My garage aka pain cave this time of year is about 6 degrees.
A good rule of thumb is knee warmers under 15 degrees and full leg warmers under 10 - cold muscles are inefficient muscles!
However knee warmers on the trainer feels a bit like overkill.
Does anyone else have the same problem?
All workouts have the option to extend the initial warmup. Do that wearing an extra layer or two, possibly with no fan running, until you are properly warm then pause the workout, remove the leg/knee warmers and continue with the rest of the workout.
Does assume that you have the time available to do this.
I’ll generally get the knee warmers out when it gets down below 4ish. The usual knee warmer advice of wearing them below 15 isn’t applicable as there is not as much wind chill apart from your fan on the turbo. I’m not sure what the temperature was last night but I was in a cheap base layer and bib shorts. I have found if I do end up doing a hard session when it’s cold I can get some knee pain after which usually reminds me to get the knee warmers ready!
There is no wind chill on the turbo, so the normal rules of thumb do not apply. I just put a jumper on until I’m warmed up.
I have a sequence that has been working for me lately in the cold garage. I picked up a cheap space heater and pointed it at an angle so it’s coming from the front left (fans are straight in front). I’ll turn that on at the start, no fans. Then once I get warmed up a bit I’ll turn on one fan, so what happens is the space heater puts out heat, and the fan blows it towards me, so I get some warmth but also the air flow over my body. Then usually part way through the working sets, I’m warmed up enough to turn the heater off. But for some Z2 easy rides I may keep the fan and heater on the whole time; the fan alone is too cold, but with no fan or just heater it’s too hot. I’m a bit of a prima donna probably and want the temp perfect, but my rationale is that if I’m going to be training indoors in the garage al winter, I want to be as comfortable as possible.
I do this also, with the added issue of Asthma via exercise induced bronchoconstriction its important that the air is warm, I’m as paranoid as anyone about the energy costs but having had several incidents in the past of rolling around the floor coughing and not being able to breathe properly I decided I’d rather pay for the heating!
I also wear a long sleeve thermal club top over my bibs, which is easy to unzip / roll up sleeves / remove completely as necessary.
Man, you guys are harder than me….I hate being cold. if I was forced to train in a cold garage, I’d just get fat and out of shape each winter.
Respect.
I did a workout last night. It was 1°. I wore my shorts, t shirt but also put some toe covers on. Like someone said earlier, I leave the fan off for the first few minutes.
I’ve got a decent jacket layer while I warm up and then put the fan on once I am warm. Biggest winner I found remote controlled plugs, can switch the fan on without getting off the bike! I just have to remember to make up a smaller bottle or I am dying for a pee after an hour, much less sweat!!
This is a timely discussion. This is the first year I’ve set my trainer up in the garage. I’m in Quebec, so definitely cold through the winter! I do heat my garage, so I’m not at the mercy of the weather necessary, but I also don’t keep it at room temperature and waste energy.
I know everyone is different, but what do folks think the ideal temp is for trainer rides? For me it seems like 55-58 kind of range feels about right while wearing just bibs and no jersey. I normally warm up the first 5-10 min with the fam off and switch it on once I feel too warm.
Not to me.
I’m Full Rocky going into the garage; joggers, hoodie, woolie hat, mitts. This is over thermal long bibs and jersey, merino socks.
Get everything set up and connected then remove the joggers and put on bike shoes, start riding.
Warm up done, the fan goes on, the hat comes off.
5-10 into the workout the hoodie comes off.
Workout done, it all goes back on!
It was about 2 or 3°C in my garage this morning for a 4.25 hour session. 2 fans running the whole time, but not the powerful one. Other than bibs, I wore cotton gloves, a very thin DHB mesh base layer and arm warmers, as the front fan makes them super cold. I really needed toe warmers too, will get them out for next time. Never need knee warmers indoors, and rarely outdoors, but I do run on the warm side.
When I am in my parents garage I start off with a jersey (one I can take off easily once Ive warmed up).
During my chemo I was very sensitive to the cold and invested in a remote control fan also.
+1 for Canada. My garage is between 4 and 10 celsius in the winter and that is when I realize my biggest ftp gains. I start with bibs, jersey and long sleeve with fan on and then I progressively shed layers.
If it’s too cold to ride indoors in minimal kit, it’s probably too cold for your trainer. Kickrs are supposedly not accurate under 10 celcius.
Surely, the trainer warms up too? All that resistance must turn into something, mostly heat I would think.
There’s a lot of people setting there stall on wearing summer kit while training in the cold, I’m not sure there is any logic to that. Nor any logic to avoiding leg warmers.
That’s what calibration is for. More recent versions don’t even need calibration.
“… Up until now, one should occasionally calibrate (spin-down), their KICKR, especially if the temperature has changed substantially – such as in a garage. ”
My ancestors must be eskimo’s or something. 
I did Warlow+2 at 7:00 in a unheated garage (outsdide temp -2 ish) After an extended warm up, quick drink of coffe after the warm up I was just in shorts for the workout and plenty warm enough.
To be specific, Wahoo told me that it wasn’t accurate at all under 10 degrees Celsius, and that it would read high. That the calibration will shift due to temperature swings is another issue. This previously wasn’t an issue for me, since I used a temperature-compensated power meter, but now I use use the trainer.
Whatever it takes is my position. When it’s really cold, single digit f, I’ll just go out there with a sweatshirt, vest, sweatpants and a hat. Usually I can take the sweatpants off just a few minutes into the warmup and never need them again.