Shadowx

How do you guys train in the winter. This will be my first cycling. Was thinking about getting a trainer and a program, seen a couple, zwift is the only one I can remember. My bike shop has classes in 4 week blocks, 185 per 4 weeks. i could do about 2 of those for the cost of the trainer and probably improve my performance. Dont really have room for a stationary bike, trainers are smaller and i could bring my bike is as needed, but pricey plus a monthly zwift fee. Really nervous about riding the roads with snow, dont wanna die.

How do you guys do it, what works for you in the off season.

DrIsotope

Four easy choices:

1. Bike shop classes. It's not a terrible idea. You don't have to buy or maintain more stuff.
2. Smart trainer + Zwift. It's fun. Like video game cycling. Almost tricks you into thinking you're not torturing yourself.
3. Fat bike + go for it. Ride outside whenever you want. Probably in the end costs the same as a trainer + Zwift.
4. Move to a land without winter. I don't recommend the Caribbean, too many hurricanes. I ride year round here in California (which I also don't really recommend) and one of my biggest mileage months is December.

Shadowx

Land without winter sounds nice but not terrible practical, lol. Forgot about th bat bike, saw a youtube review of a cheap $500 fat, they are badass. Not much room to store on and tires are wicked expensive.... still cool, gonna have to think on it.

MRT2

I think of winter as the off season. While I don't hang the bike up completely, my mileage goes way down as the length and frequency of rides goes down. I go to the gym and do spinning classes and other non bike types of exercise through the winter.

cyccommute 

Fat bikes aren't necessary for winter riding. You could go with a mountain bike and accomplish much the same thing without the expensive tires.

If you do ride outside in the winter...now until March...you will need some other equipment. Warm clothes, warm shoes and, most importantly, lights if you plan on riding at night. You can get bright LED lights on Amazon or Fleabay for $25 to $30. Buy 2 or 3. Put two on the handlebars and one on your helmet.

You may need studded tires as well. A bit expensive but not as much as fat tires.

Jarrett2

I live in Texas. A few of us ride year round.

It's hard for me to imagine putting the bike up for months.

prq9218

Ride less, more use of the Concept Rower

Barrettscv 

2012 was a high water mark I still haven't matched in terms of cycling performance, but 2017 has been excellent in several measures. I've ridden regularly, with 2700 miles so far in this year and I've improved my limited climbing capacity. Most importantly, I lost more than 20 lbs. I also competed in Illinois Senior Olympics and won gold in the road race and silver in the time trial in my age group. I plan on attending this event next year and that will provide additional motivation for further improvements in fitness. I'd also like to be able to complete a hilly imperial century next summer. I hope to lose another 20 lbs and improve my endurance in 2018.

I'll start attending gravel events in Missouri soon and it's possible to ride outdoors almost continuously through the winter here. I'll use my smart trainer when icy weather interrupt my outdoor routine, but I should be able to ride outdoors often enough.

I had a Cyclocross bike with studded tires installed for a few winters but didn't enjoy using it. Studded tires are great on ice but are unbearably slow. If the ground is snow covered, I'll use a Cyclocross bike with small-block knobby gravel tires. That works well enough for me. I'll also stay on traffic-free bike paths when ice is to be expected, I don't have a death wish.

jsigone

layer up, usually its the first 10mins after you start that is cold and again when you stop for coffee/food

for your case, I'd get a smart trainer and ZWIFT the winter. The good thing about getting a nice trainer is that it will last for winters to come.

this would be my minimum buy in for a ZWIFT setup, can try to find it cheaper on amazon, or use REI/performance membership to knock price down with cash back rewards

Wahoo KICKR SNAP Smart Trainer - 2017

Yendor72

I don't use ZWIFT, am I crazy? No, Youtube has some virtual classes that are great. I use a timer and do HIIT training and just sit and watch a show on Netflix and ride at a cadence of 85-90 over 45min-1hour. I also have a fat bike and hit the road too, but that wasn't always the case.

indyfabz

What is this "winter training" you speak of?

ill.clyde

I haven't used Zwift in the past, but I'm really thinking about it this year. I'll have to pony up the costs for the trainer, because my current one is a dumb trainer, but after the work I've put in this spring/summer/fall, I really don't want to lose it over the winter months.

That said, I've spent winters before using my dumb trainer, and it's not quite as monotonous as people make it out to be.

There are the Sufferfest videos ... which helped a bit, but I didn't want to continue paying for it. I've used some of the GCN YouTube videos last winter, and they're not bad. I've also built and used my own interval training workouts. Sometimes I just turn on some loud tunes and ride. I'll ride one song at a higher tempo, then scale back for the next one. Anything to keep it interesting.

Bottom line, Zwift sounds ideal, but there's the initial cost to deal with. The nice thing about riding indoors in the winter is, with intervals, you can get a harder workout in than riding distance sometimes. Plus there's less prep time ... you don't have to get fully kitted up to "go riding" ... you don't have to wear a helmet, more water is always nearby. Indoor riding isn't awful, and for some of us it's a necessary evil if we want to start the outdoor season in good shape.

A guy I used to work with always tried to ride outdoors at least once a month in the winter ... which seems like a reasonable goal if you have proper clothing/layers. I may try it this year.

ridelikeaturtle

1) Build a "beater" bike (that'll probably end up being a favorite, because it's fun and you don't have to care about it so much) that you use on ****tier days.
2) Don't even try to stay dry, just accept that you'll get some amount of wet. Staying warm (with layers, as mentioned already) is the focus.

It'll toughen you up for when the weather gets nice in the spring and summer, and you can appreciate your "nice" bike more too. Remember, it's about having some fun out there.

sdmc530

i use zwift and clean and polish my rides. zwift keeps me in shapeish for spring. cleaning keeps me motivated to keep pushing to stay in warm weather riding shape. if we get a warm spell like above 30 degrees i ride the mtb. can be fun whan not getting frostbite

ericy

I am going the Zwift route, but I only got the thing working a week ago. I have tried the gym thing in years past, and I never go as often as I need to. Plus the spin classes don't interest me.

So ask me again in the spring when I start riding outdoors . As long as I keep using the thing through the winter, it will be better than sitting on the couch, and Watopia might be a nice visual respite when there is cold and snow outdoors.

cyclist2000

Im going to try some winter riding on the MUPs and I have a bike on the trainer, i watch sports on the trainer, stand up and climb during commercial breaks

JohnJ80

^^This.

I can’t stand riding on a trainer. If I had to do that all winter, I’d hate my bike in the spring.

I ride through the winter here. I live in Minnesota where it gets really cold and where I live the snow on the roads and trails really doesn’t ever melt between November and the beginning of April. I use a fatbike with studded tires that is an awesome ride in the winter, but before that I rode a mountain bike with 2” wide studded tires. Also worked great (but the fat bike is way more fun).

And as has been said here, it’s all about getting the clothing right and it’s not that hard. I actually find that it’s harder to stay cool than it is to stay warm. I generally overheat when I ride in the winter. The important thing to do here, though, is to have clothes along if something breaks. Don’t want to freeze to death (literally) because all you have on is lighterweight winter specific cycling clothes. Bear in mind, I’ll only ride until about 0F or maybe -5F in a pinch.

For clothes, what I found works really well is as breathable layers as you can find. So I typically wear a softsheel uninsulated jacket, with a power stretch top over a polypropolyne lightweigh long underwear top. I wear standards biking shorts with heavyweight Power Stretch tights from Foxwear.net (custom made and really inexpensive). Heavy weight power stretch is just about windproof but it breathes unbelievably well so it’s a very wide range piece. I’ll wear that set up from about 32F to 0F and be comfortable. Hat under the helmet, gloves and pogies on the handlebars and I’m good to go.

I have a seat bikepackign bag and in there I carry one of those Patagonia Down Sweaters and a pair of windproof rain pants. If I have a breakdown, those go on and I can stay safely warm.

J.

dagray

Smart trainer used with the BKool app/program or Zwift.

BKool has the advantage of letting me ride routes I have ridden outside, and allows me to race myself.

Zwift has the advantage of having many people on the routes.

You can do both with a dumb trainer and sensors, but it is more fun with a smart trainer.

As to trainers I have been using a BKool Pro for over three years

MikeRides

It may be soul sucking but the best answer to stay warm/dry is to get a trainer or stationary bike. I have the latter set up in my spare bedroom, set up with a 50" TV over it and a PS3, my daughter has been using it most of all the past couple years as I've been shifting over to running.

cyccommute 

How do you ever expect to be a bicycle holy man if you aren't crazy enough to ride in the cold?

People look at you in an entirely different way if they see you out riding during "stupid" weather. They know you are crazy but not in the "mutters to himself" kind of crazy way. They admire you for your grit and gumption. They will never get out and ride in the kind of weather..."what am I, crazy?"...but they admire you just the same. Do it long enough and you become legendary

Sure beats having soulless eyes after riding a trainer for more than about 5 minutes!

JohnJ80

trailangel

What an odd statement.

cyccommute 

That's one way of going. Of course you could also build a bike that is impervious to winter. Or two I've never been know for my moderation when it comes to bicycles.

This one I mount studs on and the suspension makes a world of difference when it comes to riding packed and/or icy streets.

DSCN0168 by Stuart Black, on Flickr.

This one is for "milder" days when I don't need the studs but a little bit of traction is nice.

DSCN0377 by Stuart Black, on Flickr

Gotta say "+1 on the staying warm". I sweat like the bejeebers even down to 0°F and have found that the point it to keep as much of that sweat...and the heat it carries...as close to me as possible. It's cold when you stop but it's not like you are going to the park for a picnic. I try to get the ride done and get inside afterwards.

DrIsotope

For every positive California has, there are at least 1.25 negatives. Sunny year round? Sure. Hellish traffic? Absolutely. Theme parks, mountains, beaches? Sure, have all of those. We also have 39 million people, more cars than there are people, a mediocre cycling infrastructure (at best,) and everything is absurdly expensive. I love when the news throws up a statistic that states the "national average" for anything. You know, like $2.57 for a gallon of gas, when we're looking at +$3 right now. I just sigh knowing this means somewhere a guy is paying like $2.15 a gallon right now.

I've lived my entire life in Southern California and have never said to anyone from somewhere else, "Hey, you should move to California." We'd be a whole lot better off if a few million people took advantage of the lower cost of living and tax breaks and moved to Texas. I mean, I won't be one of them-- I don't think I could live anywhere other than here.

FlamsteadHill

Yeah, you and 38,999,999 others...

I live in an extremely rural area (our entire State has about 625k people, last I checked, and we are in a "smallish" town in that context) and I once remarked to a "hill-billy-ish" friend, that I couldn't understand why so many people live in cities; after all, most of them would "love" to live in the country. He stated very simply, that, no - they wouldn't like to live in the country, or they would. Apart from the obvious "some people just are not or can not put themselves into that position", I guess most people just prefer the advantages to city life over the disadvantages.