I’m sure this has been discussed somewhere on here before - does anyone have a Kinetic Fluid trainer? If so, how do you like it and how does it compare to the CycleOps? My old mag trainer is wearing out and I have to do something about a new and quieter trainer.
I love mine.
Check out the review by Tom here…
Kinetic = the bees knees.
I honestly can’t tell a difference in noise between the two (we use either the cyclops or kinetic in our spin class), but the Kinetic is way burlier in terms of resistance offered, as well as “quality” of resistance.
Plus, I’m pretty sure they’re the same price, so no brainer to me.
I’ve had mine for about 6 years and love it. No problems at all.
I can’t say I know a lot about trainers, but I recently bought a Kurt Kinetic Fluid trainer from bikesportmichigan.com. Ask them about their “Badger Special”
I decided to go with this trainer for a few main reasons.
- The review given by Tom Demerly at bikesportmichigan.com (like other posts have mentioned). It’s a “glowing” review to say the least. Of course, he is also selling the product, so take it for what it is… a sales pitch.
- The unparalleled UNCONDITIONAL LIFETIME warranty (http://www.kurtkinetic.com/lifetime_warranty.php).
- The price was cheaper than Cyclops at my LBS (by a lot)!
After a few months… I can say that I’m really happy. But make sure that you buy a TRAINER TIRE! I’ve burned through 2 different road tires. They really start squealing after a few hundred km’s. I just get’s worse over time. You can get the trainer tires from PBK for cheap (free shipping too)! http://www.probikekit.com/display.php?code=Y2007
Edited for "obfuscation
beston, I think you need to obfuscate your post more of bikesportmichigan could be violating their marketing agreements =)
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I really like mine.
The only issue was the tension adjustment seized up on me, most likely from a lack of lubrication. The replacement part was cheap compared to the shipping. Think I spent $9 on it and had it within 2 days.
Keep the L bolt threads lubricated.
jaretj
I got the pro model KK for less than the badger special by using Ebay.
thanks for the input. I’ll continue my price ocmparison shopping. I think I only need the road model…the pro might be overkill for me.
To echo what others have said, I’m real happy with my Kurt trainer (road model).
Got it two years ago after my previous trianer (generic brand) developed a leak and stopped holding oil. Of course it stopped providing any resistance too.
Rob
x2. I’ve had my KK trainer about the same time period. The ONLY complaint was the L-shaped pin used to adjust tension has broken twice over that time period. But the KK folks turned it in to an opportunity with excellent customer service. The 1st time the pin broke, they shipped one replacement pin immediately. The 2nd time the pin broke, they shipped two pins (I had to ask, but they didn’t hesitate).
I really like mine.
The only issue was the tension adjustment seized up on me, most likely from a lack of lubrication. The replacement part was cheap compared to the shipping. Think I spent $9 on it and had it within 2 days.
Keep the L bolt threads lubricated.
jaretj
I’m very surprised that you were charged for the part? I’ve bent the little plate that the L bolt hooks into twice and Kurt has replaced the entire frame right away with no questions asked, free of charge. I’d like to think that they’ve beefed up the design (perhaps using a plate 2-4x thicker than the one I have) but maybe most people don’t ape down on the tension knob… 
Note: This is an old thread. But I’m not in the mood to suffer the wrath of the people who complain about the underutilization of the search function 
Does anyone have any additional information to add to the CycleOps v. Kinectic fluid trainer comparison? I’ve had a CycleOps fluid trainer for about 4 or 5 years, but I just don’t like the feel of it. I can’t generate nearly the same watts on it as I can out on the road or on a Computrainer for that matter. I was able to borrow a friend’s Computrainer for an extended period of time, and while using it had the best trainer workouts I’d ever had. Watts were nearly identical to the road.
So, for those of you who have tried both, did you like the Kinetic trainer more? Did you use the add on flywheel?
I have the KK, watts are a little lower than road, mainly due to having to face the pain head on instead of with distractions. I can’t bring myself to buy the flywheel, too expensive for what it is.
I have one with the fly wheel and don’t think it’s worth the extra $'s (especially for triathletes). Maybe if you get a steal on it from one of your buddies but really you guys are doing mostly steady state stuff not 6 on/ 6 off’s.
A big + for me is that the Kurt trainers can handle 24" wheels without adapter if you’ve got young’uns in the pipeline.
I thought the purpose of the heavier flywheel was that once you got it up to speed it would make doing the steady state stuff easier. By easier I mean eaiser to hold the watts you want, e.g., if I wanted to do an interval at 250 watts, it would be easier to keep it at 250 once I got it up to speed. Does it not work that way?
And we do have a bike with 24" wheels, so it would be cool to be able to throw that on the trainer too.
Just curious what inadequacies you found with the Cycleops Fluid2? That’s the one I have, and have had no problems getting a killer workout from it, save from doing super-short sprints out of saddle from a standstill.
It’s hard to explain, but I just cannot seem to keep the watts going. Say for example I start pedalling and get the watts up to 200, it takes so much more effort for me to keep them at that level than it does on the road or on the Computrainer. If I had the same problem on the Computrainer as I did on my CycleOps, then I’d chalk it up to me simply needing to HTFU. But, even when riding the CT in erg mode (without any video), it was as different as night and day compared to my trainer.
I had an older CycleOps Fluid2 (maybe 2004?.. near as I can tell the frame and resistance unit are the same in the current version, but the mounting interface was a simpler dial vs kind of a QR lever/bolt-action), but I got a good enough deal on a KK that I sold the CycleOps and almost broke even on the upgrade. They’re really very similar, more so than comparing either to any other brand/model, but there are 2 things I definitely like better about the Kurt:
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the way the mounting cups mate to the QR is simply more solid/secure, so there’s less flex or wobble with the Kurt, especially when standing. (Might not be an issue with a different QR/dropout shape, and/or the newer CycleOps models, though.)
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the CycleOps had a very noticeable ‘step’ (not quite sure what to call it) in the resistance as the unit warmed up, whereas the Kurt seems to be flatter/steadier.
Can’t compare personally to a Computrainer or quantify w/ power numbers, but at least between the 2 units I’ve had the KK is clearly superior. It’s not a vast difference, but for being in roughly the same price ballpark the small advantages were significant enough for me that I’ve been happy with the change and would do it again.
I have the KK also and love it. I just started biking a year ago, and for the winter, it was a perfect tool for me to learn how to train with power since the KK has a power curve that you utilize for training with power based on the speed. The only bad thing was I got so addicted to training with power over the winter that I had no choice to get a quarq when spring came and started training outdoors again. I tried going back to training by HR but that lasted a week before I felt like I was going backwards without that information to train with anymore. It was very frustrating and now love my quarq.
I’d also recommend getting a training tire… I also got a cheaper training wheel for it, so it’s super easy to go from outdoors to indoors.