[thpeyton]

I am really glad that I bought a trainer so I can exercise sore legs on rainy days, but it is too D**M uncomfortable! Anyone have a good ideas on how to make my ride easier on my butt. I understand why it is so uncomfortable (all weight distributed toward the saddle) but how do all the other riders do it in comfort? I tried to put a towel under me but it doesn't work. :cryin:

 

[chuckice]

I am really glad that I bought a trainer so I can exercise sore legs on rainy days, but it is too D**M uncomfortable! Anyone have a good ideas on how to make my ride easier on my butt. I understand why it is so uncomfortable (all weight distributed toward the saddle) but how do all the other riders do it in comfort? I tried to put a towel under me but it doesn't work. :cryin:

I went thru the same joy...I limit my rides to no more than 90minutes, get the comfiest saddle you can find and I ride a lot to get accustomed (as in frequency)...it got much better for me. I had to use the trainer for an injury. I usually ride all thru the winter so previously had maybe a few times/month on the trainer and it was bad. Now I ride it about 4/5 times/week and no problems.

 

[acid_rider]

two key factors that work for me

I have a Tacx Sirius and a road bike and went thru this issue recently.

The most important factor is to get out of saddle every ~10 min for at least 60 seconds (spin hard gear slowly while walking out of saddle?). More frequently if you like. You do this on the road and need to do this on the trainer too. You also sweat more "down there" when on the trainer which does not help unless you get out of saddle to air out your bits.

The second factor is to insure your bike, when mounted on the trainer, is 180 degrees i.e. totally horizontal. Too often on the trainer you end up ever so slightly pointing down(hill). Invest in a level device (really cheap) and first check the floor surface to be flat between front and rear of the bike without trainer and then when you put the bike in the trainer check to ensure the whole thing is still level saddle to bar. If you have a horizontal top tube it is easy (like a Trek Madone, place level on the top tube) but with a sloping geometry top tubes you need to use other measures like saddle to floor height and bar to floor height "drop" before you put the bike on the trainer to measure the diff and then again after you mount it to ensure the diff remains the same (I am sure there are other methods). In my case Madone was just a few degrees down pointing (!) and I needed to put a half inch thick magazine under the front wheel lifter to make it horizontal. It made a large positive impact in my case - butt and hands too.

 

[HSalas]

A few suggestions...

1. Make sure your bike is level with respect to the floor. Otherwise, you're always going "downhill."

2. Get out of the saddle and stand for a few seconds every few minutes.

3. If you use a different bike on the trainer, make sure all the important measurements (seat height, setback, reach to handlebars, etc) and the saddle are the same.

4. Some visual stimulation other than your four walls may keep your mind off of your backside. I have a TV with VCR and DVD, so I can do ESPN, or a movie, or and old Tour video, or whatever...

5. Don't go too easy when you're on the trainer. If you're putting some force into your pedal stroke, that seems to take some pressure off your butt.

6. I agree with the 90-minute limit. Outside, you can stretch on the bike while you're coasting. Inside, no such luxury. Besides, even with #4, I'd still go bonkers.

 

[FieldSandwhich]

not to beat a dead horse to death...

...but the angle is critical. without something propping up my bike, i can't go more than 10 mins. if i'm all set up, i can go forever.

 

[texass4]

Angle is important, but even when that's squared away, I'm still of the opinion that there's just no way to make your butt totally happy on the trainer. I think it's because there's no lateral movement or variation of posture like there is when you are out on the road.

My best solution (when watching TV) is this: shift to a harder gear and pedal out of the saddle through one or two commercials during each commercial break. That amounts to a minute or so of relief for every 15 minutes or so of time on the bike. If you're watching a DVD or doing something else, keep a watch nearby and make sure you stand periodically for a minute or so...this could be good way to force yourself to do interval training too - an added bonus.

I don't like riding on the trainer, but it's better than nothing when Mother Nature won't allow me to get outside. I try to split my time half and half with trainer and treadmill so that I don't get tired of either one, and I vary my workouts a bit.

Good luck

 

[acid_rider]

here is what I posted on beginner forum recently

I don't like riding on the trainer, but it's better than nothing when Mother Nature won't allow me to get outside. I try to split my time half and half with trainer and treadmill so that I don't get tired of either one, and I vary my workouts a bit.

Good luck

Try this and let us know if it helps
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Trainers are very boring if you jump on and spin. What you should be doing on the trainer is a *program* of hard exercises then the time flies because you *suffer* like you are meant to. If you are not suffering on the trainer you are wasting your time.

For example here is what I got from a cycling coach and I promise this will make you suffer - intervals/sprints. Don't cheat. Suffer!

12 * 5 sec sprints, 30 seconds recovery between each sprint
3 min easy spinning at end
6 * 10 sec, 60 seconds recovery between each
3 min easy spinning at end
4 * 15 sec sprints with 90 sec recovery between each
5 min of easy spinning at end

repeat above set total of 3 times, should take 75-90 min of suffering, I promise.

Try two or three times per week and then tell me if riding a trainer is boring 8^)

Note: by Sprint above I mean going ~110-120rpm, flat out hard. Think last 200 metres of Le Tour's bunch sprint end of a stage and you get the idea. You need a computer with cadence and with a seconds time display for this to work well.

 

[danl1]

You might not understand the discomfort as much as you think. I know I didn't.

I used to hate trainer sessions with a passion. Pure torture.

Then I bought rollers. Brilliantly comfortable. That they make one a better, stronger rider rather than simply a stronger one is further motivation.

IME, trainer discomfort is about how you and the bike move (or don't) together.