I'm 27 weeks pregnant and am becoming aware it's harder to get out on the bike – even on road cycle paths (which is all I'm doing now), so was thinking back to some advice I got on here a while back about using a turbo trainer for the last few months.

I think, especially given the weather, it's probably going to be a good solution for getting a few miles in before the baby comes and hopefully for building fitness after.

Thing is, I don't know anything about them! So was wondering if anyone could recommend a particular type or model? Obviously I would prefer not to have to spend much, but would rather fork out than end up with something crappy that I never use…

So anyway, any advice would be very appreciated!

Thanks in advance! MM

Tacx Satori works well and is nice and compact. Includes everything you need including front wheel stand for about £150

I got a CycleOps Mag trainer for a (late) Christmas present yesterday. First ride today and it seems good. It is easy to set up and works well. Mine came with a DVD which is exceedingly tough to keep up with! Should be good for keeping fit over the winter. Hope this helps.

Ooh forgot to say, the two bikes I'd be likely to use it with are both singlespeeds so I'd need some kind of remote resistance adjuster.

Btw, thanks for the recommendations so far – I'll check them out.

i'd ask your GP. esp if you are going to raise your heart rate excessively.

I'm not going to raise my heart rate excessively as that's not a good idea in pregnancy. I'm just going to spin out a few miles, only difference is I'll be inside rather than out so no need to hassle my GP.

The CycleOps Mag trainer looks good, especially as I can get a remote resistance adjustor for £15.

Is the Tacx worth the extra cash? The CycleOps is really at the top of what I was thinking I'd be prepared to spend.

As you nmight get a bit swollen and you know sore down below later on in pregnancy you might be better off with something like a cross trainer so there is no pressure applied to your lady bits

there is no reason why you shouldnt stay active during an uncomplicated pregnancy- just don't overdo it , remember your heart and lungs are already working flat out supplying your developing baby!. As a rule fit mums do better during and post delivery than fat mums.

All the best!

A Tacx Swing will work well with a single speed bike. We used to have one and used a mtb on it with a 32:16(I think) ratio and it gave a nice spread of resistance.

My wife used our turbo trainer loads when she was pregnant. I fitted a high rise stem and bars as leaning forward became a bit of a problem, but otherwise she carried on as normal, obviously exercise intensity was reduced. The one thing she had to buy was a larger size pair of cycling shorts as her normal ones became too small. The book 'Exercising Through Your Pregnancy' by James Clapp is worth a read.

To give you a bit of inspiration, Louise managed a 12 hour solo race 6 months after giving birth, and she even managed to get on the podium. It is amazing how fast her fitness came back after having the baby.

Heat can be an issue,espesh in the third trimester.Might be prudent to rig up a half decent fan,even if just twiddling at low intensity.

sorry if this is hijacking slightly but also i was thinking about (going back to my uni days) any amount of regular cycling affecting the body due the changes to the pelvis during pregnancy i.e unstable pelvic joints under the influence of pregnancy hormones and changes in the centre of gravity creating pain or discomfort.
my mrs swam a mile quite frequently almost right up to giving birth to our 1st but wasn't really into cycling so have no experience of it…i take it you as of yet suffer no ill effects from cycling?

Thanks doctornick! Good to know not being fat helps! 😀

Cross-trainer isn't a bad plan, but I think a turbo-trainer is probably a better investment for me personally as I'd be more likely to use it.

My husband and I have converted my ss mtb into a bit of a 'bimbling with a bump' bike (high bars, big volume slicks, 6 easy gears, etc), so I should be able to use that on it for the last few months which will hopefully be reasonably comfy. I've also got a Pilates and a complete fitness in pregnancy DVD which are good for general fitness (though I'm only getting into them now)

Jason – thanks for the direct recommendation, that's good to know. Thanks also for the inspiration – that's amazing! Serious Kudos to Louise! I'm actually thinking about entering something like that next year (I don't know why I've suddenly decided now is the time to have a go?!) so that is genuinely inspiring – thank you! 🙂

Oh and I'm definitely going to invest in some bigger shorts, my last ride wasn't the most comfortable! I'll check out the book too, I remember you mentioning it last time.

Podium – yep, I think that's probably a good plan.

'i am the great cornholio and i need TP for my bunghole' – yeah, others can probably tell you more, but basically if you're body is used to it then its good to keep doing it, as long as you lower the intensity, don't over do it and don't overheat. My body is used to cycling so other than needing a slightly less racey position I haven't suffered any ill effects.

No doubt right near the end it might become too difficult (and balance could become an issue, hence thinking a static bike might be a good plan!), but at the moment it's fine (I just go slower for shorter periods and do less hills) and as Dr. Nick says, it's good to keep active.

i wish you all the best..make the most of your sleeping time now..!!!!!