Buying Guide

Congratulations! You’ve purchased your first (or at least a new) bike trainer and are starting to put in the miles – awesome! You may discover that a few essential bike trainer accessories will make your training rides even better. These accessories include front wheel riser blocks, stabilizing mats, different sets of skewers for training than the ones you use for riding, and smart apps that accompany your training regimen for that outdoor feel, even when you’re not.
So, why would you need a front riser block, or a mat, or an extra skewer, or a training tire? We’ll answer those questions below.

Front Wheel Riser Block

Why use a front wheel riser block

The front wheel riser block provides stability and helps to protect your floor, but can also help to increase the incline of your front wheel to simulate hill climbing when training.

Front wheel riser blocks come in different shapes and sizes and help to keep the front wheel steady and your handlebars straight. Look for a padded base to keep your floors protected like the GEEDIAR and durable materials to take the wear and tear. You should also make sure that your riser is suitable for your bike type, for example the Easydeal suits both mountain and road bikes and that it fits the width of your tires.

Some front wheel riser blocks however can take your training to a whole new level. The CycleOps for example has three different levels within the one block which let’s you vary the level of difficulty all with the one riser.

If you’re looking for a challenge to add to your workout, then you should look for stackable front wheel riser blocks like the CycleOps with 12 adjustment levels when you add a second block to simulate hill-riding.

Front Wheel Riser Block Comparison Table

Product Name	Average Amazon Rating	Stackable? (Y/N)	Hill-ride Realism	Price
GEEDIAR Riser	★★★★1/2	Yes	★★★★	Check Price
CycleOps Riser	★★★★1/2	Yes	★★★★★	Check Price
Kinetic Fixed Ring Riser	★★★★1/2	No	★★★★★	Check Price
Easydeal Riser	★★★★1/2	No	★★★★	Check Price

 

Bike Trainer Mat

Why use a bike-training mat

Mats help increase stability. However, it’s non-slip features also allow for sound absorption and help to protect surfaces.

Do you feel uneasy when you’re riding on your trainer? Do you feel your trainer “walking” during your workout? That’s where bike trainer mats like the Wahoo Kickr or the CycleOps mat can help. The mat offers you a more stable surface to ride on, while also reducing noise levels through sound absorption.

One feature to consider when looking at mats, is the length – most mats will come in a standard length (~39”) and width (~8”), give or take an inch or two, just make sure it’s large enough for your needs. Mats also help to protect your flooring from rubber marks and sweat, so, if you’re renting a property, they are also super practical. If you’re stuck for space and don’t have a permanent training area, look out for folding mats like the Blackburn Deluxe which are specifically designed to fold flat when not in use and make storage easier.

Bike Trainer Mat – Comparison Guide

Product Name	Average Amazon Rating	Stability	Noise Insulation	Price
Wahoo KICKR	★★★★★	★★★★★	★★★★★	Check Price
CycleOps Mat	★★★★★	★★★★★	★★★★★	Check Price
Blackburn Deluxe	★★★1/2	★★★	★★★★★	Check Price

 

Bike Trainer Skewers

Why you might need a new skewer

The main reason for swapping out your current skewer (with the one usually provided with the bike trainer) is that the provided skewer is made to fit that bike trainer. However, if your trainer does not come with a skewer, you will need to purchase one. So always check what comes in the box when buying a new bike trainer.

Quick-release skewers can be particularly useful when dealing with either fluid, magnetic, or wind trainers, as they are specifically designed to be compatible with those units. Thus, they are often included with the bike trainer. For example, two leading manufacturers CycleOps and Kurt Kinetic both provide skewers that are made for their specific fluid, wind or magnetic trainers.

In looking for a skewer, you’re going to want to ensure that they are the appropriate length for your device – simply measure between the two clamp mechanisms on either side.

 

Next, you’re going to want to choose a longer lever length – this makes them easier to handle.

Lastly, you’re going to want to consider the metal it’s made from. Most skewers are made from titanium or titanium alloy, such as the Corki, which is designed to be lightweight. Alternatively you can look for a steel skewer for better longevity, as you won’t be as concerned about weight if using the bike trainer indoors versus road riding.

Smart Apps for Bike Trainers

Why you need a smart trainer app

Smart trainer applications that sometimes come with your trainer, or are compatible with your trainer, are great for all sorts of reasons. Their main benefit is they provide you with useful training data that might otherwise not be available. They also add amazing virtual reality to your ride, allowing you to take it ‘outside’ even in the worst conditions.

Smart Apps are a relatively new invention. With the advent of virtual reality technology, the technological geniuses in the cycling-trainer industry decided to incorporate these into their products.

While not mandatory by any means, if you’re looking for a new way to experience indoor cycling, then smart apps are the way to go. They’ll replace your boring living room wall with an animated version of Paris or London, or the French Pyrenees (use that one with multiple front wheel riser blocks for added authenticity!).

They also track things like your heart rate, cadence, top speeds and personal bests, if you’re using sprint modes.

Training Tires

Why use a training wheel

Training tires are a great addition to your bike-training sessions. Not an absolute must have but… if you decide to buy a training tire they can reduce the wear-and-tear on your “ride” tires, keeping them fit for the road. Training tires, such as those sold by CycleOps, Vittoria, or Continental are made specifically for riding your bike trainer.

Training wheels, not the learning kind you had as a kid, but tires specifically for your bike trainer, serve as a replacement wheel for your primary riding wheel when using your bike trainer. Most people don’t bother with the investment, but then have to replace their rear tire when Spring comes around and you want to head outdoors. Training tires are found in all sorts of sizes, but you need to ensure that both front and rear wheels are the same size.

Training tires also come with less tread on them, and are therefore less noisy than your original tires, which is a great side benefit as well.

Still looking for a bike trainer?  The head over to our Bike Trainer Buying Guide to help you choose the best trainer for you.

If you are looking to purchase the best bike trainer for your needs, then our ‘Bike Trainer Buying Guide’ should offer some practical tips and advice to help you make the right choice.

Most people typically use a bike trainer during the off-season, usually the winter. They can be used for professional training, for general fitness and by anyone who’s enthusiastic about cycling.

 

Why use a Bike Trainer?

• Using a bike trainer allows you to ride your bicycle indoors regardless of the conditions (think – rain, snow or a sandstorm!). You can train all year round.
• Helps you to maintain peak fitness if you are a professional cyclist, or to build up your fitness level pre-season. If you’re not so hard-core and you cycle for fun, it can help you get ready for the summer.
• As well as your physical fitness, riding in a static position can also increase your mental fitness. Depending on the type of trainer you’re using you will be required to maintain focus, lest you find yourself in a heap on the floor!
• Linked to your ability to focus, riding on an indoor bike trainer will allow you to adapt your sense of balance, as some types of bike trainers such as rollers require you to maintain your own balance.
• You can save on expensive gym fees by turning your regular bike into an exercise machine.
• Bike trainers can be useful when recovering from injury, when you’re not ready for a full road ride.
• You can take it on the road – use it pre–race when you need to warm up before a big event.

So which bike trainer is right for you?

When looking for the best indoor bike trainer there are quite a few options to consider.

Types of Bike Trainers

There are several different types of bicycle trainers, each with it’s own features and benefits depending on your needs. The most common types of bike trainers are: Wind, Magnetic, Fluid & Rollers.

Wind Bike Trainers

Wind bike trainers use a large fan to offer resistance as you ride. The fan is powered by how fast the rider pedals – the harder you pedal, the faster the fan spins, the more resistance you’ll face. This is perhaps the most ‘realistic’ of the bike training systems.

Magnetic Bike Trainers

Magnetic bike trainers operate a single flywheel that uses magnetisation to create resistance. There is an upper limit as to the amount of resistance they can provide. The biggest benefit of the magnetic trainer is that the resistance offered is adjustable. So, depending on how you’re feeling, you can either go for the gold, or just warm up before a longer ride.

Fluid Bike Trainers

Fluid bike trainers are more complex than the previous two, as they operate using turbine oil that is pressurised and forced through a chamber that spins an impeller. The impeller then spins a metal or plastic roller. It also has a flywheel on the other side, which rotates with your tyre.

Rollers

These are the mechanically simplest form of bike trainer. They are made up of three metal or plastic rollers, two in the rear, one in the front. They are usually adjustable for the size of the bike you are using. You simply pop your bike on the rollers and begin to ride. Warning – beginners will usually require some stabilization! So get yourself in a doorway or grab a couple of friends to help keep you stable, especially when you are starting out.

What to consider when purchasing an indoor bike trainer

Quality and Durability

When purchasing a new bike trainer, you’re going to want something that is of reasonable quality and has a long life expectancy. For example, rollers are increasingly being produced with metal rollers, to replace the old plastic ones. This makes a big difference when it comes to durability so look for these.

As for the wind, magnetic and fuel-powered trainers, there’s a vast selection to choose from. The magnetic and wind trainers tend to be more reliable and durable than the fluid ones. Unlike the magnetic or wind trainer, the fluid trainer can leak. As there’s liquid involved, you’re going to eventually have to replace it, whereas the magnetic and wind-powered trainers offer greater longevity. Also look for a sturdy frame that will last the distance.

Noise Level

How noisy your bike trainer is can be an important consideration if you need to share your living space with others or live in an apartment with neighbours close by. Noise can be caused by both the trainer itself and also how much vibration the bike trainer causes on the floor.

Using accessories like hard rubber training tires and floor mats can help to reduce vibration and overall noise.

Rollers: Generally-speaking, rollers are very noisy. Whether you’ve gotten the plastic or metal rollers, they rely on movement to create resistance, thus movement creates noise.

Magnetic: Definitely in the “bike trainers you’ll hear over your TV” category is the magnetic trainer, though it is quieter than the rollers, due to it being a single tire that is moving, where both are in motion on the rollers.

Wind: Next up is the wind trainer. As it relies on a not-so-quiet fan these can be some of the noisier types of trainer, and though you do have control over how fast that fan moves, slow may not be what you are after.

Fluid: The quietest trainer is the fluid one, due to its reliance on liquid rather than traditional solid moving parts.

Indoor bike trainers with wider, heavier frames also tend to provide more stability and therefore help to reduce noise and vibration.

Resistance

Wind: In terms of resistance, Wind is the go-to for the most resistance-offered by the machine. As the harder you pedal, the faster the fan spins, and the more resistance is created. Thus, it is largely limitless — you can work as hard, or as little as you want.

Fluid: Second-up is the fluid trainer, while you do have to be careful regarding heavy use, as the heat generated by pedalling can shorten their lifespan. But, they do offer the most realistic ride, as they are able to simulate grinding up hills, coasting down flats, or pedalling like mad in a sprint.

Magnetic: Coming in third in terms of resistance-capabilities are the magnetic bike trainers. While the trainers do offer adjustability of the amount of resistance you’ll face – there’s an upper-limit to that resistance-capacity – and for some, it’s too low.

Rollers: Lastly, we have the rollers. While they work very well in terms of honing your balance and pedal stroke, a flat surface is required for use, thus you’re largely unable to simulate much hill-riding, however they do offer a realistic road-riding experience.

Ease of setup

Rollers: The easiest to set-up of the four bike trainers are the rollers. You’ll simply lay them out on a level surface, pop your bike on, and get on – ensuring you’ve got your balance!

For the other three trainers, you’ll need a new skewer, one with steel knobs on either end that can fit into the mechanism of the trainer (many will come with a plastic knob that sometimes doesn’t fit the bike trainer mechanism and you might have to buy this separately) Check what comes with your trainer out of the box.

Wind, Magnetic & Fluid: The clamping apparatus is the same on all three types — simply take your own skewer out of the wheel hub, place the steel skewer inside, and then position your wheel inside of the wheel mount, ensuring that it fits snugly, and tighten as you would normally, adjusting the clamping apparatus accordingly. Once you have done that, use the adjustable knob at the back of the trainer to close the gap between the tyre and the resistance belt. You’ll not want to over-tighten it, but the tyre shouldn’t slip. The process is similar for the wind, magnetic and fluid bike trainers. The magnetic trainer also comes with a cord that connects to the apparatus that allows you to adjust the resistance offered by the machine. This is typically loose, and so you may want to fasten it to your bike somehow.

Luckily, all bike trainers will come with a set of instructions, so refer to the manual if you’re not sure of anything, or contact your local bike shop or the manufacturer if you need more info.

Ease of Use

Rollers: Once again, rollers take the cake in the “Easiest to use department”. You don’t have to worry about adjustments all that much, simply ensure that your front axle is just behind the front of the front roller, and the rest of your bike should fit just fine on the rear two. Simply pop the bike on, and ride!

Wind: The wind bike trainer comes in second. Similar to the rollers, it’s very easy to use. Simply pop your bike on, following the directions above, and ride! You won’t have to worry so much about balance, as the rear wheel is securely held in place by the clamping system.

Magnetic: This comes in third, as you don’t have to adjust very much at all. Just simply ensure, as mentioned above, that you’ve got the skewer snugly fitted in the clamping apparatus and that the tyre doesn’t slip once you’ve got it on the roller. However, when you’re riding like mad, adjusting the resistance can be something of a pain, as you have to fumble around with a cord and adjustment apparatus on-the-fly, while maintaining your balance.

Fluid: The fluid trainer, similar to the magnetic and wind trainers above, relies solely on the same clamping system as the other two. And thus the ease of use is about the same — it’s very easy to use. Similar to the roller and wind system, you don’t need to fumble around with any exterior cables or mechanisms, however, you will need to ensure that there is a sufficient amount of turbine oil in the casing, and watch out for overheating the mechanism as you pedal.

Portability

If you need something that’s more portable, rollers are not as portable, as they require near full-deconstruction before you’re able to transport them. Whereas the wind, magnetic and fluid bike trainers, because of their design ( with the mechanisms all being encased in one single area), are more portable. The legs of the fluid, wind and magnetic trainers will also usually fold, allowing the trainer to be compacted and moved easily.

Tyre type

Each system is far better suited to a road bike tyre, rather than a mountain bike (MTB) tyre, as the MTB tyres offer great resistance and grip, which is not what you want when riding on a bike trainer. Considering swapping your MTB tyres with slicks in the 26 x 1.75 range, that way you can still ride your hybrid or MTB, but with slick tyres on the rear wheel.

Additional Features (Virtual Reality and Smart tech)

Virtual Reality has really exploded in the last five years, and that means it has been incorporated into cycling too. You can now enjoy the serenity of a mountain pass, or ride along the Champs D’Elysee in Paris with the pros — all from the comfort of your living room. Usually coupled with either a magnetic or fluid trainer, From the Samsung VR to Oculus Rift, to entire systems like WIDERUN built around the sport of Cycling, or TV-VR programmes like Zwift, virtual reality is out there and makes a really cool additional feature to your ride.

Pricing

Rollers: For brand new rollers expect to spend somewhere in the region of $100 – $450 depending on the features and quality.

Fluid: As with the rollers, fluid trainers aren’t inexpensive either. Expect to spend anywhere from $150, all the way up to over $600.

Magnetic: Magnetic trainers are certainly less expensive than fluid machines, starting at around $60-$120 for the entry-level, but the price increases as you get into the more complex, well-built and established brands.

Wind: Wind trainers retail for around $150 – $300.

No matter what you’re looking for in a bike trainer, or how much you’re looking to spend, there’s something out there for you. Consider the pros and cons of each type by using this Bike Trainer Buying Guide to help pick the best one for you. Bike trainers are a fantastic way to get yourself in shape and keep yourself in shape, no matter your cycling pedigree. Built for both the novice and the professional, they make cycling accessible to all, no matter the weather and that can only be a good thing.