Have you ever wanted to cycle a grueling climb in the Alps? Maybe you’ve dreamed of doing a stage of the Tour de France? Or the entire race? Now you can do any number of famous cycling routes and more with the new generation of indoor cycling trainers: smart bike trainers are the smarter, more capable sibling of the old, boring trainer you have sitting in a forgotten corner of your basement collecting dust.
Introducing Smart Bike Trainers
An indoor trainer has a lot of benefits: it keeps you in riding shape when the weather doesn’t cooperate, you can get a great workout without having to go to a gym, and you can use the bike that you're already comfortable riding on. However, cycling on a trainer can sometimes feel boring and repetitive. Even dedicated cyclists can have trouble motivating themselves to ride indoors. But with new advancements in technology, smart trainers can take you on rides all over the world and get you motivated again.
The biggest advancement in trainers are smart trainers like the Wahoo KICKR and Saris Fluid 2, which make riding inside feel more like riding in the great outdoors.
Feel Like You’re Climbing the Alps – Indoors!
Smart trainers can sync with many different fitness apps, some from the trainer manufacturers and many more from outside vendors like Zwift, Sufferfest, TrainerRoad, and Peloton. Some apps can take you outside and onto actual courses—virtually. When connected to a screen, you can watch the countryside go by. With the app, an equipped smart trainer can increase or decrease resistance to match the inclines and declines of the virtual road. Have you ever wanted to climb a mountain in the Alps? With a smart trainer, now you can!
Ride Virtually with Someone Across the Globe
Another way smart trainers keep you motivated is through competition. With a smart trainer and an app like Zwift, you can ride (virtually) with or against people from all around the world in real-time. Need to blow off steam after work? Hop on your smart trainer and ride against someone in Italy doing a morning ride before work.
Collect Data to Ride More Effectively
Just like your bike computer, a smart trainer monitors your distance, speed, cadence, and power output to give you an accurate assessment of your effort on the bike. The data can help you identify areas for improvement, track your progress over time, set specific goals, and create training workouts to help you achieve those goals.
Smart Trainers Make It Possible to Stay in Shape Year Round
Smart trainers have made indoor cycling fun and challenging. They can take you on rides all over the world and allow you to compete against athletes from anywhere, or help you simply improve your cycling. No matter your skill level, ERIK’S has many tools to keep you in shape this winter so that, come spring, you're fresh and ready to ride outside!
Swing into your favorite ERIK’S shop today to learn more or check out our online inventory of smart trainers.