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.

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.

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.

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.