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!
-adm
http://www.imadm.com/
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