Last week, a coworker of mine asked if I wanted to do the MS150, which is a 150 mile bike ride here in Colorado to benefit multiple sclerosis. He talked our boss into sponsoring us by paying for the registration fees and the jerseys, and gave us permission to ask our clients for donations so that we can meet the $400 donation requirement to race.
We haven’t had time to talk much about it since then, and I haven’t registered yet, so I’m still thinking about doing the race. I’m very likely to do it though, which is why I went to the flea market and bought a cheap ($25) used bicycle trainer, so that I can get as much cycling training as I can before the race.
I’ve done a lot of research into bike trainers over the last year, and I never thought I would buy a crappy magnetic trainer, but I don’t have the money for a nice $300 fluid trainer, so I bought this one (in the picture above). Anything is better than nothing, right? By the way, I actually bought a new $120 wheel and a trainer tire (not in the picture) to switch out on my bike, so that I don’t wear out my current tire. I hear regular tires can burn out in a couple of weeks on a trainer, while trainer tires can last a lifetime, or at least several years.
I actually really like it and I’ve been using it a lot already. I’ve never used a fluid trainer so I have nothing to compare my magnetic trainer to, and I won’t try one either, because I don’t want to ruin my experience with the one I have already. At least not until I have the money for a nice one. 😉
It feels good to ride my bike again. My butt is sore from the saddle and my legs get tired fast, but I’m getting back into the groove of things. I’m excited to get back on the road again!