70sSanO

John

PeteHski

Well that was my point actually. When someone says they might need something and asks for information about that something, then telling them they probably don't need it is pretty pointless advice. Depending on where you live and personal preferences, an indoor trainer is actually a perfectly reasonable way to start cycling in the winter months. I benefit massively from indoor cycling at this time of year, as do many others. But we don't know anything about the OP's preferences other than they specifically mentioned indoor trainers, so that might just be a clue.

PeteHski

Polarised nonsense as usual.

PeteHski

Again just because YOU loathe indoor trainers doesn't mean everyone else does too. They are definitely not for everyone, but I wouldn't dismiss them based on this kind of personal view. It's one of those things you just have to decide for yourself. Obviously people who loathe indoor trainers are forced to ride outdoors in whatever weather conditions or not ride at all for potentially months at a time. I agree with the flashing lights though!

livedarklions

We've had this argument before, so I'm not going to belabor it, but I totally disagree with you. Telling someone that most people don't get that stuff until they've actually been riding and have decided they want to do it is actually good and useful information--it might save them from incurring pointless expense being incurred under false assumptions of necessity. And I don't think I'd necessarily tell someone to go get expensive trainer equipment so they can try cycling out in the winter as I don't think the experiences of indoor and outdoor cycling really have all that much to do with each other. So yes, if OP comes back and says "I rode a few hundred miles this year and fell in love with it so much that I want to be able to start next year's biking season with a flying start", I'd probably move onto trainer advice, but if this is a person who just wants to try cycling and doesn't know whether they're actually going to like it, I don't think I'd tell them that riding indoors for several months is going to be a good way of making that determination, and maybe they should wait until spring before they start buying cycling specific stuff.

And that's not even accounting for the obvious factor that this is probably the worst year in recent memory for buying bikes AND home fitness equipment.

PeteHski

Well if the OP hadn't mentioned indoor trainers himself then I certainly wouldn't have suggested buying one. But he did specifically ask for advice about trainers and was probably more interested in hearing about the various options, pros/cons etc than simply being told "you probably don't need one" which is just stating the obvious based entirely on personal preference.

livedarklions

You and I have a very different understanding of the word "specifically".

You may think it's "obvious" that people can start cycling without a trainer, I'd say that the phrase "might need" indicated that OP had some uncertainty about it. And I hate to break it to you, but "pros/cons" are based entirely on personal preferences as well.
The whole reason for asking people on forums is to get their perspectives, which is obviously going to involve their own preferences.

BTW, I don't ride a trainer in the winter here, I use an elliptical, which gives me a far tougher (efficient) workout. I don't think it's at all obvious that some cyclists actually work out on something else than a trainer or a spin bike or whatever in the off-season.

GhostRider62

OP really does not give any information that would allow us to be helpful. I am of the school, "buy once cry once". Since it appears he is in the Northern Hemisphere, I would recommend buying a bike and a good trainer, if funds allow. Spend the winter acclimating your butt to the saddle. A good local bike shop is probably your best bet, if funds allow. Otherwise, buy a quality used bike and stick it onto a trainer.

PeteHski

I give up. OP - you probably don't need an indoor trainer okay. Maybe get an elliptical instead.

Seriously this is nuts. We have a high-end elliptical trainer too and it's a great workout. But whilst it is complimentary, it is nowhere near as effective as an indoor bike trainer for CYCLING fitness.

PeteHski

That's not how I view pros/cons. So we won't be agreeing here either.

livedarklions

Seriously, the OP hasn't given us enough information to know whether spending a bunch of money emphasizing CYCLING fitness in the off-season when he presumably isn't doing any cycling makes any sense.

You do get that some people, including myself, bicycle for fitness and aren't specifically tailoring our fitness for cycling, right? Neither of us have any idea what the OP is doing and what he intends to do. You're freaking out over people saying that they don't do it the way you do.

Again, I don't see why you think there's a higher burden of proof on people to say "you probably don't need a trainer at this point if you really haven't ridden a bike enough to know you like it" than for you to say "you probably need a trainer if you're Santa Claus at the North Pole (or whatever)."


We've had this exact same argument before--it's ok for people to say that they don't use x when people ask if they need x.
It's not some form of anti-elitist snobbery or whatever it was you accused me of in that conversation to do so, just offering a different perspective. You don't get a veto on this.

Riveting

Technically nobody "needs" a power meter, just like nobody needs to see the weight labels of the freeweights at the gym, and instead we could all just train "by feel", but both of those things are sure nice to have in order to achieve incremental improvements using empirical data, and not relying on RPE (rate of perceived effort).

I personally got a power meter and smart trainer less than a year after getting into (hybrid) commuter cycling as an adult, but that's because I got the cycling itch early-on, lost 30-40 lbs in the first 9 months, and knew very quickly that it was for me, and quickly got a much nicer 2nd bike (roadie this time) with a PM, after doing lots of research and realizing exactly how to utilize a PM to stoke MY motivation of chasing bigger watts on my power curve, as well as chasing bigger W/kg, which would further my weight loss, ensuring that I got better with keeping up with my cycling group.

Maybe the OP is in the same category as me, but I agree that they probably shouldn't be discussing the PM in the same breath as discussing getting their first bike, since the much nicer 2nd bike they'll be getting a year from now will be the one the PM goes on and they'll want to know the bike and the PM of their choice are compatible .

livedarklions

See, I think yours is the more common way how people get into stuff. You don't actually buy the bells and whistles until you know what you want to do with them. All the reading in the world won't tell you if you freak out too much to ever ride again the first time you get passed by a semi on the road.

And I don't get where that 2 years thing came from, either. I think a lot of people can figure out pretty quickly this is or isn't something I'm going to stick with.

10 Wheels

Get a bike. Join a local Club and have fun LEARNING.

wolfchild

I stand by what I said...OP doesn`t need a power meter or an indoor trainer...What OP needs is to purchase a bike and start riding.

steine13

The OP is either a troll, or more likely y'all scared him off
We may not get better particulars.
cheers -mathias

jon c. 

Threads of the "tell me everything about ...." variety tend to see no involvement from the OP beyond that first post.

kahn

In that case, his indoor trainer would have to be a sled and the power meter would have a red nose.

wolfchild

You can do serious training and build serious fitness without a power meter.

Kapusta

I would not worry about a power meter yet. As far as an indoor trainer…. If you find you are wanting to pedal a bike but it is too cold or crappy outside for you to enjoy doing it, then you might want an indoor trainer.

Saddle bag with tools and stuff is a good investment, as are good pedals and shoes (whether it be flats or clipless). Water bottles and cages. A handlebar mount for a phone. A rear blinky and either a front blinky or real light if you plan to ride at night.

Rolla

OP hooked all the fish on his very first cast. He knows his bait.

livedarklions

​​​​The concept of pros/cons is meaningless without preferences. That isn't obvious?

70sSanO

But he did a masterful job of reeling in the fish with indoor trainers and power meters.

Hard to imagine so much training discussion for someone who doesn’t even own a bike.

John

Maelochs

What exactly does "sardonic" mean, anyway. Is it like "irony" plus "sarcasm"?

Maelochs

When I am doing "Person in the street" interviews, I usually reassure people by telling them "There are no wrong answers."

BF's version: "There are only wrong answers."

Get a bicycle ...... so you can ride away from here as quickly as possible.