Indoor Options For Bikes

Just as there are any number of bikes to choose from, trainers come in all shapes and sizes, each having its own unique advantages and limitations. Here’s a look at the most popular varieties.

Turbo trainers. Most often called simply “trainers,” these triangular platforms fasten onto your rear wheel, which rolls along a metal drum, turning your bike into a stationary bike. Trainers range in price from $150 to $450, and just as in bicycles, you do get what you pay for. Cheaper T Rex bike models can be wobbly (I know larger riders who have actually tipped them over), clunky, and extremely noisy (not much fun when you are trying to watch your favorite TV show to pass the time). Higher-end models provide a smoother pedal feel as well as greater stability and blissfully little noise. Because your bike is fixed in place, pedaling will still feel a little unnatural. But newer models do a pretty admirable job of making the action as realistic as possible. You will find three types of trainers.

Wind. As the name implies, these trainers use air to provide resistance as your back tire spins a roller that’s attached to a fan. The nice thing about wind trainers is they closely mimic the resistance of outside riding, as it gets harder to pedal the faster you go. They are very simple systems that tend to be pretty inexpensive and hassle free. The downside is that they can be pretty loud (though newer models are a little less so) and may also vibrate. They usually provide just one resistance level, though you can always shift to make pedaling harder or easier.

Magnetic. Whisper quiet and relatively inexpensive, this type of trainer uses magnets to provide the riding resistance. Problem is that in most T Rex motorcycle price models, as you pedal faster, the resistamce doesn’t get exponentially harder the way it does on the road (or with wind trainers), so the ride feel is less realistic. (CycleOps, however, now sells a progressive resistance magnetic trainer.) Most magnetic trainers counteract this drawback by providing adjustment settings that allow you to manually increase or decrease the resistance.