Everything you’ll need to ride your bike indoors

Get ready to train from the comfort of your home this winter

Photo by: TrainerRoad

Lily Hansen-Gillis November 22, 2020

For many cyclists, riding outside will always outweigh indoor training. But, as the days get shorter and the thermometer creeps closer to zero, rides start to fall on the unfavourable end of the enjoyment-to-discomfort scale. During the winter, many Canadian cyclists look for a way to keep up their fitness. Putting your bike on an indoor trainer is a great way to maintain your cycling-specific training over the winter. Here’s what you’ll need to get it setup:

Trainer

There are many different indoor trainer options, from smart trainers to friction trainers to rollers. Figure out which type of trainer best suits your needs (or which is available in stock at your local bike shop).

Block

Most new trainers come with a block to keep your front wheel in place. If you want to take things to the next level, Elite’s new Sterzo Smart steering plate will enable you to steer from side to side in Zwift.

Trainer accessories

If you aren’t using a smart trainer, you’ll need a speed and cadence sensor to use apps like Zwift and TrainerRoad. You’ll also need a trainer tire and some people like to buy an older, trainer-specific wheel to quickly swap from indoor to outdoor.

If you have disc brakes and a wheel-on trainer, you’ll likely need a special thru axle.These can be ordered online, but be sure to check the diameter and thread pitch of the bike’s thru axle before you buy one. If you can’t find information on your bike’s thread pitch (e.g. 1mm or 1.5mm), try calling the bike shop where you bought the bike.

Most smart trainers will come with specific adaptors for disc brake bikes, but check to make sure that’s the case. For example, certain disc bikes paired with some older versions of the Tacx Neo require a special spacer which the company will ship you.

Mat and towel

Protect your trainer from sweat and wipe off your face with a trainer specific towel. You’ll also want to put a mat underneath the trainer to keep the trainer and block from moving and to catch any sweat dripping off you.

Fan

Many people only realize after their first few indoor rides that fans are a trainer essential. The fan can help make up for the lack of breeze in your hair, but an open window will also help cool you down as you sweat through Zwift’s Watopia.

A device to run training programs

Whether it’s a phone, a tablet, an apple TV or a computer, you’ll need some kind of electronic to run training programs. Most devices are Bluetooth compatible. If, for some reason, your computer doesn’t connect to Bluetooth devices or if you’re using some older equipment, you’ll need to look into ANT+ converters.