Are you just getting started with indoor bike training? You might want to begin with our Ultimate Guide to Indoor Bike Training with all the tips and gear you need.
For a simple, effective indoor training setup, you certainly can make it work with a basic tire-drive trainer, your front wheel on a stack of books, a simple fan you already have, and your phone for entertainment and distraction.
Plenty of riders maintain fitness with their own minimal setup; it’s all I had as a budding young racer, and I don’t remember complaining at all. (Cellphones didn’t exist yet, so I just looked at tropical fish in a 10-gallon tank.)
Now, after decades of cycling behind me and 1% of the competitive drive I used to have, I find it difficult to train indoors for more than 30 minutes without proper distraction. Most importantly, my old regimen simply wasn’t enjoyable.
So, with the help of industry friends, I have slowly acquired the goods for what I consider the ultimate indoor bike training setup. The only way I could improve it is to use a giant, wraparound monitor. But my wallet isn’t that thick, and my living room is already stuffed with exercise equipment and bikes.
If you do a lot of indoor riding or are a seriously competitive cyclist and have the funds, a setup similar to this may exponentially improve your experience. And this can lead to improved compliance with your training program.
Ultimate Setup for Indoor Bike Training
Shopping for an indoor bike trainer? Check out our guide to the best indoor bike trainers of the year.
Deluxe Smart Trainer
Like everything in cycling, there are things that get the job done, and then there are more expensive versions that are slightly more refined. Think of it as a bike that costs nearly twice as much, saves you a pound, and is presumably more aero. Some won’t care, but a few do.
The less expensive bike still rolls down the road, but the uber-bike does so with a little more speed, maybe a little more comfort, but a lot more swagger. The same goes for smart trainers.
I am privileged to be in the industry, so things cost me less. After decades of getting by with a minimalist approach to indoor training, I decided to reward myself with what I thought was the ultimate “pain cave” setup. The core of that was a high-end smart trainer.
I chose the Elite Direto XR-T, which retails for $600 (not super deluxe; there are trainers that cost more than twice as much). What did I get for the extra few hundred? I was after accuracy, and Elite claims this unit is accurate to ±1.5% on power. That’s only a 0.5% gain over my Wahoo KICKR Core ($500), but twice as accurate as the one before that. Yes, this is one of those things that most won’t care about, but due to my kinesiology and cycling coaching background, I placated myself.
I also wanted to climb the steepest grades possible, and the Elite Direto XR-T simulates grades up to 24% (up from the 16% of my last unit). To go along with the ability to generate this much load, this interactive trainer has a large footprint, so it’s much more stable than my prior folding direct-drive trainer. I routinely caused that model to jump around during hard efforts.
Additionally, since my ultimate indoor bike training pain cave occupies a third of my living room, I admit that the Direto XR-T looks cool. It matches the surrounding decor, which is a cross of a bike shop and a gym. It looks better than it sounds, I swear.
Shopping for an indoor bike trainer? Check out our guide to the best indoor bike trainers of the year.
Smart Fan. Yes, for Real
I used a barrel fan and a ceiling fan on high for eons. This combination absolutely got the job done, and I had no complaints about it.
But this indoor cycling setup was a gift to me for decades of pain cave suffering sessions. So, I got the fanciest, indoor-cycling-specific fan in existence at the time: the Wahoo Headwind Bluetooth Fan.
The first thing I noticed to rationalize this superfluous addition is the airflow pattern. Instead of a large, quickly expanding “cone” that my prior fan produced, the Wahoo Headwind pushed air out via a distinct channel roughly shaped like me from the front while riding. I realized this when the window blinds in the area didn’t budge. I was used to seeing and hearing them jostle about when using the barrel fan.
This extravagant fan connects via Bluetooth to either a Wahoo speed sensor or any ANT+ heart rate monitor. It has four manually set fan speeds (which Wahoo claims can replicate riding at 30 mph), but the connection allows the fan speed to go up or down based on virtual speed or heart rate. Yes, this is a smart fan.
Again, it was unnecessary, but it was the fan for the ultimate indoor bike training setup. Every time I made a hard effort, I smiled when the Wahoo Headwind rewarded me with more airflow. Call me elitist and spoiled; I will not deny it.
Ultimate Indoor Bike Training Rocker Plate
What is this, you ask? Rocker plates didn’t exist until about 4 years ago, and I didn’t know anything about them until KOM Cycling sent me its RPV1 (MSRP $500).
The trainer and bike live on top of this double-layer wood platform. In between these layers, a spring-loaded slide mechanism provides fore-and-aft movement for the bike and trainer. Two inflatable balls on each side of the bike regulate side-to-side movement. The entire contraption mimics the natural movement of the bike when riding outdoors.
I didn’t think it was necessary at all, but I did notice benefits. The first one is particular to me. I have a reconstructed left wrist, and rides longer than around 40 minutes caused it to ache. I never felt this outdoors unless it was super rough. But indoors, it was 100%. Until I got the rocker plate.
The movement dissipated the forces that were isolated to my wrist because everything was rigidly held in place. I also realized that I didn’t get off the saddle nearly as much to alleviate pressure due to the same reason.
And, in a way, it partially replicated the benefits of riding on rollers. Rollers were my original indoor training device, and they require balance since nothing is holding the bike. They also reward smooth pedaling dynamics, which was a real benefit to me. And the KOM Cycling RPV1 did the same but with more leeway.
If you aren’t smooth on rollers, your bike pops off the side, and your wheels are going the same speed as they would on the ground. Yes, I crashed plenty of times on rollers.
There are a few indoor trainers that allow fore-aft and side-to-side movement. Some cost roughly the same as my trainer and rocker plate together, and some cost much more. The advantage of these models is that they take up less floor space and can more easily be stashed away. The rocker plate is furniture and not at all portable.
Again, the rocker plate was an unnecessary addition to the pain cave, but it was an “ultimate” indoor bike training splurge that did provide relief to my wrist and rear.
Interactive Riser
Again, this is another relatively fresh invention — and, again, unnecessary — but it added to the realism of virtual cycling platforms.
Interactive risers replace the front wheel and wirelessly connect to an app or computer. When the virtual terrain moves up or down, the risers raise the front of the bike to match the pitch. Combined with the change in load of the smart trainer, this mimics what happens outdoors.
The interactive riser I chose, the Elite Rizer ($1,000, pairs with Elite indoor trainers), also offers steering input. This added to the realism by allowing control of my avatar on the virtual cycling platforms. Instead of toggling a key to choose which way to turn, I actually turned the bars.
And in groups, I could navigate around riders to attack or steer back into the draft. I tried to take out competitors in turns and sprints but to no avail.
Another marginal advantage of the Rizer is that it allows the natural arcing movement of the bars when smashing the pedals while standing.
Wahoo has a slightly more affordable interactive riser, the KICKR CLIMB, which pairs with any Wahoo smart trainer. It retails for $700. This riser doesn’t have steering input.
One physiological benefit is that interactive risers encourage the same change in pedaling dynamics as climbing outdoors. For me, on longer ascents of moderate grades, this meant sliding forward on the saddle and pushing “down” more.
If it was super steep, I did the opposite to maximize glute engagement. These didn’t feel as realistic on a stationary bike.
Trainer Desk
As mentioned above, you can make do with DIY solutions to get the computer in front of the bars and at the correct level. But once I got a cycling-specific desk, I realized how much of an inconvenience it was beforehand.
Since I was going for the ultimate, I got the Elite Training Desk. At $500, it’s ridiculously expensive, but it is super nice and has an interior space that hides the extra length of power cords, AC adapters, and power strips for a clutter-free setup. It can hold 44 pounds and has a wide range of height adjustability.
Finally, the leg configuration works around the front of my rocker plate and interactive riser while still placing my computer right in front of my handlebars.
This desk is actually the nicest piece of furniture in my house. But there are plenty of lower-cost options, like the Wahoo KICKR Training Desk ($300) or the KOM Cycling Media Display Cycling Desk ($110).
The Final Say on an Ultimate Indoor Bike Training Setup
You don’t need anything on this list to ride indoors to maintain or even improve your fitness over the winter. But as you log hours, days, and years pedaling indoors without the motivations and distractions of the real world, your program’s enjoyment and compliance can suffer.
The items on this list from my own ultimate pain cave provide a little bump in enjoyment and fun while I ride in the virtual worlds of various interactive cycling platforms. The extra realism and frivolous niceties are also rewards for decades of continuing to spin my legs during the Time of Darkness.
You don’t have to get everything at once. Maybe the indoor bike training accessories on this list can keep you motivated piece by piece until the snow thaws and the days grow long enough for the real thing.
Read the full article here
