1. Find Your Motivation. The Importance Of Having An Inner Fire

For many first-time bicycle travelers, it is the goal of riding a certain distance that motivates them the most. While riding a certain number of miles/kilometers on a bicycle tour is a good goal to have, the people who have the most success with bicycle touring tend to have other motivations outside of the distances they cover each day. This is why many cyclists who travel for years on end tend to care less about the total distances they have covered and instead care more about combining their cycle touring expeditions with other interests, activities, hobbies, and passions.

The longer you choose to travel (or the bigger your goal in life), the more you will realize the need for a true inner flame – something that resonates with you to the point that when things get tough, you don’t just give up and go home, but instead, press on toward that one big thing that has been pushing you from the start.

In other words, I’ve learned that there has to be some kind of meaning behind your bicycle tour, in just the same way there has to be meaning behind any big goal you set for yourself in life. The bigger the goal you set, the more motivation you need in order to make that dream come true. Wanting to reach the finish line is fine, but having a reason for wanting to reach the finish line in the first place is even more important.

2. Why Not Now? Not Tomorrow. Today!

When it comes to setting big goals for yourself, like going on a long-distance bicycle tour, it is easy to push those things off to some distance point in the future. We are often times led to believe that big goals, because they are so big, taker longer to accomplish and therefore need more time to plan, prepare for, and execute.

But setting a big goal for yourself (like a bicycle tour or otherwise) doesn’t have to take years or even months to come to fruition. Making something big happen in your life can be done in a super short amount of time if you simply make the decision to start working toward that goal right away. Not tomorrow, but today!

Bicycle touring, like life, is simple. Set a goal and start moving toward it. The sooner you start moving toward that goal, the sooner you’ll reach your destination. So why wait? Start now!

3. There Are Few Things You Truly Need

Traveling the world with just a few pieces of food, clothing and gear in your possession tends to do that to you. It makes you realize that, despite what society tells us, we don’t need a whole lot of material goods in order to be happy.

Every time I’ve returned home from a long-distance bicycle tour and found myself back in a house full of stuff, I’ve been forced to think, “Why exactly do I have all these things?” After all, if I can travel for months on end and have no need a big-screen television, an electric can opener, or a expensive reclining couch, then why do I need those things at all?

Bicycle touring has not only taught me what items I truly need in order to survive and be happy, but it has allowed me to see that the things that make me most happy in life aren’t actually things at all, but experiences that can’t be bought, broken, manufactured, stored, or stolen.

4. Want Something? Ask For It

On my early bicycle tours I started asking strangers for help: help with directions; help with finding a place to stay; help with getting my next meal; etc. Of course, it didn’t take long for me to realize that if you ask for something, and you ask enough times, you can usually get whatever it is that you’ve been asking for.

Most people never even ask for the things they want in life. The problem with this approach, however, is that if you never ask for the things you want, there’s little chance of you ever getting it.

This is why some men are so successful at dating beautiful women. They aren’t successful because they are necessarily better looking than other men, drive a fancy car, or are even better at asking women out. The reason they have such a good success rate is simply due to the fact that they ask more women out on a regular basis (compared to men who are too afraid to ask women out at all) and therefore have better odds of having their advances accepted.

While it used to be that I asked for directions and free places to stay on my bicycle tours, today I ask for much larger things and, after a little asking, usually get what I want. I encourage you to do the same. If you want something, ask for it!

5. Not This Or That, But Both

Most people assume that you can have one thing or another, but not both. As children many of us were taught that there are certain limitations in life and that having everything you want just isn’t possible. Nowadays, I’m not so sure how true that is.

During my early years of bicycle touring I used to say that my dream job would include being able to travel the world, work, and do the things I love all at the same time. But the people around me didn’t seem to think my dream was possible.

“The two ideas are contradictory,” they would say. “You can stay in one place and make lots of money, or you can travel the world and be poor. But you can’t do both.”

Today, however, I’m living that impossible dream and thousands like me a doing the same. I’ve designed my life so that I can travel the world, work from anywhere, and do pretty much anything I want. I have freedom, time, and money.

But how exactly was I able to achieve this?

The way I made it happen was by abandoning the idea that I could only have one way of life or the other, and convinced myself that I could have it all. My bicycle tours have enabled me to look for opportunities everywhere I go and now I’m constantly asking myself how I can have not just one or the other, but both.

6. People Only Care About Themselves (But Not Always)

In my University economics class my professor told me, “People are selfish. When it comes time to make a decision, people will always make that decision based upon what is best for themselves and their family. They don’t care about you, the time you’ve put in, or the mouths you need to feed. They only care about themselves!”

It’s a terribly negative thing to say, but it is true much of the time – especially when you’re talking about business.

Over the years, however, I have met hundreds of individuals on my travels who have helped me in one way other another and expected nothing in return. While most of these people have offered me simple directions, a kind word, or a meaningful conversation, others have given me a free place to sleep for the night, a warm meal, and even cash money to be used on my travels.

Sometimes I get a bit depressed thinking about how selfish the world can be, but then I think back to my bicycle touring adventures and the gracious individuals I’ve met along the way and I am reminded that not everyone in the world is out for themselves. There are good people out there and the more you travel, the more you come to realize this.

7. Don’t Worry. Relax. Have Fun. Go With The Flow

Life can be complicated and stressful, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Coming from the traffic-jammed streets of Southern California, I know how stress can ruin a life well lived. Especially when you’ve lived that way for so long you forget that life doesn’t have to be all stress and worry – that you can choose to live however you want and design your days accordingly.

Sometimes stress and worry are used as a sort of excuse we give ourselves for living lives outside of our true desires. It is this stress and worry that supposedly holds us back from accomplishing our goals and prevents us from going after the things we truly want in life.

But bicycle touring is a great way of breaking free of the stress and worry that so often accompanies us in our normal lives. Getting out in nature, exercising, slowing down, and simply having the time to reflect on our existence is often times all it takes to be reminded of just how important it is to to stop worrying, relax, have fun, and go with the flow.

8. Communicating With Other People Is Easy (And Difficult)

It used to be that I was super shy and afraid of everyone, but bicycle touring has changed all that. Nowadays I can go just about anywhere in the world and talk to anyone I meet and get along with them, feel safe, confident and poised.

While travel has made me realize that most people in the world are very similar and generally want the same things in life, the experiences I’ve had while traveling have also worked to separate myself from the masses.

In much the same way that actors and actresses tend to marry one another because they work in the same industry and therefore understand what the other person is going through… or the same way war veterans feel safe telling their stories to other war veterans, but struggle telling those same stories to their friends and family back home… I too, after several years of International bicycle touring, have come home from my travels and realized that while it is easier for me to get along with other people, I have a hard time connecting with those same individuals on a deeper level.

Bicycle touring is an incredible way of learning, changing and growing. But if you return home from a long trip by bike and the people around you have done little learning, changing or growing themselves while you’ve been away, it can be difficult to fit back in to the life you once knew.

While this is probably one of the small negative aspects of bicycle touring and world travel, it is a good thing as well, because when you meet another person with similar interests and experiences, you tend to treasure that person all that much more.

9. Never Quit. Just Change Course

Believe it or not, I’ve quit a couple of my bike tours over the years. I didn’t quit because I was exhausted, however, or because I failed to plan out my trip properly. Instead, I quit (or changed course, rather) because I realized that I was no longer pursuing my original goal. I had accomplished what I set out to achieve and it was time for me to head in a new direction.

This happens sometimes and it’s okay. Many bicycle travelers set out with the goal of riding a certain distance on their bicycles (around the world perhaps), but after riding for days, weeks or months on end and doing pretty much the same thing day after day, the act of riding a bicycle for long distances doesn’t seem as exciting as it once did.

The same can be said for any goal you set in life. Sometimes, after you get into it, you realize that the goal you set for yourself is no longer the goal you wish to achieve.

It is at this point when some people pack it up and go home, and others simply set a new goal for themselves and continue on their way.

Bicycle touring has taught me to never quit on a whim, but instead to think long and hard about what my motivations truly are, and that if need be, I should set a new goal for myself and head in a different direction.

10. There Are No Rules

Whether you like it or not, we are living in a society that occasionally tricks us into believing that certain things are true, when in reality they are not. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned from my travels by bike is that there really are no rules – not in bicycle touring or in life.

Just because one person (or even the whole world) does something one way, doesn’t necessarily mean you have to follow suit. You can be, have, or do anything you want.

Want to ride a unicycle around the world while wearing a bear costume? You can do it! Want to quit your job and move to Mexico so you can surf every day. You can do it! Want to start a business or non-profit organization that changes the world. You can do it!

Bicycle touring has taught me that if you set your mind to something, starting working at it, inch by inch, pedal stroke by pedal stroke, day by day, sooner or later, you’re bound to reach the finish line.

Dream big, embrace being different, and go after your goals with all the passion you can muster. That’s what bicycle touring has taught me.

About The Book

In December of 2010, I (Darren Alff) traveled to Peru and spent the following five months exploring the cities, deserts, jungles and ancient sites of this friendly South American country.

With only a few words of Spanish in my vocabulary upon arrival in Peru, I managed to travel about the country, interact with the locals and capture (with my camera) a small speck of the beauty, color and culture that is so unique to the Peruvian nation.

Mystical Peru is a eBook containing a collection of my favorite photos from my travels in Peru. The images you will find in the book are of people, places, animals, food, vehicles and more! There is no story to the book – just photos! Page after page of photos from Peru.

What Areas Of Peru Are Featured In The Book?

Mystical Peru is a collection of photos from my travels in the Peruvian cities of Lima, Nazca, Arequipa, Puno, Cuzco, Puerto Maldonado, Ayacucho, Huancayo, Cerro de Pasco, Huaraz, Trujillo, Mancora, Chiclayo and places in between.

In the book you will see the mysterious Nazca Lines, the floating islands of Lake Titicaca and the ancient ruins of Machu Picchu. You will also get to see the terraced farms of Colca Canyon, the jungle animals of Puerto Maldonado and the glacial mountains outside the city of Huaraz.

Here are some sample photos from inside the book:

Why Is The Ebook Free?

When I returned home from my travels in Peru, I had a hard drive filled with photos and no one to share them with. Rather than posting them online in a gallery that may or may not be seen, I decided to edit the pictures and arrange them together by location in this free eBook.

In other words,  I put this book together in order to give:

• Armchair travelers a chance to explore Peru without actually traveling there themselves.

• Those considering a trip to Peru the ability to see which parts of the country might be of most interest to them.

• Individuals who have already been to Peru an opportunity to reflect upon their own adventures in this beautiful South American country.

To download your very own copy of Mystical Peru for the whopping price of zero dollars and zero cents (in other words… FREE!), just click the download button below.

Mystical Peru is delivered instantly as an Adobe PDF file, so as long as you can view PDF documents on your computer, smart phone or tablet device, you should be able to view this eBook without any problems. You can download Adobe Reader for free through this link.

Please bear in mind that Mystical Peru is 158 pages long and nearly 37MB in size. Depending on the speed of your Internet connection, it may take a few minutes for the download to complete. Please be patient!

Tell Your Friends & Family About This Book

If you know of anyone (a friend, family member or co-worker) who might be interested in this free photo book from Peru, please direct them to this page or share this article on your favorite social media website!

Let Me Know What You Think!

Please leave a comment below and let me know what you think of the book. Which is your favorite photo? Where in Peru do you want to travel to the most? Or leave a comment and tell me about your own adventures in Peru.

My new book, Stretching For Cyclists, is finally finished… and you can grab a copy this week only for the super low price of just $4.95 USD (or get it for FREE with your purchase of The Bicycle Traveler’s Blueprint (more details below)).

As someone who rides a bike, you probably know that you should be stretching your muscles on a regular basis. But I’m betting you either don’t stretch often enough, are unsure which muscle groups you really need to be working, or you’re stretching in a way that is causing pain and damage your body.

What Can You Expect To Learn From This New Book?

Even if you are a seasoned cyclist who stretches on a regular basis, the information inside Stretching For Cyclists will help you to:

• Reduce the tension in your muscles.
• Increase your range of motion.
• Promote circulation throughout your body.
• Prevent common cycling-related injuries, such as muscle strains and tears.
• Increase your speed, power and agility on the bike.
• And perform at your very best.

Stretching For Cyclists is a 31-page eBook that not only tells you:

• Why it is so important that you stretch on a regular basis.
• The best times of day to stretch.
• The proper way to stretch (without hurting yourself or causing damage to your body).
• How to stretch your entire body in record setting times.

… but the book also introduces you to 15 stretches you can perform on a regular basis to help you make the most of your cycling-specific stretching routine.

Click here to read more about Stretching For Cyclists and/or get a copy of the book for yourself.

Who Helped To Create The Book?

While I’d like to take full credit for putting this book together, I have to admit I did have some help.

My father, Dr. Steven Alff, D.C., helped me figure out which cycling-specific stretches to include in the book and provided additional research for the anatomy-based information that can be found throughout the text.

Prior to becoming a Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Alff worked as a Corrective Exercise Therapist at the Veteran’s Hospital in Sepulveda, California where he spent much of his time working with spinal-cord injury patients. While at the Veteran’s Hospital, Dr. Alff designed a stretching and exercise system to be utilized by wheel-chair bound Veterans, which was circulated to all of the Veteran’s Hospitals in the United States. It is no surprise then, that my father was able to help me create the cycling-specific stretching program outlined in Stretching For Cyclists.

And who is that beautiful woman on the cover of the book?

That’s my friend Caroline Gleich – a professional skier, sports model and design consultant. Apart from being a part-time cyclist, Caroline spends most of her time in the outdoors – either skiing, stand up paddling, trail running, or growing vegetables in her backyard garden.

Caroline not only graces the cover of Stretching For Cyclists, but can be found on 15 additional pages throughout the text. Pages that look a little something like this:

Why Did You Write This Book?

The reason I put this new book together is because readers here at Bicycle Touring Pro have been asking for it. People just like you have been sending me emails for the past several years and saying:

Do you stretch before your bike rides? If so, what stretches should I be doing?

- Trey Kobler -

Are there any stretches you recommend I do before I go on my upcoming bicycle tour? I want to make sure I am in shape and prepared for my trip.

- Alan Smithe -

You should really think about creating a book for cyclists that is all about stretching. How to stretch properly… what stretches to conduct… etc. I know that information is something I need, and I think others would benefit from it as well.

- James Hammond-

Well guys, you asked for it… and here it is!

How Can You Get A Copy Of The Book Right Now?

I wanted to do something super special for the launch of this new book, so this is what I’ve decided to do.

If you want, you can get Stretching For Cyclists this week (and this week only) for the super low price of just $4.95. This is a launch-week special. On November 7, 2011, the price of the book will go up to $6.95. But you can get the book today for less than five dollars and have it delivered to you electronically in a matter of minutes!

Or, you can get Stretching For Cyclists for FREE with your order of my wildly popular book about long-distance bicycle touring, The Bicycle Traveler’s Blueprint.

Either way, you get a copy of my new book, Stretching For Cyclists, and inside that book you get all the tools you need to start your own cycling-specific stretching routine right away!

So, what will it be?

Please share this article with anyone who might be interested.

Below you will find 23 casual/stylish pairs of SPD cycling shoes that are perfect for bicycle touring because they look good both on and off the bike and they can be walked in with relative comfort (thus reducing the need for many traveling cyclists to carry two separate pairs of shoes). Below each of the shoes on this page will find a yellow “Buy Now!” button, which you can click if you are interested in purchasing a pair of these shoes for your own commuting/touring/mountain bike adventures. Shoes are listed in alphabetical order.

Diadora Globe

The Diadora Globe is a touring shoe made of Nylon, reinforced with fiberglass, and combined with a rubber outsole. The fiberglass-reinforced nylon ensures the rigidity required to obtain a direct thrust and effective power transmission, while the rubber outsole provides maximum traction.

Forté Traverse

Urban style meets rugged good looks in these MTB shoes built for road, trail, touring or indoor cycling.

Mavic Alpine

The Mavic Alpine shoes feature a balance of rugged support, breathability, abrasion resistance and the Trail Grip Outsole for trail traction, efficient pedaling and all day comfort.

Mavic Cruize

Simple, reliable and comfortable. The Mavic Cruize MTB shoes bring casual style to every ride.

Northwave Drifter GTX

This carbon soled shoe adapts to every shape of foot with thanks to its special upper construction. This shoe will also keep you feet fresh thanks to its clever ventilation system, giving an all round superb cycling experience.

Northwave Expedition GTX Boots

A guaranteed all-out water protection combined with excellent breathability. The unique membrane, without thermo insulation, is perfect for spring and summer shoes, to makes you confront the longest trips out without fatiguing or overheating your feet.

Northwave Mission

A sole specially designed for off-road use. The special design of the tread gets rid of mud optimally, and together with the Vibram® compound, it guarantees maximum grip on all types of surfaces. The structure of the sole is designed for use with MTB pedals and offers the right position when walking.

Northwave Rocker

The Northwave Rocker is a stylish casual black cycling shoe with laces and a big ankle strap.

Pearl Izumi Fuel

A crossover, dual-purpose shoe, the lightweight Pearl Izumi Fuel bike shoes boast a running-shoe-style upper and a rubber lugged bottom for efficiency and comfort when cycling or walking. Comes in both men’s and women’s styles.

Pearl Izumi X-Alp Seek III WRX

The X-Alp Seek III WRX combines the best of both worlds. The stiff nylon Ride & Run plate provides power transfer to the pedals, while the Softshell upper provides excellent water resistant protection and optimum breathability.

Pearl Izumi X-Alp Seek IV

The Pearl Izumi X-Alp Seek IV bike shoes boast a running shoe style upper and a carbon rubber lugged bottom for cycling and off the bike adventures.

Pearl Izumi X-Alp Seek WRX

When the weather doesn’t cooperate, slip on the Pearl Izumi X-Alp Seek WRX bike shoes that boast a running shoe upper, an award-winning X-Alp bottom and a little protection from the elements.

Polaris Bojo

The Polaris Bojo is a lace up cycling shoe with subtle styling. Perfect for commuting and touring cyclists. Features a reflective heel detail for low light safety.

Shimano AM45

The AM45 is built with a raised outsole that wraps around tough synthetic leather to offer added protection for rough sections of trail. The mid-top design protects your ankle while the no-mesh design keeps dirt and rocks out.

Shimano MP56L

If you’re looking for a set of clipless cycling shoes that protect your ankles while you ride, allow you to walk in style, and make you look good at the same time – look no further than the Shimano SH-MP56L shoes. Also available as the upgraded MP-66L.

Shimano MP66W

A Shimano SPD mountian biking and spinning sneaker. The ’09 Shimano SH-MP66W men’s MTB shoe is very comfortable to walk in.

Shimano MT21

Looking for all-round, clipless cycling shoes that allow you to ride the trails, tour the country, hit the indoor cycling class and still be able to walk around comfortably in between? Look no further.

Shimano MT32

An SPD compatible mountain bike shoe with an EVA midsole that provides you extra efficiency while pedaling and a comfortable walking experience.

Shimano MT33L

These Shimano MT33L bike shoes feature stiff midsoles and great tread patterns, making them ideal for mountain biking yet completely at home while commuting, touring and riding casually.

 Shimano MT42NV

The Shimano MT42NV shoes are designed to be at home off-road but totally in place on the pavement, too. On or off your bike, Mountain Touring offers comfort along with casual good looks.

Shimano MT53

The Shimano MT52 is a mid-top hiking-style mountain bike shoe designed to offer great ankle stability and walking support.

Shimano MT60

On-road commute or off-road escapade, these MTB shoes handle any cycling adventure you put in their path.

Specialized Primo

With modern styling, extra plush cushioning, and patented Body Geometry technology, this truly versatile and affordable cycling shoe is ideal for commuting or casual use.

Do you have experience with any of the shoes on this page? If so, what do you think of them? Also, are there any other stylish SPD shoes that I missed that should be included here? Leave a comment below and let me know what you have to say!

All of these questions will be answered in this long, but detailed article… so just keep reading… or scroll down below to the area that interests you the most.

What Is A Bicycle Trainer?

A bicycle trainer (or a “trainer” as they are sometimes called) is a piece of equipment that makes it possible for you to ride your bicycle from a stationary position. Very much like treadmills allow you to run in place, bicycle trainers allow you to cycle in place. But unlike a treadmill, a trainer is not an entirely separate piece of gym equipment. Instead, it is a device that attaches to your regular bicycle so that you can ride your bike in a stationary position.

There are two main ways that bicycle trainers are used.

1. They are used by cyclists who wish to warm up or cool down before or after a bicycle race or competition.
2. And even more common, they are used by athletes of all different skill levels so they can ride their bikes inside when the weather conditions are less than ideal, when time is of the essence, or when the cyclist wishes to participate in other activities (such as watching TV, reading a book, or checking his or her email).

On a personal note: Just about every cyclist in the city where I live (including myself) has a bicycle trainer in his or her home. When a big snow storm moves in, you can become trapped in your home for days, and being able to exercise on a bicycle trainer is a great way to stay in shape and not let the passing storm get the best of you.

What Kind Of Bicycle Trainers Are There?

There are a number of different types of bicycle trainers and each type operates in a different way.

There are, however, two major types of bicycle trainers, with several sub-types underneath these two.

In the photo above, the cyclist on the left is riding a bike positioned on top of a roller bicycle trainer. To the rider’s left (our right) is a bicycle mounted on a mechanical bicycle trainer.

The two major types of bicycle trainers you will see are:

1. Roller Bike Trainers (Or “Rollers”)
2. Mechanical Resistance Bike Trainers

Roller Bike Trainers

Roller Bike Trainers are the most simply-designed bike trainers you will see, as they consist of nothing but a set of rollers that you ride your bike on top of. With rollers there is nothing to hold your bike vertical, so you must maintain your own balance while on the rollers… and as you might suspect, the learning curve on rollers does take some time. When first learning how to use roller bike trainers, it is helpful to have something to hold on to so that you are less likely to ride off the sides of the rollers or fall to the ground while learning to balance.

Shown here: Minoura Action Roller Advance Wide Bicycle Trainer

The Benefits of Roller Bike Trainers:

• They are usually the least expensive type of bicycle trainers you can buy.
• They provide a more realistic cycling experience because you have to maintain your balance, just as you would on a normal bike ride.
• The fact that you can shift your torso from side to side, like you would when on your regular bike, makes it feel like you aren’t riding in place, but that you are out there on the road.

The Drawbacks of Roller Bike Trainers:

• Learning how to balance and ride on rollers takes some time – even for experienced cyclists.
• The rollers themselves provide no resistance to your bicycle. The only way to increase your resistance on the rollers is to shift gears.
• Rollers can not be used with knobby mountain bike tires. They are designed only for road and flat, touring style tires.

Mechanical Resistance Bicycle Trainers

The second major type of bicycle trainer is what is known as a Mechanical Resistance Bicycle Trainer. It get its name because this type of bike trainer uses a mechanism of some kind to resist the motion of the wheels… and it has a frame that holds your rear wheel in a vertical position (making it easier to balance).

The resistance mechanism on these types of trainers come in 3 major sub-types: wind, magnetic, and fluid. I’ll talk about each of these sub-types in just a moment.

Shown here: Elite Real Power CT Indoor Bicycle Trainer

The Benefits of Mechanical Bike Trainers:

• Because there is a frame to hold your rear wheel in place, keeping your balance on a mechanical bike trainer is a piece of cake.
• They are relatively small (in comparison to Rollers) and won’t take up a lot of space in your home, basement or garage.

The Drawbacks of Mechanical Bike Trainers:

• They tend to cost more than Roller Bike Trainers. And depending on which of the three sub-types you get, the costs can escalate even higher.
• Because the rear wheel is locked in place by the frame of the roller, you don’t get that back and forth “road-like” feel that you get on Roller Bike Trainers.

The Three Main Types Of Mechanical Bicycle Trainers

When it comes to Mechanical Bicycle Trainers, there are three main types that you will run across: Wind, Magnetic, and Fluid – each of which operates in a slightly different fashion.

Wind Bicycle Trainers:

Shown here: CycleOps Wind Indoor Bicycle Trainer

Generally the least expensive of all the mechanical bicycle trainers, a wind bicycle trainer creates resistance by having the cyclist power a circular fan that blows air onto the wheel.

Because these types of trainers are relatively primitive in their design, they are inexpensive, less-likely to break that some of the more complicated bicycle trainers, and they provide a relatively road-like ride.

The major drawbacks of wind bike trainers, however, are that they 1) create an incredible amount of noise… and 2) because the resistance to the wheel is created by wind and wind alone, the resistance is not as high as some cyclists would prefer.

Magnetic Bicycle Trainers:

Shown here: Graber Mag Indoor Bicycle Trainer

A magnetic bicycle trainer functions with the use of a magnetic flywheel on the back of the device. The magnetic pull that this device creates causes resistance to your bicycle’s rear wheel and by adjusting this resistance, you can make the bicycle easier or more difficult to ride.

The benefits of magnetic bicycle trainers are that they are nearly silent to operate (which makes them ideal if you plan to ride your bike while watching TV or making phone calls), but the drawback is that only a certain amount of resistance can be added before the trainer is prone to break.

Fluid Bicycle Trainers:

Shown here: CycleOps Fluid 2 Indoor Bicycle Trainer

Finally, there are fluid bicycle trainers. Fluid bike trainers are the most complex of the bicycle trainers you will likely run across and because of this, they are more prone to breakage that the types we’ve discussed previously.

Fluid bicycle trains function as a sort of hybrid between magnetic bicycle trainers and a totally separate type of trainer that creates friction with the use of liquid resistance chambers.

The major benefit of a fluid bike trainer is that as you begin to pedal faster and faster, the resistance to the rear wheel begins to progressively increase. This road-like feel is what many cyclists working on a bicycle trainer want to feel, but fluid bicycle trainers do have their drawbacks. Mainly the fact that over time the trainer is prone to overheat, expand, and begin to leak.

Other Types Of Bicycle Trainers:

There are a number of other types of bicycle trainers as well.

There are centrifugal trainers, which like fluid trainers, get progressively more resistance as you increase your speed.

There are special “virtual reality” bike trainers, which are hooked up to electronic video game-type systems that measure the cyclist’s speed, cadence, and other such measurements while at the same time placing the cyclist in a virtual world of some kind via the use of video screens, audio projections, etc.

And there are number other types of trainers in existence.

But for the most part, we’ve covered all the major types of bicycle trainers in this article.

Now the big question is…

Do You Really Need A Bicycle Trainer?

Well, that depends.

It depends on you, your goals for the future, the type of cycling that you do, and how you plan to use your trainer.

As I mentioned at the top of this article, I own a bicycle trainer myself and I use it mainly to ride inside on days when I’m trapped inside due to bad weather or when I simply want to get a workout in and I don’t have the time to actually go on a long, drawn-out ride.

If your goals are similar, then a bicycle trainer might be great for you!

When it comes to whether or not you really need a bicycle trainer, I can’t make that call.

For most cyclists, the use of a trainer may not be entirely necessary. But for cyclists who are serious about what they do, are training for an upcoming race or tour, or simply want a way to ride their bike when the weather outside is less than perfect, then at least giving a bicycle trainer a try is a great idea.

Like I said before: I can’t tell you whether or not you NEED a bicycle trainer. But I’m willing to bet that there are more than a few people reading this article who have experience with bicycle trainers of various types and could weigh in on this subject.

So, if you have a bicycle trainer… or you’ve had a bicycle trainer in the past… and you’d like to answer this question as to whether or not you think bicycle trainers are a valuable asset, then please leave a comment at the end of this article. I’d really like to get your feedback… and I’m sure others who are considering the use of a bicycle trainer would like to hear from you as well.

Which Type Of Bicycle Trainer Is Best?

Just like I can’t confidently tell you whether or not you should buy a bicycle trainer for yourself, I can’t confidently tell you which of the hundreds of bicycle trainers currently on the market is the best.

My opinion, after trying out and reaching dozens of different trainers for myself, is that price is usually a good indication of just how good a bicycle trainer you are getting.

Inexpensive trainers are often times very loud, prone to breakage, and/or in need or repair. While the more expensive bicycle trainers are quiet(er), prove a road-like feel, and will last you a very long time.

Tell me what you think: Just like I asked for feedback from experienced bicycle trainer cyclists in the heading above… I’d like to get your feedback here as well.

If you are currently riding on a bicycle trainer of any kind… or you’ve used a bicycle trainer in the past… what kind of trainer did you have (name and trainer type)? And would you recommend the trainer to other cyclists looking to buy a trainer for themselves?

Leave a comment below and let me know what you think!

I hope that this information has been helpful to you. If you have any questions, leave a comment below and I’ll get back to you with an answer just as soon as I can. Or maybe, just maybe, another cyclist here at Bicycle Touring Pro with extensive trainer experience will weigh in and answer your question as well.

Thanks for reading… and happy cycling!

Photos by Phil Roeder and K. Steudel.