I can't be the only one...

[Tri Girl]

you're definitely NOT alone on this one. I have ridden my trainer for 2 hours once this winter (and had a huge saddle sore to show for it afterward). My limit is about 1 hr and then I want to strangle myself.
I wish I could love it more. Definitely better than the spin bikes at the gym, but hardly by a huge margin.
It's a necessary evil, I'm afraid. Even tho it's supposed to be 60 degrees today, I get to a certain point of winter that even THAT feels cold (well, that and the wind is supposed to be 30 mph).

I want spring/summer back...

[Jo-n-NY]

This is my 8th winter riding the trainer. I do it now just to keep my legs in some kind of cycling shape so when March or April roll around I have not lost all my leg fitness. I try not to think about it ahead of time and keep in my mind I will ride for 30 minutes which usually ends up being more. Kind of mind over matter since 30 minutes while watching tv isn't all that bad.

I always ride longer when my friend joins us and my bike shop will resume spin on our trainers sometime this month now that the holidays are over. That ends up being a real push session.

Just keep in mind you don't want rubber legs when you hit the outdoor pavement.

[Selkie]

I confess to having survived 5+ hrs on the trainer (Spinervals Hardcore 100). I usually ride more than an hour/90 minutes at a time on it, but I'm always doing Spinervals while on the trainer. Don't enjoy it half as much as being outside but I don't want to lose my cycling fitness over the winter. I've found that slogging it out inside on the trainer makes me a stronger rider and improves my technique. Credit goes to Coach Troy, though. Without Spinervals, which provides ready-made workouts, I couldn't put in that sort of time on the trainer.

In addition, I'm still able to swim throughout the winter, which really helps, and this year, I've rediscovered a love of Powerstrike (I have several of the DVDs).

I understand why people are loathe to ride on a trainer, though. Winter's a good time to crosstrain---try rowing, kickboxing, focus on weight training, etc. I really can't wait for warmer temps/clearer pavement. There is so much salt still on the roads that I'm putting off riding outside until after a good rain washes some of it away.

[HoosierGiant]

I hate, hate, hate winter in central Indiana! (But then, I'm one of those people who isn't warm until it's 80 degrees outside.) I do, however, eagerly anticipate the ice-covered, grit-smothered roads because then I can use the trainer. I love, love, love my trainer!

Just spinning doesn't do it for me though, and that's where evil Coach Troy comes in. We own quite a few of the Spinervals DVD's, so I have plenty of 'poison' to pick from. The two- and three-hour workouts are my favorites -- obviously I have issues, so perhaps you might not want to trust anything I have to say. For inspiration I also like to ride during telecasts of Hawaii Ironman.

If not using a DVD, I'll do one-legged drills, intervals, or a simulated hill workout -- anything to change things up.

We own two trainers, so DH and I will ride together sometimes -- reduces the monotony and introduces a little competitive spirit. A cycling friend of ours brings his trainer/bike several times a month, and we even added a fourth cyclist once. It was a little crowded, and we had three fans running, but it was a blast!

It also helps to have a long-range goal in mind to entice me to use the trainer. We do RAIN (160 miles) every July, so I have to maintain my distance base over the winter months. We do Michigan Mountain Mayhem (130 miles of hills) in early June, and there's no way I'd be ready for that without some gut-busting workouts on the trainer.

I must agree though -- trainer miles are hard miles -- but it's oh so easy when the weather cooperates and we can hit the roads!

[Mr. Bloom]

I hate, hate, hate winter in central Indiana! (But then, I'm one of those people who isn't warm until it's 80 degrees outside.)

After a month below freezing and with snow on the ground for the last two weeks, TOMORROW IT WILL BE 61! I'm going for a ride...rain or not!

Tell Mr. HG I said "hi"

[arielmoon]

I totally agree. I detest mine. I much prefer the rollers but even that is not like the road. I am looking forward to some weekend riding with warmer weather!!

[marni]

since I got a trainer, which I requested, for Christmas, I was relieved to see some positive comments among all of the negative comments. I did an hour the other day and didn't find it too boring, but that is probably because I did the same thing which I do at the gym to work on cardio which is to plug myself into a podrunner intervals podcast, close my eyes and go with the music. I will probably eventually find a way to set up a portable dvd in the garage so that I can do some spinnervals along with the race day video which came with the trainer.

I requested the trainer because due to life changes, I no longer have three or four days free to ride outside. I go in for a training 2x a week, as does my FIL wihci takes up four mornings leaving me one weekday plus the weekend which is usually occupied with chores, taking care of dad etc. Add to that the fact that the weather around here has been really terrible and was terrible all this summer and I am hoping that the trainer will allow me to add an hour of extra work on the short gym days and inbetween things on the weekend.

Time will tell, but one of my new years resolutions is getting the last 15 pounds (for a grand total of -140 pounds) off and keep it off. Since I am reaching the age (63) when the energy seems to drop and muscle loss begins, I am fighting that as a double edged sword as well.

[Miranda]

Think I bought my trainer around xmas 2007. I have ridden it twice maybe. Was just sayin' to someone, I'm going to set it back up again. Just for maybe some shorter spins.

I have a couple DVDs. Yes, you need fan. Rollers would be better, but I fear crashing on my bad wreck shoulder. I'm not getting re-injured "inside", of all things lol.

I teach Spinning at a couple gyms. My current winter schedule is 6 classes a week. I have a lot of students that are outdoor riders and runners this time of year.

I know the spin bikes are different, but there are positives....

When I am riding as a student, I enjoy just closing my eyes, getting into the music, and picturing my favorite road. Sometimes I tune everything out, and just focus on my pedal stroke. No cars, dogs, etc. You have company, and hopefully a motivating great instructor.

I love teaching.

[Catrin]

After a month below freezing and with snow on the ground for the last two weeks, TOMORROW IT WILL BE 61! I'm going for a ride...rain or not!

Tell Mr. HG I said "hi"

I think that the roads today in Indiana are going to be full of cyclists. I am SO looking forward to it!

[limewave]

On the trainer you tend to sit in one position for a longer time than if you were outside, it makes it more uncomfortable. You also never get a chance to coast.

Our LBS has computrainer set up with 4 bikes. It's free for club members. I do that once a week. It really helps having friends to ride with. We usually do a 25-30 mile course.

Starting next week I'll be doing group trainer ride with another club taught by one of the local pro's. That should be fun (more fun than riding alone in my basement anyways).

My last ride of the week (I try to get 3/week), I watch a movie and pedal easy. I'm trying to increase my time on the bike. I have yet to do a 2 hr trainer ride.

[pll]

This is the first winter I'm seriously trying to use a trainer consistently. I find it much harder than riding outside, as many of you have mentioned. I have been watching some movies and I also bought the Suffer Fest videos, which were recommended in another thread.

Since the summer, I have been trying to increase my cadence, but I still cannot keep it up above 90 for more than 15 min without an effort that leaves me breathless. Any advice on how to improve on that dimension? Some kind of interval work, perhaps? Not being able to maintain a high cadence makes it hard to follow the Suffer Fest workouts.

Anyway, this morning I was thinking that it would be great if someone came up with wiring/sensors that enabled people to use the trainer with simulations (say a Wii cycling game). Found this, which is not exactly what I had in mind, but it gave some hope: http://usbrider.com/index.htm Wouldn't it be cool if a game console was able to pick up on cadence and gear changes for a game? <of course, being a bit of a luddite, I don't own any game consoles...>

[LivetoRide]

I was wanting to ride today but I just got back from a quick trip to Cincinnati tonight! The plan is to do a short ride with some friends tomorrow but the weather isn't supposed to be nearly as nice. Hope you all that got to ride had a nice time.