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Whether you’re avoiding the weather, avoiding people, want a quick workout or the perfect sweat-inducing addition to your training plan, getting a cycling trainer and riding your bike indoors is a great investment. Here are a few tips for how you set up your space for indoor cycling while keeping your bike and home in pristine condition.
First thing’s first, you’ll want to make sure your bike fits you. Depending on what type of indoor cycling trainer you choose, you can hook up your mountain bike, road bike, gravel bike, or hybrid to ride indoors. But no matter what bike you are riding, proper fit will go a long way to ensure a fun and comfortable spin. Unlike riding outdoors, you will not be moving around on the bike as much, so issues with saddle height, bar width, brake placement, etc will be even more pronounced. We always recommend getting a professional bike fit, but here are some bike fit tips that will give you a great place to start.
The thing about riding indoors is, you sweat a lot! Without the wind in your face, stuffed up in a room in your house, you’ll heat up quickly – even if you’ve decked out your space with multiple fans. It’s best to choose a room with a hard floor surface. Sure, carpet will work, but protecting your floor from pools of sweat will be even more important. A yoga mat (or two) will do the trick, but a trainer or workout-specific mat with a little more substance will give you the added benefit of noise and vibration reduction.
There are two things that can damage your frame and components while cycling indoors:
Rear Wheel-Mounted Trainer
This type of trainer is cheaper and may or may not be “smart” (Bluetooth-enabled to modulate resistance with the help of online training apps like Zwift). As the name implies, you keep your rear wheel on your bike and attach it to the trainer at the rear axle. Follow the instructions on your trainer to adjust the contact with your rear tire and ensure everything is tight before getting on your bike to ride. There are a couple of important things to note:
Direct Drive Trainer
These types of trainers me came onto the market in 2010 and are a bit more expensive but are generally “smart” trainers capable of connecting to online apps and make riding inside feel more like riding outside. Following the instructions on your trainer, install a cassette that is compatible with the drivetrain on your bike. Remove your rear wheel and install your bike directly onto the trainer. Here are a few things to keep in mind when purchasing and setting up a direct drive trainer:
Rollers
Rollers are indoor training devices where you balance your bike on three cylinders – one in the front and two in the rear. It can be a challenge to get used to rollers, but once you do it boosts your bike-handling skills and keeps indoor riding engaging. Rollers are not generally “smart” capable, though there are a few options out there. Want to learn more about rollers? Check out Allysa Seely’s guide to riding rollers HERE!
It’s ideal to have a designated space for your indoor cycling trainer. If possible, make sure you can keep your trainer, block for your front wheel, a towel, floor protection, fans, and your entertainment all in the same place. That way, all you need to do is hook up your bike when you’re ready to ride. If you are planning on using a smart trainer with an online cycling program like Zwift, you’ll want to ensure you have an outlet handy as well as a either a TV or table where you can set your laptop, phone or other Zwift-equipped device. Want to get the ultimate setup? Check out these different Zwift setups on BikeRadar.com.