indoor training

Best Cycling Rollers: The Ultimate Buyer’s Guide

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best cycling rollers

 

If you’ve ever struggled to ride in a straight line or nearly swerved off the road reaching into your jersey pocket, then cycling rollers could improve your balance and coordination. Any pro rider will tell you that it’s not necessarily the size of the engine that matters most, but how efficiently you use it. Developing a smooth, efficient pedal stroke will not only teach you how to ride more economically, it’ll also improve your balance and core stability. Not all rollers are created equal. Here’s our roundup of the best cycling rollers to fit the needs of recreational riders and racers.  

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How to Choose the Best Bike Trainer: Ultimate Buyer’s Guide

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best bike trainer

If you want to turn cycling into a year-round activity, but don’t live in a warm locale, chances are you’ll need an indoor bike trainer. For years cyclists equated training indoors with a cycling death sentence, but then apps like TrainerRoad, The Sufferfest and Zwift transformed these mind numbing indoor miles into an opportunity to ride the world’s best courses and compete against our virtual and real-life cycling friends.

With so many apps and trainers flooding the market, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. What trainers are compatible with which apps and do you need a smart trainer to use Zwift? And what exactly is a smart trainer? From magnetic to direct drive, here’s everything you need to know to get started with an indoor bike trainer.

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Test Your Climbing Legs: Exclusive Photo Review of the Epic Zwift Island Climb

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zwift island climb

Switchbacks, sustained climbs, bridges and fast, flowy descents are all features of Zwift’s Watopia Mountain Expansion.  You can test your legs on two routes: The Mountain 8 and The Pretzel. 

Whichever you choose, bring your climbing legs and prepare to suffer like a Grand Tour rider.

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Learn This Secret Training Weapon: How to Ride Rollers

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how to ride rollers

 

Let’s face it: crashing your bike on the living room floor is pretty embarrassing. But that’s just what happened the first time I tried to ride rollers. So how do you stay upright while getting in a great workout and sidestepping some awkward bruises? Here are my favorite tips for how to ride rollers — plus 3 free roller workouts.

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Zwift Review: How to Boost Your Cycling Fitness Now

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how to get started with zwift

Last updated: 12/29/16

If you hate the trainer, listen up. Zwift will save you from dying of trainer-induced boredom this winter and give your fitness a kick by spring. Here’s our official Zwift review and quick-start guide. 

What is Zwift and should you try it?

Zwift is a software program that syncs your bike to a live, virtual course where you can ride and train with other cyclists. Launched in beta mode in the fall of 2014, Zwift quickly grew a following. According to Bicycle Retailer, riders from over 100 countries have already logged over 300,000 rides that cover more than 4.5 million miles.

Riding this wave of popularity, Zwift switched to a monthly $10 subscription last year, though they’re still offering a 7-day free trial to new users. Best of all, you don’t have to have a fast computer to enjoy the game. Now that you can play via iOS, it’s easy to see why Zwift is currently the hottest training tool.

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