I was talked into getting a turbo trainer this Christmas so that I can get into some proper winter training. I have got the Tacx Satori trainer, which appears to be best in the price range. The Satori has a magnetic brake, which is quiet and has adjustable load. I have moved my speed sensor to the rear wheel, so that I can see how far I have gone (or more accurately, not gone). The load provided by the brake can be calibrated by building up to a predetermined speed, and then freewheeling to a stop. The time taken for the wheel to stop gives a measure of the resistance provided by the brake.
The other important thing to measure while training is Heart Rate. For this, it looks like I need to make another purchase (a heart rate monitor).
It is important to determine your maximum heart rate when training with a heart rate monitor, so that you can tune your training regime for maximum benefit, and prevent yourself from training too hard. HRmax can be calculated based on certain criteria (age, weight etc.), but it is better to do a twice yearly HRmax test.
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