Cycle Inside with an Indoor Bike Trainer

If you’re an active cyclist, you know loosing a day out of your weekly routine just doesn’t sit right. When a day stretches to two or more—cue exploding head emoji. There are a variety of factors that can affect whether or not you’re able to get out the door and jump on your bike. An indoor trainer could be your solution.

Severe weather conditions are recurring reasons why cyclists are forced to skip their ride days. Cyclists with young children face obstacles tenfold when trying to work in ride times. Or—as we all have experienced from time to time—maybe it’s just one of those days when leaving the house just doesn’t sound appealing.

Whatever the reason, an indoor trainer makes any excuse for not getting a ride in practically inexcusable. Indoor trainers are great for their convenience and come in a variety of styles to choose from based on factors like budget, resistance, adaptability, etc.

Roller Trainers

Rollers are the most basic type of trainer and usually, the most affordable. Using a roller is definitely a balancing act since nothing is keeping your bike in place and the rider is required to ride on top of three spinning rollers.

Check out: CycleOps Aluminum Rollers $300

Friction Trainers

These come in a few forms (wind, fluid, magnetic), are fairly portable, and prices definitely vary depending on style and features. They typically require the back wheel to be pressed against a roller and a feature used to create the resistance you need to reach your peak performance. The harder you pedal, the more resistance you’ll create via the mechanism near the back wheel.

Check out: Kurt Kinetic Road Machine Control $569

Smart Trainers

Smart trainers are the most expensive of the bunch, but they give you the most bank for your buck. These are the tech-savvy trainers that offer you electronically adjustable resistance, data analysis, bluetooth capabilities, power sensors and more.

Check out: CycleOps Hammer Direct Drive Trainer $899+

Before you make your final purchase, make sure you do your research to determine which trainer is best suited for you. Remember to factor in your budget, your desired level of resistance and your capability preferences.