Anyone tried Performance Inertial Trainer?



typ993

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Jan 14, 2005
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Has anyone tried the Performance I-Force Inertial Trainer?

From the description, this is a new type of trainer, but I'm not sure how the resistance is being generated, since they say it isn't magnets or fluid (and I'm assuming it's not a brake pad either), but "centrifugal force". The claim is that this has a more road-like feel than a fluid unit. I'd appreciate anyone who has ridden one of these to confirm or refute that statement.

Thanks!
 
Not sure about that trainer but for that price you can get the cadillac of all trainers - the Kurt Kinetic Road Machine. I used other trainers for years and now kick myself for not getting the KK sooner. I would never buy another one although I would like to try the Kurt Kinetic Rock and Roll model. The nice thing about KK trainers is that the fluid chamber is sealed and so it is virtually indestructible.

Here is a reliable dealer that sells the KK for $275 including shipping.

http://www.1upusa.com/kurtkinetictrainer.htm
 
Jim R said:
Not sure about that trainer but for that price you can get the cadillac of all trainers - the Kurt Kinetic Road Machine.

Right, the KK is the other trainer I'm considering. My current trainer (Performance fluid model) has started leaking slightly, so I'm probably going with the KK, but this looked like an interesting option.
 
just bought my first trainer so I can't give much comparison to other trainers. The one bought was the minnoura VFS with handlebar mount speed control and it is excellent. i can really feel the fluid resistance kick in at higher speeds and the mag side is adjustible which makes gear shifting pointless. it's a very good setup for me as i am new to indoor training and on the fitness side this trainer has room for me to grow- i've been very happy with it for the money i spent ($180). Hope this helps
 
typ993 said:
Has anyone tried the Performance I-Force Inertial Trainer?

From the description, this is a new type of trainer, but I'm not sure how the resistance is being generated, since they say it isn't magnets or fluid (and I'm assuming it's not a brake pad either), but "centrifugal force". The claim is that this has a more road-like feel than a fluid unit. I'd appreciate anyone who has ridden one of these to confirm or refute that statement.

Followup to my original post:

Saw a review on Pez today for the Blackburn Trakstand Ultra. It appears that Performance licensed this technology. Looks pretty cool from the review and Blackburn's web site; essentially this is a centrifugal clutch that increasingly presses the flywheel against a friction pad. The reviewer thought it did have a nice road-like feel and good resistance.

My concern with it is that for more powerful riders, you need to add more ball bearings to the flywheel unit; not sure how this affects rideability if you aren't cranking out the watts. Also, I'm wondering about the longevity of the friction pad, though it doesn't sound like that big a deal to replace.

Anyway, I'm going with a Kinetic Pro. Just the flywheel on the Pro weights almost as much as the entire Blackburn trainer. :D
 
You will not go wrong with the KK. I have a Kurt Kinetic Road Machine, my wife has a CycleOps Fluid2, and my daughter and son-in-law have a Performance Travel Track Century Fluid. Both the KK and the CycleOps beat the Travel Track hands down. I like the mechanism that locks the bike in place on the CycleOps best, but I like the feel of the KK best.

Theoretically, the KK should outlast the others because of the sealed fluid chamber, but my wife has riden the CycleOps for an hour per day, five days per week for nearly three years, and has had no problems with the CycleOps.
 
RickF said:
You will not go wrong with the KK. I have a Kurt Kinetic Road Machine, my wife has a CycleOps Fluid2, and my daughter and son-in-law have a Performance Travel Track Century Fluid. Both the KK and the CycleOps beat the Travel Track hands down. I like the mechanism that locks the bike in place on the CycleOps best, but I like the feel of the KK best.

Theoretically, the KK should outlast the others because of the sealed fluid chamber, but my wife has riden the CycleOps for an hour per day, five days per week for nearly three years, and has had no problems with the CycleOps.
Yeah, the thing that prompted this whole thread is that my current Performance TravelTrak fluid unit is leaking, so I'm looking for a replacement. I've ridden it nowhere near as much as your wife has ridden her CycleOps, yet leak it does. Think I'll keep it around for warming up at races, though.
 

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