How to choose an indoor trainer for training during the Coronavirus crisis?

During this very particular period of lockdown, it is still possible to maintain physical fitness by using an indoor trainer. If you are planning to get a new model, don’t delay too long, as many online retailers are already out of stock. Among all the devices on the market, what type of device should you choose?

(Reprint of the article: What type of indoor trainer should you choose? already published on our website)

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

WHERE TO FIND AN AVAILABLE INDOOR TRAINER?

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

More or less advanced devices provide road-like sensations, especially when connected.

Using an indoor trainer is primarily justified by the weather and shorter days in winter, which seriously limit evening or early morning sessions for those with a regular professional activity. But also during lockdown, when you can’t ride outside for the exceptional reasons we know. Set up at home, and with your own bike, the indoor trainer requires very light clothing and avoids the tedious maintenance of equipment after a session. You can even ride at any time. And above all, 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 to be highly motivated to multiply sessions without seeing the landscape scroll 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 amplified after lockdown.

From rollers to connected devices

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

Rollers can be offered with adjustable resistance.

With the first, you can do everything. Connected to a computer, they allow you to follow a training plan, record all exercise data, and re-do routes on video. Participating in virtual races via the Internet is also feasible. It’s fun for a while, but not necessarily constructive. With the second, 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 are not the same frictions or resistance to forward movement. 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 an 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 or race, or the next day.“

How to choose?

There are several elements to consider, such as system stability, ease of installation, noise, and compatibility with certain bike frames. But there is also a question of resistance level (for the most severe 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, from around a hundred euros for the first devices, up to nearly €1500 for the most advanced.

Connected devices are highly sought after today.

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 must add to the purchase price the 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).

For training, consider the installation location, which should not be too austere.

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 residents of the house. With their hydraulic resistance, very advanced models solve the problem. Finally, rollers are the easiest to install and interesting in terms of specific training. They require a certain 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 is better to choose them with resistance adjustment, whether they are connected 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 connected device, which offers sensations very close to the road, and which above all allowed me to follow video routes. This way I was able to avoid boredom. I would not 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. The outcome is therefore rather positive.”

Applications for connected devices

Bkool, Zwift, or MyeTraining, for example, are applications that allow you to connect the smart indoor trainer to a 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 a session performed outdoors, or follow a video circuit. Climbing Alpe d’Huez 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 careful, as all these more or less fun applications require a monthly subscription. It’s up to you to decide how you envision using the indoor trainer to fill this long period of lockdown that awaits us.

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