Turbo trainers

mikemac

I've haven't seen this discussed here before. Of course they are no substitute to getting outside on the bike but could a useful tool and cheaper than an expensive gym membership

Any one have one or have any recommendations?
From a few google searches it seems you can buy DVD's of famous cycling routes and they are linked to you pedalling. What a genius idea!

http://www.tacx.com/indexv3.php?language=EN
These seem to be main crowd coming up in searches. Interested to hear any other opinions

E@gle.

That tacx trainer in particular is pretty expensive

http://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=171&idproduct=17839

smithslist

From a few google searches it seems you can buy DVD's of famous cycling routes and they are linked to you pedalling. What a genius idea!

yeah these are the virtual reality trainer that are quite expensive,your best bet would be just to go for a tacx cycletrainer.

wuld recommend the sirius machine, have used it myself but generally wouldnt buy a trainer with dvds if you not use to cycling indoors, and anyway evenings are getting longer now, so theres no need to buy a turbo..........

Freddy687

I have a Tacx trainer. They do work ,but an hour on a turbo is brain numbing.
They are cheaper then an excerise bike, and much better as you decide the bike and gearing to use.
The best thing to use a turbo for is for interval training, use a heart monitor, cadence sensor and off you go.
Most of the guys I train with use the turbo during the week.

But everyone one of them cannot wait for the longer evenings.

There's no substitute for the open road, a big hill and 3-4 guys taking lumps out of each other to be first to the top.:D

Raam

I tried my brother's one at the weekend. They give you a good workout and you sweat buckets because there is no natural wind, so get a big fan and plonk it right in front of you. It may have been particular to his trainer, but on the steep gradients, I found it very jerky and I couldn't maintain a smooth cadence. This is a different experience to going up a steep road. I wonder is it something to do with the bike still being flat. His rear wheel was also a bit flat, so maybe that didn't help. He has the one that hooks up to the PC so you have a changing view to look at. I only did a 4km time trial on it. I reckon I would get bored on it after a while. That said, it could be good for those nasty dark evenings.

P

Morgan

I have a Tacx Flow which I'd happily recommend. It indicates your speed, cadence and power output. It's pretty good value for money. I got my from Wheelworx in Clondalkin.

To counter boredom you should follow the sessions available on the Tacx website - you shouldn't just sit there pedaling at the same rate for an hour.

That "jerky" sensation described by Raam is the rear wheel slipping on the roller - the roller may need to be tightened against the wheel.