How to choose an indoor trainer?

With its gloomy weather and shorter days, winter is difficult for cyclists or triathletes who want to train seriously. Often, the only solution is an indoor trainer to optimize training time. But among all the devices on the market, what type of device should you choose?

By Guillaume Judas – Photos: Tacx / 3bikes.fr

WHERE TO FIND AN AVAILABLE INDOOR TRAINER?

Manufacturers and importers are struggling to meet the enormous demand for indoor trainers, especially during this lockdown period. Nevertheless, we have found a few devices still available for you:

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Using an indoor trainer is primarily justified by the weather and shorter days in winter, which severely limit evening or early morning sessions for those with a regular professional activity. Set up at home, and with your own bike, an indoor trainer requires very light clothing and avoids the tedious maintenance of equipment after a session. You can even ride at any time. And most importantly, this type of session, if well conducted, optimizes the time spent training. All advantages a priori, provided you don’t expect too much from a preparation exclusively focused on this practice, and you have a modern device that provides realistic pedaling sensations. You also need a lot of motivation to do multiple sessions without seeing the scenery go by.

Our advice: use the indoor trainer wisely, at a reasonable frequency (say twice a week), and by targeting the content of your sessions. Your desire to ride outdoors will only be tenfold in spring.

From rollers to smart devices

Behind the term indoor trainer, there are actually several types of devices. Forget simple rollers without resistance, now largely superseded by resistance indoor trainers with electric, motor, or hydraulic braking. They may or may not be coupled with training software, virtual reality software, or real life video. We can distinguish three categories: resistance devices with software, simple resistance devices, and rollers.

With the first type, you can do everything. Connected to a computer, they allow you to follow a training plan, record all exercise data, and re-ride routes on video. Participating in virtual races via the Internet is also possible. It’s fun for a while, but not necessarily constructive. With the second type, you train without a computer, but with a dedicated bike computer, sometimes wireless, and connected to a resistance unit with standard or personalized training programs. They are sufficient for the session examples we give you later. Finally, rollers work on technique or pedaling cadence, but advanced devices also have a magnetic resistance unit and a control screen.

The coach’s point of view: “Indoor trainer practice is a substitute for road training.“

Antoine Vayer gives us his opinion on indoor trainer practice, which he describes as “a replacement method in case of lack of time or if it’s too cold, but which cannot completely replace road cycling. Road cycling is an endurance sport, and it would be illusory to hope to prepare for a long event solely with short indoor sessions.Furthermore, the power produced on an indoor trainer is different from that on the road. There isn’t the same friction or resistance to forward motion. Power on an indoor trainer, whether measured by a power meter on the bike or by the device itself, can only be compared to power on an indoor trainer. If you want to define a point of comparison, you would need to perform a test with a stable heart rate on the road and on the indoor trainer, and try to extract a standard deviation. However, the indoor trainer is very interesting as a warm-up tool, and especially for active recovery, either after a difficult training session or race, or the next day.“

How to choose?

There are several elements to consider, such as the stability of the system, ease of installation, noise, and compatibility with certain bike frames. But there is also a question of resistance level (for the most demanding sessions) and sensations that are more or less close to reality. For example, with resistance that gives jerky pedaling for entry-level devices. Because price is obviously an essential factor to consider, ranging from around a hundred euros for the first devices, up to nearly €1500 for the most advanced.

The investment required will depend on the time you want or need to dedicate to it, and your motivation. For a few recovery sessions during the season, a very simple device may suffice, especially since you can keep it for several years. For the most advanced indoor trainers, you have to add a monthly subscription to the application that will allow you to ride connected, either with videos, or by following personalized training plans, or finally by competing against other users worldwide. A classic indoor trainer has a brake that provides resistance to a plastic roller rubbing against the rear wheel. The most advanced models are designed around a frame on which the bike is placed without its rear wheel. These are called direct-drive indoor trainers, and they significantly smooth out the sensations. The maximum resistance of an indoor trainer depends on the type of brake (electric, motor, hydraulic).

The most expensive devices can provide up to 2500 watts of resistance, while simpler models are limited to 500 watts. In terms of noise pollution, a very distinct hum can overwhelm you and bother neighbors or other household members. With their hydraulic resistance, very advanced models solve this problem. Finally, rollers are the easiest to set up and interesting for specific training. They require some skill (at first), demand a certain concentration to maintain balance, and allow you to work on hip and glute flexibility to steer the bike. Just like on the road. But for them to offer a wide range of possibilities, it’s better to choose them with resistance adjustment, whether they are smart or not.

Testimonial: Anthony Le Clainche, three months of indoor trainer preparation.

Anthony Le Clainche has just completed his cyclocross season with a fourth place in the regional championship in the Departmental category. While only racing every other weekend for family reasons, he could only base his preparation exclusively on an indoor trainer: “I started following a training program in mid-September, solely on an indoor trainer. I was never able to ride on the road during this entire period, and I trained three to four times a week, in the evening between 8 and 10 p.m., for sessions of 30 to 90 minutes. I equipped myself with a smart device, which offers sensations very close to road riding, and which above all allowed me to follow video routes. This helped me avoid boredom. I wouldn’t have been able to follow such a program using a basic device. And while most of my sessions were difficult, I had good legs on the day of my objective. So the outcome is rather positive.“

Applications for smart devices

Bkool, Zwift, or MyeTraining, for example, are applications that allow you to connect your smart indoor trainer to your computer or tablet. You can then see on the screen data such as virtual speed, power output, pedaling cadence, and possibly heart rate. Depending on the application’s program, the indoor trainer’s resistance varies, all connected wirelessly. You can thus simulate routes, import GPS tracks and reproduce an outdoor session, or follow a video circuit. Climbing Alpe d’Huez on a January evening in your living room is possible! You can also follow a program with power data, or with a simulated gradient. Finally, Zwift is the most famous application, with limited routes but the possibility of racing online against other users. Be aware that all these more or less entertaining applications require a monthly subscription. It’s up to you to decide how you envision using your indoor trainer to fill your long winter evenings while waiting for spring.

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