UKC

Hi all,

As if a 12 hour night shift wasn't bad enough, I'm thinking of getting a turbo trainer to punish myself on my break. As there is a not inconceivable chance that upon discovering that it is in fact rather unpleasant I'll not want to touch the thing again, I'm looking at the lower end of the price range.

To give me a better chance of sticking with it, I like the idea of the sufferfest videos rather than staring at a blank wall. However, a bit of research seems to show they are not available for android devices, at least not in the UK. Is there anyone else who makes similar videos that combine with training programmes what are available on an Android smartphone?

I'm thinking of getting a Tacx Satori Smart trainer as something at the lower end of the price range that I can link up to a training programme/smartphone. Anyone own one of these? Are they any good? Any other suggestions of trainers?

In reply to MikeR:

Try looking at Trainerroad, Bkool and Zwift as options for video devices etc. Not sure whats available on android, but all very cool!

In reply to MikeR:

Hateful things. Mine is in my shed and hasn't been used in 2 years....If you were closer you could have it but it'll cost more to post than to buy.

Sufferfest used to provide you with an AVI file that would play on anything don't know if they've changed it to DRM based.

In reply to MikeR:

Aldi have one from tomorrow for £50, decent spec for something that may spend its life hanging in your shed if you don't take to it

In reply to Castleman:

Thanks, the Bkool videos look good, and seem to be available for android.

In reply to balmybaldwin:

That does seem to be the consensus. We'll see how I get on.. Thanks, that would have been a kind offer, but you're probably right about postage.

In reply to Hat Dude:

Cheers, had a quick read of some reviews. It does sound like the rollers are prone to burning out, so maybe a bit too cheap?

In reply to MikeR:

I have a set of rollers and elastic band my phone to handle bars once its connected to Netflix via my wifi. I find that works well. I only really use it if my wife is out for the evening and the boy has gone to bed (usually half 7 ish). Beats sitting on the sofa watching Netflix!

In reply to MikeR:

Hateful things. I've just sold mine on Ebay after using it perhaps half a dozen times in 15 years.

In reply to MikeR:

I had a very cheap one - £35 or so, might have been off Ebay - which was perfectly servicable. I found adequate motivation from the Chasing Legends soundtrack, or videos of Gilbert winning everything in 2011...

Sometimes I'd set it up in the kitchen and race the washing machine.

I only used it when the weather was too horrid to go for a bike ride, and I sold it when I discovered running as a horrid-weather alternative.

In reply to MikeR:

Tacx Booster here.

Simple ,straight forward turbo.

I put YouTube in front of me and savour the pain)

In reply to MikeR:

Have a look at "dcrainmaker." He is a cyclist, triathlete gadget bloke who will give you a good heads up on turbo trainers at different price ranges.

In reply to MikeR:

As others have implied, there are thousands of barely used turbo trainers about so look on eBay for ones close to you, or Gumtree or similar.

I prefer rollers but they are quite intense I find.

I think that a turbo would only be bearable if linked to some form of virtual reality interactive thing, but I expect one has to invest a fair bit to get the kit, which you could spend on beer, or bikes, instead

In reply to MikeR:

Basic Cycleops owner here purchased around 2011,

I must be a rare breed as I love the turbo, just watch some music video compilations on youtube with some nice ass and the hour sessions fly by..


I did 8000miles last year and about 2000 would have been during bad weather or recovery on the Turbo, about the same again this year.

I have actually almost worn my trainer out as the roller has a huge groove in it.

Really trying to stay away from zwift as it can be really hard to get the cold weather gear on and having a set up with zwift I doubt I would venture out past September...

In reply to MikeR:

My thoughts are:

Get a fluid trainer not a magnetic one. They feel at least a little bit like the real thing and are quiter. You don't have to spend a fortune. I got one that I'm very happy with from chain reaction for about £90 in the sale. (Or look for second hand as others have said)

Speed, cadence and possibly HR monitor alongside an ant+ dongle for your computer will go a long way to help you track progress and give you an indication of how hard you're working. You can also link this up to zwift/trainerroad if that's your bag. I don't but I do use Golden Cheetah which is free software to record and track all of your data.

My trainer is used strictly for short high intensity sessions. I can't think of anything more depressing than using it to do plod miles.

Use a video for motivation. GCN have some great videos for free on their youtube channel.

Get a fan or make sure you train somewhere cool. Don't underestimate how hot you can get when you don't have wind blowing across you at 35kmh.

In reply to MikeR:

I think turbo trainers are a bit like finger boards; they only make sense if you have very specific training goals which are important enough to you and to follow an intensive yet monotonous regime, and you are interested in analysing performance data as you improve. I got a lot out of turbo training when I took part in group training session organised by my (then) local cycling club, during which we followed 60 minute sessions intervals, sprints, diff heart rate zones etc. Since I moved my very basic trainer has lain dormant

Having said that I've got some cycling mojo back this summer and am keen to improve rather than lose fitness and power when the weather gets crap with dark, rain, ice and snow. So I'm thinking of getting one of the new generation of smart trainers with Watt measurement with the specific aim of increasing my functional threshold power (watts sustained on a hill). This looks good:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/wahoo-kickr-snap-smart-turbo-trainer/rp-...

In reply to Marmoteer:

Thanks for the recommendation, that's a really useful site. Made things a lot clearer, especially regarding the different apps and what they do.

In reply to Siward:


I need to build another shed before I'd have room for more bikes! Plenty of room for beer though...

I've managed to find an ex demo one on eBay that looks good and quite a bit off standard price.

In reply to triniriderz:

Glad to hear there's at least one person that likes them!

In reply to MikeR:

I've just bought a £50 one from Aldi. I'll report back if I ever use it.

Bloody hate turbo training, but it is effective and getting you fitter, and you can be very prescriptive in a way the road doesn't allow. It will at least be useful for dynamically calibrating my power meter.

In reply to MikeR:

Try the CTXC or GCN training videos on youtube. You still suffer but you have the feeling of not suffering alone!

In reply to MikeR:
I honestly think there is a lot of guff about turbo trainers, a training plan does not need to be specific to the 00000.1 of what power you are putting out for them to be useful esp if you are not racing Cat 1-3. Also a trainer is simply there for you to have something to turn your legs on, even the most basic trainers will work absolutly fine for that, no need to spend bucks on something all seeing and dancing, and to prove that it would be a idea to watch the documentary about Graham Obree and look at his turbo for a idea of how basic you can get!!!!!!!!..

I find the the turbo a absolute god send for 1 hour recovery rides and when I am feeling just a bit weak or the weather is poor. It allows you to just spin the legs get the heart going without all the factors that riding outdoors will bring, be it wind etc etc..

If you train by just going balls to the wall you will burn out very quickly, vary the resistance and do not worry if you have easier sessions. Keep Cadence around 90-100 and if you can start logging everything on Strava it really is a good way to stay motivated and to track progress, a very basic Garmin 500 used on ebay is peanuts along with a Garmin speed cadence sensor and download what you do be it indoors or out..

I am actually at the point where this time of year I look forward to a turbo session as it means not getting soaking wet on crap roads, you just need to be disciplined enough to stick to a training plan regarding what you do each week. A good starting point is three on one off if you are new to cycling and stick with it religiously you will see major gains very quickly..

Book a cheeky Majorca trip now for the end of Feb as something to aim for, cheap as chips.....


Regards

In reply to MikeR:

There's a fairly comprehensive review of Zwift and Trainerroad on road.cc at the moment. Probably worth a read
http://road.cc/content/feature/217593-zwift-vs-trainerroad-which-best-you

In reply to MikeR:

How about some rollers instead?