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Year-round Outdoor Pain Cave Setup
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Has anyone successfully set up a pain cave outdoors for year-round training?

Space in our NYC condo is about to be extremely tight on account of my pain cave transitioning to a nursery come January. However, I have ~1,400 square feet of outdoor patio space to work with. I was thinking of something like this:

https://www.tractorsupply.com/...arage-in-a-box-70205

NYC winters aren't that extreme, so I don't think I would need a heater in the tent - maybe just long sleeves/gloves and a hat. In the summer, I would definitely need a portable AC or something similar, but I've never owned one so not sure how effective it would be.

Any thoughts appreciated!

Strava
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Re: Year-round Outdoor Pain Cave Setup [sch340] [ In reply to ]
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Seems unnecessary. If you're not afraid of the weather, I say just set up the trainer outdoors. I think it would give you some extra mental strength should you have a vO2 Max session while the snow flurries fall...

@floathammerholdon | @partners_in_tri
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Re: Year-round Outdoor Pain Cave Setup [sch340] [ In reply to ]
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I haven't done anything permanent---I only use the trainer as a last resort. But, when its too cold/wet to ride on the road without excessive preparation...I put the trainer outside on our covered porch. My usual attire down to upper 20s is shorts and ski gloves (no shirt)...sometimes I'll wear a jersey for the first 10min or so. But, it always come off...and I frequently still end up with a fan blowing on me if I'm doing anything z3+. My family thinks I'm nuts.
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Re: Year-round Outdoor Pain Cave Setup [cloy] [ In reply to ]
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Not necessarily afraid of the weather, although it would suck to bike in place while 35 degrees F and raining, which is a pretty typical winter day here. However, I am pretty sure I need to keep my trainer, rocker plate, and tablet dry while biking so I need something to shield the equipment from the elements. Currently the entire patio is exposed.

Strava
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Re: Year-round Outdoor Pain Cave Setup [sch340] [ In reply to ]
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sch340 wrote:
Has anyone successfully set up a pain cave outdoors for year-round training?

Space in our NYC condo is about to be extremely tight on account of my pain cave transitioning to a nursery come January. However, I have ~1,400 square feet of outdoor patio space to work with. I was thinking of something like this:

https://www.tractorsupply.com/...arage-in-a-box-70205

NYC winters aren't that extreme, so I don't think I would need a heater in the tent - maybe just long sleeves/gloves and a hat. In the summer, I would definitely need a portable AC or something similar, but I've never owned one so not sure how effective it would be.

Any thoughts appreciated!

if it's outdoors, can you call it a cave?

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Re: Year-round Outdoor Pain Cave Setup [JasoninHalifax] [ In reply to ]
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JasoninHalifax wrote:
if it's outdoors, can you call it a cave?

Pain patio?

Strava
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Re: Year-round Outdoor Pain Cave Setup [sch340] [ In reply to ]
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I think weather-wise you will be fine. Big fans for summer, you won't need a heater in the winter, you can just start in a sweatshirt and hat and take them off as you warm up.

To me there are two major concerns: 1) anything out there in the temperature changes, humidity, etc is going to wear out faster. That cover will get washed out color-wise and wear out pretty quickly in the sun, and an NYC rooftop gets a tremendous amount of sun reflected off the ground and other buildings. Electronics will rust a bit and corrode in the humidity. You will also have to build some sort of platform under the tent to keep the everything off the patio floor.

2) Wind. The wind up high can be incredibly intense. I had a fourth floor rooftop in Brooklyn for years (so not especially high) and everything I had up there had to be tied down with truck ties. That thing will be a sail if the wind catches it right, I'm not sure you will be able to tie it down sufficiently. If you tie it to a railing or something, it wouldn't surprise me if it simply broke the railing.
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Re: Year-round Outdoor Pain Cave Setup [Geronimo] [ In reply to ]
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Agree, 1) is what I am most concerned with - protection of electronics and equipment. A simple tent probably won't do the trick, but at the same time, I don't want to be lugging my trainer in and out every day.

For 2), I am lucky that our patio is in a 2nd floor courtyard, so we don't really have much issue with the wind blowing things outside of our property. The effect you describe is definitely real though - our friends almost had a dining table blow off their 10th floor patio last year.


Geronimo wrote:
I think weather-wise you will be fine. Big fans for summer, you won't need a heater in the winter, you can just start in a sweatshirt and hat and take them off as you warm up.

To me there are two major concerns: 1) anything out there in the temperature changes, humidity, etc is going to wear out faster. That cover will get washed out color-wise and wear out pretty quickly in the sun, and an NYC rooftop gets a tremendous amount of sun reflected off the ground and other buildings. Electronics will rust a bit and corrode in the humidity. You will also have to build some sort of platform under the tent to keep the everything off the patio floor.

2) Wind. The wind up high can be incredibly intense. I had a fourth floor rooftop in Brooklyn for years (so not especially high) and everything I had up there had to be tied down with truck ties. That thing will be a sail if the wind catches it right, I'm not sure you will be able to tie it down sufficiently. If you tie it to a railing or something, it wouldn't surprise me if it simply broke the railing.

Strava
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Re: Year-round Outdoor Pain Cave Setup [sch340] [ In reply to ]
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1400 sq ft is a huge patio for NY! Is that on your roof?
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Re: Year-round Outdoor Pain Cave Setup [lightheir] [ In reply to ]
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lightheir wrote:
1400 sq ft is a huge patio for NY! Is that on your roof?

I wish! It is a ground-level courtyard between buildings. I am in Brooklyn so we have a little bit more space to work with out here.

Strava
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Re: Year-round Outdoor Pain Cave Setup [sch340] [ In reply to ]
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My parents in Montana have one of those they keep a car in. Its location is somewhat sheltered by two buildings as yours might be in a courtyard. It should be easy to anchor down with a few cinderblocks. The frame has held up well for over a decade, but they’ve replaced the tarp several times.

An iPad’s operating temperature is 32-95 degrees Fahrenheit, so you'll have to keep that warm enough in winter. I’ve had my iPhone shutdown in cold weather when kept in an outside jacket pocket away from body heat. It came back to life quickly when put inside the jacket.

A big fan in summer for you, and a heater for the iPad in winter and it looks doable to me.

Greg
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Re: Year-round Outdoor Pain Cave Setup [sch340] [ In reply to ]
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sch340 wrote:
Agree, 1) is what I am most concerned with - protection of electronics and equipment. A simple tent probably won't do the trick, but at the same time, I don't want to be lugging my trainer in and out every day.

For 2), I am lucky that our patio is in a 2nd floor courtyard, so we don't really have much issue with the wind blowing things outside of our property. The effect you describe is definitely real though - our friends almost had a dining table blow off their 10th floor patio last year.


Geronimo wrote:
I think weather-wise you will be fine. Big fans for summer, you won't need a heater in the winter, you can just start in a sweatshirt and hat and take them off as you warm up.

To me there are two major concerns: 1) anything out there in the temperature changes, humidity, etc is going to wear out faster. That cover will get washed out color-wise and wear out pretty quickly in the sun, and an NYC rooftop gets a tremendous amount of sun reflected off the ground and other buildings. Electronics will rust a bit and corrode in the humidity. You will also have to build some sort of platform under the tent to keep the everything off the patio floor.

2) Wind. The wind up high can be incredibly intense. I had a fourth floor rooftop in Brooklyn for years (so not especially high) and everything I had up there had to be tied down with truck ties. That thing will be a sail if the wind catches it right, I'm not sure you will be able to tie it down sufficiently. If you tie it to a railing or something, it wouldn't surprise me if it simply broke the railing.

i did this for YEARS. It's not really that bad, imo. Plus you don't have to worry about your gear outside.

@floathammerholdon | @partners_in_tri
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Re: Year-round Outdoor Pain Cave Setup [sch340] [ In reply to ]
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I have nothing to add with regards to the outside pain cave. Just wanted to say congrats!
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Re: Year-round Outdoor Pain Cave Setup [cloy] [ In reply to ]
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Good point - maybe I am overthinking it.

I probably do need some sort of overhang to be able to ride in all sorts of weather (i.e. protect the iPad), but maybe I just need to budget an extra 10 minutes of setup to get the trainer outdoors. I also have a projector screen outdoors that I could maybe use...

I'll give it a test run this fall to see how it goes.

Strava
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Re: Year-round Outdoor Pain Cave Setup [MRid] [ In reply to ]
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MRid wrote:
I have nothing to add with regards to the outside pain cave. Just wanted to say congrats!

Thanks! I meant to take next year off racing but due to COVID I now have 3 IMs and 2 HIMs scheduled - that should be interesting!

Strava
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Re: Year-round Outdoor Pain Cave Setup [sch340] [ In reply to ]
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Not sure if you own or rent, but are you allowed to build something more permanent/structural?
1400 Sq ft, seems pretty large, would you be allowed to put up something like this?
https://heartlandsheds.com/...mBvpnmUaAqgaEALw_wcB IT EVEN HAS BIKES IN THE PICTURE!
I know 2,500 bucks is much more than what you first posted, but if you own and are allowed to do it, it might be a good resale feature?
My buddy built something similar in his backyard for the exact reason as you, it is tight, but he has it set up really well.
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