"Robert Chung" <
[email protected]> wrote in message news:
> Read this to see why a 6-lb flywheel is insufficient:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fc-
> gi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11036570&dopt=Abstract
>
http://aemes.mae.ufl.edu/~fregly/pdfs/jbme2000.pdf
>
> If you're really convinced that inertial load matters that much, then you should sneer at a girly
> 6-lb flywheel. Real Men would willingly shell out $5500US for the Velotron
> (
http://www.velotron.com) with its manly 55-lb flywheel.
Did I claim perfect? I just want better. I understand the difficulty of perfect emulation, but I
don't see the reasoning in: "I can't have perfect, so I should choose worse".
>
> > I also like the fact that the Kurt has been finely calibrated to at least attempt to equal power
> > burned on the road at various speeds.
>
> Why would you think this is important? In the real world the power-speed relationship isn't
> constant; rather, it varies with terrain and wind.
Again this seems like an argument saying it can't be perfect, so choose worse.
Lets see given a choice between:
A: a unit that is calibrated to emulate a rider on flat road with no wind and with resistance that
keeps that calibration as speed increases because it has an exponential increase.
B: a unit that is not calibrated to anything, and even if it was it would only be at one speed as
the resistance doesn't increse exponentially.
Would you chose B? because A is not perfectly realistic? I certainly wouldn't. I would choose since
is closer to realistic.
> Don't take this as a criticism of the Kurt Kinetic. I simply think that noise level, price,
> stability, foldability, and quality of construction are more important. The Kurt rates high on all
> of these except for price. Don't feel disappointed because you have a mag trainer. The grass isn't
> always greener on the other side of the fence.
I said if I were going to spend $300 US on a trainer I would get the Kurt, but price being an issue
for me, I went magnetic.
Bottom line: I would like more inertia than the 1 pound (under?) on my mag trainer. Simply for it to
be a more pleasant experience. With instant coast down, a low inertia trainer feels like you are
always riding uphill, where you can't let up or you stop. I would prefer it felt a bit more like
riding on the flats. YMMV
Peter