Indoor cycling in the spring and summer months
As we emerge from the long, dark winter months, spring is an opportunity for new beginnings and a fresh start, particularly when it comes to getting fit. However, even in summer, the typical British weather can put paid to outdoor pursuits, particularly cycling, with wet, slippery roads or windy weather offering less-than ideal conditions for a two-wheeled adventure.
Indoor cycling is a great way to maintain your fitness levels, both as part of your ongoing training plan or when the weather simply isn’t working for you.
Indoor cycling vs. outdoor cycling in spring and summer
There are many benefits to cycling indoors. One of them is convenience. Just jumping on your indoor bike is far quicker than pulling your bike out of the shed and having to pump up those tyres; by the time this has been done and you’ve donned your cycling gear and helmet, that’s around ten minutes you could have spent simply hopping on an indoor exercise bike in the comfort of your own home environment.
If a tempo ride is what you need to fit in, outdoor cycling can also be something of a logisitcal challenge to a ‘perfect session’ when you factor in everyday occurrences such as traffic, roadworks, dodging pot holes and general navigation. Depending on where you live or where you ride, spring and summer generally means more traffic on the road thanks to day travellers and holidaymakers, as well as an increase in both fair weather and professional cyclists – not very practical when you’re in a rush and your objective is to get a quick, structured workout under your belt!
If you want to complete structured training sessions and intervals as part of your wider training plan, indoor cycling is perfect.
Getting your gear right for indoor cycling in spring and summer
No cycling gear is specifically designed for indoor cycling – it is generally designed for outdoors, so make sure you don’t overheat when cycling indoors during the spring and summer months.
Investing in a fan, possibly one that can also work as heater during the colder winter months if your indoor bike is in your garage, is a great idea and key to creating a more pleasant workout environment.
And while your instinct may be to wear one layer of clothing, two layers might be best. For instance, a base mesh-like layer removes the sweat from your skin by transferring the moisture to the layer above, which is then dried by the fan.
Make sure you also have a towel to hand to keep excess sweat from hitting the bike!
Test before you invest
For road cyclists curious about cycling indoors, one question we’re often asked is, is it worth investing in an all-singing, all-dancing indoor bike? In short, the answer is no.
Ciclozone is designed to offer a great indoor-cycling experience, whether you’re riding on the latest high-tech indoor bike, a more basic spin bike or outdoor bike with trainer. Keep your eyes peeled for specific turbo-trainer sessions coming soon in-app!
And if you find yourself cycling indoors more than you expected and would like to try out a specialist indoor bike before you buy, you can always hire an indoor bike from just £15 a week to see how you get on. Simply check out our bike reviews elsewhere on this blog and then head to an indoor bike hire website so you can try before you buy without any long-term commitment.
