PoorInRichfield

What are you guys and gals using for fans when training indoors? I have a decent fan ("Vornado") but it annoys me in that it has no remote control. In the winter when I ride indoors, my basement is usually pretty cool to down-right cold, so I start my rides with the fan "off". However, it doesn't take long before I want the fan turned on... which isn't do-able without getting off the bike to manually turn it on.

When I browse fans with remotes on Amazon, most of them are pedestal fans which I don't really care for. My experience with pedestal fans is that they fall or get knocked over until they are broken. Since I already have a decent floor fan that wasn't exactly cheap, I'm wondering if perhaps I could make it into a fan with a remote by buying a "smart switch" with a dimming feature. My assumption is that if the outlet can "dim" lights, it does so by lowering the current to the device that's plugged into it. Wouldn't that also work to control the speed of a fan?

DrIsotope

Another thread addressed this-- motors don't like dimmers. Motors want to have a specific amount of voltage and amperage at all times. Changing speeds via a dimmer (which is made only for light bulbs) will eventually make the motor very unhappy.

A remote switch is just fine.

Trakhak

I use an extension cord with multiple outlets and a power switch on a table next to the trainer, but if I didn't have a table there, I'd drape the extension cord over the handlebars for easy access to the power switch.

PoorInRichfield

Thanks... that's the info I was looking for, but a bummer. I'd like to do more than just turn the fan on or off, I'd like to be able to adjust it's speed. Sometimes all I need is a slight breeze where as sometimes I do want a tornado of wind coming at me. The latter is pretty noisy so I don't typically prefer the fan to be on full-speed unless it's absolutely necessary.

Barry2 

Expensive but oooooo nice

i use a Wahoo headwind.
3modes
1. Fixed speed, controlled from buttons on fan or app
2. Bound to Kickr. Faster you “travel” the harder it blows
3. Bound to HRM. The faster your heart rate, the harder it blows.

Fan-tastic device (obvious pun intended.

Barry

Marylander

I've got 2 industrial fans on smart plugs.

surak

I've got a majority of the Wahoo ecosystem but not the Headwind. Can't justify dropping the dough when I can just turn my dumb fans on max at the start of an indoor session, warm up, then take off an outer layer.