How can I set up a trainer? Doris Diaries #5
Watch out for paws
It can be a challenge to continue riding outside when the weather gets colder or when it starts raining. For me personally, I begin to lose motivation to ride outside when it’s under 40 degrees or even misting slightly. If you want to continue riding, but you’re a weather wimp like me, investing in a trainer is probably a good idea. There are two kinds: “dumb” trainers and “smart” trainers. When I say “dumb” trainer, it means that there is no wifi or ANT+ option. A “smart” trainer is able to connect to the internet as well as other devices such as a heart rate monitor. A dumb trainer isn’t a bad option. They’re actually great for beginners, to bring to races, or if you don’t need anything flashy and want to save some money. My first trainer was a Cyclops and for me at the time, it was exactly what I needed. It was easy to set up, store, and since it wasn’t direct drive, I didn’t have to go through the hassle of taking my rear wheel off every time I wanted to use it. Be sure to buy a compatible skewer for your rear wheel otherwise you wont be able to attach your bike. Just watch your pets around it…. my cat liked to play with it because it spun.
Another type of dumb trainer that I invested in was the Feedback Omnium for traveling to races. It is ultra light and portable and meant to get your legs warmed up. Unfortunately with the pandemic this year, I didn’t get to try it out at all.
Discovering Zwift was a game changer for me. This is basically a video game for cyclists where your actions control an avatar… kinda like Nintendo Wii Sports or Xbox Kinect but with more data. It made me more motivated to ride the trainer and distracted me from the monotony. During lockdown this year, Zwifting became much more mainstream.
Check out these articles from my team mates if you want to learn more about what its like to use Zwift:
1) Zwift in the Time of Quarantine
2) Introducing ZWOOM: Zwift + Zoom in the Age of Coronavirus
3) Finding New Motivation Via Zwift and #everyzwiftrouteTBD
4) It Turns Out I Don’t Hate Zwift: A Zwift Academy 2020 Review
(Not going to link every article because there are a lot…. we enjoy using Zwift)
After I began racing, I decided to upgrade to a smart trainer. After doing a lot of research (and hitting a major sale), I settled on the Tacx Neo. A lot of my teammates use Wahoo but I really liked all of the features that Tacx offered like the road feel option, its “flexible” (moves with your body but is still stable), portable (the wings fold up), lights that change depending on your power output, it doesn’t need an external power source (your pedaling charges it), and descent simulation. If you are using Zwift and you have the road feel option turned on, the Neo simulates what it would feel like to ride on various surfaces like wooden slats, ice, and gravel. Now that I’ve been using it for a year or so, I never actually use the road feel option but everything else about it is really cool especially the flexibility thing because it makes it have a very natural feel to it and I didn’t have to buy extra things like a rocking platform or tilt board to get that effect. The bottom line is that if you are going to be dropping some serious cash on a trainer, it should be one that you like and suits your needs.
Buying a trainer is only half the battle. The other half is setting up where you will be using it and if you live in a tiny apartment like most of us, this can be a little bit of a challenge. The space I had available for my trainer was the 2 1/2 feet between my bed and the armoire with my laptop and fan set up a couple feet in front of me and the rest of my stuff on the edge of the bed next to me.
Having a good fan is the key to surviving indoor training. There are many types of fans that you can buy. I chose to go bladeless (and inexpensive) and got a Lasko blower fan. If you want to go crazy, you can buy the Wahoo Kickr Headwind but I couldn’t justify the price tag on that. A lot of people choose large floor fans with blades. Having something that is remote controlled is really nice because it hard hard to start off cold. The fan I chose doesn’t have a remote but I was able to get around that by using a smart plug instead.
Your trainer set up is ultra personal and everyone does it a little differently. When I ride, I like to listen to music so I bought the Jaybird Run XT wireless earbuds because they are meant for sports. They actually stay in my ears very well (thanks to the multitude ways you can customize them) and have great sound. Listening to music makes it easy for me to get in the zone. A lot of other people I know like to watch movies or tv shows while on the trainer because it helps pass the time and pulls your focus. Doing Zwift meets, facetime, Zoom calls, and Discord channels are also really great ways to pass the time while riding the trainer because it sort of simulates a group ride.
Right before lockdown, I closed on a house and moved out of Manhattan because I wanted more space. This gave me the opportunity to reconfigure my trainer set up and create a “pain cave”. I bought a trainer desk so that I can keep my laptop, phone, ipod, sweat towel, and water bottle right in front of me. For me, this was exactly what I needed in this space so I could reach everything I normally use while riding the trainer. It’s also really nice that two bikes can fit in this space. Now I don’t have to dismantle my set up after every ride.
If you have the space for this set up, I would recommend it. If not, that’s okay too. There are a ton of different ways to set up a place to use your trainer. Below are a few different ways my teammates utilize their space.
Adam:
“65” Flat screen hooked up to a gaming laptop with custom internals. (2) Lasko Blower Fans, 1 Wahoo Bluetooth Smart Fan, 2018 Wahoo Kickr. All in the corner of my basement. Light was on for the photo but when I race it’s dark aside from the TV. I like racing in the dark. Provides a more immersive experience. Also gives a the illusion it’s colder in the room than it actually is. I use a Wahoo because it’s team issued gear. Also not in the photo is an adjustable medical table which holds my keyboard and a few other items.”
Barb:
“This room is my Zwift room, my home office, and my guest bedroom so it can get cluttered. My primary tips are: get a fan; if you happen to have a very old house with a dodgy extension, it will be less well insulated and thus cooler for riding; and golden retrievers are great trainer buddies!”
Danielle & Aaron:
“We recently moved to Colorado and into a house with an unfinished second floor. What will eventually be our bedroom is currently functioning as a pretty sweet bike/workout room. We love the big windows—both for the ventilation and the pretty mountain views—and having a dog bed nearby for our de-facto emotional-support animal. The prior owners’ kids also left us some encouraging messages on the walls like, “Try your hardest to make pie,” which makes for some great motivation during intervals.”
Leah & Yosef:
“We’ve never been consistent indoor riders, but the fans and iPad stands have been game changers — we’ve found ourselves riding indoors more than outdoors through quarantine, especially as it gets colder. It’s also been really helpful to just keep everything set up (shoes, snacks, bibs, etc) so we can just hop on and not spend a lot of time getting ready.”
Liz:
“There are two great things about my trainer set-up. The first is obviously the giraffe. Jared has been a part of my training (and recovery) since 2015 and I can’t imagine doing a workout without his creepy eyeballs staring at me the whole time. The second is my music! I can’t watch TV or movies when I’m on the trainer; I jam out to the best that teeny bop pop music has to offer. (I’m looking at you, Sia). It gets me through the monotony of riding indoors!”
Matt & Lisa:
“We’re fortunate to enjoy a pretty nice view from our trainer setup, but we are unfortunate in that we cannot control the building’s built-in heat. Which means we currently have tin foil wrapped over the heater vents and keep the window wide open while riding.”
Naveen:
“This is no ordinary bike room. This is a NYC bike room. That means it’s a constant game of Tetris as it evolves to fit all our needs which now include a home gym, kitesurfing storage, a guest room (sorry guests), and most recently, my home office. My favorite part about this room is the creative use of space and that constant evolution of that space. The center bench between the trainers is our bottle bench, but actually belongs to our dining room seating that we don’t have space for. The walls are organized to rack 4 bikes and multiple wheels… hello new floor space! And believe it or not, there’s also a sofa in this room that folds into quite a comfortable Queen sized bed. Oh! And an office desk - I’ve never been more thankful for Zoom backgrounds!”
Scott:
“My trainer lives in the space behind my couch also known as my WFH office. I like how compact the set up is and relatively out of the way. I need to invest in another fan this trainer season.”
~Full time NYC teacher. Amateur cyclist. Mother of cats. Avid world traveler~
