What is a Turbo Trainer?
A relatively simple piece of kit that turns your bike into an indoor exercise bike, be it a road, hybrid or even hardtail mountain bike. All turbo Trainers work in the same way by suspending the bike in a sturdy frame and resting the back wheel on an adjustable resistance roller. The bike is held stable and upright allowing you to sit comfortably and gently spin away, just like in the gym.
Why buy a Turbo Trainer?
Not everyone enjoys riding when it’s cold, dark and miserable outside. The roads are often in a pretty rough state and if last year is anything to go by we often get very cold snaps that lead to frosts and snow putting an end to most people’s riding. Not only that but maintaining a bike through Winter can be both time consuming and costly.
A Turbo Trainer is an ideal way to stay fit and healthy in the comfort of your own home. As weekly or evening rides are often shortened by the lack of daylight and the cold, many mountain and road cyclists use them to help stay fit meaning they feel stronger and fresher when they do get a chance to get out and ride. For the more committed riders who struggle to fit in the training hours over the Winter they are a brilliant way of staying fit for both racing and come warmer weather and longer days in the new year.
There are no descents or freewheeling on a Turbo Trainer making it a fairly intense way of training, in which case even 40 to 60 minutes once or twice a week make all the difference. Such a session could easily be comparable to an 90 minutes to two hours out on the roads or trails.
|