Our neighbors to the North, thanks to their colder climate and snow can enjoy cross training activities such as cross country skiing or snow shoeing. Milder climates to the South allow for hiking, mountain biking and even road riding throughout the winter. For those of us living in the valley, outdoor training is often not an option and alternative methods must be employed. One method of maintaining and even building fitness through the winter months is cycling indoors. A variety of equipment and workouts are designed specifically for this type of training.
Rollers consist of three or four drums mounted on axles in a metal frame.
The wheels of the bicycle roll on the drums, but otherwise the rider is not supported. Wind trainers and magnetic resistance trainers come in a variety of styles, but all hold the bike's frame rigid. Resistance is supplied by either fans, a fan and fly wheel combination, or with a fly wheel and resistance unit. The resistance is controlled by shifting the bike's gears or adjusting the resistance units themselves to different levels of difficulty. Bicycle ergometers are essentially stationary bikes with large flywheels, and meters or computer displays that will estimate how many calories you have burned or watts of power you are generating.