Excercise Bike v. Trainer?

[nuthatch]

I just had to chime in - I am in total denial. Summer will not end! I'm buying a snowsuit and a 25watt headlight and the trainer can have me when it pries my frozen fingers from the grips!!!

But thanks for the tips - the rim trainer sounds interesting.

[DressageAB]

I LOVE spinning classes- they keep me going hard, i leave tired and sweaty, and its a great solution for me since I am at school and my bike is at home (I live in a city and theres really nowhere for me to ride).
Luckily, they are free at my YMCA with my membership, because I will do 4+ classes a week. Two nights a week the class, which is 45 min long, switches to an hour and they have a professional cyclist come in and teach it- they call it "Road Race Training" and we watch the Tour (its kinda like being in a big theatre- the entire back wall is a movie screen).

However, given the choices, I'd rather be a home in New Hampshire, biking long loops w/my mom outside!

[Pax]

Update:

Like I'd planned, I started out spending this winter cooking and eating. AND I look like this trying to go outside most days.



Soooooo...Now that I'm getting all healed up from my oral surgery (fractured a molar over the holidays), I just ordered this:




Details/specs here.

It should be here next week and then I can start getting back into the groove.

[VenusdeVelo]

I'm with the rest of you, rollers...scary I don't need to fall in the living room now do I? No, to each his own. I know someone who put rollers between to pillars to hold on when needed. Or maybe next to a wall.

Most people I know also plan that they will change their tires out once the season on the trainer ends...I like my trainer though (CycleOps) -- but I agree, I need the spinervals DVD to keep it going, and spinning with a buddy (my HB) helps ALOT. I put his bike slightly ahead of mine and I get a nice view then too ....teeeeeheeeee

As far as spinners, I am JG certified but I must confess, my fave is not the JG spinner it's the Lemond. Nice smooth ride...and now Coach Troy (spinervals) uses them interspersed and equates tension to the spinner as well.

[wavedancer]

I had been spinning at home on a hand-me-down wind trainer...really loud! I just got some Spinervals DVDs and had to crank the volume all the way up to hear them. So as I was coming home from my BF's in New Hampshire, I stopped at the LL Bean outlet and goll-ee! There was a Minoura rim trainer, returned, unopened for only $75. I set it up last night and did a Spinerval today...So much quieter. And smoother. It has variable tension on the Mag flywheel, but even on the lowest tension there is more resistance than I was using on the wind trainer.

So with Coach Troy, heart rate monitor and cadence monitor there SHOULD be enough to keep my mind occupied so I stay on the bike for more than 20-30 minutes at a time. I love the spinning classes because of the energy of working out with a group, but they are always too early for me to get there after work. I have the bike set up on the trainer right next to the computer, so there really is no excuse not to hop on!

Linda

[bikerHen]

The only thing that gets me on the trainer is my MP3 player. I loaded it up with all my favorite old hard rock tunes and I pedaling my a$$ off while I rock out every morning.

I also have a Minoura rim trainer and LOVE it. It's fairly quiet, and does not wear down my tire. BikerHen