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not sure where you live, but i could take a guess, maybe in PA. winter is about over and it will soon be time to get outside and bike. you might want to save the bike trainer money and spend it on something else. you won't need the bike trainer until next winter unless you live in an area where you can't bike outside. the money you save on from that can be used on other items.

i don't train with a power meter so i can help you there. i use my garmin 305 and compare my rides (time, avg mph, hear rate). new wheels could help depending on what you have now and how much you want to spend. not sure if an aerohelmet would help that much.

spend it on other necessities like new running shoes if needed, nutrition for training and races, nice tires, race entry fees.

just my 2 cents...

Posts Member

miles, where are you from? i'm going to the chicago area next week and need some ideas on places to ride. I'll be near the northern suburbs, i guess. Any ideas?
Oh, and I would get some sort of training tool (trainer, power meter) instead of wheels or aerohelmet.

Posts Member

i am from the northwest suburbs, barrington. there is still a lot of snow around here, and i do most of my riding as random stuff around neighboorhoods but busse woods is a pretty good place http://www.fpdcc.com/tier3.php?content_id=68&file=map_68b
if you let me know exactly where you are i could find you something pretty close.

haha as much as i'm sure a tri coach would help, i really really enjoy training myself :) about the wheels, anything specific you recommend?

Posts Member

the iBike is kinda cool, and for what you describe ("gaging your fitness") it's certainly useful, but keep in mind that it is essentially a toy. I looked very seriously at it and decided to wait until I could afford / find a PowerTap. I got a PT and Reynolds Stratus DV wheel for about $500 more than the iBike would have cost, which was a MUCH better buy. I love my power meter, but I would not consider it an essential piece of equipment, so your money is better spent elsewhere until you can afford to do it right.

If you want electronic gadgets, the Garmin Edge 305 is awesome. Mine has taken a backseat to the PT for serious analysis, but I won't ride without it.

High end wheels are a great upgrade, but for $650 you're probably not going to get much better than whatever you have now, so again, save the money. If you have really poor wheels, a set of used Ksyriums might not be a bad buy (You can often find them cheap from someone upgrading).

If I had disposable money I wanted to spend on the bike, I think I personally would get more new bike clothes or whatever else is necessary to make riding more enjoyable. Take the bike to the LBS for a professional tune up, a fresh chain, new bar tape, stuff like that.

You could certainly troll craigslist or other forums for indoor trainers. In the near future as the weather warms people will likely start selling them off cheap, so this might not be the worst time to buy. Places like Performance and Nashbar might have sales soon as well. When I was in college I liked having the option of a ride on the trainer even when the weather was nice (I was a night owl, so 2am rides between homework assignments in the hallway were not uncommon, for example) so it might not be a bad idea even with spring coming.

dollar-for-time an aero helmet is a great buy. I don't know that I would recommend it, but you can read about my own quibblings over whether to buy an aero helmet in other threads :P

Posts Member

Hey Miles, I'm from Chicago as well and if you are living in Barrington already then you have the best biking in the area in your backyard. It's starting to get to riding weather and in a week or two you won't think twice about riding inside.

I'm not a hardcore cyclist but my impression of the sport is that everything is expensive so I'd suggest saving the money. Put it in a high interest savings account and wait. It's as cool watching your money make you money as it is setting a PR in a race.

There is so much gear for this sport and, even if you are at the top of your age group, so little of it is required to race. It's too easy to get caught up in the technology and gadgets but that's not what is going to make you faster. Putting in the time, with the right effort, on those hills will make you a better cyclist, not a computer display feeding you statistics and other numbers. I'm not trying to take away from power meters but, until they become affordable, they are a luxury item.

Posts Member

Actually, being just out of college...I was thinking the same thing, just didn't want to say it. $650 isn't all that much. It's strange how quickly my views on saving money have changed in less than a year out of school

However, if you are going to spend it I'd go with a training tool. You'll get more return from better training than better gear at this point (I'm assuming you're not at your racing peak)

I also understand the draw of spending the tax return. I always viewed it as bonus money, since I didn't account for it throughout the year. Some of my past tax return purchases include: My road bike, a big screen TV, and part of an engagement ring.

Posts Member

I would definitely stay away from the iBike Pro. It really is not a powermeter - unfortunately a PM cost big $'s. Also the iBike can not be used on the trainer. The iBike is calibrated to the starting weight of you and bike + water bottles etc. As you ride and weights change due to emptying bottles etc. the power estimates get off.
Getting a good trainer (CycleOps - Fluid2) and Garmin 305 with the cadence/speed sensor and even the foot pod (for your running cadence) accessories are great to have and both together are in your budget.

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Personally, I would save the money.

However, if you are looking to spend it, I would definately invest in a good trainer. I have the above mentioned Cyclops fluid 2 and it is great. I would then spend the rest of the money on either a 305 or a new set of wheels, however I don't know how much of an upgrade, over what you have, a $300 set of wheels is going to be. I would also stay away from the iBike as many others have already said.