Concept2 Forum

I've decided we need an indoor cycle trainer. The permanent kind-not the one you put your bicycle in.

Any recommendations?

I want it for erging cross-training and knee rehab. My husband is a real cyclist. We need one that each of us can use to get the best workout.

thanks,

grams

Grams--

We went through a similar decision a couple of years ago. The two main choices are the "Lifecycle" or similar machines that use some sort of electronic/magnetic resistance or the spin bikes that use the heavy fly wheels. We ended up getting the Lemond "Revmaster" spin bike and really like it. The bike is fully adjustable between the seat and handlebars so it is easy for different people to use and still get the right fit. I'm also a serious cyclist and it's more like a real bike, too. The down side is you need to get used to the heavy fly wheel--if you stop peddling, the fly wheel still wants to go (there is no coasting like on the electronic versions)--could be hazardous to your knee if not careful. Your best bet would be to go to a store to try out differnt types to see what fits your expected usage, budget, etc. Should be lots of sales coming up as we get towards the end of the year and you may even be able to find a used one in good shape, too.

Good luck,
Kevin

A couple of years ago I was resource constrained - out of work for a year after the 2001 tech market downturn, but working my way back up the career laddder - and I wanted to buy a good spin bike didn't feel like I could spend >$1000, so I researched numerous products and tried the following:


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/custom ... &n=3375251

My suggestion would be to get a recumbent bike trainer. It should be more comfortable and the position is more like rowing than if you are seated like on an upright bike.

Byron

Hi Byron,

Do you have a link to any of those.

I have two bicycles, a touring and racing bike and plan to get a bicycle trainer for one of them. I had
an avenir wind trainer since the mid-70's, got a lot of use from it and finally tossed it away. I might junk
the touring bike and get another one. They are only 150 bucks or so.

Personally I'd rather get a bicycle for 150 bucks, and a wind trainer for another 150 bucks. Then you have
a better setup plus a bicycle you can use. However I've not used one of the expensive one-piece spin trainers
except in lab at the U but they just don't look as useful in my opinion. My uncle used one for a long time though
and still does. He is 88 and in great shape so as long as you have something you're going to use, that's what counts.

The avenir wind trainer I had was fantastic though. I did many and many a session with it and was great.

Hi John,

A friend with a very bad back recently got a recumbent trainer from Sears. It was on sale and it was around $400 or so, I'm not sure. His back is so bad I had to assemble it for him. I was impressed at how well made it is. If you're interested, I can try to find out what the make is. The only thing I would change is that it is best to use regular biking pedals and cycling shoes with cleats so you're clipped in. That way you can pedal in smooth circles and that should be better for the knees.

If you already have a wind trainer, yes you could probably get a bike to use with it. I've done that and it works fine. As I mentioned, I prefer a recumbent to a regular diamond frame bike, since I find it more comfortable and closer to rowing. But somebody else might prefer an upright bike.

Byron

Ebay has a bunch of them:

http://sporting-goods.search-desc.ebay. ... 2QQsapplZ1

Hi John,

I just heard back from my friend who got a recumbent trainer:

Nordic Trac SL 728 - purchased at Sears, and it was a closeout, with a price of $399

As I mentioned, it seems nicely made. After a few uses, he had to retighten all the fasteners, and says it is working well.

I've also had good luck in buying things at EBAY.

Byron

I have a problem with recumbent trainers and bikes that others might or might not experience. It's bad enough to advise a little caution and experimenting before buying.

On my regular upright bike, my hips seem to move around a lot more than most riders. I've found that seated in a recumbent, that motion is suppressed by the geometry of the seating position. This overstresses my knees, which start to throb. Note I have a very unusual build in that area.

I use an inexpensive fluid trainer (Nashbar) with a dedicated, no-frills, upright bike mounted to it. The bike was literally put together from discarded and spare parts. I've modified a bike computer to read from the rear wheel (by splicing in wire), and that's the most sophisticated part of the whole operation. For the cost of a LeMond Revmaster (a very nice unit, I think), you could put together a couple of these rigs.

Ed

I always get the rear pickup cyclometers. They don't cost any more.

How did you splice the wires together?

Ialways get the rear pickup cyclometers. They don't cost any more.

How did you splice the wires together?

Whether or not they cost more depends on where and when you get them. They are less common than front mounts. I always seem to buy stuff like this on a short fuse, so I end up buying locally, and usually front pickup is all that is available.

Splicing the wire is easy. Cut the pickup wire. strip the ends of the two conductors, strip the ends of the wire to be spliced in. I put some shrink tube over the individual conductors and two pieces over the whole wire, then twist the conductors together and solder. Then, shrink the lengths of shrink tube in place. The wheel pickup is just a switch, so you don't need to worry about maintaining the original polarity. The 1-1/2 to 2 feet you need to extend the wire won't affect the operation.

BTW, I tried using a Cateye wireless on the rear wheel, and it was too far- the reciever would not pick up the signal.

Also, rear pickups on a bike actually used on the road are not as accurate as front pickups, since the rear wheel does slip a little in certain conditions under power.

Ed

Be careful not to put too cheap a bike in your mag/fluid trainer. Cheap crankarms can really flex under heavier loads (like out of the saddle sprints on max resistance) and it's in all the wrong directions for your knees and ankles to safely support the load.

Here is more discussion on splicing cyclocomputer wires:

http://www.burrow.ca/cyclist/bikecurren ... ml#sect7.3

As you can see from this reference, you want to follow Ed's advice and use solder in case there is any clear insulation on the wire.

I'm not sure about this, but I think there was one brand where the wire is actually a coaxial cable although it's not obvious by just glancing at it. In that case, splicing would be more difficult.

Byron

I went out 'test riding' at 4 stores yesterday, which gave my knee a workout.

Thanks for checking out the recumbent, Bryan. I have decided against one, because it is in fact too much like a rower. I need something that will work my leg muscles differently than the C2. I actually like hill climbing and standing on the pedals and using my upper body when cycling too. Lastly, my husband is a tough cyclist. If I ever go out with him I definitely need to have done some hill training.

My conclusions on upright stationary bikes:

If the 'handlebars' are mounted below the level of the monitor I almost 'faceplant' the monitor if I stand and pedal. I'm fairly short.

We both want a continuous watts readout. That feature isn't usually on the cheaper models.

I like the Nautilus 2000 ($1100). A lot of money.

The Schwinn 113 is lightly built but can be adjusted more than the others. $549 if I get it from a dealer, already assembled and tested. $400 if I get it online and take a chance that it is damaged in shipping. That seems to be fairly common.

I am back on the rower with both legs now. Not long, not hard, but it is keeping my quads from withering away entirely. Actually I'm recovering nicely, considering it has only been 3 weeks.

grams

I've been reading that a lot of people racing like to use the cycleops device for accurately measuring watts. They have an indoor trainer that looks good, although I have no personal experiance with it. http://www.cycle-ops.com/c-8-indoor-cyc ... x?skinid=2 It's pricey but looks like it's pretty solid

I know your not looking for a "wind trainer" type device, but just to throw out some more info. My wife and I are looking for one that we can use with the bikes we'll be racing with next summer. I've done about as much checking around as I can and we're looking at the "Pro trainer" http://www.kurtkinetic.com/ It has up to 18 lbs that can be used on the flywheel which is supposed to be a close match to actually being on the road. You can also use a six pound weight when doing interval type workouts. Good luck with your choice . John.