Making indoor training fun

Historically, serious indoor training during Winter has been the domain of masochists. That's because spending hour upon hour sweating while staring straight ahead at a wall with only thoughts of how strong you'll be come Spring to keep you going isn't for everyone. Fortunately things have changed significantly in the last few years and riding your bike indoors is closer to the real thing that it's ever been. Here are a few things that'll help transform your indoor training from endurable to enjoyable. 

Elite Suito

Look, if you’re the sort of person that loves to suffer then you might well be happy with an entry level trainer like Elite’s Novo Force. But most of us find indoor training a bit of a chore, and that means getting creative with ways to make it as interesting as possible.

Fortunately, thanks to things like Zwift (see below), indoor training is now a mash up of actual bike riding and gaming but to get the most out of your experience you need a smart trainer, aka a trainer that can adapt and change resistance to make your indoor riding feel a lot more than just pushing against a set resistance for hours on end.

Elite’s Suito is a great trainer for two reasons. First, it’s at the cheaper end of the smart trainer continuum, and second it packs up very thin so it’s easy to store when not in use. Spec-wise it’s pretty fancy too, it calculates power to within +/- 2.5%, simulates gradients up to 15% and has a maximum output of 2,900W at 60km/h. It also comes with a Shimano cassette pre-installed and adapters for compatibility with 130 and 135mm quick release frames, as well as 142 x 12 thru axle frames and a custom front wheel riser block. Something for everyone, basically. 

Madison Clothing Turbo Kit

You can ride in whatever you want indoors – that comedy cycling jersey you love, a panda onesie, or only your socks – it’s your home and noone’s going to judge you. On the other hand, some things are a bit more appropriate than others, and when you’re riding indoors breathability is very important.

Madison Clothing have been thinking about this and their Turbo kit is designed to meet those specific challenges of riding without airflow. The jersey is pared right down to the essentials, using an open mesh super high wicking fabric that moves sweat quickly. It also does away with pockets on the back since you don’t actually need to carry anything with you when you're not going anywhere. The shorts, on the other hand, use a chamois designed for optimal moisture management and high elasticity to mimic the fact that most people shuffle about a bit more on the saddle when riding on a trainer.

There’s also the choice of either black or two rather jazzy designs, depending on whether you want to go incognito or channel the vibe of a mid-90s Italian pro-conti team.

As many large fans as possible

Riding indoors is warm. Very, very warm. There’s no natural airflow created by the moment of you and the bike because you’re not actually moving. That means you need to create that cooling yourself and the best way is by getting a good fan or, more likely, a whole army of fans.

Seriously, don’t underestimate just how quickly you can turn into a sweating, overheating mess riding on a trainer. If your fan game isn’t on point, chances are you’re really not going to enjoy the experience no matter how many fancy accessories you have.