Very "noob" questions about trainer

[kelownagirl]

We picked up a cheap trainer at a garage sale but I've never used one before and I have a questions before I start so I don't wreck it or my bike. First off, it's a Blackburn Trakstand Defender. I seem to have figured out how to set my back wheel into it and turn the knob until it's holding. I have a platform for the front wheel to sit in too.

How tightly should my back wheel sit against the metal part of the trainer?

There are also things at the back that I think adjust the tension in some way. Should I just try them at various levels and see what feels right?

When you are using a trainer, is it mainly for spinning on a middle-of-the-road gear at a fairly high cadence (90-100) to get an aerobic workout or can/should you be in a high gear (highest?) and feel a good workout on the legs as well? Is there a maximum speed you should go? (It seems to make more noise when I went faster.)

Do you use your brakes to stop or do you let it slow down on its own? (It made a bell-like noise when I started putting on the brakes...)

Is it my imagination, or does the front wheel feel like it's down a bit lower than when I'm actually riding my bike on the flats?

OK, I may think up more. Hope someone's around to anser my questions so I can get down there and ride!

Thanks,
barb

[Eden]

I generally tighten the trainer down until it touches my rear wheel and then give it 3 or 4 more turns. You want it to give you some resistance, so it should indent the tire a little bit. If you don't tighen it down enough and the tire slips an you can wear your tires out faster.

Some trainers have multiple resistance settings, some get harder as you pedal harder (fluid types). Most indoor trainers are pretty noisy - especially if they are wind trainers, magnetic trainers are a little quieter, so are fluid trainers. Don't worry if its loud.

I use my trainer for all kinds of workouts. Sometimes I spin in a small gear, somtimes I do big gear drills. I do find that the same hr zones feel more difficult when indoors - I think that it may have to do with over heating. I usually use a fan inside.

If you feel like you are pointed down you can put your wheel block up on a book or two. You can also do this if you want to somewhat simulate hill climbing. Some wheel blocks have different levels that you can set the wheel on by turning the block.

Hope that helps a bit - have fun with the trainer!

[Trek420]

kelownagirl "We picked up a cheap trainer at a garage sale"

wooh hooh! none of my neighbors ride

"How tightly should my back wheel sit against the metal part of the trainer?"

on mine (Cycleops fluid) lift the bike to the left side of the QR simply fits into its side, the right (deraileur side) has a knurled (is that a word?) knob that when rotated back to front is the right tension.

I have had to adjust to width whether using the MTB or road bike.

Get a spare QR. Do not use your "real" one, any trainer will well, ruin is too strong a word but mess that up.

"There are also things at the back that I think adjust the tension in some way. Should I just try them at various levels and see what feels right?"

Yes. Somehwhere here I'm sure there's discussion of whether or not to use "trainer tires". Training miles at any tension are hard on your tires.

"When you are using a trainer, is it mainly for spinning on a middle-of-the-road gear at a fairly high cadence (90-100) to get an aerobic workout or can/should you be in a high gear (highest?) and feel a good workout on the legs as well?"

You should ask someone here who trains but you can do either! Even stand on the pedals (carefull there, that might be why your trainer was in the garage sale "

"Is there a maximum speed you should go? (It seems to make more noise when I went faster.)"

Is it a wind, magnetic or fluid trainer? Wind and magnetic are noisier, fluid the quietest of the three.

Do you have neighbors close by or live in an apartment?

Do you like them? No? Then who cares

"Do you use your brakes to stop or do you let it slow down on its own? (It made a bell-like noise when I started putting on the brakes...)"

That's odd. I use either, no noise.

"Is it my imagination, or does the front wheel feel like it's down a bit lower than when I'm actually riding my bike on the flats?"

It may be lower. There is a star shaped one that has options, slightly higher feels more like climbing, then can have it even or lower.

[kelownagirl]

Thank you! Lots of good information!

QR = quick release?

Mine is a magnetic trainer. I got it for $20. Nice eh?

It has some problem inside that dh thinks he can fix. Something is a little off-kilter. I was able to ride at the higher resistance but when I went into the lower one, I got a ton of vibration (hmm, that could motivate me to ride more often ) and it made a ringing type noise. Anyway, we'll get that looked at.

I liked it way better than the exercise bike and can see myself using it quite often. A bit hot inside though, the sweat is jsut pouring off me. I'll need to set up a fan I think.

Here's a pic of the trainer. Mine is grey/silver though.

[Velobambina]

K-Girl -- Enjoy your new toy :-)

[Meaux]

I, too, have noob questions about the trainer. Can anyone suggest a good one that's in a decent price range? My husband and I need one, since it starts to get dark about the time I get out of work, no riding during the week. This not getting to ride thing is making me grumpy, so I hope a trainer will be the answer. Lucky kelownagirl for finding one at a garage sale?

[HillSlugger]

How tightly should my back wheel sit against the metal part of the trainer?

I make it just tight enough that there is no tire slippage. I use one thumb to gently hold the roller and the other hand to rotate the tire.

There are also things at the back that I think adjust the tension in some way. Should I just try them at various levels and see what feels right?

When you are using a trainer, is it mainly for spinning on a middle-of-the-road gear at a fairly high cadence (90-100) to get an aerobic workout or can/should you be in a high gear (highest?) and feel a good workout on the legs as well? Is there a maximum speed you should go? (It seems to make more noise when I went faster.)

I assume you are talking about setting resistance? Mine has a remote lever that clamps to the handlebar. I generally keep it on the easiest setting and adjust my workout by changing gears on the bike. You can somewhat simulate hill riding by increasing the resistance and spinning in a higher cadence and lower gear.

I'll start out in a low gear and spin for a while to warm up and then progressively increase the gearing until I'm working pretty hard. I also throw in intervals of sprint/high cadence. My stand doesn't work well for biking standing up but I can pretty much do anything else.

Do you use your brakes to stop or do you let it slow down on its own?

One thing you'll quickly find with a trainer is that coasting is not possible and that it quickly comes to a stop when you stop pedaling. You can certainly use your brakes but it probably won't be necessary.

Is it my imagination, or does the front wheel feel like it's down a bit lower than when I'm actually riding my bike on the flats?

The trainer holds your rear tire off of the ground. In general, you'll have to put something under your front wheel to even out the bike, unless you want to feel like you're riding down hill. Unlike a treadmill, I don't think that raising the front wheel higher makes the riding any harder or simulates riding up hill.

[mimitabby]

Good thread! I have been wondering about tire friction too because if i go too fast, sometimes it slips, which doesn't hurt me... but the resistance just dies when that happens.

[DebW]

I had an older Blackburn Mag Trackstand (older than yours) and the resistance unit failed. Somehow the magnets were physically rubbing each other, and when your rode it, it would give off an odor like vaporizing metal. I pulled it apart a few times and never could fix it. It worked fine on the zero resistance setting though. I now use a Cycleop Fluid Trainer, and you can sprint out of the saddle on it. But always the rear QR gets stuck in the left axle clamp and makes it hard to get the bike off the trainer. I'm using the QR that came with the trainer.

[GLC1968]

Wow, this is a very helpful thread! I always wondered why the trainer came with a QR when the one I had worked fine. Now I know!

Here is another question...I bought my trainer a couple of years ago for my mtn bike, so I bought one that puts the resistance on the rim of the wheel and not on the tire. I haven't put my road bike on it yet, but should this be any different? I know using the rim eliminates any tire wear (and allows both mtn and road with ease) but are there any downfalls that I should be aware of?

[Cassandra_Cain]

The trainer holds your rear tire off of the ground. In general, you'll have to put something under your front wheel to even out the bike, unless you want to feel like you're riding down hill. Unlike a treadmill, I don't think that raising the front wheel higher makes the riding any harder or simulates riding up hill.

Totally agree with you! You've hit on something that totally baffles me...why some folks think putting an 8 inch block under the front tire somehow equates with hill climbing! A block does not equal overcoming gravity

GLC - Never seen the type of trainer you mention, but in general I want resistance (aka wear) on the tires not the rims....they after far cheaper after all!

[Eden]

Totally agree with you! You've hit on something that totally baffles me...why some folks think putting an 8 inch block under the front tire somehow equates with hill climbing! A block does not equal overcoming gravity

GLC - Never seen the type of trainer you mention, but in general I want resistance (aka wear) on the tires not the rims....they after far cheaper after all!

No one thinks that raising the bike equates resistance - what is may do, and there are varying opinions, is put your body into the hillclimbing position and thereby use different muscles. That combined with using more resistance is better than nothing for simulating hill climbing. No one thinks that there is any better thing to do than to go climb hills to get better at it, but when in a pinch...

[Cassandra_Cain]

No one thinks that raising the bike equates resistance - what is may do, and there are varying opinions, is put your body into the hillclimbing position and thereby use different muscles. That combined with using more resistance is better than nothing for simulating hill climbing. No one thinks that there is any better thing to do than to go climb hills to get better at it, but when in a pinch...

Not sure I would say 'no one thinks....', more like you and most people in the forum who have plenty of common sense obviously know that.

I hear a lot of rubbish about there being more resistance, specifically, by tilting the front wheel up and such. When in reality we know that the resistance on a trainer has nothing to do with the front wheel.

I find the trainer to be very efficient, productive, and especially useful for intervals. Actually intervals are the all I do on the trainer

GLC - Hadn't seen a trainer like that before, it is rather interesting. Being that my rear wheel has a power hub, I'm a little protective you know.

Anyway, end of thread hijack

[GLC1968]

GLC - Never seen the type of trainer you mention, but in general I want resistance (aka wear) on the tires not the rims....they after far cheaper after all!

I wouldn't think that this will 'wear' on the rims. The contact is a rubber wheel that rides the rims. It also comes with a remote thing that mounts to the handle bars to adjust resistance, but when I used it on the mountain bike, I never bothered with it. I just used the gears to adjust.

You do make a good point though...perhaps I should only use this on the commuter/tourer with the tougher rims, just to be on the safe side.

Found a picture of how it works: