Starting to prep for my first winter offseason. Looking to buy indoor trainer, but simpler ones. Not looking at Bkool, Kickr, Computrainer, etc. Out of budget for this year.
Any recommendations? Know people happy with CycleOps (uncertain exact model), but know there are also other brands like Kinetic, Nashbar (?), others. Read some reviews but hoping for advice based on personal experiences. Even guidance on type (magnetic vs fluid) is very much appreciated.
Fingers crossed ST comes through and this doesn’t get buried by all the Kona chatter. Good luck to all racers and safe travels.
My backup trainer that i use before bike races is a cycleops mag trainer, simple and effective. The resistance is very smooth and easy to adjust. I think i paid 150 tops and it works as desired. I would not spend more than 200, the difference between the fluid and mag trainers is not that different in my opinion. I used to have a nice cycleops fluid pro trainer before the powerbeam pro and it worked well but was not worth the extra 150 over the simple mag trainer. ERG trainers are still the best (power beam pro, computrainer etc) but a basic mag trainer is all you need, no need for the nicer fluid trainers. I would consider just checking out the classifieds and ebay, you can on occasion find a kickr or computrainer for 600 or so and that will be the best training tool you will ever purchase.
A cheap wind trainer can be a good investment. They only have one moving part. They main downside of wind trainers is that if you get into the 300W+ region, they start getting very noisy. But if you’re just starting out and/or are small, you may not have to worry about putting out 300W this year.
For a fluid trainer, I’d recommend the Kurt Kinetic. It’s pricier than the wind trainers, but will last forever, is much quieter, and is generally the best fluid trainer on the market.
The Wife bought me some Kreitler Rollers 10 years ago. I’ll be using them again this winter. I’ve since added resistance in terms of the head wind attachment and smaller drums. I’ve also bought the fork stand for times when I don’t want to concentrate on balancing (which is pretty much always).
Just to be different, I’ll pipe up with my suggestion: Elite Fluid
I’ve had one for 10 years, although only used it seriously for about 3 of those years. It’s very quiet, very smooth. I’ve been happy with it and wouldn’t hesitate to buy another. Although my next one will probably have power.
The problem with getting a cheap trainer is you will hate using it. What is your budget? If you don’t want to spend more than $300 then try to look for a good one like a Kurt Rock & Roll of CycleOps Jetfluid Pro on craiglist or ebay and see if you get lucky.
REI has the CycleOps mag on sale for $180 w/free shipping right now.
I don’t know if this will be helpful at all for you, but I recently started a series of blog posts regarding indoor training, mostly because a few of my customers (who are new to cycling) didn’t know anything about trainers and were asking me. Here is part 1 and here is part 2. It’s very basic and aimed at complete beginners. I’ve tried to focus on products and services that are easily found in central Indiana, but maybe it will help you a little. Part 3 is coming this weekend, where I’ll be delving into the fancier power/ergometer trainers.
As for particular models, as others have said, the Kurt Kinetics are very nice and it’s hard to go wrong with them. I had a customer recently do an offer on a brand new KK Road Machine on eBay for $250, so deals can be had.
Kurt Kinetic fluid trainer. I have the fixed one, not the “rock n roll.” I prefer it, because sometimes, I just wanna zone out and crank. Quiet, sturdy, simple.
Those mag trainers can be loud, I’ve heard. And I’ve heard of them leaking, as well.
+1 for the Kurt Kinetic Road Machine.
Solid trainer overall, and the trainer curve to calculate power from speed is more reliable than a lot of trainers.
Another vote for the Kurt Kinetic. I’ve had mine approx. 6 years and it just works. I heard a metal on metal noise from the resistance unit over the weekend. Bearings were having an issue. The unit has a lifetime warranty for original owner, so I filled out the warranty claim form online (Saturday afetrnoon). New resistance unit arrived on my doorstep yesterday afternoon. You can’t beat support and service like that!
Another vote for Kurt Kinetic. I’ve had mine for 2-3 years now and I absolutely love it. It just works. I broke one of the turn handles off of the trainer while carrying it down my apartment stairs and they replaced it. Incredible customer service.
I have Computrainer, CycleOps FLuid2, and a CycleOps wind trainer.
Things to keep in mind. Wind and mag trainers are going to be much cheaper than fluid. Mag feels the least like riding on the road but is quiet. Wind feels more like the road but gets loud, long before the 300w mentioned above. Fluid has a good feel and is quiet but expensive.
You aren’t going to go wrong with the Kinetic or CycleOps fluid. But mag and wind trainers work too. If I couldn’t afford a fluid trainer, I’d go with wind, unless noise was an issue.
I’m voting for the CycleOps SuperMag Pro. 4 progressive resistance levels, absolutely dead silent, no warm up period, heavy smooth flywheel. IMO a definite step up over fluid trainers.
I have a Cyclops fluid and like it, but I’ve tried a Kurt and it is indeed better. If noise isn’t a problem you might be able to score a used Lemond Revolution. They are wind based and noisy but I’ve heard they have the most natural feel out there. I’ve tried a mag trainer and I didn’t like it all and would only consider one for use warming up before races and travel, but not for near daily use through the winter. To that end, a used fluid is a better buy than a new mag and likely similar prices. Quality makers like Cyclops and Kurt are built like tanks and last a long time if they are stored properly.