I just started indoor training this fall. I joined trainerroad this month.
I’m having some issues getting comfortable on the trainer. Outside, I am on the hoods or in the drops 95% of the ride. While I am positive my fit isn’t perfect, it’s comfortable enough right now. Inside, however, I find myself on the tops 95% of the ride. I feel super stretched out going onto the hoods. An hour on the trainer is starting to feel rough.
What should I do here? I’m hesitant to alter my fit for the trainer since it’s pretty good for outdoor, however, I’d like to get into some longer trainer rides.
Has anyone had a similar problem? What have you all done?
If you are staring at a screen try moving it to a more natural/lower “down the road” height. Sometimes if the screen is higher than I would naturally be looking down the road when riding I find that I want to sit up on the tops to compensate.
When you have a bike that is perfectly comfortable outside, and then leads to problems when ridden inside, I feel it is important to look at what is different. When you do, there are two key differences.
Lack of wind resistance on the body riding inside. That is a difference that I find because you end up with slightly more weight on the hands and arms, because you don’t have the wind pushing your upper body back.
To compensate for that, I recommend that people raise the front axle about 1"-2" [25mm-50mm] higher than the rear axle. This shifts the weight slightly back onto the saddle and off the hands and arms.
I put my bike on the top step of my Wahoo riser block (4-5" rise). No need to be aero indoors. It takes the weight off of my hands which tend to go to sleep on indoor rides.
Huh. It’s funny reading this. Unintentionally…my trainer setup is more relaxed than my outdoor bike.
I brought my commuter in for a bike fit when I was ordering my new race bike. Once the fit was dialed in for the ordered bike, the guy went to adjust my commuter that I had rode in. Asked him to leave the front end a shade higher because I like being a touch more upright in city traffic. Not much…but I’ve got an extra 10mm spacer or so under the stem.