Halford's Beginner Women's Guide to Cycling Part 3: Turbo Training

Over the winter it can be hard to keep cycling, with bad weather and shorter days forcing you off the roads and trails and into the gym.

Another option is to invest in a turbo trainer so that you can keep riding your own bike, but in the warmth of your front room!

What is a Turbo Trainer?

A turbo trainer is a device that enables you to ride your bike indoors, and they are great for training over the winter. Made of metal, each turbo trainer has a slightly different design but generally they clamp onto the skewer through the rear wheel of your bike suspending it in an A-frame, with the tyre positioned on a roller. As you pedal your rear wheel, the roller turns too. A resistance unit is attached to the roller and uses air, fluid or magnetic means to vary the resistance.

I have the Kinetic Rock and Roll turbo trainer, which is slightly unique in that it has the ability to sway from side to side, trying to make the experience as similar to an actual road ride as possible. It has a fluid resistance unit which you adjust with a twist handle, and is really easy to set up. The only negative is that it's a pretty hefty piece of kit! It takes up a fair amount of space in my lounge and is very heavy to lift, although that does mean I don't worry about it moving when I'm cycling on it.

Benefits of a Turbo Trainer

• Bike rides can take up a big portion of your day, but a quick 1hour on the turbo during the week is an easy option that can be easily fitted in.
• If you're someone that isn't going to head out on the road or trail over the winter, you can lose a lot of your fitness - turbo training can help you maintain that, and even offer performance improvements.
• Each session can be specifically tailored to meet your requirements. You can use power or heart rate to measure intensity, and work at maintaining a certain cadence or speed throughout the session.
• A turbo trainer is a great tool for working on cycling technique, such as improving pedalling form or perfecting your body position.
• The different options on a turbo trainer are endless - you can put a film on your TV and do a 2 hour easy ride, or smash out a 30min sprint. There are loads of great apps and videos on YouTube that you can follow if you need some guidance or an idea of where to start! The Global Cycling Network YouTube channel is one of my top picks 🙂

Tips for Turbo Training

1. Set up the turbo trainer on a solid, smooth, flat surface in an area where you can create some ventilation - either near a window or a fan, as you will likely be getting pretty warm and sweaty!
2. Buy or make a turbo block to raise your front wheel off the ground, and make it the same height as your rear wheel - otherwise you'll be riding in a 'leaning forward' position.
3. Make sure your resistance is set up correctly, with the rear wheel resting on the roller so the tyre is just slightly squashed. It shouldn't be pressing so hard that the wheel barely turns, or hovering above it.
4. Plan your session so that you have a specific idea of what you will be doing, and what you want to get out of it, even if that's just a recovery spin of the legs. Measuring certain stats will also help you to see improvement and stay motivated.
5. A turbo trainer will eventually wear out the rear tyre on your bike due to the friction, so you can purchase a specific "turbo trainer tyre". This means you either need to switch out the tyre every time you want to go from road to indoor training, or get a spare wheel. Another option is simply to wear out the tyre over the winter, and buy a new one come Spring when you head back out onto the roads again!

I am planning on doing London to Brighton and RideLondon again next year, so I will definitely be jumping on my turbo trainer over the next few months to try and build up some base fitness!

Have you tried a turbo trainer before? What videos or apps do you recommend? 

Beki x

This is a sponsored post in partnership with Halfords. I received a Carrera Subway 1 women’s hybrid bike as part of the campaign, which is a fantastic option for beginner cyclists. You can see my previous posts Part 1 here and Part 2 here. 

*I recieved the Kinetic Rock and Roll turbo trainer to review from 2Pure. 

As always, all opinions are my own.