Indoor Trainer(s) - Help!

I am trying to up my training in the winter (from, well, virtually nil), due to the lack of daylight and the pesky work thing interfering in my free time.

To avoid your approach, I am seriously considering the purchase of a VR trainer à la Fortius or Realaxiom...

Back in the winter of 2003/2004, it rained like crazy here in SoCal. I had a set of rollers to ride indoors but wanted a trainer so I could pedal and watch TV and not have to worry about crashing from inattention.

I did a lot of research and talked to people and came to the conclusion the Kurt Kinetic Road Machine Fluid Trainer was the best and purchased one in March 2004. The deciding factors were the completely sealed fuild resistance unit (no leaks), the large flywheel (more realistic spin up and coast down), and overall sturdiness. Price was close to CyclOps, the other trainer I considered.

Because I live in sunny Souther California, and because I loathe riding indoors to begin with, I haven't used the trainer a ton but can say it performs great and is solidly built. My only gripe is the mounting mechanism. I often have a hard time getting the bike mounted in the quick release pegs. I understand, however, that Kurt was testing a new and improved mechanism last year and they've probably rolled it out by now.

Even though you might not use a trainer much, I think it's worth paying for some type of fluid resistance trainer because they give the most comparable road feel.

Finally, a friend asked me last year about buying a trainer and I recommended the Kurt Kinetic but he went with a fluid CycleOps. I was with him at a time trial and borrowed his trainer to warm up. I found the CycleOps to have a good feel and the mounting mechanism easier to use than mine. So, if you can arrange to test both of them out before you buy, do it!

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We have some pretty good winters here in Connecticut, which was a big change from living in Palo Alto, CA for me. I went with a fluid trainer (Cycle OPs) and am happy with it. Far less noise than the wind trainers.

No matter what you do, riding a trainer can be boring. I have mine set up in the spare bedroom, with a TV on a table, so I can watch tv while I'm riding, and a table fan set up to the side of the bike, so there's a breeze, to sort of give it that "riding out in the world" feel. I have a whole system of pedaling a steady cadence through the program, and pedaling a high cadence through the commercial breaks. While I hate the trainer, it does allow me to keep "riding" though the worst of the winter, and it has helped my form when I am actually out on the bike.

It is quite funny that many people talking about 'riding' on an indoor trainer. That, I agree, is very boring. The resistance from my magnet makes it very different from riding on the road so it is very hard to do. Instead I use it to train. It doesn't need road feel to train, and it gives a more effective workout in 1 hour than 1.5 hours can on the road. Otherwise on any nice day I will pull myself out in any spare time on the road, as nothing comes above the road for fun. But, I live in Aus and we all complain about the cold, wind and rain but it must be nothing compared to other places in the world. Those places are where I see trainers being in need.

CycleOps is one of the best companies that make trainers, as well as Kenitic. It all depends on what you are looking for. There are three kinds of "trainers", wind, magnet, and fluid. Fluid is the quietest, magnetic trainers are not as quiet but still in that range. Wind trainers are the loudest but do not wear out like a magnetic will after several years. Fluid trainers can leak but companies like CycleOps offer Lifetime warrenties no matter what. I currenty have a Fluid2 and I absolutely love it. I have had 2 of them, a 2005 model and I just bought a 2007 about a week ago. At around $240(US) I'd say the Fluid2 is the best for your money but hey, its up to you to decide what you need. I hope I helped alittle bit.

"Keep on riding no matter what life throws at you."😎