Indoor Cycle Trainer or Cycling Outside

Indoor Cycling

Pros

• Convenience – no need to travel with your bike to a good cycling location if your trainer is set up at home or your gym is near by
• All weather – rain, snow, hail, cyclone, tornado…
• Safety – no traffic to contend with and it’s unlikely that your stationary bike is going to fall over on you.
• Controlled conditions – no traffic lights to stop at, no hills to climb unless you want them. This also allows you to target a specific heart rate or power output
• Entertainment – it’s safe to use your MP3 player when you don’t have to look out for traffic. That favourite TV show might be just a remote control away.
• Close to home – by this I mean close to your family allowing you to exercise after the kids have gone to sleep.

Cons

• Hot – you can get hotter due to no airflow (unless you have a fan on). Then again, maybe it’s cold and you want to get warm!
• Limitation of the trainer – not all trainers are created equal. Mag trainers can feel very different to cycling on a real bike, wind trainers a little more realistic (but with more noise). If you’re looking to buy a trainer, make sure you check out the pros and cons of each first. Gyms typically have indoor trainer bikes with their own characteristics. The trainer can also have a maximum resistance which you may find too easy to overcome.
• Boredom – staring at your lounge room wall can get a little dull. You can always use your music player or watch TV

Outdoor Road / Track cycling

Pros

• Sociable – getting out for a ride with your pals or your partner is a great way to spend some time together.
• Outside – you can’t beat that fresh air!
• Varied workout – if structured workouts aren’t your thing, the natural geography will provide you with varied challenges
• Natural cycling feel – riding a bike is just like… well, riding a bike
• Wind through your hair!
• Longer workouts – maybe it’s all of the pros above, but I enjoy taking longer rides on the bike outside.

Cons

• Less Safe – Contending with dangers such as road traffic, animals, other riders, track obstacles and gravity!
• Mechanical failures – flat tires, broken chains, buckled rims. These all seem to occur far from home
• Weather – it doesn’t always go your way. Wind, rain, too much sun exposure. The best laid plans for an outdoor ride can be ruined by it.