"Dumb" Stationary trainer experience sharing.

[Jaco Steyn]

Being forced to work from home and not being able to do my daily commute to work and back and a weekend longer ride, I dug out my 10+ years old RAVX indoor trainer. Cleaned it up and mounted my old Raleigh RC4500 on it.

 

Since I started using it, I realised that I have a lot to learn to make the best of what I have. What I have learned so far is:

 

• Keep a towel handy, you sweat a LOT! I am using a smallish one to wipe my head, neck and face.
• A stationary trainer chows your tyre! I took the tyre off and put an older one on that still has enough tread on it, but was beginning to show small cracks on the sidewall. It should be fine for my purpose. I know a trainer specific tyre should be used, but that isn't an option at the moment.
• Clean the "roller" after each ride. The roller becomes sticky from the tyre's rubber that wears off while riding, but very unevenly. This causes the wheel to slip while riding which can become quite annoying.
• I am still undecided about listening to music while riding. Those that does it, isn't the earphones a nuisance? 
• I moved the IDT outside, a bit of a draft outside and listening to the birds makes it a more pleasant experience than riding inside.

Any other tips and suggestions from those in a similar position would be appreciated. 

[Spannervalley]

I met a guy recently on a group ride who was just coming back after injury. We got chatting and it turns out he only had one lung from training full tilt on rollers at home and wiping out so badly that a part of his bike stabbed into his lung and caused other serious injuries. Poor guy. So heavy 

[madmarc]

I used a dumb trainer for years - this is how i developed it as far as i could with training apps.

 

Make sure you running the rear pressure at 8 bar

If the tyre is wearing make sure the roller pressure isn't too hard against the tyre - I used normal road tyres for years before i eventually got the blue tacx tyre

the 1st app i used was TrainerRoad using the virtual power mode on an old gen2 Ipad - For this you will need Ant+ spd/cad sensor & HR strap connected via 30 pin Ant+ dongle

On a laptop you will need the Ant+ USB dongle.
Or you can got the Bluetooth route on a newer Ipad which you will need BT spd/cad & HR it should connect direct to Ipad BT

BT on laptop you will probably need a BT dongle.

 

I tested this setup on Zwift as well which seems to work with the app set on virtual power.

 

For music i cannot handle the normal headphones with rubber plugs so i use the Iphone ones that hang in your ears

I use free Spotify - made my own music selection of high tempo rock music to keep me motivated

[Skubarra]

 

Any other tips and suggestions from those in a similar position would be appreciated. 

 

Also have a dumb indoor trainer I borrowed for the lockdown just to do something

 

Only thing I will add is that there are some nice IDT specific youtube videos you can play on your tablet/laptop while ride - pretending you are riding somewhere in the Alps or doing intervals with a group certainly beats staring at the clock on your garmin.

[NotSoBigBen]

I'm lucky in that my 'bike room' is on the other side of the house so I just use my home theatre type thing ... I don't crank it up or anything just enough so I can hear it.

 

Anyway my wife would rather I ride with the music than walk around miserable all day ... Ok more miserable than I am that I even have to ride inside

[flymango]

Context

Managed to get some rollers two days before lockdown.

Using my road bike, with tyres pumped to 8 bar.

Roll on the stoep, with outdoor speakers sending out tunes from Deezer.

Use my Garmin Fenix 5 to record my effort.

 

Comments

I'm very tentative on the rollers - it's a skill I'm still developing. Tend to grab onto the stoep's pillar more often than not.

I find it hard to sustain the output to remain upright for long periods, so I've reverted to a 5 minute warmup followed by an interval-type regime of 2 minutes on and 1 minute off, for 45 minutes.

I get my 300 points per effort from Discovery.

I think my neighbour's going to try shoot my outdoor speakers out soon, or he'll be WhatsApping me his Deezer playlist.  

[EddieV]

I'm lucky in that my 'bike room' is on the other side of the house so I just use my home theatre type thing ... I don't crank it up or anything just enough so I can hear it.

 

Anyway my wife would rather I ride with the music than walk around miserable all day ... Ok more miserable than I am that I even have to ride inside

 

whilst riding on the rollers …

 

I switch on a Netflix movie with sub-titles (with speakers muted) …. the foreign movies I want to watch but don’t want to struggle through while laying on the couch,

 

whilst playing my favourite spinning music via the headphones,

 

whilst (intermittently) viewing Zwift on silent on the PC to record the session

 

 

you can get in a good 90-minute session in this way without fighting boredom   

Edited April 16, 2020 by EddieV

[Albatross]

Headphones: I found the cables where a problem. Quite often caught the cable and sent my phone flying across the room. I use airpods now, no cable no fuss. I like to pick an album beforehand that lasts the estimated time I'll be on the trainer.

 

Keeping cool: get a fan to blow on you. I don't like the direct flow on me so I tilt the fan so that i only get a slight breeze in my normal easy spin position, when I tuck for more the intense segments I catch the full force of the breeze.

 

Don't forget to clean the drive drain occasionally and relube.

 

Have a view, don't face the wall but rather point it so you have an outside view.

[FirstV8]

I use studio type spinning bike with 25 kg fly wheel and fixed cog . Necessities  are , ride in your usual cycling shoes , cycling pants and or jersey , head phones, towel , small fan in front of bike and ceiling fan  if you have inside . I use a big screen computer on which i have a live concert of two hours to watch . (! hour morning 1 hour afternoon ) I like rock music from the 70/80's bands that now do concerts around the world . I spin a at 90/100 rpm but crank it up to 120/130 on instrument solos for however long they are ( some can be 4/5 min long ) . 

[Jakkals.]

My advice is, you dont need a smart trainer, you need any trainer with a plan. being structured makes the boredom disappear and you also reap the fruits of being consistent.

[Jaco Steyn]

I used a dumb trainer for years - this is how i developed it as far as i could with training apps.

 

Make sure you running the rear pressure at 8 bar

If the tyre is wearing make sure the roller pressure isn't too hard against the tyre - I used normal road tyres for years before i eventually got the blue tacx tyre

the 1st app i used was TrainerRoad using the virtual power mode on an old gen2 Ipad - For this you will need Ant+ spd/cad sensor & HR strap connected via 30 pin Ant+ dongle

On a laptop you will need the Ant+ USB dongle.

Or you can got the Bluetooth route on a newer Ipad which you will need BT spd/cad & HR it should connect direct to Ipad BT

BT on laptop you will probably need a BT dongle.

 

I tested this setup on Zwift as well which seems to work with the app set on virtual power.

 

For music i cannot handle the normal headphones with rubber plugs so i use the Iphone ones that hang in your ears

I use free Spotify - made my own music selection of high tempo rock music to keep me motivated

I looked at that option, but they are asking $19.95 per month(more than R370/m) for it, or $189 per year (R3520), which is WAY too much for me at the moment. I'll then rather just chug along at my own pace for this period.

[Jaco Steyn]

My advice is, you dont need a smart trainer, you need any trainer with a plan. being structured makes the boredom disappear and you also reap the fruits of being consistent.

 

I hear you, but I am a 57 year outoppie, and I just want to try and keep busy during these difficult times. I definitely to not have podium finishes in mind...… 

[Butterbean]

Couple of things that work for me...

 

Tyres - use electrical tape to tape the outer circumference of the tyre... Now you don't wear your road tyre out and no changing between wheels and tyres.. Cheap, cheerful, and easy.

 

Towels - one for the handlebars and top tube, one for face and head.

 

Clothing - wearing a shirt seems to be better for sweat control than nothing.

 

Intervals are great, but if you're looking for some longer distance or more time, I find breaking it into 10 minute sessions, 8 seated and 2 standing keeps me from boredom. Also helps with the ass.

 

You need to ride affording to something for the most out of it.. Heart rate zones, speed, power whatever. You need to set goals to work in and meet them.

 

You shouldn't need to fight off boredom if you're doing it right!

[Transporter]

I hear you, but I am a 57 year outoppie, and I just want to try and keep busy during these difficult times. I definitely to not have podium finishes in mind...… 

Real youngster, still....

[madmarc]

I looked at that option, but they are asking $19.95 per month(more than R370/m) for it, or $189 per year (R3520), which is WAY too much for me at the moment. I'll then rather just chug along at my own pace for this period.

 

Yes the cost is high once you get hooked - TR is my goto app which i'm fortunate to be locked in on their annual sub of 99 USD - I signed with Zwift for 1 month during lockdown to mix up the monotony of IDTing. I told the wife i'd dump it after a month...................NOT ! 

[Duane_Bosch]

 I signed with Zwift for 1 month during lockdown to mix up the monotony of IDTing. I told the wife i'd dump it after a month...................NOT ! 

Yeah I also scoffed at Zwift. riding around in a cartoon chasing fake bikes and power ups. Pft.

 

TOTAL JUNKIE NOW!