The Cycleops Fluid 2 Trainer has an optional mat that is close to over 50 bucks. Do I need this? FWIW, I’ll be training in a carpeted dorm room.
teege
No, unless you want to insulate the carpet from the sweat that will inevitably drip off you while spinning. But a towel works just as well.
I picked up a rubber mat at WallyWorld (displayed near the low end exercise equipment they sell) for considerably less to put under my CycleOps Fluid 2 & bike. It does catch sweat & deaden the noise a little (even on carpet). Probably not worth $50, but definitely worth around $15.
Got a no-name at Performance for $30 on sale. I have wood floors, so it dampens the noise a bit and keeps the sweat off the floor. Its above a nice to have, but not quite a must.
I went to Home Depot and bought a strip of that plastic stuff you use to protect carpet for $.98 a foot. Keeps the sweat off.
It’s a good idea to have some type of moisture-resistant, easy clean up mat under your trainer. You can buy a vinyl entry-way rug at the local hardware store for about $7.99, which is about half of what I pay at wholesale for the Cycleops mat.
I have both the mat and sweat guard.
The mat is great, the sweat guard tends to get int he way if you are out of the saddle.
The mat works well because of its width. You could substitute a 3rd party mat.
I suggest putting something down but it doesn’t have to be anything more than the cheapest beach towel you can find. (Better yet, buy yourself a nice new beach towel and recycle an old one for bike trainer duty.) Over time you’ll put a fair amount of sweat, sports drink drips, etc down on the carpet. It will add up if you ride alot in the same spot.
Now that you’ve saved the carpet by spending $5, put your savings into a sweat shield thing for your bike (the terry cloth thing that stretchs from the seat post to the handlebars). It’ll save your bike alot of abuse. I was shocked at how nasty mine looked just half way through a winter of indoor riding and I was quite happy that nastyness was not on my bike. Also, it will give you someplace to keep the TV remote.
A cheap ($5-7) yoga mat is another option.
I just use a large towel under my bike and trainer and it catches most of the sweat. I generally am able to keep my bike up in the same spot most of the winter. When I remove my bike/towel I can see a white crusty ring on the carpet around the bike.
Also, to keep the sweat off my bike I wrap plastic wrap around the stem, headset, top tube, and seatpost. Works well and doesn’t get in the way. I use either a cross bike or mnt bike to ride in the winter.
E