The LeMond Revolution

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:

  1. Strength and/or interval training.
  2. Pedaling technique work.
  3. Hour Record simulation training.
  4. Pre-breakfast rides to help lose weight, assuming you still hit the road after breakfast.
  5. Recovery from injury.

Examples of unacceptable reasons to ride a trainer:

  1. Its raining outside and you don’t want to get wet.
  2. Its cold outside and you don’t want to get cold.
  3. Its windy outside and you don’t want to get blown around.
  4. Its cold and wet outside and you don’t want to get cold and wet.
  5. Its cold and wet and windy out and you don’t want to get blown around while getting cold and wet.

[dmalbum path=”/velominati.com/content/Photo Galleries/frank@velominati.com/Revolution/”/]

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

View Comments

  • LeMond Trainers are definitely the business - only a Wattbike or fixed ergo is better (but cost/space/noise (for ergos) can be an issue) - but one must also own a set of rollers to assist with maintaining one's souplesse.

  • Excellent device, and very good real road feel. A buddy runs a spin studio that is equppied with several of these. After a couple of years of mercyless flogging by countless class attendees they are all functionion perfectly. Amazing. They do (although I know nothing about it) have facility to approximate power which may be handy for inveral work. I'd have one if I had a lazy $900 or so.

    The other trainer I like is the Wahoo Kickr. Despite a crap name, it is very similar to the LeMond, only utilizes a flywheel rather than a fan. It also is a computrainer is that it can vary the resistance for you to force a specific power output. Handy for MAP testing and the like. Also allows you to hook it up to a computer and ride a route with or without the video. As the road, so does the resistance. Want to train for an event that is too far away to train on the acutal route? No worries, this can allow you to. Awesome, but also expensive.

    http://au.wahoofitness.com/devices/kickr.html

  • Seriously??? I've been eye-balling these babies for awhile now and also the Sufferfest videos.  If this snow keeps up I may have to pull the trigger...

  • Not seeing any evidence it's being used. Where's the pic of you looking fantastic on it?

    Or aren't you a morning person?

  • The Sufferfest videos are only around $12 or so - pretty reasonable. And they have a 3 pack starter kit for $32.

  • I'm sorry, but when the high is -26C, I'm on the trainer. No, on second thought I'm not sorry.

  • Mrs Boltzmann and I continue to put the trainer time in on our >10 yr old LeMond RevMaster - indestructible beast that it is!  Quiet, stout, and will likely outlast us.

    At what noise level does the Revolution operate?

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