Trainers -What To Buy??



southwind

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Sep 27, 2004
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First season into cycling and have logged about 2000 miles since April, but will have to think about riding indoors a lot this winter and am about to purchase a trainer. Looking for advice on what to look for: durability, resistance levels, rim-drive, etc. $399.00 seems to offer a lot of features, but there are a lot of $150.00 models out there also. What are the better brands / models out there. Not looking to spend $1,000.00. What do you think??
 
Check out Performance's stuff. They've gotten good reviews at roadbikereview.com. I've never had any trouble with my fluid+ trainer, and it was 1/2 price of competitors.

southwind said:
First season into cycling and have logged about 2000 better brands / models out there. Not looking to spend $1,000.00. What do you think??
 
I've found that no matter what the resistance method (fan, magnetic, fluid), all trainers feel as unnatural as each other. The more you spend, the sturdier the unit will be and the more features (which you may not want) you will get but don't expect a greater 'road-type' feel. Having said that, Elite have produced a flexible-framed unit that might be worth looking into. Personally, I'd rather buy a quality lightset and get out onto the road, irrespective of the weather.
 
I'm looking at the Cycleops Fluid 2 trainer and have read good reviews on them, barring they've fixed the problem with fluid leakage...



GuyStevens said:
I've found that no matter what the resistance method (fan, magnetic, fluid), all trainers feel as unnatural as each other. The more you spend, the sturdier the unit will be and the more features (which you may not want) you will get but don't expect a greater 'road-type' feel. Having said that, Elite have produced a flexible-framed unit that might be worth looking into. Personally, I'd rather buy a quality lightset and get out onto the road, irrespective of the weather.
 
southwind said:
I'm looking at the Cycleops Fluid 2 trainer and have read good reviews on them, barring they've fixed the problem with fluid leakage...

I've been using a Cycleops Fluid 2 for the last year (actually we have two of them as my wife has one too) and I like it a lot. It's much smoother and quieter than the Blackburn magnetic unit I owned previously. We were told that the leak problem is a thing of the past and so far we've experienced no leaks.
 
meehs said:
I've been using a Cycleops Fluid 2 for the last year (actually we have two of them as my wife has one too) and I like it a lot. It's much smoother and quieter than the Blackburn magnetic unit I owned previously. We were told that the leak problem is a thing of the past and so far we've experienced no leaks.
Meehs, This looks like a nice unit, but I have always been skeptical of not being able to adjust the resistance level. How does this aspect work out for you? Their explanation of it taking cadence into account in automatically adjusting resistance doesn't make any sense to me from looking at the design. I must be missing something in regards to its operation. Thanks.
 
serenaslu said:
Meehs, This looks like a nice unit, but I have always been skeptical of not being able to adjust the resistance level. How does this aspect work out for you? Their explanation of it taking cadence into account in automatically adjusting resistance doesn't make any sense to me from looking at the design. I must be missing something in regards to its operation. Thanks.

I'm not really sure I can comment too much on this. I've found that with both of the trainers that I've owned, the gears on the bike have provided more than enough resistance adjustment for me. Even with my mag-trainer I pretty much just set the resistance unit about in the middle and used my gears to vary the resistance. I guess I was unaware of Cycleops' "cadence" claim and I'm not sure what they mean by that. I can tell you that if you increase your cadence, the resistance on the fluid trainer does increase because your moving the "vanes" through the fluid at a faster rate (the same as when you move into a higher gear). I can also tell you that if I put my bike in the highest gear, the fluid trainer provides more resistance than I'll ever need. Hope this helps.
 
I just purchased a Fluid 2 tonight so I guess I'll see how it goes. I called bike shops across the city and they all had nothing but praise for this unit.



meehs said:
I've been using a Cycleops Fluid 2 for the last year (actually we have two of them as my wife has one too) and I like it a lot. It's much smoother and quieter than the Blackburn magnetic unit I owned previously. We were told that the leak problem is a thing of the past and so far we've experienced no leaks.
 
cycleops fluid or fluid 2 (2 has a little more resistance, hevier and bigger fly wheel, and 4 more traning videos) they are $300 and $400 respectively. Both work by a propeller type fan inside the casing connected to the roller. when the prop turns and pushes the fluid (synthetic similar to transmisson fluid) away. the case is then designed to route that fluid straight back into the prop. therefore infinite resistance is made. where as the mag trainers top out, and the wind trainers sound like a p-51 mustang is taking off in you living room.
 
I've used the CycleOps Fluid 2 this week and so far am impressed. The ride is smooth and the resistance changes are smooth an very effective. I have used the CTS time trialing DVD that came with it and the Fluid 2 changes resistance levels very well between an easy spin and resistance that feels as though you are riding into a strong headwind or climbing a long hill. Mine came with the trainer and one Chris Carmichael CTS DVD for $299.00, however I suggest checking with Ebay first as I've found (after purchasing mine through a local bike shop) that you can find the exact Fluid 2 brand new with 5 CTS training DVD's for the same price as I paid for mine. From my experience this week I'm thinking I can get just as good, if not better, of a workout on my trainer as I can on a ride.



HammerTD said:
cycleops fluid or fluid 2 (2 has a little more resistance, hevier and bigger fly wheel, and 4 more traning videos) they are $300 and $400 respectively. Both work by a propeller type fan inside the casing connected to the roller. when the prop turns and pushes the fluid (synthetic similar to transmisson fluid) away. the case is then designed to route that fluid straight back into the prop. therefore infinite resistance is made. where as the mag trainers top out, and the wind trainers sound like a p-51 mustang is taking off in you living room.
 
southwind said:
First season into cycling and have logged about 2000 miles since April, but will have to think about riding indoors a lot this winter and am about to purchase a trainer. Looking for advice on what to look for: durability, resistance levels, rim-drive, etc. $399.00 seems to offer a lot of features, but there are a lot of $150.00 models out there also. What are the better brands / models out there. Not looking to spend $1,000.00. What do you think??

check out Mizunos SD-trainer. very silent, no vibrations, no rear wheel! (you link the bike into the trainer), no riser pad for the front wheel, computer allows you to program distances and slopes. retail price in europe around 400.- euro
 
1upUSA.com

the 1upUSA trainer is awesome. I really like the kurt kinetics road machine too. You can't go far wrong with either.
 
szbert said:
1upUSA.com

the 1upUSA trainer is awesome. I really like the kurt kinetics road machine too. You can't go far wrong with either.

Just bought a 1up to help me recover from an injury since I can't bike outside. I also considered the Kinetic (and the guy at 1up even said it IS a great trainer) but went with the 1up because of everything I've heard about their customer service (note the 1up site also has the best price on the Kurt Kinetic) and it's made in the US, not China. If you get the 1up and want to swap for the Kinetic or just return it, there is 60-day return policy and they pay for return shipping. So far it seems great but I have nothing to compare it to.
 
southwind said:
First season into cycling and have logged about 2000 miles since April, but will have to think about riding indoors a lot this winter and am about to purchase a trainer. Looking for advice on what to look for: durability, resistance levels, rim-drive, etc. $399.00 seems to offer a lot of features, but there are a lot of $150.00 models out there also. What are the better brands / models out there. Not looking to spend $1,000.00. What do you think??
It may be to late , but you should look into buying a set of kreitler rollers. Not only are they the best in the market (i have own mine since 1980) but they will make a better rider all around, and teach you how to pedal smoothly. Nothing against trainers, my wife owns one, but rollers are the closes you will get to a road feeling. www.espanacyclingvacations.com
 
Correction, that's Fluid 2 and Fluid 2 TT. The Fluid 2 TT has the extra videos and is what team USPS uses. Been looking into getting a Cycleops for winter. They all look pretty decent. The Fluid 2 can be had for $220 - $230 shipped on ebay. Not a bad price for a new 2004 or 2005 model.

http://www.cycleops.com/index.html

HammerTD said:
cycleops fluid or fluid 2 (2 has a little more resistance, hevier and bigger fly wheel, and 4 more traning videos) they are $300 and $400 respectively. Both work by a propeller type fan inside the casing connected to the roller. when the prop turns and pushes the fluid (synthetic similar to transmisson fluid) away. the case is then designed to route that fluid straight back into the prop. therefore infinite resistance is made. where as the mag trainers top out, and the wind trainers sound like a p-51 mustang is taking off in you living room.
 
I purchased a Fluid 2 from a local bike shop last week for $299.00 and it came with one Carmichael DVD. I've used it this week and it has been great, however I started looking around on ebay... I found the exact same model brand new for $199.00 and asked the seller if he would include the other 4 DVD's, and he did so for another $57.00. I returned my Cycleops Fluid 2 to the local bike shop this evening and my replacement one is on the way from a seller on ebay. It is supposed to arrive on Wednesday and now I will have the trainer and all 4 more training DVD's for less than I paid for the trainer and 1 DVD at the bike shop. I saw the Fluid 2 TT on ebay, but since the U.S. Postal Team will no longer exist I didn't want that kind of a paint job on my trainer. The Fluid 2 and the Fluid 2 TT are the same unit, just different paint. If you are in the market for a Cycleops go to ebay first! The seller I am buying from took the trainer to UPS the SAME DAY I paid through PayPal. His ebay name is bikerman59 and he has a load of positive feedback trades.


Doctor Morbius said:
Correction, that's Fluid 2 and Fluid 2 TT. The Fluid 2 TT has the extra videos and is what team USPS uses. Been looking into getting a Cycleops for winter. They all look pretty decent. The Fluid 2 can be had for $220 - $230 shipped on ebay. Not a bad price for a new 2004 or 2005 model.

http://www.cycleops.com/index.html
 
I just ordered a 2005 Fluid 2 from Bikerman59 earlier tonight (Friday). :p Looking forward to getting in some good workouts this winter.

Yes, it seems as though the Fluid 2 TT is a marketing thing, especially if one doesn't want or need the extra DVDs. Doubtful I'll even use the one that comes with mine. Still though, $57 isn't bad for the set of four.

Be sure to make a backup copy of those DVDs with DVD Shrink...
http://www.dvdshrink.org/what.html :rolleyes:

southwind said:
I purchased a Fluid 2 from a local bike shop last week for $299.00 and it came with one Carmichael DVD. I've used it this week and it has been great, however I started looking around on ebay... I found the exact same model brand new for $199.00 and asked the seller if he would include the other 4 DVD's, and he did so for another $57.00. I returned my Cycleops Fluid 2 to the local bike shop this evening and my replacement one is on the way from a seller on ebay. It is supposed to arrive on Wednesday and now I will have the trainer and all 4 more training DVD's for less than I paid for the trainer and 1 DVD at the bike shop. I saw the Fluid 2 TT on ebay, but since the U.S. Postal Team will no longer exist I didn't want that kind of a paint job on my trainer. The Fluid 2 and the Fluid 2 TT are the same unit, just different paint. If you are in the market for a Cycleops go to ebay first! The seller I am buying from took the trainer to UPS the SAME DAY I paid through PayPal. His ebay name is bikerman59 and he has a load of positive feedback trades.
 
Glad Bikerman59 was able to set you up. If the other DVD's are as good as the Time Trial DVD we'll be able to get in some good workouts this winter. I was surprised how well the Fluid 2 worked with that DVD; it's a great 60 min. workout. I agree that the Fluid 2 TT is a marketing ploy so you can merely have a U.S. Postal paint job on your trainer.



Doctor Morbius said:
I just ordered a 2005 Fluid 2 from Bikerman59 earlier tonight (Friday). :p Looking forward to getting in some good workouts this winter.

Yes, it seems as though the Fluid 2 TT is a marketing thing, especially if one doesn't want or need the extra DVDs. Doubtful I'll even use the one that comes with mine. Still though, $57 isn't bad for the set of four.

Be sure to make a backup copy of those DVDs with DVD Shrink...
http://www.dvdshrink.org/what.html :rolleyes: