It can get COLD in Oklahoma in the winter! Riding a bike on many winter days is out of the question. But if using a bike for cross training or for your main exercise routine is important, a fluid training stationary bike stand may be just the ticket for your health and fitness training!
We purchased a stationary trainer for our winter bike exercise and have really enjoyed it! We set up the stationary bike stand in the corner of a third bedroom (which had a TV!) and have spent many hours “spinning”! We mounted a mountain bike into the frame of the fluid trainer without much problem.

You really need to dedicate one bicycle to the stationary bike stand for the winter season. Although it is pretty easy to put the bike on and take off, it is not something you would want to do on a regular basis.

You should get the bike tightened in there pretty good. On two occasions we were spinning along and it came loose! That is not cool! Be sure to not over tighten the roller onto the bike wheel. This could cause premature failure of the bearing in the stationary bike stand. You only need to get it tight enough so it won’t slip. Also, since the back of the bike is raised up slightly to fit into the stand, it caused the bicycle to slightly slope downward toward the handlebars. This did not feel natural, so we placed a square piece of two inch thick board under the front tire. This fixed the problem.

The stationary bike stand provides a GREAT workout! Put the bike into about a medium gear and get good and warmed up. Then speed up. The faster you go with a fluid type stationary bike stand, the harder the resistance gets to be. After you are warmed up you want to spin at a rate of about 90 spins per minute. Have a clock on the wall so you can check yourself every so often. Just count the number of times your left leg goes down in a period of 15 seconds and then multiply by 4. Use your gears to keep yourself at about that spin rate throughout the workout after you are warmed up.

Just like outside riding, the stationary bike stand can provide a leisurely, laid-back ride or it can offer a full blown, sweat-drenched-floor workout! Yes, you will have puddles under you if you are training correctly! Put some towels down if you have wood floors like we do! You can do the same kinds of workouts inside as you do outside on the bike. On your speed work days, get warmed up and then do your reps of speed bursts. On your long days, settle in for a long, moderately hard ride for a few hours. (Keep a table close by for towels, the TV remote and PLENTY of water.

The stationary bike stand will give you years of service. Expect to pay between seventy and one-hundred dollars for a good one. Don’t skimp on an off brand or pay less than seventy dollars. Good luck and happy spinning!