Trainer as an indoor option...

[jwd]

I've been using a "dumb" kinetic road machine trainer with garmin cadence/speed and zwift. The zwift thing makes it a bit less boring. It's great for getting a ride in later if time or weather is an issue.

[45K10]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

Balderdash, if you can ride a bike, you can ride rollers..Get rollers..riding on a trainer is painful anyway..rollers help your pedal stroke and pass the time ohh so much faster..trainers make ya brain dead..

+1 on rollers, get a good set with the conical drums like Tacx. The learning curve is less steep on those.

[R3awak3n]

you want a kickr or something similar to that. Smart trainers are awesome, specially with something like zwift. Well I say awesome, they still suck but not as much, it is actually nice for like 30 minutes, then its hell.

But yeah, look into a smart trainer

[Pastashop]

In my experience, Kurt Kinetic or a used Cyclops with a fluid or a progressive mag unit would be good. Those tend to have ~2" drums, which work a bit better than the tiny 1" drums on a typical cheapo mag trainer. They also tend to have a heavier flywheel, which is nice. Under $350 new, less if you get used. But anything with a smaller than a 6" diameter roller or drum will eat tires, so you'll probably want a dedicated rear wheel for this, unless you don't plan to ride outside during the same time of year as your heavy trainer use, which will tend to flatten and glaze the tire.

[rzthomas]

Never been a fan of rollers -- I've bought and sold three sets over the years. I prefer the trainer cause you can get on, knock out a workout without concentrating on not falling off.

[kramnnim]

Kickr

[MagicHour]

For small apt compact setup I use a Kurt kinetic road machine 2.0 + Stages PM on my one and only bike (I keep at home).
Any trainer would work here, cycleops, etc, but the Kinetic is solid and has a pretty good road feel.

Works great with Zwift, trainer road etc. can easily set up and stow in closet when not in use-can't keep trainer permanently setup.

Not having a smart trainer, I do lose out on the simulation aspect of Zwift, but don't have to worry about spin down calibrations etc. every time I setup(Stages calibrates in like 10 seconds) and frankly even without terrain simulation I still have a blast on Zwift doing group rides, races and workouts, and have no problems getting quality training in. In fact these days, it's generally more convenient for me, and safer than riding out on the road; even at my mediochre speeds, it's very difficult to go out and find open road where one can safely execute say, an uninterrupted 2x20, eg, interval session in NYC.

Bonus: same power measurement indoors and out.

[thwart]

Originally Posted by rzthomas

Never been a fan of rollers -- I've bought and sold three sets over the years. I prefer the trainer cause you can get on, knock out a workout without concentrating on not falling off.

Funny... depends on your perspective, I guess...

Trainer time is boring as h*ll for me. My Kurt Kinetic (bought it cheap used, certainly wise in retrospect) gets almost no use.

[Anarchist]

Originally Posted by thwart

Funny... depends on your perspective, I guess...

Trainer time is boring as h*ll for me. My Kurt Kinetic (bought it cheap used, certainly wise in retrospect) gets almost no use.

My trainers got so little use I sold them.

Rollers - Had a set of Tacx folding rollers for 20 some years, they finally picked it in, bought the Sportcrafters/Cyclops and they are probably 10 years old now ...

[dem]

I'm ~20 rides into InsideRide rollers and can still barely ride them (and crashed once when I zoned out.) And these are the 'easy' rollers!

The feel is certainly infinitely better than being bolted to a trainer, but I can only ride them for 30 minutes or so due to being so locked into position. I don't dare move!

Rainy days I use the KICKR for real workouts and the rollers on rest/easy days in a pitiful attempt to get better at them. My dream is to be able to do workouts like I can do on the KICKR, but so far it is slow going.

My wife has also spun thousands of miles on the 1UP USA Trainer, and it is solid for a dumb trainer and folds flat (similar to their beloved bike racks.)

[45K10]

Originally Posted by dem

I'm ~20 rides into InsideRide rollers and can still barely ride them (and crashed once when I zoned out.) And these are the 'easy' rollers!

The feel is certainly infinitely better than being bolted to a trainer, but I can only ride them for 30 minutes or so due to being so locked into position. I don't dare move!

Rainy days I use the KICKR for real workouts and the rollers on rest/easy days in a pitiful attempt to get better at them. My dream is to be able to do workouts like I can do on the KICKR, but so far it is slow going.

My wife has also spun thousands of miles on the 1UP USA Trainer, and it is solid for a dumb trainer and folds flat (similar to their beloved bike racks.)

Keep at, it will get easier. I started out that way and one day it just clicked.

Here is some inspiration
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BcHekNAfOo

[tctyres]

Originally Posted by a4racer

Things I don't care much about: simulation--racing virtual versions of myself / others on a screen, heart rate monitoring (I know, I know--I just want to ride)

IMO, you need to follow a workout or set of workouts. Otherwise, it's dead boring. I broke my clavicle in June, and for 2 months, the trainer was all I could do.

I've never done zwift, but a lot of people love it.

I wound up getting some powertap pedals, and in combination with my hr monitor, speed, and cadence, my fitness improved tremendously. I only had a simple mag trainer, and you can do a lot with it.

I worked through this: https://whatsonzwift.com/workouts/hunters-challenge
I used two countdown watches to time the long and short intervals, and I had the TdF on the screen and the music on.

[thwart]

Originally Posted by 45K10

Keep at, it will get easier. I started out that way and one day it just clicked.

Here is some inspiration
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BcHekNAfOo

This. I started out with traditional fixed rollers. I'm a relatively clumsy guy, and I remember the huge sense of accomplishment when I was able to comfortably ride those rollers and move them away from the doorway that I started in.

The Inside Ride (I call 'em e-motions) really freed up my ability to get out of the saddle, to sprint, and (eventually) ride no-handed.

I found that the positioning of the front roller makes a big difference here, so be sure you have them set up correctly for the bike you're using on 'em.

[RobJ]

I had both the Kinetic Rock and Road and a Kickr. The RnR was a nice alternative to the fully locked in trainer mode, providing some sort of motion. Plus it is cheaper than the Kickr. The Kickr was awesome for full on ERG mode, following my training plans and Sufferfest videos. But probably overkill if you are just looking to spin and be productive.

I now went to the InsideRide Rollers for a more realistic feel and to work on bike balance/handling. Plus I splurged and bought the add on resistance unit so now can train with TrainerRoad etc. They also have a fork mount for those days where you don't feel like concentrating. I have seen the IR rollers popping up used for around $400-$500.