EEEKKK!!! I rode on a trainer....

OK, so pushed to absolute desperation, this mt bike chick road a trainer. We had a run/ ride scheduled today. Got the run in no problem, but we are in the early stages of a Nor' Easter here and it was sleeting and snowing this afternoon. Not bad to run in, but messy perhaps for a ride. I wanted to ride anyway, but the trails were a mess, and so was the road.

Not wanting to break my training rhythm, the DH dug out a trainer from the gargage that somebody had given us a few years ago. He hooked up Bluebelle, my sort of road bike and set me in front of the TV.

Yikes...it is mentally challenging. I did not last as long as I wanted, but I pushed myself hard, and did not have to forfeit the workout.

Kudos to you guys that do hours on those contraptions.....

Ruth

Great job on getting on the trainer!

I don't have one, but my boyfriend does. He rarely uses it, and at the most only uses it for up to 30 minutes at a time.

I have yet to brave the trainer. I continue to go to spin classes.

Good for you on getting on the trainer. that's the ONLY exercise i can do right now...i am up to 33 minutes...still working back the endurance post surgery.

my husband just bought a roller. he NEVER gets on the trainer. he managed 30 minutes, only because i did my 33.

i usually think of it this way, when i don't want to jump on the trainer:
how much do i WANT to reach my racing goal.

keep spinning!

Han

Call me crazy, but I have learned to love the trainer in the winter. It's my only option for dark evenings after work (I ride right when I get home from work, twice a week). I put on some pumping music (or Coach Troy if I am feeling especially sadistic, but that's not too often :D ) and go for 45 minutes. I burn around 325 calories according to my HR monitor, and feel great afterwards. It's a good way to stay in shape over the winter for we who work full time, too far from work to commute by bike, and are weather wimps! :p

Emily

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my husband just bought a roller. he NEVER gets on the trainer. he managed 30 minutes, only because i did my 33.

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:confused:

So, he bought a roller... and just got on that? Or he bought a roller and got on the trainer?

I saw how rollers work and that looks really hard! Although, it looks smoother than a trainer... like the back wheel rolls easier, if that makes sense.

Good on you R'n'R

It is def mentally challenging to get on an indoor trainer...

To get yourself motivated to keep going once you are on, tape/dvd some cycling tours to watch as you do it so you can ride with your heros... or get some music you love with a good rythym and play it loud...

Both really help while away those minutes!

OK I am a dummy. What is the diff between a roller and a trainer. My front wheel came off and it support the bottom bracket and had a rolly thing on the back.

Roller or trainer?

the roller has 3 cylinders on which the bike "rides" on, so front and back wheels are turning. think treadmill for bikes. my husband used it in a doorway just in case he tipped over (which he did many many times). it will definitely take some practice until he has the bike going perfectly straight, as it does take balance.

the trainer has the back wheel elevatated and the resistance is set on the back wheel. the rollers don't have adjustable resistance, you use your gears.

some people love the rollers but you have to pay attention so you don't fall off! a friend of mine mentioned how he was watching a TdeF video and just about flew off because of the camera angle in on of the sharp turns (ie he tried to turn too! :eek: )

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Originally Posted by rocknrollgirl

OK I am a dummy. What is the diff between a roller and a trainer. My front wheel came off and it support the bottom bracket and had a rolly thing on the back.

Roller or trainer?

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Trainer.
With a trainer, the bike is supported - the rear wheel (or bottom bracket) is clamped tight by the unit, the rear wheel tracks along a "rolly thingy" in back and the front wheel (usually) sits on the floor or block.
Rollers are a sort of treadmill for your bike. It is free and requires you to balance the bike to keep it upright, just like on the road. It's 3 rollers in a row - two for the back wheel, 1 for the front. Nothing attaches to the bike (however, there are some rollers that have a front wheel support that you may use until you get used to it, but that sort of defeats the purpose of them, ultimately).

p.s. Han-grrl....some rollers have resistance units. My DH's does. Mine does not and cannot accept one. But yeah, they can be tricky to learn!

OK, so mine was a trainer....roller sounds like a crash waitin' to happen!

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Originally Posted by emily_in_nc

Call me crazy, but I have learned to love the trainer in the winter. It's my only option for dark evenings after work (I ride right when I get home from work, twice a week). I put on some pumping music (or Coach Troy if I am feeling especially sadistic, but that's not too often :D ) and go for 45 minutes. I burn around 325 calories according to my HR monitor, and feel great afterwards. It's a good way to stay in shape over the winter for we who work full time, too far from work to commute by bike, and are weather wimps! :p

Emily

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I don't love mine but I use it for the same thing. I'm definately a weather wimp and I know that if I force myself to ride a few times a week for an hour, it will be easier and more productive once the weather does warm up and riding outside in the warm sun is something I DO love.. so it's worth it!! :D

Despite the great weather for outdoors here at the moment I am sticking to the trainer as well as am 7.5 months pregnant and being a bit precious about falling off outdoors. I have to say that it is a hell of a lot more fun as of a week ago when I realised the trainer resistance was set to HIGH instead of low. I couldn't work out why I could not keep my HR down on the lowest gear :o . I'm only doing 30 - 50mins at a time but hope that by the time I get outside again it will be easier to go longer in each session.

The main time I have for exercise is before work. The only real option for me is a trainer. I do 45 minutes, usually 4 or 5 times a week. I'm set up in front of a TV and I watch dvd's. No, it's not as fun as riding outside, but healthwise it's better than no cycling at all.

So RnR, a very interesting turn of events for you. You think you were surprised to see me in the MTB forum. That's nothing compared to how surprised I was to see this thread!!

I don't really think I'll congratulate you. Riding the trainer is not fun in my opinion and therefore does not qualify for congratulations. However...

Wow, that's great!! Talk about mental toughness.

:D :D :D :D :D

As for ways to make it easier. I'm not going to bother because I really don't think the trainer is where you want to be and the moment the weather is even slightly better, you'll be back outside. Good on ya for it.

Thanks W...I freakin' HATED IT...more than I can tell you...the storm has passed finally, we only got rain..Thank God...so I am back outside asap.

So it will remain for bluebell and I...A simple act of desperation.

And my hat is off to ALL of you that do this regularly...you guys have some mental toughness....I would do it too if it were my only choice for a ride...
but YIKES....

Hey, at least I did not miss a workout!

I have resigned myself to the trainer for the 6 months of winter up here. If the roads aren't covered with snow, they're covered with gravel that they put down for traction.

I have mine set up in front of a DVD player, too. It's the only thing that keeps me sane. ...well, maybe... I'm starting to have dreams about Coach Troy. :D

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Originally Posted by roadie gal

I have resigned myself to the trainer for the 6 months of winter up here. If the roads aren't covered with snow, they're covered with gravel that they put down for traction.

I have mine set up in front of a DVD player, too. It's the only thing that keeps me sane. ...well, maybe... I'm starting to have dreams about Coach Troy. :D

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Sooooo, it's raining pretty hard here today. Normally I would bail on my outdoor hill ride but I'm toughing it out today. Thanks for the inspiration.

I got a trainer in December, and BOY IS IT HARD!!! On the up side, I read in Triathlete Magazine that every hour on the trainer is the equivalent of 1.5 hours outside!

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Originally Posted by smithcyn42

I got a trainer in December, and BOY IS IT HARD!!! On the up side, I read in Triathlete Magazine that every hour on the trainer is the equivalent of 1.5 hours outside!

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I believe it - there's no coasting on the trainer. So I do my 45 minutes on the trainer and figure it's like an hour+ ride outdoors. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it! :D

Emily