… or do I have to find a trainer specifically for smaller wheels?
I plan to buy an indoor bicycle trainer so I can exercise at home. I use a folding bike to commute to work. I hope to bike more going forward and may buy a 26" wheel bike next year. Can you recommend a trainer I can buy in Taipei?
It should be OK if you can get the rollers close enough together. Rotational wheel speed of 20" bikes is higher, so the rollers will spin faster and sound louder, but unless you’re either a lard ass or a power hound (or both), the bearing should be OK. Maybe lubricate them with a light oil if you notice them too loud.
Place a towel under the roller frame on hardwood floors to be nice to your landlord (sweat) and your downstairs neighbors (noise), as applicable.
I was going to do it in the stairwell landing in my building, which has an open spacing design. This way, my toddler wouldn’t be able to get his fingers close when I’m not looking
I agree. I definitely will have my phone mounted on the handlebar. I could also set up the trainer “outside” on the roof of my building, half of which is an empty open space (with aircon condenser exhaust vents) - same on the roof of my workplace, which is an even larger roof. One of the nice things of my 20" wheel bike is that it fits easily into small elevators
I agree. I definitely will have my phone mounted on the handlebar. I could also set up the trainer “outside” on the roof of my building, half of which is an empty open space (with aircon condenser exhaust vents) - same on the roof of my workplace, which is an even larger roof. One of the nice things of my 20" wheel bike is that it fits easily into small elevators[/quote]
Like most apartment building roofs in Taipei, they’re empty.
Training on the roof of your office is a little…odd (imo)? Having to lug the trainer there and back home may be a hassle? But I guess whatever works for you
It would indeed be odd to use the trainer at my office building. The security guards all know me by now, so they wouldn’t hassle me or anything. But if I ever had to spend that much time at my workplace that I would bring my exercise trainer to work, then I’m not doing something right at work.
Half of my apartment building roof has someone’s quasi-probably-illegal-garden on top – also like many rooftops in Taipei
[quote=“goose egg”]It would indeed be odd to use the trainer at my office building. The security guards all know me by now, so they wouldn’t hassle me or anything. But if I ever had to spend that much time at my workplace that I would bring my exercise trainer to work, then I’m not doing something right at work.
Half of my apartment building roof has someone’s quasi-probably-illegal-garden on top – also like many rooftops in Taipei [/quote]
2 hours of real work, 2 hours of work on the flob, and four hours a day on the roof on the trainer. Now who would notice?
[quote=“urodacus”][quote=“goose egg”]It would indeed be odd to use the trainer at my office building. The security guards all know me by now, so they wouldn’t hassle me or anything. But if I ever had to spend that much time at my workplace that I would bring my exercise trainer to work, then I’m not doing something right at work.
Half of my apartment building roof has someone’s quasi-probably-illegal-garden on top – also like many rooftops in Taipei [/quote]
2 hours of real work, 2 hours of work on the flob, and four hours a day on the roof on the trainer. Now who would notice?[/quote]
Raise your desk to the height of your bike. Full day on the trainer.
Goose, i thought you meant rollers in your first post, not a trainer. A trainer fixes the bike in place by the frame and back wheel, and rests the back wheel of the bike against a resistance wheel or drum, while rollers are where you ride your bike on three narrow rollers held flat in a frame (two for the back wheel, and another just forward of the front wheel), while balancing a la actual riding.
you can ride a trainer with 20" wheels, but as pointed out earlier, you may not be able to clamp it in place without a spacer (normally a jacket that goes over the trainer drum and spaces it out far enough to reach the bike wheel.
i don’t recommend riding rollers while trying to work: you actually have to concentrate just as if riding. More so, as you can’t move side to side much.
Edit: oops: fixed the rollers geometry. it’s been a while!
[quote]Rollers do not attach to the bicycle frame. Balancing the bicycle without riding off the rollers is an extra challenge for the rider and requires much more balance and attention than bicycle trainers. Some cyclists find that this increased attention to balance enhances their workout, while other cyclists simply prefer the more stable trainers.[/quote]Bike-Rollers
I think this is a bit more serious/intense than I am prepared for now. It looks cool, though!
I got a cheap (NT5000) turbo trainer from my local shop, and I can use 700c or 20" wheels no problem, no adaptor needed. The front of the trainer is in effect a hinge, that allows the axle to go as low as necessary for the tyre to touch the roller.
If in doubt take the bike with you when you buy the trainer.