Trainers for winter...

I am thinking about getting one as well, in my area I cannot commute in the winter, so I need an alternative. Last winter I was in a local gym, but in the long run it is too expensive and I cannot really do what I want.

I checked trainer offers at CRC but I am kinda lost.

How much do i have to spend on some decent equipment?

And I took already a look at the website of Spinerval - the Fitness DVDs look intimidating, which I like.

How much do i have to spend on some decent equipment?

If possible, get a fluid trainer. Don't bother with stuff like remote resistance-adjust your resistance with your gears instead.

Budget fluid trainer should be OK. I'd Google the model you're interested in first to make sure there are no leaking issues.

+1. Get some Spinervals videos, specifically interval-based ones, and drive that heart rate up. If you do it right, you'll be destroyed and cross-eyed after 45 minutes (including proper warm-up).

HRM is an absolute must if you're not doing all-out intervals, as I find it much harder to drive up the heart rate for tempo or medium-effort workouts on the trainer.

Gotta second HR monitor as a must have. I find when riding indoors everything hurts twice as much as outside… same as how running on a treadmill time moves twice as slow. You will think you are smashing it because you're covered in sweat but your HR will be 125 bpm.

Slicks aren't an issue, I've got a spare rear wheel built up without rubber on it, no hardtail though, I'd assume that that wouldn't make a difference other than being a little (okay, a lot) less efficient??

Willie at West Coast Racing recommends that you train on what you ride so I spent a winter doing spin workouts on my full suspension XC bike with a slick on the back. It worked great and may even have helped me smooth out my stroke as the bobbing while hammering in the trainer provided feedback on how choppy my pedaling was.

same as how running on a treadmill time moves twice as slow. You will think you are smashing it because you're covered in sweat but your HR will be 125 bpm.

Friendly tip, Troy Jacobsen the coach behind Spinervals has Runerval DVD's available for the Dreadmill.

Thanks for the help guys! Found a pretty good deal on a used trainer.

Now I just need to sort out the tire issue, I'm running a set of Mavic 321's, on Mavic's site it recommends tire widths of 2.1-2.5", the widest trainer tire I can find is significantly smaller than that (1.75").

Can anyone recommend a slick tire that will fit?
Should I stop being a pussy and stick a 1.75" tires on there and give'r?
Should I rebuild my wheelset with a thinner rim and give'r? (last resort!)

The new Revolution trainer by LeMond looks very promising:

I saw that the other day - looks slick for the benefit of mtb tires and supposedly more accurate feel.

Thanks for the help guys! Found a pretty good deal on a used trainer.

Now I just need to sort out the tire issue, I'm running a set of Mavic 321's, on Mavic's site it recommends tire widths of 2.1-2.5", the widest trainer tire I can find is significantly smaller than that (1.75").

Can anyone recommend a slick tire that will fit?
Should I stop being a pussy and stick a 1.75" tires on there and give'r?
Should I rebuild my wheelset with a thinner rim and give'r? (last resort!)

considering the tire is not "weight bearing" and only for training as long as the bead seats you should be ok.

could probably find a heavy tire with a center ridge still floating around in someones shop.

Should I stop being a pussy and stick a 1.75" tires on there and give'r?

I've run Tom Slick 1.0 tires on an XC MTB rim, so I say it'll work fine.

Don't forget to pick up a mat (I use the square interlocking ones from Home Depot, etc.) and a fan if you don't have one.

I would think that you ought to able to find a used trainer pretty cheap on the various interweb markets. Fact is indoor trainers are very boring to use. And not nearly as effective as actual riding. So like the deals one can find for unused Bowflex crap, there should be similar used deals where buddy bought one with good intentions and never used after one or two weeks.

Fluid drive is good. You can use a knobby on one but it will be really noisy. Maybe take one of you old worn tires and use it for skidding practice until it's pretty much bald. There you go; home made slick. Or take an exacto knife to it and slice off the knobs.

Thanks for the help guys! Found a pretty good deal on a used trainer.

Now I just need to sort out the tire issue, I'm running a set of Mavic 321's, on Mavic's site it recommends tire widths of 2.1-2.5", the widest trainer tire I can find is significantly smaller than that (1.75").

Can anyone recommend a slick tire that will fit?
Should I stop being a pussy and stick a 1.75" tires on there and give'r?
Should I rebuild my wheelset with a thinner rim and give'r? (last resort!)

I picked up a cheap semi-slick tire from Crappy Tire for next to nothing.
Oh and another thing, depending on your wheelset you may want to pick a cheap skewer as most clamping systems are made to work with the solid steel knobs on each end and could damage an expensive lightweight skewer.

I would think that you ought to able to find a used trainer pretty cheap on the various interweb markets. Fact is indoor trainers are very boring to use. And not nearly as effective as actual riding. So like the deals one can find for unused Bowflex crap, there should be similar used deals where buddy bought one with good intentions and never used after one or two weeks.

Fluid drive is good. You can use a knobby on one but it will be really noisy. Maybe take one of you old worn tires and use it for skidding practice until it's pretty much bald. There you go; home made slick. Or take an exacto knife to it and slice off the knobs.

I've bought two trainers from the North Shore bike swap. This year I scored a Cyclops fluid trainer and mat for [HTML_REMOVED] $100. Last year it was an Elite fluid trainer for [HTML_REMOVED] $100. Both were in mint condition and have been working flawlessly. Those plus my Kurt Kinetic trainer makes 3. My preference in order are: Kurt Kinetic fluid trainer, Cyclops and lastly the Elite. They all give you a good workout but the Kurt definitely has the best "feel" with respect to acceleration and decelleration but it also weighs a ton so transporting it is a hassle. Is there an N+1 rule for trainers? :dizzy:

I just got my Taxc Speedmaster T1810 trainer today, together with a trainer-specific tire - and just had my first workout. I use my commuter as the trainer bike.

It rocks. Sure, it can be boring - but in the end it is what ouy make of it. Headphones, a bike movie, whatever keeps you motivated. I even saw DVDs which let you "ride" certain roads or stages in the European Alps, or the Riviera. Sweet.

Old thread, but if anyone is looking for training video to watch while you are on the trainer, my wife did a review of 3 of the "Trail Trainer" videos here:

http://www.themountainbikelife.com/2014/12/trail-trainer-videos-review.html

I tried them too and found it more useful having the video coach push you vs. doing it yourself.