Need a Trainer for My Road Bike

Discussion in 'Trainers' started by Mikie, Aug 10, 2018.


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  1. Mikie

    Mikie Admin/iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    NW Arkansas
    Name:
    Mikie Watson
    Current Bike:
    Ibis DV9 / SC Hightower
    Looks to be a long haul to get back on the bike. With that, I broke my old reliable Blackburn Trainer a few years ago. Looks like I need to buy a new one.

    Suggestions? Price? Bang for the buck?

    Thanks!
     
  2. kioti

    kioti iMTB Rockstah

    Name:
    Jim Jennings
    Current Bike:
    ibis ripley
    I have an old set of rollers, but I don't think that'd be a good option. o_O
     
  3. MrGreedom

    MrGreedom Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Name:
    Ryan
    Current Bike:
    BH Lynx6
    ricke24, Danmtchl, doublewide and 3 others like this.
  4. Mikie

    Mikie Admin/iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    NW Arkansas
    Name:
    Mikie Watson
    Current Bike:
    Ibis DV9 / SC Hightower
    I have a set of rollers, I want to get better, not hurt myself more! Ha ha!
     
  5. Ebruner

    Ebruner Well-Known Member

    Name:
    Erik Bruner
    Current Bike:
    22' Nomad, 22' Trance x 29
    I have one of these https://www.performancebike.com/sho...ainers/travel-trac-comp-fluid-trainer-40-5839

    I use that with a wahoo speed and cadence sensor and use it on trainer road and zwift. My geek level with regards to trainers and training equipment and apps is mild. I know enough to know that not all trainers feel the same and some can be off putting to some people. I find that the cheapo performance unit actually feels pretty decent and it's not something that I notice when I'm on it.

    You can obviously buy smart trainers like the wahoo kickr and such, but those don't work quite as intuitively as you would think with some of the training apps and programs fight the smart aspect of them.

    A few questions:
    1) What bike are you looking to strap to this thing and what axle config?
    2) Are you looking to do a 3rd party training program such as trainer road or zwift or just sit and spin?
     
  6. Mikie

    Mikie Admin/iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    NW Arkansas
    Name:
    Mikie Watson
    Current Bike:
    Ibis DV9 / SC Hightower
    ricke24, Danmtchl, doublewide and 5 others like this.
  7. Rumpled

    Rumpled Well-Known Member

    Location:
    OC
    Name:
    Jim Martin
    Current Bike:
    2018 Specialized Epic Carbon C
  8. Mikie

    Mikie Admin/iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    NW Arkansas
    Name:
    Mikie Watson
    Current Bike:
    Ibis DV9 / SC Hightower
    Thanks Brothah!
    I'm not much of a roadie so I have an old school rear axle skewer. I don't own a smart phone so I don't need a smart trainer. Just something to sit and spin on. Didn't want to spend much over $300 bucks. Had one for years and rarely used it. Dropped mine one day getting it out of the garage attic and BAM! Totalled it...
     
  9. Rumpled

    Rumpled Well-Known Member

    Location:
    OC
    Name:
    Jim Martin
    Current Bike:
    2018 Specialized Epic Carbon C
    To buy one, you can start to get into power reading trainers at about $500 up to thousands.
    Here is the goto info on those
    https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2017/10/annual-trainer-recommendations.html

    Anything else is dumb (the trainer, not you) and the one to get is Kurt Kinetic Road Machine, the green one.
    They are about $350 new but can often be found on craigslist for $100-200. They are pretty bombproof and I wouldn't have an issue buying a 15 year old used one. In fact I did, for $125 and it still works great.
     
  10. Mikie

    Mikie Admin/iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    NW Arkansas
    Name:
    Mikie Watson
    Current Bike:
    Ibis DV9 / SC Hightower
    Thanks Man!
    I know you are in OC so not practical but THANK YOU very much.
    Your above post nails it for me. Swift is not really my thing, I would rather ride my bike then do a simulator. The Kurt Kinetic makes sense. I'll search used
     
  11. Faust29

    Faust29 Moderator

    Location:
    irgendwo
    Name:
    B. Bunny
    Current Bike:
    I gots some bikes.
    I had that exact same one... Until I gave it to another member on the forum! Sorry, Mikie... You're a year too late.
     
  12. Mikie

    Mikie Admin/iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    NW Arkansas
    Name:
    Mikie Watson
    Current Bike:
    Ibis DV9 / SC Hightower
    Do any of the cheaper ones tell you how many miles you rode? I am trainer illiterate.
     
  13. Dirtrider....

    Dirtrider.... Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Mission Viejo, CA
    Name:
    Paul
    Current Bike:
    Ibis Ripley V4
    I purchased the Keiser M3i from a used gym equipment seller in Santa Ana... https://www.keiser.com/fitness-equipment/cardio-training/m3i-indoor-cycle

    I went that route because for me its a pain using a trainer on my road bike. guess i'm just too lazy to swap out the rear wheel each time I wanted to use the trainer vs ride on the road. for me it just got old. so I went the dedicated spin bike route. I use Strava training videos to watch and just use perceived effort versus all that fancy app techno stuff that's out there.

    for me it works. just another option. if you have a dedicated bike to use on a trainer I think that works well too.
     
  14. Faust29

    Faust29 Moderator

    Location:
    irgendwo
    Name:
    B. Bunny
    Current Bike:
    I gots some bikes.
    I don't think any of the trainers actually move, @Mikie . You just pedal in place. :p :whistling:

    In all seriousness, though, I prefer a dumb training device. I let the Apple Watch record the heart rate intensity and track the workout. For me, that means I can jump from the elliptical to the stationary bike without missing a beat.
     
  15. kioti

    kioti iMTB Rockstah

    Name:
    Jim Jennings
    Current Bike:
    ibis ripley
    Intensity and duration are the key factors.
     
  16. Mikie

    Mikie Admin/iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    NW Arkansas
    Name:
    Mikie Watson
    Current Bike:
    Ibis DV9 / SC Hightower
    Checking out the Kurt Kinetic Trainers, I came across this video. Maybe I'm a little emotional right now, but this video moved me.
     
    CBone, Danmtchl, kioti and 1 other person like this.
  17. Rumpled

    Rumpled Well-Known Member

    Location:
    OC
    Name:
    Jim Martin
    Current Bike:
    2018 Specialized Epic Carbon C
    Usually not. Many people use a speed sensor on the wheel and a cadence sensors on their bikes. With those you can use virtual power on things like Zwift.
    The miles don't matter, they really don't relate to real miles.
     
  18. Sidewalk

    Sidewalk iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    The road is where I call home
    Name:
    Josh
    Current Bike:
    N+1
    Ideal: Wheel off smart trainer with powermeter linked to TrainerRoad and/or Zwift. But your Mrs. said no, so...
     
  19. doublewide

    doublewide iMTB Rockstah

    Name:
    Mark
    Current Bike:
    Santa Cruz Tallcan
    Love me the rollers!
     
  20. rossage

    rossage iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    East Sacramento
    Name:
    Ross Lawson
    Current Bike:
    Highball
    I used my trainer to recover after my big injury. I started at 20 minutes daily then quickly went to 40 minutes, then an hour.
    Took me about a month before I was so sick of spinning in the garage that I just started riding my road bike. I never went for distance or pushed too hard. It's all about how you feel.
    Make sure you set up a fan, right in your face, on high, and keep a couple of towels around for the sweat.
     
  21. kioti

    kioti iMTB Rockstah

    Name:
    Jim Jennings
    Current Bike:
    ibis ripley
    I was thinking the ones for bikes. You?
     
  22. rossage

    rossage iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    East Sacramento
    Name:
    Ross Lawson
    Current Bike:
    Highball
    I roll my own.
    YMMV
     
  23. Oaken

    Oaken Well-Known Member

    Location:
    OC
    Name:
    CeeJay
    along with the fan, and a decent dvd library or streaming service.
     
    mountaingirl sara, kioti and Mikie like this.
  24. Runs with Scissors

    Runs with Scissors iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    West Anaheim
    Name:
    Mark Whitaker
    Current Bike:
    Giant XTC with pedals
    What about a recumbent?:whistling:
     
    mountaingirl sara and Mikie like this.
  25. Rumpled

    Rumpled Well-Known Member

    Location:
    OC
    Name:
    Jim Martin
    Current Bike:
    2018 Specialized Epic Carbon C
    Need enough beard, Birkenstocks and a pipe. Then you are ready.
     
  26. mountaingirl sara

    mountaingirl sara iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    So Cal
    Name:
    Sara
    Current Bike:
    Ibis Ripley
    Lol, that’s a good visual :Roflmao
     
    Mikie likes this.
  27. Mikie

    Mikie Admin/iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    NW Arkansas
    Name:
    Mikie Watson
    Current Bike:
    Ibis DV9 / SC Hightower
    Jim,
    THANK YOU for suggesting the Kurt Kinetic. I ordered one from REI on sale for $275 plus $35 for shipping. REI often has some good deals. I was finding them used for around $250 so I thought what the heck, buy it new!
     
  28. Runs with Scissors

    Runs with Scissors iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    West Anaheim
    Name:
    Mark Whitaker
    Current Bike:
    Giant XTC with pedals
    I have a Kinetic. The green one, no big bells and whistles but it will connect to my phone. It's good to have on the days when I can't get out but can spend 45 minutes to an hour staring at the garage door. :eek: Beats the heck outta sitting on the couch.
     
  29. Mikie

    Mikie Admin/iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    NW Arkansas
    Name:
    Mikie Watson
    Current Bike:
    Ibis DV9 / SC Hightower
    Yeah, this one will also connect with an App to a cell or iPad. Anxious to do... ANYTHING!
     
  30. Voodoo Tom

    Voodoo Tom MTB Addict

    Location:
    Castaic
    Name:
    Tom Kokkinakis
    Current Bike:
    Mango one, black one, Ti one
    I’ve got some 35mm gravel bike tires and a set of wheels that we could rig up on your Hightower so you don’t have to go thru the humility of a road bike.
     
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As a former Amazon Associate I continue to get screwed trying to stay qualified as an Amazon Affiliate. So I quit!


Want to donate to imtbtrails?