I read recently that a number of Pros like to ride the turbo for an hour or so before having breakfast in the morning to jump start the old metabolic system. Which means that now I ride the trainer for an hour in the morning before breakfast. I think the Pros probably do it to lose weight, and I do it partly for that reason but also to burn off the hangover which comes as a result of my status as a semi-professional drinker.
I used to ride an old Tacx trainer, but I found riding the device only slightly preferable to shoving bamboo shoots under my fingernails. Then I got a LeMond Revolution and now I actually look forward to my morning sessions. I’d been interested in the LeMond Revolution trainers for some time, but it wasn’t until I discovered that the device is based on a direct-drive trainer that Greg’s coach built for him in the 80’s that I decided to embark on my new morning ritual at the mercy of one. After all, if it was good enough to help LeMan become a Tour de France winner, then surly it was good enough to help me get less fat and become less of a weakling.
The first thing you notice about these little numbers that you remove the rear wheel from your bike and mount the Revolution in its place. This means no wheel slippage on the mag and what amounts to a remarkably pleasant ride feel. The second thing you notice about the trainer is that its bloody hard to spin up; I start crossed in a 53×26 and can hardly turn the pedals at first, but there is no way I’m shifting into my little ring on a trainer on account of my not being a giant sissy. The third thing you notice is that it’s actually fun to ride; I turn on some old Cycling movies and before I know it, I find my buzzer going off indicating the hour has already passed. I had no idea riding a trainer didn’t have to suck.
But lets be clear: we are road cyclists, and we ride on the road. A long ride in the cold wind and rain is preferable to even an hour on an indoor trainer. But trainers do represent an important training tool and as such should be a part of every Cyclist’s arsenal. I’m on it every morning, and as the season looms I’m looking to it more and more for intervals and power work. Not to mention that as I prepare for my Hour ride on Festum Prophetae, I’m training Obree Style on my Revolution.
Before we get too carried away with this indoor riding business, let’s review some examples of acceptable reasons to ride a trainer:
Examples of unacceptable reasons to ride a trainer:
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I find this whole topic unsettling, mainly because it's been a very long time since I had the discipline to use a trainer--and when I did use a trainer I used it mainly for long anaerobic threshold intervals. Which is maybe why the memories are painful and I find it easier to eat live rodents than to get on a fucking trainer, even though I own one and live rodents are expensive and hard to digest.
Cold, wet, and windy don't bother me at all. I'm out in it every miserable Seattle day on my motorcycle commute to work, at the very least, if not the road bike as well. But as I commute an ungodly distance across a stupid body of water on a big dumb boat, I spend a ridiculous level of time at it. This means I both leave and return in darkness for much of the year. Cold, wet and windy makes you strong. Darkness, at least out here in the murky sticks of The Shire, is libel to get you killed. And nobody wants that.
I don't have quite as snazzy of a trainer (CycleOps fluid) but nonetheless, I've come to really enjoy the bugger. I set it up in front of anime on the Netflix and the km's just fly by. I've just been alerted to Sufferfest and will be checking that out soon. In the mean time, I'm doing intervals to Attack On Titan and slicing huge V's into the backs of marauding giants.
@ChrissyOne
I have to ask you this, then: can you, if you are willing, describe to me the similarities and/or differences between what goes through your head when you corner a) a sportbike, b) a road bike, and/or c) a mountain bike.
This is neither a test nor a troll. It is a question asked in good faith, with the best will in the world, by someone who has ridden all of the above, all poorly, with various, minimal, levels of success.
@PeakInTwoYears
Interesting question. And one that will handily cause me to bogart this thread, Merckx have mercy. You asked for it...
a) Cornering on a sport bike is the funnest thing I have ever done in my life. And it will bust your quads like no one but a road bike racer will understand. This is, in fact, why I train on the road bike. (Or at least why I started to. Road biking has become its own beast for me, I'm happy to report) There is simply no feeling I have experienced like throwing my R1 into the long left-hand turn 6 at The Ridge Motorsports Park, dragging my knee (and sometimes my elbow) with my head inches from the tarmac. It's incredible.
Entering a corner on a sport bike is totally different from a road bike mostly because of front suspension and trail. You enter the corner hard on your front brakes (in fact, you use mostly front brakes on the track) which causes the suspension to compress, increasing fork trail. This makes the bike turn faster and helps you tip in to the turn. If you're good a trail braking, you enter fast enough to stay on the brakes well past the tip in point. Then it's gentle transition from brakes to throttle, which is applied evenly and steadily as you apex and exit the turn. Smoothness is the key. If you let off the throttle, you might unload the rear suspension, causing the bike to lose and then regain grip, sending you on a high-side space adventure. Good drive out of the corner is key to overtaking, as is being brave on the brakes going in. I'm better on the brakes than I am on the exit. Something I'm working on.
It's actually surprisingly not scary, once you get the hang of it. Once they get warmed up to race pace, those big sticky tires grip the track like you could only dream of with your 25's. I've washed both the front and the rear and gone down, but it was fairly predictable and when you crash in full leathers, you'll most likely walk away with little damage (I had zero both times) unlike bicycle crashes, which have flayed most of my extremities since childhood.
b) Cornering on a road bike is something I'm still coming to terms with. It's not that I want to be on the brakes, it's just that I haven't crashed a road bike enough to know where the limit of grip is. That's not to say I haven't crashed a road bike. I still have scars from one about 16 years ago.
I kind of like crashing.
Anyway, it's a bit like cornering a sport bike, because of the way you move you weight to the inside and push your inside knee out, but on a sport bike you put all your weight on your inside foot rather than your outside. Of course that's impossible on cranks, but the body positioning is similar.
c) Cornering a mountain bike is totally different. At least the way I do it. I cross up more, staying above the bike with my body more upright, and leaning the bike under me.
Or... do I do that? I can't be entirely sure. I don't really think about anything on a mountain bike. I just sit there and magic happens.
(sorry for shitting all over your thread, Frank!)
@Boltzmann
F#$K'N LOUD when you are going for it! Obtaining it's resistance from spinning a fan, it can get very loud when pushing hard intervals. Last time I used one I went into the granny flat, and turned the radio up to max. At moderate effort it was hard to hear the radio but it wasn't until later, when I was working at about 80% did I realise that I could no longer hear the radio at all. If you need quiet, this is not the trainer for you unfortunatly.
Merckx used rollers #justsaying
Nice post, monsieur Franque. I've often thought that it would be great to rig that contraption up in such a way (air ducts? chain transfer?) that the big fan ends up wafting a firm breeze into the face of the rider. Wouldn't that - literally - be cool?
Nice post, monsieur Franque. I've often thought that it would be great to rig that contraption up in such a way (air ducts? chain transfer?) that the big fan ends up wafting a firm breeze into the face of the rider. Wouldn't that - literally - be cool?
Whoops - apologies for the double post. No idea what went wrong there
@NickO
I am sensing that @Franks new found fame, worldwide engagements, status as an author and guru are catching up with him and time on the bike for long rides is being limited, hence this lame justification for getting on an indoor trainer. This I can understand. In fact I sympathise, life is busy but to mask this struggle between time on the bike out in the glorious world with a recommendation for a device which requires you to remove the rear wheel (thus destroying the aesthetics of your mochine) is sheer heresy!
If you MUST for whatever sad reason climb aboard your steed indoors (oh IMHO medical rehabilitation is probably the only reason I can think of that justifies this) then surely Merckx above the only true way would be rollers? At least they require some skill and a degree of concentration.
@Deakus Turbo before breakfast as per the article, rollers during breakfast and road afterwards?
On a more serious note, as much as I love my rollers and the smoothness gained from spending decent amounts of time on them, I'd love to have a decent turbo as well for lower cadence out of the saddle efforts and to work on leg strength.