Categories: Accessories and GearProduct ReviewReverenceTechniqueTechnology

Reverence: LeMond Revolution

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:

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

Examples of unacceptable reasons to ride a trainer:

Its raining outside and you don’t want to get wet.
Its cold outside and you don’t want to get cold.
Its windy outside and you don’t want to get blown around.
Its cold and wet outside and you don’t want to get cold and wet.
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.

Next Les Choix »

Previous « Guest Article: Rule #9 Festivus

View Comments

unversio says:

Jan 22 2014 at 6:47 pm

@Chris

Whatever, it's still too baggy...

"He's say'n thatitz t'baggeh!"
The Pressure says:

Jan 22 2014 at 6:59 pm

"With all due respect...F....k you!"-Rickie Bobbie
kixsand says:

Jan 23 2014 at 6:31 am

I really like the idea of these trainers that don't require a rear wheel/tire...much easier than my Green Machine and having to have a rear wheel and training tire built up specifically for when I need to ride indoors.

That being said, I have to give kudos to the Kinetic by Kurt...it just works. Doesn't make a lot of noise. Folds up and slides into an inconspicuous location to keep the wife reasonably content. And, it's reasonably priced at half the price of the LeMan.
PeakInTwoYears says:

Jan 23 2014 at 7:15 am

@ChrissyOne

@andrew

I've driven from Bainbridge Island to Port Townsend, and just the thought of riding some of those narrow roads with those drivers in the wet is enough to bring on vicarious testicle retraction. Respect.

Yep, that's roughly my neighborhood. I live just south of Bainbridge Island.
http://www.strava.com/activities/107871441

The riding is wonderful, but as you suspect... conflating too many of those dangerous ingredients is a recipe for a crap day. I went out for a night ride last night, but I'm lucky to have a 3.2 km residential loop near my house. Little traffic and perfect for throwing down V laps or so. But the major roads can be deadly, and there aren't many cyclists around, so people don't tend to look for them.

There is some wonderful riding south of Port Townsend. We have some faves over there. There are some dicey bits on Hwy 20 (links PT to 101), but the valleys and ridges in the Chimacum area and the Toandos peninsula (south of 104 on Hood Canal) are fabulous. Thorndyke Rd. on the Toandos is a good climb--or series of climbs, however you want to count it--and it just happens to be part of an exact metric century from our house.
cyclebrarian says:

Jan 23 2014 at 1:21 pm

@kixsand

I really like the idea of these trainers that don't require a rear wheel/tire...much easier than my Green Machine and having to have a rear wheel and training tire built up specifically for when I need to ride indoors.

That being said, I have to give kudos to the Kinetic by Kurt...it just works. Doesn't make a lot of noise. Folds up and slides into an inconspicuous location to keep the wife reasonably content. And, it's reasonably priced at half the price of the LeMan.

I bought my buddy's Kinetic from him back in November (he only used it twice) and have been very pleased. I thought the rear wheel/skewer thing for the Kinetic was going to be a much big deal, but it wasn't. And I figure I'll just buy a new back tire before the spring season starts. Like you said, "it just works." I bought it for me and the gf, but she doesn't find it comfortable, so I have it all to myself. The fact that it folds up is a bonus - we live in a two bedroom apartment (one is ours...well, and our two cats...and the other is devoted to bikes), so we have to move everything out of there when we have company. We've already decided our next place needs to have three bedrooms.
wiscot says:

Jan 23 2014 at 1:39 pm

@unversio

@Chris

Whatever, it's still too baggy...

"He's say'n thatitz t'baggeh!"

Is that Rik van Looy in the middle? The kit has a certain "Flandria" vibe to it and Merckx knows the guns are big enough. Those pants are just there not to scare everyone else.
wiscot says:

Jan 23 2014 at 1:45 pm

FWIW: Just a thought for the winter trainer crowd: Find a cheap rear wheel and make it your permanent trainer wheel. I do it with an old Alex wheel that came on my Giant years ago. I use up old or odd tires on the trainer too.
JohnB says:

Jan 23 2014 at 1:53 pm

@pistard Irony. Big fan of Fry.
Beers says:

Jan 23 2014 at 2:34 pm

@wiscot

FWIW: Just a thought for the winter trainer crowd: Find a cheap rear wheel and make it your permanent trainer wheel. I do it with an old Alex wheel that came on my Giant years ago. I use up old or odd tires on the trainer too.

I do the same, mine even has a lump when ridden on the road, but because the QR is locked in, to don't even feel it on the trainer. A great use for damaged rims, wobbly rims, lumpy rims. Wouldn't ride it on the rollers though!
starclimber says:

Jan 23 2014 at 8:06 pm

Re the noise of wind trainers, yeah. My first was a Vetta Lugano, single roller double fan nightmare white noise at whatever wattage I could force out. Used to put on albums up loud and take short breaks to flip them, so the 20 minute x 3 with short rests workout made perfect sense the first time I read about it. Well, except that I was so obsessed they'd be 4 or 5 albums long, and the intervals would be keeping tempo for however long a song lasted despite what my agonized lungs might have to say about it.

Found a 2 roller 4 fan Vetta on ebay a few years ago, far quieter owing to the reduced rpm. Interestingly, given the lack of a flywheel, this rig best simulates climbing, as the wind resistance kills the momentum swiftly and you get a surgy feel. Super cool. Now if I could only rock the bike....