 40 minutes are the toughest and you spend some time in BCR 13-12. A great workout for anyone training for a longer event.
Be advised, Troy chatters the entire time. I realize he drives some folks crazy, but I just tune him out so it doesn't bother me.
The scenery is incredible. I'd love to live up there in the non-snow months. The format was fine, but at times, the camera was a bit shakey and could make you seasick. It doesn't happen often though. There's also a Troy Cam, a helmet mounted camera that Troy wears. Doesn't really enhance the experience, but it keeps some variety in the format.
You can turn off the Spinervals tunes & play your own music on this one.
Bang for the buck, it's a good workout and worth the $$$. I have been riding outside exclusively for several months and man, I forgot how much tougher it is on the trainer! Makes me think I need to start logging more trainer miles to fine tune my fitness.
This morning, it was raining and because I'm recovering from an eye injury (corneal abrasion), sustained--literally--at the paws of my "bad girl" golden retriever, Maeve, I didn't feel like riding outside. A good excuse to test out this Spinerval. It's almost 3 hrs in duration (2:57 or so) and amounts to more than 50 miles, so it was a good replacement for my Sunday endurance ride.
The workout: more of an endurance ride done in your aerobic zone, there are some tougher segments where you're climbing hills. Primarily, you alternate between small chain ring/15 to big chain ring/15. The final 40 minutes are the toughest and you spend some time in BCR 13-12. A great workout for anyone training for a longer event.
Be advised, Troy chatters the entire time. I realize he drives some folks crazy, but I just tune him out so it doesn't bother me.
The scenery is incredible. I'd love to live up there in the non-snow months. The format was fine, but at times, the camera was a bit shakey and could make you seasick. It doesn't happen often though. There's also a Troy Cam, a helmet mounted camera that Troy wears. Doesn't really enhance the experience, but it keeps some variety in the format.
You can turn off the Spinervals tunes & play your own music on this one.
Bang for the buck, it's a good workout and worth the $$$. I have been riding outside exclusively for several months and man, I forgot how much tougher it is on the trainer! Makes me think I need to start logging more trainer miles to fine tune my fitness.