Your Guide to Exercise Bike
A bicycle trainer allows someone to ride a bicycle without moving forward. The enhanced experience is very similar to that of riding a bicycle on road and this technique is used to train bicyclists as well as newcomers.
Compared to exercise bikes, bicycle trainers feature a simple mechanism to develop the feel of riding a bike.
The rear wheel will be associated with a small after market wheel and this wheel provide resistance to the rear wheel while pedaling.
The bicycle will be suspended on an iron clamp to provide balance to the rider. There are magnetic trainers and these trainers use a magnetic mechanism to provide resistance. Compared to the regular models, these ones are slightly expensive.
There are many benefits for bicycle trainers and the best feature is the controlled environment where effortless training is ensured.
When someone chooses outdoor training, there will be so many obstacles including traffic, noise and other elements.
This can distract the rider from training properly. One more reason for choosing bicycle trainers are that there are no limits in choosing the right type of terrain you want.
For example, if you want to practice riding in hilly areas, you will be limited to the hills and mountains in your area but with a trainer, you can adjust the resistance according to your preferences.
Trainers are commonly used to practice for races and it is considered as a better tool for preparing for races due to its realistic feel. For race practices, trainers are made on race bicycles which bring a very identical outlook for the bikes.
The bicycle design as well as the body positioning will be quite similar to that of real race bikes and the feel is also very similar.
Trainers are usually equipped with electronic equipment to provide information such as heart beat, resistance and speed.
Types of Bicycle Trainers
We can categorize trainers into four different types:
- Fluid Based Trainers - In fluid based trainers, hydraulic resistance technology is used to bring the natural feel of riding a bike. Fluid based trainers are excellent methods to practice for races because fluids will get heated up by constant pedaling and this will increase the resistance of the pedal. This way, we will get a more realistic experience of biking. There is no doubt that the increase in resistance is a great way to burn extra calories.
- Wind Bike Trainers - Wind bike trainers are one of the most inexpensive forms of bicycle trainers and this is also a reason for so many people to prefer these. Since these are not very expensive, many people tend to buy it but these trainers do sacrifice a lot on functionality. Wind trainers, as the name suggests, uses wind resistance to provide the required feel. There is a fan that gets turned by pedaling and the fan creates excellent resistance. Noise is the biggest disadvantage of wind trainers. Many old version trainers produce excessive noise even though the latest zinc blade based models have brought down this to a very large extent.
- Magnet Bike Trainers - Magnetic trainers features one magnet or a series of magnets to create the necessary resistance. You can adjust the resistance on the cockpit on advanced versions but for the older ones, this option is not available. Magnetic trainers are not as expensive as the fluid trainers but these are pricier than the wind trainers. However, magnetic trainers do not produce much noise, leaving it with an advantage over wind trainers.
- Turbo Trainers - Turbo mechanism featured on trainers are a great and sophisticated method but these are the most expensive versions of trainers. Used mostly by professionals, turbo trainers can bring in a feel which is more precise and the experience is quite close to a real bicycle ride. Turbo trainers usually use different types of methods to bring in the necessary amount of resistance but frictional resistance is the major technique that they use. Modern turbo trainers come with ECU unit and the display screen where you can find various details such as heartbeat, speed and time. The controls also can be seen on the screen and can be adjusted here.
Benefits of Exercise Bikes
Apart from plenty of positive aspects, bike trainers are still great exercise tools because these are one of the cheapest add-ons to your existing bike.
This way, you can save a lot of money and can enjoy the upright position on your bike, which is something you probably do not want to miss.
This is also a reason for many people to go for bicycle trainers apart from practicing for races. It doesn't take much time to fit these trainers on the rear wheel of your bike.
There is a slight disadvantage in using trainers; it is none other than constant wear outs of your rear tire.
We can conclude the benefits of bicycle trainers as:
- Realistic Riding Experience - Compared to spinner and other stationary exercise bikes, you get a rider experience which is quite similar to real life biking. Since you are fixing the trainer on your bike's back tire, this experience can be really good.
- Ideal for Race Practice - It is nearly impossible to practice on a stationary exercise bike when your intention is to prepare yourself for bike races. To get real benefits from training, it is advisable to go for trainers.
- Lightweight - A bike trainer will not occupy much space in your living room and can be easily transported by a single person because it is extremely lightweight. If you are travelling and want to carry your trainer with you, there is no doubt that it can conveniently fit into your car or SUV's trunk. You can transport them from floor to floor, carry those in a lift and keep them in a closet when you are done with your workout.
There are so many products in the market that offer real life biking experience but it is doubtful if any of those products can actually outdo trainers.
To know the real difference, it is a great idea to test drive one.