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| *Vultures Knob>>>Mountain Bike |
I just purchased a new Mountain Bike - what should I look for when purchasing an indoor/outdoor trainer? |
My main concerns are my weight - 225lbs and the durability of the trainer. I'm looking for something that will handle a very aggressive workout. I got a trainier several years back when I was trying to get in shape for the Pan-Mass Challenge. Around that time I was tipping the scales around 230 pounds. The first thing you want to look for in a trainer is a good name brand. You are going to want a company that will be around long enough to support the warranty. You will probably pay a few dollars more, but you will know you are getting one that wont fall apart after a month. If you have a local shop that you trust they will probably have a brand to recommend. Personally I have had a Volare Elite 1 for 8 years and it still works. Cycle Ops is another brand that I have heard good things about. On the construction of the trainer, look for tub based or boxed in frame members. You don't want to be sitting on something that looks like it was made from stamped sheet metal. Next thing to consdier is resistance. There are wind, fluid and magneto based resistors. Wind is extremely noisy and I have heard that they build momentum. So after a little while you let up on the pedalling and the trainer will keep your wheel moving. Fluid is quieter, has a good road feel. I have never tried a magento based one, but many of those models seem to included adjustable resistance so you can change it while you ride. When you mount your bike on the trainer, the rear wheel will be a couple of inches higher than the front. A lot of the online catalogs will offer a "leveling block", but you don't need it. A phone book or a block of 2 X 4 will do the trick. You said you are putting a mountain bike on there? If so, get your self a slick tire for trainier use. The agressive treads on most mountain bike tires will be ever noisy regardless of which style of trainer you get, and you don't want to waste that grip chewing it up on a stationary trainer. (http://www.performancebike.com/shop/prof... Lastly, look into som videos to go along with the trainer. I have tried riding mine with just the iPod going and get bored pretty quickly. I got some videos from the Spinervals (http://www.spinervals.com) collection and they really make the time go past. Most of the videos are for a 45 minute work out. Good luck with your training. Then you want a fluid trainer like Nashbar鈥檚 fluid trainer. Make sure you change your rear tire to a slick. Have ample funds? You might want to read about some high tech resistance trainers at PezCycling News. Nashbar鈥檚 fluid trainer http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?categ... http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullst... The first thing I'd look for is a road tire for the rear wheel of your bike. Mountain tires are super annoying on a trainer. Beyond that, any decent bike shop quality trainer should handle your weight fine. There are a few kinds of trainers to consider. Wind trainers are inexpensive, but noisy, and the resistance isn't really variable. Mag trainers are quieter, a little smoother, usually offer variable resistance, and are still reasonably inexpensive. Fluid trainers are awesome. Very quiet, very smooth and usually a little more durable as well, but of course, they are also the most expensive. I usually recommend Mag trainers to my customers unless you're going to use it all the time, in which case the fluid is well worth the extra money. Hi- I would definitely look into a fluid trainer, but I believe that the cycleops fluid trainer is the best around. I have one and use it daily, now that the tour is on. |
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