I’m just curious…if you had a thousand dollars or so to spend on a training aid for the bike, what would you get? CompuTrainer, PC’s, Trainer and Spinervals, something else?
I’m really looking to get better on the bike and would like to know what other people use as training aids.
Thanks in advance!!
Christian
Why not rent a motorcycle and find a hot chick in a thong bathing suit to motorpace you for a few hours? On a serious note I rather like my computrainer.
A thousand bucks?? I’d join a good cycling club that sponsors group rides, races, and training sessions. I’d take what’s left over and get a high quality indoor trainer. For me, the best training has come through riding. (Suprise) I love big group rides and long solo rides with hills that make me consider quitting.
For me its a tie between PCs and a Computrainer.
Tom: I have just purchased pc’s. How much should I with them. I put them on my softride, but I comute with another bike and pulling cranks all the time is a pain. The literature from PC says that I should ride them exclusively, at least initially. What are your recomendations for training witht he pc’s.
Thanks in advance
easy. PC’s and a set of rollers. maybe used kreitlers or just some performance house brand alu drums with a resistance unit. this is what i used all winter in northern wisconsin and the hours just fly by, your legs get trashed well and sound, and even mr NOt would learn a thing or three about pedalling ( well, maybe…). anyway, a better way to blow ching on bike training stuff is hard for me to imagine. oh yes, you can ride the PC’s OUTDOORS, too. 
I’d spend it on time off to ride more miles!
Especially if you do any races that require running, I’d say that PC’s would be #1…you’ll be faster on your running races in less than two weeks just by training on PC’s.
I don’t yet know the long-term affect of PC’s on riding for me. In the first 4 months, my training rides are faster than before PC’s and I rode 7 minutes faster in my only sprint tri split this year, compared to the same course last year, and ran 4 minutes faster in the same race. But, I don’t know how much faster I am on a pure TT…my first TT was rained out (well, they held it, but I didn’t participate!).
I already know I improved measurably this year on the bike split and runs, and I expect to see benefits from PC’s that continue to provide improvement for longer than the first 4 months.
Give them a try, if you don’t see enough benefits to please you, send them back in the first 60 days for a full refund…then you could spend that money some other way. I don’t know of any other money back guarantee regarding bicycle performance that is as good as this one.
cbwagner, I own a Computrainer(5+ years), Polar S710(1 1/2 yrs), Kreitler rollers(8 yrs), and a new PowerTap Pro. I have also used an SRM for six months a couple of years ago. I’ve hired a coach for the first time this year, after 18 years pursuing this sport.
So what is my recommendation for the best use of a couple thousand $$? I’d say its a combination of things. I recommend a PowerTap and a coach who is versed in power training. The SRM is just too expensive for most of us, especially given the affordability of the PT. You could substitute the Computrainer for the PowerTap, but you’d be tied to indoor riding. You could just get the PT or CT, but without a solid knowlege and plan it will be hard to extract the maximum value, so I recommend a coach. Until I started working with a coach, my CT was not much more than a really nice indoor trainer. Now that I have a PT, my outdoor riding is much more focused than even when I was doing HR stuff. I’ve made some real gains already this year. The PT is going to cost somewhere under $1000 depending on the unit you buy, and a good coach might cost anywhere from $500-$3000 per year.
$1000 bucks? Hmm… Where to start…
How about this list, in no particular order:
I totally agree. All the gadjets in the world won’t get you as fast as what those fast training rides where your hanging on for dear life will get you. And there fun too!!!
A thousand bucks?? I’d join a good cycling club that sponsors group rides, races, and training sessions. I’d take what’s left over and get a high quality indoor trainer. For me, the best training has come through riding. (Suprise) I love big group rides and long solo rides with hills that make me consider quitting.
…and it’s free.
Nothing will make you better at riding than riding.
That’s what I would do. Mind you my limiter is bike time. I am a bad cyclist and therefore have to fight my inner voices to go out on the bike.
Once in december, once in january and once in february I’d hole up for four days in a motel someplace warm and get in two rides up close to 100 miles each trip.
Nothing will make you better at riding than riding.
That’s a fine sentiment, and certainly not without some small amount of merit. But the reality is that SMART riding is far better than just riding. I’ve made more gains this spring using focused, power-based training on 180 miles or less per week than I ever made when I routinely rode 250-350 miles per week, many of which were hard roadie group rides a few years ago. My base is about the same, but, for instance, I completed a race rehearsal 1/2 IM brick this weekend at 1/2 mph faster than my PR pace from a few years ago when I was doing monster training. The key to having all the technical gear is NOT simply laying out the cash and looking cool with an SRM or PT or disc wheel mounted on your bike or an S710 hanging on your wrist. The key is making use of it. That’s why I recommend a coach in my post above. As a triathlete with a full time job and family, having a coach has relieved me of most of the burden of tracking and planning my workouts. I simply execute, based on feedback from my training, provided by these high tech gadgets. Having that info, the coach is better able to pinpoint weaknesses and strengths and plan training appropriately. That’s A LOT better than simply piling on the miles.
Eddy Merckx was probably the greatest bike racer ever. He won everything from the Tour de France to Paris-Roubaix to Milan san Remo. A reporter once asked him how he got to be so good. Eddy responded by saying there are three ways to become a great cyclist: 1. ride your bike 2. ride your bike 3. ride your bike.
Best bike training aid: Live near real mountains.
My cycling went to a completely different levelk when I moved from a place were the biggest climb took maybe 10 minutes to a place where the climbs could take close to an hour.
I made a huge leap forward in strength and enduarnce, particularly for the time-trial specific nature of triathlon cycling.
I realize this is very impractical, but it WORKS!!
Thanks for everyones great input!! You have given me a lot to think about. And I really do like the coach idea. I could use some guidance on my workouts and my nutrition. On that note, anyone know of any good coaches in the SoCal/OC Area?
I know I could check out CTS and some other online coaches and they are probably cheaper then a real live coach, but I kind of like the idea of having someone I can actually see once in a while!
Thanks again!!
Christian
get someone to ride with that shares your passion.
you’ll both be faster and $1000 richer.
-Dave
for a coach… shop around, there a several differint styles, but try not to commit before checking out michael mccormack in no cal. he is on-line. i’m not certain that there is big upside to having your coach in the same town.
by the way… sorry for my ignorance, i usually know all the toys, but what are ‘PCs’?
PC’s are PowerCranks. They are a toy in the same way that a Drill Sargent is a toy. They require you to lift your leg up and over the top on each and every stroke in order to begin the downstroke. No cheating is allowed, no shortcuts, no kidding. If you thought you picked up your rising leg because you have a “nice round pedal stroke”, you’re in for a rude awakening. PC’s will thrash your ego over and over, and they just don’t care, they will continue to require you to raise that lazy leg over the top every stroke. Brutal toy.