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Save money with an indoor trainerJan 29 '01 Write an essay on this topic.
Popular Products in Sport and Outdoor
The Bottom Line Inexpensive alternative to stationary bikes. Promotes cycling specific types of training. Takes up less space.
If you already have a bicycle, why spends lots of cash on a complete stationary bike? I want to talk about indoor trainers for bicycles. These are machines that you hook up to your bike, and your bike becomes a stationary bike. How do indoor trainers work? Its quite simple. You attach your bicycle's back tire to the trainer and your rear tire makes contact with a metal roller. When you pedal your bike, the tires will make the rollers spin. There are various ways in which you can control the amount of tension on your trainer. It is as easy as cake. Why get a trainer instead of a stationary bike? First, it will almost certainly cost you much less to buy a trainer if you already have a bicycle. Second, It is better for cycling specific training. If you really enjoy biking, then you want to train specific muscles that you actually use while biking. The indoor trainer will be able to focus on these muscles that you really want to develop. Third, it is much smaller than a stationary bicycle. Most models will fold up and you can store in a closet or in the garage. What kind of trainers are out there? There are three basic types of trainers: Wind, Magnetic, and Fluid. Wind resistance is perhaps the most simplistic. On the end of a roller is a fan that catches creates resistance by effectively increasing the amount of tension on the rollers. You can get more or less tension on the bike by shifting your bicycle. Its simpicity is its best feature. The downside is that it gets loud. If you like watching TV which exercising, then you may want to get headphones. Magnetic trainers rely on moving a magnetic plate closer and further away from the rollers thus allowing variable resistance in your training. And I don't know enough about fluid trainers to tell you how they work. Both of these varieties are much quieter than their wind based counterpart, but they are also more prone to failure and require you to make adjustments on the trainer itself to adjust the tension (although they do make remote controls for both types of units). Where to buy trainers. I looked around at local bike shops, but found that buying online was much more cost efficient. The websites that I have personally used and would recommend are Gear.com, Performance.com, and Nashbar.com. Check mtbr.com for trainer specific reviews of the products. I personally ended up buying the blackburn contender ($120). Riding it feels just like riding your own bike on the road. It is a fast and efficient way to get your exercise in. I hope this review is helpful to you. Feel free to post comments with questions.  |
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