About to buy a fluid resistance trainer, suggestions?

m1xm0d3

I've never tried indoor riding but I'd rather go 'all-in' than to get a sub par trainer just to be unhappy with it and need to upgrade soon after. Considering my scrappy bikes in the past before I got serious, I doubt I will have issues with adjusting to the feel of a trainer.

I seem to be almost sold on the Kurt Kinetic brand but am unsure the differences between the Kinetic by Kurt Road Machine ($312 at Amazon) versus the Kinetic Road machine 2.0. ($349 at Amazon). can anyone help there?

Also if you have suggestions better than the KK, I'm all ears. But my wallet is already stretched to the max so my budget is $<350.

bsexton3

I have used a CycleOps for years. My first one wore out after about seven winters. So, last winter I got the Fluid 2. My first one was magnetic, and it was a lot louder. The fluid ones are quieter. In looking at the two you Kinetics. it looks like the only difference is the amount of plastic. Part of why I went with the CycleOps is the ease of taking the bike out. I bike in the tv room, so I take it out of the trainer when I need the space. All have good reviews.

Ont he trainer, I used a heart rate monitor to start. It is easy to pedal an hour and think you are getting a workout, when you aren't giving as much as when on the road. It is a way of keeping me honest.

And, after 8 years, I simply use a big piece of cardboard as a mat. It keeps any dirt and sweat off the floor. The front riser is worth it. But, like you, I was tight on budget when I first got it, so I used a book for the first year. Got the riser as a gift the next year.

BusyRaeNOTBusty

We also have a CycleOps fluid trainer. And I agree that having a HRM and a cadence speed indicator is super nice to stay motivated indoors. I have a Garmin 500 and just use that with the HRM, and cadence/speed sensor on the bike with the GPS disabled.

Archon2

BusyRaeNOTBusty wrote: »

We also have a CycleOps fluid trainer. And I agree that having a HRM and a cadence speed indicator is super nice to stay motivated indoors. I have a Garmin 500 and just use that with the HRM, and cadence/speed sensor on the bike with the GPS disabled.

Same setup here, I got this back in December and have been logging lots of miles on it. I also have the Edge 500 with HRM & the Garmin Speed/Cadence device as well, so it is easy to track how hard you are working.

The CycleOps is a good fluid brand, but I have heard the KKs are better designed and cannot leak. I have no complaints with CycleOps so far though! And Saris (the CycleOps parent company) has great customer support. I had a couple questions and issues and they responded immediately.

m1xm0d3

Thanks for the info, group. Seems like I can't lose with either of those brands but I'll probably go on and order the KK next week.

ScrAgnX

I like my Fluid2; it's very stable and very quiet (all I hear are the bike's noises). I've also heard good things about the Kurt Kenetics.

One thing to make sure you budget (no mater which style you get) is a good trainer tire. My rear tire screamed on the trainer; this drove me nuts, and my wife could hear it across the house. I purchased a Vittoria Zaffiro Pro from amazon (see link), and it made the experience much more enjoyable. I can now watch TV and ride in the living room instead of being relegated to the garage.

Performance Bike has trainers 15% off online and free shipping. Today (Jan 30) is the last day of the sale though.

Archon2

Good point from ScrAgnX above, I had the same problem, and I also put a Vittoria Zaffiro on the rear wheel and that fixed it.

m1xm0d3

ScrAgnX wrote: »

I like my Fluid2; it's very stable and very quiet (all I hear are the bike's noises). I've also heard good things about the Kurt Kenetics.

One thing to make sure you budget (no mater which style you get) is a good trainer tire. My rear tire screamed on the trainer; this drove me nuts, and my wife could hear it across the house. I purchased a Vittoria Zaffiro Pro from amazon (see link), and it made the experience much more enjoyable. I can now watch TV and ride in the living room instead of being relegated to the garage.

Performance Bike has trainers 15% off online and free shipping. Today (Jan 30) is the last day of the sale though.

Archon2 wrote: »

Good point from ScrAgnX above, I had the same problem, and I also put a Vittoria Zaffiro on the rear wheel and that fixed it.

Excellent. Thanks guys! I just added the VZ to my Amazon cart since I am buying from them anyways.

cowbellsandcoffee

BusyRaeNOTBusty wrote: »

We also have a CycleOps fluid trainer. And I agree that having a HRM and a cadence speed indicator is super nice to stay motivated indoors. I have a Garmin 500 and just use that with the HRM, and cadence/speed sensor on the bike with the GPS disabled.

Exact setup here as well.

mstripes

The differences between the KK models are slight. I use both frequently at my LBS. When I pull the pin on buying one I will shop for best price unless I decide to buy from my LBS, then I will go just on what they have. Cycle Ops makes a better front wheel support IMHO than Kurt. At home I use a Performance Travel Trac II and like it. It has more resistance than the Kurt's do, however it is not as high off the floor and tires rub carpet below it. I have to support the front legs on 3/4" plywood.

ntnunk

I've been riding a Kurt Kinetic Road Machine for several years now. The original, not the V2, and I've ridden the living crap out of it. There isn't much difference between the v1 and v2. The resistance unit is exactly the same in fact. I would suggest picking up whichever you can get the cheapest if you decide to go the KK route.

When I was originally looking at trainers I narrowed it down to the Cyclops Fluid 2 and the KK Road Machine. They are very equivalent trainers as far as I could determine, and I ultimately went with the KK for one reason only: it won't ever leak fluid. The Fluid 2, and in fact every other fluid trainer I'm aware of, uses a design where the shaft that attaches to the rear wheel roller penetrates the fluid reservoir and attaches directly to the resistance impeller. The hole where the shaft penetrates the reservoir is then sealed with an O-ring. From reports I've read, it sometimes happens with Fluid 2 trainers that the O-ring will wear or rupture and the trainer will leak the silicone resistance fluid onto the floor. This doesn't happen often, but it does and can happen. The KK on the other hand, uses a design where the reservoir is completely sealed and the roller shaft is magnetically coupled with the impeller. There are no penetrations so unless the reservoir physically ruptures somehow there should be no way it would ever leak.

Once you have your trainer my suggestion is to invest in a speed/cadence sensor (Garmin GSC-10, for example, about $35-$40 on Amazon) and some sort of training software. I'm particularly partial to Trainer Road myself, though I'm mostly using Zwift right now. I recommend that you not try to get on the trainer and "just ride/spin." The trainer can be completely mind-numbing and you want to get the most bang for your buck anytime you get on it. Trainer Road can provide pretty comprehensive training guidance to really help you improve or, if you don't want to get involved with a structured training program, Sufferfest videos or software like Zwift or Tour de Giro can provide some entertainment and motivation.

Last but not least, invest in a good fan. Or two. Or three.

Good luck with whatever you choose!

m1xm0d3

And here it is.... new bike and trainer.

(I've made some adjustments since then)

Archon2

Nice - after you use it a while, give us a good review of it! (And if you can stand the boredom of indoor training.) Also - I hope that seatpost is an extra long one. I'm just remembering what happened to your DB MTB

m1xm0d3

Archon2 wrote: »

Nice - after you use it a while, give us a good review of it! (And if you can stand the boredom of indoor training.) Also - I hope that seatpost is an extra long one. I'm just remembering what happened to your DB MTB

Heh yeah... since that photo I flipped the stem which raised it and brought it closer to me. I also lowered the seat a bit more. (The post was already well above the draw line which is a good indicator to me the size bike I bought is a very close fit). The stock saddle is a bit narrow for me but I am trying to adjust to it.

So far 3 rides about 90min total. It's very sturdy and powerful. The spin-down is nice and long.

bsexton3

Three times for 30 minutes a time, good job. It takes all the motivation to keep getting on mine. Can't wait for spring to get here and get out on the roads.

m1xm0d3

bsexton3 wrote: »

Three times for 30 minutes a time, good job. It takes all the motivation to keep getting on mine. Can't wait for spring to get here and get out on the roads.

Thanks! I am certainly reminded on why my elliptical sits, dusting away (aside from it being a POS). Even with earbuds in and a TV show in front of me, the ride itself REALLY drags.... I am so used to the view of outside riding to distract my mind from the effort. Those 30 minutes draaaaag. More so was the problem in the saddle that came with the new bike. I tried to suck it up and deal with it hoping I would adjust to it but the seat is just too narrow. I switched it out (yesterday) with another I had and it's helped.

rvoodoo

I can't recommend the Sufferfest videos enough for indoor motivation! In a few months I have really improved a lot. I was a slow cadence guy and I've brough my cadence way up to what I used to think was impossible and average ride speed is up 2mph. Me + trainer + cadence = results. I hated being on the trainer at first, but the videos helped. There is also a helluva community on Facebook around Sufferfest videos.

kcjchang

I went with KK also because of the leakage issue. So far I can only stay on the trainer for 90 minutes max but that easily translate to more than double on the road with respect to maintaining the same ride matrices.

I found training with power is the only way to go on a trainer. Currently I'm using IpBike coupled with Golden Cheetah (started with KK T-725w computer, came as a package deal). It has setting to calculate virtual power for many trainers including KK as well as one for road (although it is not recording as consistently as indoors). My current setup: IpBike ($7.99), Sony Xperia Active ST11a ($100), Garmin speed sensor and cadence sensors ($69.99), SRAM QuickView Adaptor ($5.99), SRAM Road Computer Mount ($17.99), Bontrager HR Monitor (came with Node 2.1 but any Ant+ will do, ~$40), Golden Cheetah (free), and expoxy (~$4)/elbow grease. Only thing missing is turn-by-turn and points of interest, and short battery life (8-10 hours, more if I root it and install ICS - just to lazy at the moment). I'm using OSM (map tiles - free) and Ride with GPS (route - free) so no data usage for mapping. Beats Garmin/Trainer Road on price and utility but requires a bit of work especially in reading what Golden Cheetah is reporting. For me it's the next best thing than having an actual coach. Still saving for a real power meter but my setup will easily accommodate it.

Just pickup the Moto Le Champion CF Pro. They are great bikes for the price.

wildtxn

I had a cyclops wind trainer for ages....still do actually, collecting dust. I upgraded to a wahoo kickr although way out of your price range, but it's an amazing setup. I use trainer road as my primary program and import the sufferfest videos and love them. Can't wait to have good weather though and put some winter training to good use.