Indoor Trainers

[sevencyclist]

I am looking for a trainer for use while watching cycling videos, TV etc. I know rollers are better for balance, but I am not good enough to do other things like watching TV while balancing myself without paying attention.

So I am looking for an indoor trainer that would be durable and quiet. Which ones would you recommend? I have heard some complaints regarding leaking issues from Cycleop gel. How about Kinetics, Elite, Tacx and others?

Thanks in advance.

[Hysbrian]

rollers...

[Satellite]

I use my rollers while I watch T.V. seriously its not hard and makes the time go by.

In-fact I balance better while watching T.V. because I am focused on a single point.

[1centaur]

Kurt Kinetic is not quiet (but it's well built). If you want quiet, do not buy any trainer that does not emphasize how quiet it is. Not one will really annoy you, but quiet enough to watch TV is completely different. Wireless headphones is one way to get pas the quietness issue, though static in the ear is not a great choice for some poeple.

[sevencyclist]

Are rollers quieter than trainers? I am concerned that I would roll off the rollers while enjoying the TV.

Which trainer do you find being the quietest? How about gel/liquid trainers? Are they really quieter than others? How about electromagnetic ones? Thanks.

[stevep]

the new minoura fluid is dramatically quiet.
i used one this winter, by a mile the quitest trainer i have seen.
you can listen to anything..and you dont even really have to turn it up.

[Satellite]

I use Krietler Rollers and they are very quiet. A miss conception with Rollers; when you ride off the roller you have no forward momentum so the bike stop instantly. I have never been hurt by slipping off the drums. The worst that has happened I left black marks on the carpet from the tires. I put a blanket under me now to catch the sweet mostly but it also protects from white lightning flaking off the chain.

[Kirk Pacenti]

I have a Kurt Kinetic for sale. It's like new, a couple hundred miles on it at most.

$250.00 shipped.

[scrooge]

I use Krietler Rollers and they are very quiet. .

Unless you get bigger drums and need a the headwind unit for resistance--then you need the volume up pretty loud.

Oh--and start out riding between a doorway, it's really not that hard and is a lot less boring than trainers (but still very boring)

[39cross]

I have a couple Cycelops fluid trainers, one is 3 years old and the other I bought a couple of months ago. No problems whatsoever. That's one data point for you.

I've read the same things about fluid leakage, but it seems they fixed whatever problems they had a while ago.

The newer one has a bigger/heavier fly wheel and is smoother. They're both relatively quiet - I have to turn up the volume somewhat while I watch my DVD's, but a lot of it is tire noise I think.

[kgrooney]

Kurt Kinetic with plenty of loud music to keep you going. Been training since November 1, and believe it or not, I have maintained my sanity to a certain degree.

[1centaur]

Actually I forgot about the fan issue - total TV-drowning-out noise is trainer plus fan noise, and you will want a fairly large fan unless you are in a naturally cool basement.

[sevencyclist]

Actually I forgot about the fan issue - total TV-drowning-out noise is trainer plus fan noise, and you will want a fairly large fan unless you are in a naturally cool basement.
I take it fan is for cooling of the rider, not the fan for resistance. Right? :)

[sevencyclist]

Has anyone used 1up USA trainers? It got great reviews from MTBR.com and roadbikereview.com

However, it is kind of weird that in roadbikereview.com, while they got >90 reviews, none of the other trainer got more than 50. (Cyclecops and Kinetics both had around 40). I wonder whether someone decided to enter lot of reviews to bring up the average.

I would love to hear from others that have used it. Thanks.

[Kevin]

I am a fan of the Kurt Kinetic.

Kevin

[JStonebarger]

1up USA is beautifully built and very quiet. Two potential problems: the 1up USA has no variable resistance; and, because of the unique design, it's not easy to adjust for bikes with different size dropouts (eg steel vs alum).

Generally I've found fluid trainers to be much quieter than mags or rollers. I've had good luck with the cheapo (well...mid-priced) fluid model from Performance.

[Frankwurst]

Has anyone used 1up USA trainers? It got great reviews from MTBR.com and roadbikereview.com

However, it is kind of weird that in roadbikereview.com, while they got >90 reviews, none of the other trainer got more than 50. (Cyclecops and Kinetics both had around 40). I wonder whether someone decided to enter lot of reviews to bring up the average.

I would love to hear from others that have used it. Thanks.
I have one and it is great :confused: if there is such an animal in trainer world. :beer:

[scrooge]

I take it fan is for cooling of the rider, not the fan for resistance. Right? :)

Actually, on the Kreitler unit (for rollers) its both. The resistance unit is set up with a fan that blows on you--it makes you work, keeps you cool, and is pretty loud. I get around this by listening to something with earphones...

[MarcusPless]

I've got a 1up also. Very pleased with it. I can't really imagine a better built unit. But the truth is, living in San Diego I don't use it much anymore. Since I use a fan to keep cool I wear head phones when I'm on the trainer and watching TV. The 1up itself is pretty quiet.

Has anyone used 1up USA trainers? It got great reviews from MTBR.com and roadbikereview.com

[Bobbo]

I bought a Kurt Kinetic 5 or 6 years ago, and really liked it, but it was my first indoor trainer, so I knew there just had to be something better, right? Sold the Kurt and replaced it with a Tacx Flow. The Tacx was also a very good trainer with all sorts or gee-whiz trickery on it, including power measurement.

I loved the power measurement and decided to get myself the trainer to end all trainers, sold the Tacx and bought a Computrainer. Wow. The Computrainer was incredible. The only problem was the user interface was not all that friendly and I wound up just using it in ergo mode. So basically I had a really expensive ergotrainer, and I knew that I would never take the time to really maximize the Computrainer's capabilities.

So I sold the Computrainer, and decided to just go with a good, basic fluid trainer with a Power Tap wheel so I could still get my power readouts. So which trainer to go with?

I did my research and decided it would be either the Kurt (again), the Cyclops Fluid, or the 1 Up USA. I figured the Kurt and the Cyclops were basically interchangeable, and eliminated the Cyclops on that basis. So I ordered the Kurt and the 1 UP, both with money back guarantees.

The Kurt was basically as I remembered: a very good, solid, and quiet (in my opinion) trainer with a fairly realistic road feel. The 1 UP, on the other hand was beautiful. It was really well made and nicely finished. Plus, it was a USA made product, so I really wanted to like it. But in the end, I didn't. It just had a feel that was "sticky", that I couldn't get used to. When going from the 1 up back to the Kurt, I knew that the best trainer for me was hands down, the Kurt Kinetic.

A long answer to a short question. Hope it helps someone out there.

[arsegas]

I own the 1up and am very happy with it. It's quiet, easy to use and has a small footprint. Also, if it makes a difference to you, it's made in the USA. I haven't tried the Kurt so unfortuntaely, can't compare the two.

- Eric