So how do you keep up the riding and the fitness during the winter months so that come spring you’re ready to enjoy the better weather in some sort of riding-shape? That’s where turbo-trainers come in.

Turbo training allows you to ride your own bike when it's nasty outside!

Basically a turbo allows you to ride your bike in a static position. A normal bike is clamped into the turbo stand with the rear wheel slightly elevated, allowing you to sit on the stationary bike without it falling over. The rear wheel is in direct contact with a resistance unit so that when you pedal there is some effort required to turn the pedals and the rear wheel doesn’t just spin freely.

It’s a very similar concept to the training bikes that you’ll find down the gym but with some significant differences: firstly, it’s your bike that you are riding so the position and feel are what you are used to; the turbo trainer is easy to move and set-up so you can ride whenever and wherever you want; and finally the turbo training allows you to ‘ride’ your bike – you can shift up and down the gears making it easier or harder to pedal just as you would on the open-road.

So what’s the difference between a £100 and £400 turbo?

A basic turbo trainer will have a solid A-frame and a resistance unit.

Frame: The frame is obviously important as it needs to hold the bike (with you on it) nice and steady. More money can buy a slightly more stable frame or one with a slightly more sophisticated clamping mechanism (to clamp the bike into the frame) but most of the decent brands have perfectly suitable frames even in the entry-level models.

Tacx Speedmatic with a basic A-frame

Improved frame design which uses riders weight to ensure constant contact with roller and allows rider more freedom of movement without affecting stability

Size of resistance unit: As you spend more the resistance unit will improve. The range of resistance offered will increase and the way the resistance is generated will change. Stronger riders may find that the entry level trainers don’t offer enough resistance for them to train effectively and may want to consider a trainer with a bigger resistance unit.

Type of resistance unit: More expensive trainers will often use a gel or fluid resistance unit which offers a smoother and quieter ride. It is worth considering where you would be using the trainer and how much noise you could generate without annoying anyone! Some turbos have ‘clever’ resistance units where the resistance adjusts automatically according to speed. An example would be the Elite Supercrono Power Fluid Elastogel Trainer. Some people may like this option as it prevents them from spinning along merrily in a gear where they aren’t actually working too hard. Others find that they prefer to control the resistance unit themselves and may therefore not like this option.

Controls: Many models have a remote control for the resistance. This mounts onto the handle bars of the bike and allows you to change the resistance level of the trainer whilst riding. Some of the cheaper models don’t have this, although if you plan to use the gearing on your bike to train you may find you can do without it.

Power meters: More expensive models have power meters built into them. A display mounted on the handlebars will show the power that the rider is generating on the turbo. Many people find this a good way of monitoring how effectively they are training on the turbo. Other features may include a cadence reading (speed at which the pedals are turning) and ability to monitor heart rate. Additional upgrades would be to a wireless power meter meaning that there is no wire connection needed between the power meter (in the resistance unit of the turbo) and the digital display on the handlebars.

The Tacx Flow offers a wired digital computer showing power, heart-rate and cadence. Elite have a similar trainer but without heart rate  – Elite Supercrono Fluid Digital Trainer.

What else will I need?

You might want to consider using a front wheel support to re-level the bike as the rear wheel is slightly elevated by the trainer. You can get away with using a pile of books or a block of wood although these options aren’t quite as stable.

In the stationary position you don’t get the normal cooling effect of the air which you would get as you whiz along outside, so you tend to sweat more. Have a towel to hand or consider a sweat mat if it get really bad!
Some surfaces tend to be noisier than others (e.g wooden or laminate flooring) and a trainer mat will help reduce noise and vibration.

Will my bike work in a turbo trainer?

Most trainers can be set up for 26 inch wheeled bikes (mountain bikes and some hybrids) and 700c/28inch wheeled bikes (road bikes and most hybrids) and the position of the resistance unit can be adjusted to accommodate different tyre sizes.

Tyres with a lot of tread on them will be very noisy when used in a turbo trainer so if using a mountain bike on your trainer you might want to consider changing the rear tyre to a slick tyre, with no tread.

A better option is to change the rear tyre to one specially designed to use with a turbo, like the Continental Home Trainer Tyre. These tyres are made from a different compound which will be more durable for use with the trainer.

So what do I do on my trainer?

As a start, get some ideas from here.

Enjoy!

Going snowhere

To be fair, the trails up there were almost impossible to walk on without crampons, so I probably wouldn’t have spent much time upright on the bike.  Even the local bike shop in Ambleside seemed to be discouraging customers from test riding bikes because of the conditions.

So the holidays are over, and it’s time to get pedaling (and peddling!) bikes again.  We have a lot planned for this year, so I’ve decided not to race the BMBS (NPS) races this year.  I’m going to try to stick to more local events, team events, and possibly more road.

If you haven’t ridden a fixed wheel bike before it’s hard to explain the feeling.  You’re solidly clipped into the pedals, there’s no freewheel and no brakes. You slow down simply by pushing back on the pedals – and there’s no chance of stopping pedalling once you get going.  Adding to the fear factor is the 45 degree slope at the ends of the track.  It sounds terrifying to beginners but once you’re caning round the track at 25mph it feels just great.

So, what do you need to have a go?  Obviously it helps to go with a club (or your mates) – particularly if you haven’t done it before, but the only bit of specialised equipment you need is cycling shoes with Look Delta Cleats.  You don’t even need these if you’re happy to use toe-clips on your trainers.

Now, can we please have a velodrome somewhere in the East of England?

But whirring away on your own staring at the garage wall can soon start to test anyones motivation and dedication. Here are some ideas to liven up those turbo sessions:

• Have a plan. Don’t just get onto your turbo and start pedalling. You’ll benefit much more from a turbo session that has some structure and a goal. Don’t forget to warm up at the start of the session and cool down at the end. Do this in a low gear, spinning easily for about 10 minutes. During the main session you can then use gear changes, tempo changes (a cycle computer that measures cadence – like the Cateye Strada Cadence – can help with this) and different time intervals to vary the session and make the minutes fly by!
• Find friends – if you’ve got a big garage invite your mates round. You might not give up as readily if you mates are there too!
• Better still, join a club. A lot of cycling clubs run a coached turbo session during the winter months. Locally, the Newmarket Cycling and Triathlon Club run a popular session. These are very social events and as they are coached you can just turn up and do as you are told. Easy! Details can be found on the club website.
• Training DVDs are another alternative. A lot can be overly-enthusiastic but give your sessions structure and can be highly amusing!

I’ll try to put more turbo session ideas on here as the winter goes on. If anyone else has tips they’d like to share then please add them!

Keep pedaling!

Newmarket C&TC Turbo Session

I made up a routine loosely based on the No Gym, No Problem – Mountain Bike Strength Training (from the MTB Strength Coach), not just because it’s dead simple, but also because “Bodyweight training also offers the added benefit of increasing our body awareness and control.”  You might be dubious about just how much you can increase your strength by using only your bodyweight.  But you might surprised how hard this workout can be.  A really important aspect of the routine is to pay attention to the time you take on each exercise.  “Tempo allows me to assign a rep speed which will greatly enhance the effectiveness of the workout. Tempo is communicated via a three number sequence such as 3-1-3. The first number tells you what speed to lower yourself down in the exercise, the second number tells you how long to pause at the bottom and the third number tells you what speed to raise yourself back up.”

This is a typical workout I might do (the videos are for illustration only – so don’t give me a hard time about their content!)

Set 1 (x2):

- Jumping Box Squat x6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSACII6VxWo

- Feet Elevated Push Ups x8 (3-3-3): (pretty obvious)

Set 2 (x2):

- Bulgarian Split Squat x8 (3-3-3): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jam1mzKAx3Q&feature=related

- Inch Worm x8: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ncHhj4FjFE

Set 3 (x2):

- Uni Stiff Leg Deadlift x8 (3-3-3): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtevN0SWp-o

- Step Ups x8 (3-3-3): (self explanatory)

Set 4 (x2):

- Ab Sequence: http://www.bikejames.com/ipod-videos/mountain-bike-core-strength-sequence/ (this is probably worth doing every day!)

And that’s it.  The only thing left to do is explain to the rest of your house why you’re jumping on the furniture!

Other workout options here: http://www.bikejames.com/category/demos-and-routines/