Why riding a smart trainer is smart:

It's a beautiful week of (false) Spring. Today I wore a flannel and t-shirt outside, and my hands got too hot in gloves during the ride to class.

And after my commuting was over, I got off of the bike and walked inside my apartment. Then I got on my bike inside. 

I rode the trainer again today.

My feet turned in circles, the chain squeaked (I need to lube it again) and I was lamely going nowhere. 

I get asked "why do you ride the trainer when it's such a nice day out?" 

Trust me, I wish I could ride outside too -- I find myself getting FOMO seeing all the cool outdoor rides everyone posts on Strava... but the answer is that riding the smart trainer is so much easier, more efficient and is simply the smarter option. 

Here's why:

It saves time

When someone first gets into the sport of cycling, the first thing they realize is that it's harder than it looks. The second thing they realize is that it is insanely time-consuming.

Training takes time, bike maintenance takes time, getting ready, showering, laundry... time.

Like I mentioned before: I entered my apartment (and put on bibs and shoes) and got on the trainer right away.

The 10-20 minutes that it takes to get ready for outdoor riding is effectively cut in half.

Even better: there's less kit to slip out of after you ride and less laundry to do.

If I'm not feeling lazy, I'll take my bibs, socks, and base-layer, wash them while I'm taking a post-trainer ride shower, and then hang them up to dry. They'll be waiting for me the next day. 

With indoor riding, there's need to wash layers upon layers of lycra (especially during the colder months) and no need to waste time waiting on the washer and dryer.

Endless fuel

If you know me, you know I race ultra. This means I'm putting in lots of miles and putting down hundreds upon hundreds of grams of carbohydrate. 

When I go on a ride of four hours or longer, I'll have to make a gas station stop at some point for food or water because I can't carry all of the fuel in my bottles and pockets (and if I do stop, I'll have to shell out some cash for Haribo and a Coke).

How many miles could you get out of this fuel setup?

When I ride the trainer, I get to eat and drink as much fuel as I need without having to carry it -- I set multiple bottles of carb mix, slices of bread, pasta, pancakes and more on the table in front of me.

Back when I rode 420kms on Zwift in 2021. I count four bottles, and off-camera there's a big vase of Cherry Pepsi and Redbull mix. 

Speaking of pasta and pancakes, I used to cook them while riding. I lived in a studio apartment last year, and my trainer setup was mere feet away from the stove. I'd get off of the trainer to mix up some pancake mix or boil some water, ride for a few minutes, and get off again to check the food as needed. Can you do that on an outdoor bike ride? (Maybe a Coleman on a cargo bike?)

Heck, you could eat some foods on the trainer that you've never dreamed of having while riding your bike. A three-foot baguette? Sure. Ratatouille? You bet. Want to sip a cup of scalding hot coffee? Be my guest. You can do it all and eat it all on the trainer.

"ERG is basically God-mode"

Said to me by 4km pursuit world champion Ashton Lambie...

ERG mode is one of my main reasons for riding a smart trainer.

If you don't know what ERG, or ergometer mode is, it's essentially a setting on select smart trainers that helps you to achieve a prescribed power number using internal resistance adjustment. 

When your training plan prescribes that you hit exactly 255 watts for 10 minutes, the ERG mode on the trainer will adjust resistance in a way that forces you to maintain this power, which you can't perfectly do out on the road. Outside, there are too many variables like hills, standing power and a delayed connection between your power meter and head unit -- all of which will make it nearly impossible to maintain a specified power.

ERG mode feels odd and hard to explain, but for me, it makes training mindless.

In the Zwift app, I'll make a workout of mostly Z2 and ride for hours on end. At the same time, I'll minimize the app and do other things online all while hitting my numbers.

You get shit done.

When I ride indoors, it's usually for this reason. 

There's not enough time in the day for me to ride and work on things separately, so I work, study, and get stuff done on the trainer.

When I ride outside, I can't read information needed for my next article, I can't search the internet, I can't catch up on my favorite TV shows, send emails, read books (Ringer Book Review?) -- I can't do a lot. 

The most recent book I finished,
fittingly read while on the trainer.

Which is actually the exact reason why most people ride outdoors: it's freeing and a break from day-to-day life. 

But often when I ride outside, I can't help but think about all the things I need to do when I get home.

It's why I ride my smart trainer. I get stuff done, I save time, I hit my power numbers, I stress less, and because it's so efficient, I feel a little less stupid -- a bit more smart.