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Mick Ross asked in SportsCycling · 1 decade ago

Do wind bike trainers produce heat?

I live in arizona, it's about 110 degrees outside so I need to get an indoor bike trainer. I had a fluid one a year ago that had a ginormous heat sink and would produce a ridiculous amount of heat. Are wind bike trainers any better? I know they are loud, but I am somehow reasoning that spinning a fan really fast should cool a room down rather than heating it up. This is probably naive logic, but is there anyone out there who has used one to comment?

Update:

So despite the fact that a wind trainer uses mechanical energy to mechanical energy which inadvertently becomes heat, it will warm a room as much a fluid trainer which converts mechanical energy directly into heat (via friction). I guess in either case the trainer causes resistance by friction, I guess the increased viscosity of the fluid trainers would make them worse in that regard.

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  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    The act of compressing the air will warm it up. Trainers convert mechanical energy into heat so it doesn't matter which one you use. The magnetic resistance ones contain a small fan to dissipate heat and the fluid ones just use a heat sink. Use a fan to help keep yourself cool.

  • 1 decade ago

    There will always be heat produced from a trainer due to the friction of the tire against whatever surface it makes contact with on the trainer itself. Wind trainers are very loud, but the fan doesn't make enough wind to help keep a room cool, if that's what you are after. I've had two wind trainers, one inertial, and one mag, but never a fluid. My favorite was the Travel Trac inertial trainer; it was very very smooth and made almost zero noise. The one I had was recalled and I replaced it with a mag trainer that I really don't care for as it doesn't seem to roll smoothly.

    Anyway, I've never had any of these produce enough heat to notice unless you touch the resistance wheel, but maybe fluid trainers are a bit different. If you are getting a new one, I'd go for inertial or mag. Wind trainers are so freaking loud you can't even here a TV on max volume if it's two feet away from you.

    Whatever trainer I've used, I always set up a big fan in front of me since you get so hot riding indoors without the wind to cool you down. That should help with any heat produced by the trainer, too.

  • 1 decade ago

    A wind trainer will move air around, the breeze created might make things feel a bit cooler, but the simple act of agitating the air will warm it slightly. Whether you use a fluid trainer, or a wind trainer, the amount of energy expended will be the same.

  • Master
    Lv 4
    1 decade ago

    Yes all bike trainers will produce the same amount of heat.

    Maybe you could design one with an electrical generator powering a laser that you could aim out a window. May want to read FAA regulations first...

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  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    the breeze will make things seem coooler

    but yes, there will be 100-400 watts of heat dissipated in that room

    so it will actually get warmer

    wle.

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