6 reasons outdoor cycling is the best, even in winter (or a lockdown)

I finally cracked and got myself a turbo trainer recently  but I still go out in the cold, like today, which I loved. There is just no comparison, of course it makes you happier to ride outside.  FWIW there are many studies that show that to be the case.

I went out today. 4° cloudy

No Gears, No Gloves, No Garmin, No Worries

Nobody died.

I also have a turbo trainer, I sometimes sit and watch a movie, but mostly it gathers dust

Interesting comments: almost as heated as the Helmet/no helmet or disc brakes/rim brakes debates!  Can't see why people are getting so het up about it: if you want to do it, do it. if you don't, then don't.  

For my money,  buying an MTB is a better investment than a trainer. Going Off road is the best in rubbish weather: fewer walkers / horses / dog walkers (don't get me started on them) so you have the trails to yourself and can relax and play about.

And when you get in cold and wet and muddy with tales to tell of bunny hopping a frozen pile of horse dung, misjudging it and skidding across the footbridge etc I feel like I've earned my coffee and kitkat properly.

It seems to me that controlling a skidding / sliding bike , or pushing against a wet headwind (with a soft landing on mud / grass etc if it goes wrong) - is brilliant fun and works your reflexes and adds more variety of movements etc to more muscle groups than sitting on a trainer - but I'm not a pro or a sports physio / medic so maybe that's factually wrong.

I Appreciate not everyone has access to nice bridleways or a suitable bike to do that, but I would have thought even in the most urban envronment you're never that far away from a park /bridleway / quiet cycleway / byroad that's usable.

I planned going to a gym to do spinning in the winter. We had an indoor trainer for 10 years, so boring we never used it. I also hate the gyms. With that in mind I took the decision to train on my Crossbike in all types of bad weather and to build up a collection of winter clothes. I am there now and enjoy the outside. I don't do icy or salted roads but then resting for a few days probably does you good. Your body gets to rest for a few days and your motivation comes back.

I think there is a basic psychology involved in going out and facing unpleasant conditions so that when it comes to the day of whatever big challenge you might have set yourself and the weather is less than perfect, you can shrug your shoulders in the knowledge that you have been out in worse.

But there's also nothing wrong with the gym or doing something else you feel it really is not safe to be out on a bicycle.

Amen to the article. Thanks to a winning combination of my kids getting older, and my wife moving from shifts to 9-5, I've ridden my bike more this winter than ever before; and it's been great. Rain, hail, snow, and that was just this morning.

If I never have to ride the turbo again, it will be too soon

I'm using Zwift because where I work (10 days on shift and 4 days off away from my home) the roads are awfull (Lincolnshire) and the drivers worse. After my 10hr shift  it's dark and for my own safety I choose to ride indoors. On my 4 days off I'll get out onto the road at a reasonable time of day but while at work Zwift has totally changed my opinion about training indoors even more so since I bought a Kickr. I think as long as you're riding your bike, and it's not collecting dust in the garage, who really cares whether it's indoors or out #justride

The air inside your house is not exactly free from pollution. I do ride outside because I have to commute to work. I will ride in the winter at the weekend, but not if it is freezing. That is just my choice, as much for my lungs as for safety. I live in Manchester and like the guy from Birmingham, most places (in England at least) are not freezing for the vast majority of the winter. 

There seems to be a particular strain of cyclists who love to sneer at anyone else. Any mishap is dismissed as 'not riding to conditions' or you are foolish to be riding in that weather. These are often the same ones who sneer at helmet use because of their own excellence (any possible crash could not befall them of course.)

By all means, ride/train inside if it suits you, but if you think 6C is too cold then you are missing too much of the year. {I've also had debates with people claiming they don't take winter tights of until it is 20C, life/summer is too short, get outside.}

I have been riding out all winter and even yesterday morning at half 6 in snow and other things and apart from one or two slips no issues.

I own a indoor trainer but maybe use it once a week for a specific interval session I want to do and thats about it. Even yesterday it was of a kind of fun and it hardens your sould towards the summer fun to go.

If you can ride in conditions like yesterday then anything else is easy.

I'm new to indoor training and in particular Zwift but it has revolutionised my training. 

I also love riding outside and battling the elements and racing to the top of hills but then there's so much stopping for gels, punctures, people catching their breath and weaker riders. It's extremely rare that you're with a group that pushes you in the same way as Zwift does.

Today nobody in my cycling group wanted to come out. Instead I did a 50km ride with 600m of climbing, ate a healthy recovery meal and stretched, rather than having a roast and 4 pints. 

Midweek training after work too. Now I do gruelling races where my heartbeat's at 170 constantly rather than doing boring laps round Regents Park in the dark and wet or sitting on the sofa.

This article seems to contradict the article recently which praised Zwift and trainers. Let's just have more balance please.

If there is ice, use spiked tyres, there are plenty of these (schwable, nokian, kendo, continental -- all have it in the range) , and they do really help on ice.  Not sure if you can get it bellow width of 30mm, but should be no problem for a winter bike

I detest the turbo trainer but there are days when it is more effective than tiptoeing round on icy roads at a very slow speed.

I ride mostly for commuting, but if I wanted to train using my bike, an indoor trainer would seem the best option as I could avoid all the exhaust gases. Any benefits from training at high rates in an area with heavy pollution, could be possibly be cancelled by the damage to lungs or even cancer.

I do both. I'm probably in the 'hardcore' camp - I'll take the bike out in the ice and grin at every save from either the back or front wheel giving out. Also find riding in pissing rain one of the greatest pleasures I've ever known, for some reason it's again - instantly grin inducing. Is any part of that smart? No. Do I get as much benefit as I would have from doing an indoor session? Of course not, you can't go hard in bad conditions. 

That said, fair amount of small-minded, ill-informed nonsense being spouted in the article above. Too much to go through them all, but the most important ones.

1. Indoor cycling is as sociable as outdoor group rides - people on Zwift chat using VOIP, form supportive communities and race tactically together. They do this more far more regularly than outdoor groups. Some 3 times a week. Some several times a day. This is fact and something that surprised me when starting Zwift. People are warm and friendly, you'll get warm hearted messages from people you don't know. It's great and something that you don't get much of outdoors. I think that's because Zwift and similar apps attract a lot of progressive minded riders, who tend to be outgoing and friendly. 

2. Riding in a group outdoors pushes you harder? It can push you hard, but most people will likely never find any group ride outdoors that kill have you throwing up as you pass the lamp post. In Zwift, races are hell, and people who will never race hard in real life for many reasons will get to experience dark places that the road outside never will. 

3. Cold weather burns more fat - pretty sure this nonsense makes absolutely zero difference to some guy who does a handful of 0 degree rides for a few hours at a time. Shameful guff. 

4. Spectactular views - sure, most people just have spectacular views within reach of their doorstep?  And even if they did, diminishing returns and having to keep your eye on the road means you only really get the occassional feeling of satisfaction from it. If you really want this sort of experience you go hiking, or climb a mountain on your bike in Europe where the low speed means you can take it in. Rest of us get a few green fields to bore us while dodging potholes, while you know, actually putting some pace on it.

5. Cycling outdoors is interesting - no it's now. You pedal your bike. What's remotely interesting about that unless you're on some technical descent? New things are interesting. Trying new indoor trainer software and racing on it is way more interesting that riding along crappy roads in gray weather, which yes, doesn't make you happier by the way - positive ions, if you believe the sicence stuff - makes you feel negative. 

6. Making you happier - more guff - how many hours would a rider have to ride and what times of the day would they need to ride at to relieve to what extent SAD? You could be out all day, every day and still have shit vitamin D production in the UK in winter.  If you want some sort of happiness boost, use achievement - train smart, lose weight and that'll keep you ticking along until the weather is better. Plan a holiday abroad to use your winter fitness on - things to look forward to. 

Can't believe I got baited by this rubbish but oh well. CXR said it all aready anyway - proper training gets done in a controlled, structured way - and for the modern cyclist, that means getting your act together, stop making excuses and getting on a trainer to do the work. 

Comments about indoor being boring staring at a wall- that is rubbish,. Zwift and bkool are interactive, with bkool having video of routes, real feel gradients with a smart trainer. The other argument it 'might' damage your bike is also bollocks. My carbon bike has been on my trainer for over 2000 miles and is fine.

Riding indoors with a proper setup is hugely rewarding in training quality and entertainment. Also you don't get cold, wet and won't crash in less than ideal conditions.

When spring arrives after a winter of structured training makes for a great time chuckling at your less fit riding buddies.

I have a specific beef with indoor trainers and the rise in the use of something like Zwift out here in Taiwan. I am seeing an increasing number of riders on the roads who are strong, fit and fast, but they lack roadcraft.  Can be a bit scary.

The slightest hint of 'weather' here and huge numbers of riders simply stay at home.  When I say weather, essentially I mean rain.  Any amount of rain.  Even simply wet roads.  Ride cancelled.  Very odd.

Each to their own but hours on a turbo would bore me senseless, hence the reason why I have a mountain bike as opposed to a turbo trainer.

Riding on the snowy trails yesterday was sublimely peaceful and testing at the same time: physically demanding and challenging your senses to keep the bike upright at the same time. Providing you stick to the golden rule of mountain biking (trees, don't crash into them) it's a pretty safe alternative to treacherous roads this time of year and you don't have to worry about the ubiquitous crap driver.  You might even become a better handler of your road bike as well

I enjoy cold weather cycling, there's even something about donning the extra winter kit that makes me think the days ride is going to be extra fun - But! There are two conditions that I avoid like the plauge;

* Icy roads (Painfull experiance has taught me a number of lessons there)

* The combination of wet roads and a low sun (Thus far I've been lucky and not had some pointless retard run straight in to the back of me & I'd like to keep it that way)