Bike trainer

emsmom8

Any suggestions for a reasonably priced bike trainer? I see some as low as $60 on Amazon but I suspect there us a catch. I am training for my second 70.3. Not competitively, just for fun and fitness. Thanks

glevinso

Don't bother with the cheap ones. They really don't work well, and anyone capable of putting down even modest power is going to overpower them. My recommendation would be for a Kurt Kinetic or Cyclops Fluid. I know they are a bit pricey, but they are excellent units and will actually take the demands of even modest winter indoor training. The $60 cheapies are really more for just aimlessly spinning.

Capt_Apollo

stay away from the cheap ones. they tend to be loud and from what i understand can feel like they are rattling apart. It isn't what you need for a 70.3 training.

i have a fluid 2 cycle ops trainer, and it was worth every penny. if you are considering cycling and triathlon for fun and fitness, i recommend getting that one or one like it. it is quiet and collapsable, and it's certainly a great thing to have when weather is a limiting factor in your outdoor riding.

emsmom8

Thanks, those were the two I was looking at I just wanted to confirm before buying.

trijoe

I highly recommend getting a fluid trainer vs/ a mag trainer. Mag trainers don't reflect true outdoor cycling as much as fluid trainers do. If you get a mag trainer, you'll be zipping along all winter doing 30-40 MPH (or faster), thinking you're the next great thing. Then, come spring time, you'll struggle to maintain half that speed outdoors. A fluid trainer will better help you mimic your outdoor abilities. I personally have a fluid trainer I bought used from a guy moving out of the country. It works just fine, and I got it for a song. I've lost track of the number of winters it's gotten me through.

ShawnTX

A little late responding, but figured I would put it out there if anybody else is looking. I don't disagree with any of the statements above, but sometimes you just don't have the money to pony up for a good trainer. That was me when I first got started. I got the "Max Racer" made by "RAD" off of Amazon for about $80. It has variable resistance so, in conjunction with readings from my power meter, cadence meter, and HR I am able to dial the effort and numbers in to a decent approximation of the same RPE effort on the road. The thing is definitely LOUD, but I have put several thousand miles on it over the last two years and it is still going strong.

With that said, I too want to upgrade to a trainer that I can sync up with my Trainer Road or Zwift workouts and have my eye on a Wahoo Kickr. That should be this year's big purchase. However, if you are on a tight budget, the Max Racer has served me well.

Drudoo

I disagree with trijoe in that you should stay away from mag trainers. Fluid trainers do tend to have a smoother (and progressive) resistance band.. This is what gives fluid trainers a slightly more 'road like' feel. If you buy a cheap magnetic trainer, there is an opportunity for stronger individuals to overpower their flywheel. This would cause the 30-40 mph speed that most people would realize is not reflective of their true ability. For a mag trainer to be comparable to a fluid you only need to increase the flywheel which would allow for the magnets to expand farther.

These magnets on a mag trainer's flywheel move outward as speed increases which in turns create more resistance. Fluid trainers use an internal impeller that moves through the aforementioned fluid. This fluid heats up and creates more resistance as speed increases. Mag trainers tend to be slightly more reliable as there are fewer internal parts and no fluid to leak but are noticeably noisier when ridden.

I've owned both and have enjoyed my CycleOps Super Magneto Pro more than my CycleOps JetFluid Pro. At the end of the day, it comes down to your personal opinion and budget. If you can spend enough, either option is fine. If you have to go cheap, I'd lean toward magnetic for reliability purposes (unless in an apartment), mid-range go with fluid, high end go with either.

emsmom8

Thanks for the perspective. I appreciate the help

jacksonpt

Drudoo wrote: »

I disagree with trijoe in that you should stay away from mag trainers.

I don't know if this thread is still meaningful, but I tend to agree with that. Granted, I have no experience with fluid trainer, but my mag trainer has served me well for some 10 years (context: light to moderate use through the winter over that time, not so much as training tool but more as an anti-lazy device.)

If I'm doing high power work, I can overpower it, but that's at the upper end of my working threshold, so I don't consider it a problem for me.

It's certainly not silent, but noise has never been a problem coming from my basement.

hazleyes81

I just want to throw it out there to keep an eye on craigslist as well. I got a like new Cycleops mag trainer for $50 that way.

emsmom8

Thanks, I ended up getting a Cycleops fluid trainer for $100 on Craigslist!
Super happy with it

scott091501

nice find!