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Indoor Training Essentials

There is no off season with a great trainer set-up.

Indoor Cycling & what you need to know!

Stay fit and achieve your fitness goals from the warmth of your warm with indoor trainers. Bring the experience of riding outdoors to your home with trainer bikes and smart trainers. Set up and ready to roll, these trainers seamlessly integrate into applications like Zwift and Trainer Road for an immersive and more engaging training experience. We currently have popular models from Wahoo, Saris, and ThinkRider on sale to help our customers with their indoor training set ups at a more affordable price.

Training Systems

There are two types of systems, wheel-on and direct-drive. Make your pick first.

Trainer System Variations

Wheel-on smart trainers 

Wheel-on smart trainers function like classic, ‘dumb’ turbo trainers – you clamp the rear axle into a support while your rear wheel rests on a roller drum. This drum is connected to a resistance unit that communicates with your chosen hardware and app to control the resistance you feel through the wheel. 

Direct drive trainers

Direct drive trainers require you to remove the rear wheel and connect your bike to the trainer via a standard cassette. These are heavier and more expensive than wheel-on trainers, but prices are getting more competitive and they have a number of advantages.

Trainer Accessories

Once you’ve got all of the essential items, there are still more accessories that can make your indoor cycling sessions even more enjoyable.

Trainer Tires

Standard tires are designed specifically to grip the asphalt. The barrel roller which touches your wheel on a trainer is smooth metal, a complexly different surface. Instead of treads for traction, the trainer tire is smooth and grips to the metal. 

As opposed to regular tires, trainer tires are heat resistant, which is important as it spins in the same place on a barrel consistently throughout your workout. As it heats up, a regular tire used on a trainer will quickly start to break down and could leave black rubber residue on the barrel or around your indoor setup.

Matts & Stands

No matter your indoor training setup, you need to have something underneath the trainer and the floor. Something to catch all the sweat, gel wrappers, and what have you. Sometimes a yoga mat can work, but they tend to be too small. The trainer companies’ mats are the right size and the right material to keep the sweat on the surface and away from the carpet.

Cleaners & Maintenance

Keep your investments clean and protected and they will serve you well.

Cleaners & Sweat Protectors

Indoor workouts always leave you more salty and drenched than outdoor rides, as there’s no wind to wick away perspiration. Although the sweat seems like the harmless badge of a hard ride, it can be highly corrosive and may cause massive damage to your bike if you’re not careful.

A small amount of perspiration won’t cause any damage to your equipment, but when the layers of sweat begin to build up on your unmoved bike over the winter, your components are more at risk for damage.

Cassettes & Other Components

Just like your bike, there are always upgrade options.

Cassettes

Most direct drive trainers, don't come with a cassette. Most trainers on the market use a 10 or 11 speed cassette. Check with your trainer's manufacturer for additional info on what cassette works with your specific trainer or bike.

Other Components

If you’re a die-hard trainer rider or a 5am Zwifter, you know how vital a pleasant training environment is to your performance. Lucky for us stuck inside, there are more than a few choices to help boost our indoor riding/racing experience. It’s not just the bike equipment that can make a difference. The best indoor trainer accessories can make a world of difference.

Gear up for the best time to ride

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