I can do it slowly and awkwardly, in a left, right, left, right, fashion, not smooth.
- Not practical
- Just need stronger muscles
- There’s a trick to it
- Something else?
Thanks!
You rock the bike when you’re out of the saddle on the road. You might not realise this.
Only a few trainers will let you do this rocking motion.
What cadence are you working at ?
Depending on the resistance. I’ve heard trainers say to put it in the hardest gear but I still can’t do it then.
What is it about stationary bikes that let you this vs. trainers, mechanically-wise?
You rock the bike when you’re out of the saddle on the road. You might not realise this.
Only a few trainers will let you do this rocking motion.
What cadence are you working at ?
This
You can get out of the saddle on a trainer but it’s not representative of getting out of the saddle out on the road.
Standing up on the trainer forces you to control your weight distribution and avoid wrestling the bike as you might when you get out of the saddle during a steep climb or a sprint. However, I don’t know if this is a good thing, that will improve pedal stroke, core strength, etc, or if it’s completely pointless.
The Kurt Kinetic Rock’n’Roll allows the bike move in such a way that you could possibly do a somewhat realistic out of the saddle effort - I haven’t tried it.
Most trainers hold the bike rigidly upright. Out on the road my bike moves around a bit even when I’m in the saddle (everyone’s does, though I might be a little movier than some). I find the same saddle less comfortable when used on a trainer compared to out on the road. I suspect the restricted bike movement is the reason. However the trainer is still useful in simulating a seated position. However when I, and most others, stand up the bike moves A LOT, and this makes the trainer VERY unrealistic out of the saddle.
I used to do triathlons and I’m taking time off to start a family and I’ll retake it when the youngest is off to school or so. So now I have a trainer and I want to do the workout videos like RPM (a kind of indoor spinning class) in which there is a lot of standing. It’s just for fun, not training.
What is it about a spin bike that allows you to stand vs the trainer, just that it’s heavier?
I can do it slowly and awkwardly, in a left, right, left, right, fashion, not smooth.
- Not practical
- Just need stronger muscles
- There’s a trick to it
- Something else?
Thanks!
Yes, there’s a trick to it, as others have said. On the road you rock your bike and your weight side to side out of the saddle. On a trainer you can’t/ The trick is to keep your centre of gravity as close as you possibly can to the plane that is defined by the bike frame.
You can practice on the road (oddly): stand up, and try to keep the bike frame as still and as upright as possible under you. Hold your upper body very still and keep all your movement parallel to the plane defined by the hopefully stable bike frame.
On a turbo a harder gear is probably better to practise with because it will necessarily slow down your physical movements - without the worry of toppling sideways - and stop you rocking. On the road a harder gear means slower speeds → a greater chance of toppling sideways → more movement to compensate for unstable balance.
i teach RPM…and it sucks. Your better off with sufferfest vids or just watching something on youtube and using trainerroad. As for why you can get out of the seat and stand and rock a spin bike? Well, you only get a small rock, and its probably the feet moving a little, a bit more flex in the whole frame.
If your really looking to get up and out of that saddle a lot, your probably better off with a kurt kinetic rock’n’roll or something.
I mostly watch Netflix while using the trainer but I subscribe to Les Mills On Demand for BodyPump and CXWorx and since it includes RPM and I like RPM, was looking for a way to be able to do them. So I’m guessing that’s a no 
BTW I can’t stand Sufferfest videos. I’ve bought them, I’ve used them multiple times, I hated them. Not my cup of tea.
It could be to do with the turbo too - on the road the resistance is pretty constant and when you ride out of the saddle you get momentum. You won’t get that on the turbo - so you will find it choppy.
Dont forget that the spin bikes are fixed wheel and with a huge weighted flywheel so you will find a bit of momentum.
I teach Indoor Cycling too - we don’t do a whole lot of out of the saddle climbing but its good to mix up your positions from time to time.
Sufferfest is awesome - you should enjoy that. 
I was actually standing on my trainer who while reading this. Lol
For standing portions, I just try to mindfully engage those different muscles in my legs, I bump up the resistance substantially, and I support myself on the handlebars or aerobars. When I’m standing, it’s typically for a zone 4+ interval.
I used to do triathlons and I’m taking time off to start a family and I’ll retake it when the youngest is off to school or so. So now I have a trainer and I want to do the workout videos like RPM (a kind of indoor spinning class) in which there is a lot of standing. It’s just for fun, not training.
What is it about a spin bike that allows you to stand vs the trainer, just that it’s heavier?
I’ve only ever done one Spin class and didn’t like it so that’s the only experience I can base this on but I would say there’s not much difference except that a spin bike is heavier and probably stiffer so it may feel more secure but equally uncomfortable. Your movement is restricted in the same way and when I did a class I found the standing periods as unpleasant and unnatural as I do on the trainer. It seems to me the difference is in the intent. Spin classes seem more about doing cardio work and doing it on this particular piece of equipment. Whereas we usually aim to use a turbo trainer specifically for improving cycling performance. For example the instructor wanted me to do “press-ups” while spinning. It puts demands on your core which is fine but distracts from the pedalling which seems detrimental. It’s also annoying ;).
So you can do that kind of out of saddle work on a turbo but I’m not sure how transferable it is to the road and I find it unpleasant (and perhaps detrimental to the bike frame?)
Try not completely unweighting the pedal that is on the upstroke. Turn circles instead of dropping all your weight on the downstroke.
Depending on the resistance. I’ve heard trainers say to put it in the hardest gear but I still can’t do it then.
What is it about stationary bikes that let you this vs. trainers, mechanically-wise?
It’s the fluid nature of the trainer. With the fluid tariner, the fluid changes resistance according to how much force your pedalstroke throws down. So if you are standing/low cadence, the fluid spikes its resistance as you reach peak force standing, but then resets the resistance to some degree as you unload it between downstrokes. The result is a nonsmooth feel since the resistance is literally changing with your pedalstroke. When you cadence up and smooth out your power delivery to the pedals, this goes away on the fluid trainer - it’s harder to do this standing since on standing you tend to spike your power on each downstroke.
Most gym trainers work on nonfluid resisitance - they are usually FIXED resistance loads (dial the resistance knob to 1-10), so you won’t get this variable resistance with low-cadence work.
On an electronic trainer like a Kickr which can deliver fixed resistance , this also goes away, and feels much more roadlike, especially on simulated hillclimbs where you might stand.
I can do it slowly and awkwardly, in a left, right, left, right, fashion, not smooth.
- Not practical
- Just need stronger muscles
- There’s a trick to it
- Something else?
Thanks!
The answer is really B and C. They are trying to teach you to , as Phil Liggett says, ‘‘dance on those pedals’’. You have to balance you weight on the bars and the pedals and learn to spin the pedals. It’s easier to start with more resistance but don’t go crazy. As you know, it will feel awkward at fist but keep at it, soon you’ll adapt and you be dancing on the pedals like the riders in the Tour De France.
Also, I think someone else recommended TrainerRoad. I also do, it’s the best indoor cycle training software available.
I had tr for years and never used it. Good to hear that the kickr makes it easier. I have one but I moved and lost the power cord so I just contacted Wahoo to buy one and then I’ll set up my bike on it (currently using a Cyclops Fluid 2). In the meantime I’ll try the tips given in here.