Indoor Trainers

[aatores]

Is there already a thread for preferred indoor trainers?

If not, what are some favorites?

[regularguy412]

'Lotta that depends on your price range. I have a Kurt Kinetic that's a few years old that I really like. You can spend more than the cost of one of those and get a Kickr or other 'smart' trainer -- or even Inside Ride and the like.

For me, I just wanted a device to provide some resistance and was reasonably durable. It wasn't something I wanted to spend a lot on , cuz I didn't wanna spend 5-6 hours on it. Over the years, I've managed to kill a mag trainer, a variable resistance fluid trainer and one set of rollers (twice). The Kurt has held up better than any of those.

Mike in AR:beer:

[Louis]

None.

[Peter P.]

Over the years, I've managed to kill a mag trainer, a variable resistance fluid trainer and one set of rollers (twice). The Kurt has held up better than any of those.

Mike in AR:beer:

How'd you kill the mag trainer? 2 sets of rollers?!

To the OP: I think paying for all that interactive, high tech jazz is a waste of money. I bought a Blackburn mag trainer for under $75, and a Kurt Kinetic Road Machine for under $175, both on the used market, and they have held up well. I DO agree with Mike; the Kurt Kinetic is bulletproof.

So check out eBay and Craigslist; people that can't stand indoor training dispose of their trainers for very good prices.

I'm also of the belief that you don't need to be doing all those intervals during the winter, so you don't need a high resistance unit trainer. What I mean is, rollers are fine as a tool as well. Here again, the used market is where to look. I prefer the 3" diameter drums and Kreitler is the brand of choice. Bulletproof and usually to be had used at decent prices.

[Alan]

His reviews are the most comprehensive around. As you will discover there are differing views on trainers etc.

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2016/10/annual-winter-2016-2017-bike-smart-trainer-recommendations.html

Alan

[znfdl]

A lot depends on what your goal is for using a trainer. Do you want to maintain some level of fitness or get stronger. Do you have an event early in the year that you want to have good form for? These are also important questions.

If you just want some level of fitness throughout the winter, then trainer choice will not be that important.

If you want to get stronger and spend multiple hours on a trainer, then I believe that the choice is important. I have historically used a rollers and computrainer, but have switched to the Kickr. I can tell you that using BKool, Trainer Road and or Zwift makes the time spent on a trainer more enjoyable.

[chiasticon]

If you just want some level of fitness throughout the winter, then trainer choice will not be that important.this is me. winter is base season. that means just trying to do 30 mile-ish spins on the bike trail through the week, when possible. then long rides at a leisurely pace with friends, complete with lots of BS-ing and coffee/pastry stops on the weekend. when I can't do those, then I ride inside. which is usually mainly during the week when it's hard to get home, get my crap together and ride before it's dark and even colder out.

anyway, I don't want a super intense workout, I just want to spin, occasionally do intervals, work on my pedaling form, and not want to kill myself. for this reason, I choose rollers over trainer.

[carpediemracing]

I do most of my training indoors.

If you want a quieter trainer, the Kurt Kinetic is really the only choice. It's the only fluid trainer that doesn't have seals around a shaft. Instead it has two separate sets of magnets on a spindle, one inside the fluid, one outside, and they "connect" via the magnetic force. No shaft going through a hole in the fluid chamber. So the fluid chamber is sealed for real. Ultra reliable.

I've gone through three CycleOps Fluid trainers (Fluid, Fluid, Fluid2). I think the resistance units were the same, the tension mechanism differed a bit. They last 5-6 years each for me. I didn't warranty the second or third one, maybe I will and sell them off or something. Great for occasional use or for 5-6 years, not great for 150-200 hours a year. It's just one more thing to deal with when they go, there's oily fluid on the floor, it's on the base of the trainer, and now you have to think about what to do about the trainer, if you should get another one, etc.

Wind trainers, by definition, really don't wear out, because the resistance unit is a fan (and the solid metal fans, like by CycleOps, should be resistant to the occasional knocking around). However for the most part they are as loud as a vacuum cleaner when you're going hard.

No experience with smart trainers.

[fiamme red]

If you want a quieter trainer, the Kurt Kinetic is really the only choice.The 1up USA trainer (https://www.1upusa.com/product-trainer.html) is very quiet.

[jischr]

I recently pickup up a used Kinetic Rock and Roll trainer for $200, the version with curved support arms. I really like it. It has the extra flywheel weight and since it flexes side to side I'm not worried about frame stress (real or imagined)
I also have a set of Kreitler 4.5 rollers and like those, though I never have taken it out of the door frame 'cause I watch TV and run off the dang thing. That doesn't happen with the Kinetic.

[shovelhd]

I have a Tacx Bushido Smart TDF. I think it's the best roller based smart trainer out there. I use it with a dedicated trainer wheel and trainer specific tire. I'd rather have a direct drive trainer but not at twice the price.

[drewskey]

I've used the Nashbar Fluid for a couple years now. It's made by Elite from what I can tell. The fluid unit is made in Italy, whatever that means for quality.

Trainerroad and zwift have the power curve programmed into their software and it is damn accurate when compared to my Quarq.

Overall I would give it 9/10. I wish it had a real flywheel.

It can be had from Nashbar for $105 today. (http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_559310_-1)

That's stupid cheap for what you get.

[Luwabra]

ive owned the kinetic rock n roll - great trainer, kinetic road machine also great but like the movement of the rock n roll better and now a Lemond Revolution. the revolution is loud AF but... it has the best road feel and spins down forever so bringing it back up to speed feels easier and more realistic. I really like the lemond a lot.

any fluid trainer by a major brand is good kinetic and cycleops are most notable. I hate the gd trainer w a passion but its necessary as 3 months a year are usually riddled with negative temps.

[efaust_o]

I do most of my training indoors.

If you want a quieter trainer, the Kurt Kinetic is really the only choice. It's the only fluid trainer that doesn't have seals around a shaft. Instead it has two separate sets of magnets on a spindle, one inside the fluid, one outside, and they "connect" via the magnetic force. No shaft going through a hole in the fluid chamber. So the fluid chamber is sealed for real. Ultra reliable.

I've gone through three CycleOps Fluid trainers (Fluid, Fluid, Fluid2). I think the resistance units were the same, the tension mechanism differed a bit. They last 5-6 years each for me. I didn't warranty the second or third one, maybe I will and sell them off or something. Great for occasional use or for 5-6 years, not great for 150-200 hours a year. It's just one more thing to deal with when they go, there's oily fluid on the floor, it's on the base of the trainer, and now you have to think about what to do about the trainer, if you should get another one, etc.

Wind trainers, by definition, really don't wear out, because the resistance unit is a fan (and the solid metal fans, like by CycleOps, should be resistant to the occasional knocking around). However for the most part they are as loud as a vacuum cleaner when you're going hard.

No experience with smart trainers.

I'm with carp...like the KK(going on 3rd season). Paired w/ Trainer Road this year. On my 5th week of base training. Appears to be going well. I've very rarely road over an hour but w/ TR it makes the 90 minute long session go by at a tolerable rate. Rollers are great, but there is a learning curve....

[regularguy412]

How'd you kill the mag trainer? 2 sets of rollers?!



The old Blackburn mag was the first trainer I owned ,, back in 1988. It was not expensive even by the standards in those days. It lived about 4 years. Next was a set of inexpensive Minoura rollers -- aluminum cylinders but resin end caps. Those 'lasted' about 10 years, but I did replace the bearings in them once. After the mag died, I replaced it with an adjustable fluid unit (full bike mount) from Performance. Nice, but it only lived about 4 years, too. So I kinda bounced back and forth between resistance and rollers. About 4 years ago (or maybe 5 now), I received the Kurt as a Christmas present. Only had to replace the J-bolt that helps adjust the tension on the rear whee. Kind of a known issue with that model. The new J-bolt is much more solidly built. No issues since.

Mike in AR:beer:

[stephenmarklay]

The nice thing about getting a used Kurt kinetic is the $50 add on power module. It's really just a speed sensor but it allows calibration which keeps the power calculation fairly accurate

[11.4]

I've gone through many, if not most, of the products out there. I started with a 1Up and then a Kurt Kinetic Road Machine (with the extra flywheel). Went to Computrainer, Wattbike, Wahoo Kickr, you name it. On the side, I had rollers of all types because I only race track and rollers of some kind are almost an imperative at the track.

When it comes down to it, here are a few thoughts that shaped my journey:

1. Pick the bike you want to be training on. I wasn't going to train on my expensive road bikes or on my most expensive track bike, but as things evolved I did like the idea of training on an alloy track frame in the winter.
2. Direct drive units like the Wahoo are great for road but if you want to train on a track bike, you need rollers or an old-style trainer like the KKRM.
3. Look realistically at how long you want to train. If it's a 45 minute workout with hard intervals, you really don't need anything too fancy with visual distractions -- you just need to watch the timer count to 60 seconds and keep a wastebasket nearby in case you puke. Calculating your wattage is nice but for the price of a Kickr you can get yourself into a crank-based power meter which is more versatile. And interval workouts can be done very effectively without power readings.
4. Look at how you want to train, and why. If you want to do three hour rides to keep your butt honed and your weight down, then I'd suggest an electronic trainer like the Kickr with the full complement of visual software distractions. And over three hours, you'll sweat enough to trash a good bike, so get an old used CAAD or something in that vein and leave it on the trainer. If you get a frame, a crankset, a front wheel (any old junker wheel will do), bars, stem, seat post, and a rear derailleur, you're set. You don't need to shift at the front, you don't need brakes, etc. You can put it together for not much.
5. If you are doing extreme power workouts, a trainer that depends on your tire riding on a small roller under resistance will usually find ways to slip. If it doesn't slip, it can at least be inconsistent in how much resistance is being generated.

So, for me, I kept using both high end rollers (TruTrainers) and sometimes basic rollers (Kreitlers) and then a trainer for the hard power stuff. The rollers were what I loved, but they didn't actually improve my racing performance. The trainers are what did that. And I never used the fancy features on the Kickr -- I just had my head down, gasping, and trying not to puke. And I used the road for longer workouts, weather be damned, and used the trainer for the really ugly hard workouts that were also fairly short. So I finally came back to the Kurt Kinetic. It had the added option of using a track bike on it, which you can't do on a direct drive unit. (Tacx makes some track nuts that are actually shaped to fit right into the ends of most trainers, which gives you superb steadiness with a track frame on a trainer.) It's not fun and it's crude, but it's what I need.

All these different pieces of equipment are superb for the right person. You really just have to figure your own needs honestly and go from there. You can save a lot of the money I put into bike equipment if you can decide from the beginning what you really need.

[kppolich]

My recommendation. Kurt Kinetic Road Machine, used and pick yourself up a junk wheel/cassette/trainer tire so you don't wear out your good stuff. A dedicated trainer wheel saves time and wear. Should be able to grab all of that for ~200, then buy yourself a BIG FAN.

[stephenmarklay]

Very good input right there. (11.4)

I will say that rollers can improve performance. Even race performance. However it r ally depends. If you are carrying in a strong base fitness into winter and spin for hours all winter on rollers you will likely come out of winter slower. No that is not necessarily bad

[ripvanrando]

Trainers. Which one. Would I actually take the time to connect it to the computer and internet? Learn the Apps? Should I just keep my dumb trainer using the Powertap wheel? I know the drill. Warm up. 5 minutes at xyz watts. Bring the HR down. Go again. Rinse and repeat. Boring. Dreadfully boring.

Tacx Flux

Tacx Elite

Tahoo KICKR

Elite Drivo

CycleOps Hammer

Tacx Neo is probably what I should buy.

I think of my younger days riding the rollers in the 20F attic with a bulb hanging from the rafters wearing just my wool sergel shorts sweating like an animal with steam coming off my chest. Life was simple.

I think I'm just going to buy a better fan

[weisan]

I think of my younger days riding the rollers in the 20F attic with a bulb hanging from the rafters wearing just my wool sergel shorts sweating like an animal with steam coming off my chest. Life was simple.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAA4rnPEpAs

[ripvanrando]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAA4rnPEpAs

Cool!

I especially like the outward knee flicks in the beginning....have to make the boys happy.

[benb]

I haven't managed to kill my Tacx flow in 12 winters.. it's been a good value product. It's also quite quiet. The only thing that gets noisy is if you have lower resistance dialed in and then shift into the big ring and get the rear wheel spinning very fast.. the chain noise becomes the loud thing at that point. But you can accomplish the same thing in a low gear with low rear wheel speed + high resistance/power level and the whole thing is pretty quiet, at least quiet enough to watch TV on an iPad without extra loud speakers or anything.

I've got a really crappy wheel I paid like $100 for with a trainer specific tire on it. I've got my speed sensor on the rear wheel, so I can get in and put the bike on the trainer in 5 minutes and all the electronics just work and I can record to my Garmin, etc.. and get the bike off the trainer in another 5 minutes if needed. Good stuff.

I think the more interesting conversation is which fan. I set up in my basement below a window.. I open the window to let the cold winter draft come in and set up a big fan right in front of me. It's still usually hard to avoid overheating if I ride up near threshold.

[Andy sti]

I use InsideRide rollers and my power meter. Watch Netflix, do my intervals, meet my numbers and I'm done. SST, threshold, and Vo2 intervals are no problem on the rollers. My trainer is now only used for race warm ups.

[chiasticon]

anyone used the feedback sports omnium yet? seems pretty awesome for race warmup, but I'm not sure how useful it'd be for rainy day or winter workouts.

[thwart]

-- you just need to watch the timer count to 60 seconds and keep a wastebasket nearby in case you puke...

Reminds me that my lightweight rower daughter told me the male rowers considered this the highest possible compliment paid to the cox'n after a really hard training run... apparently wasn't quite that perspective for women's crew...

I use InsideRide rollers and my power meter. Watch Netflix, do my intervals, meet my numbers and I'm done. SST, threshold, and Vo2 intervals are no problem on the rollers. My trainer is now only used for race warm ups.

I like my InsideRide E-motions a lot. They keep winter training fun.

Kudos for being able to watch TV while on 'em...

[Pierre]

My thoughts on this: no matter how much lipstick you put on the pig, winter training is still winter training and what I mean by that is that if funds are an issue (or rather if funds can be allocated to a better (smart) trainer OR put towards your real ride, then I would say, buy a high-end dumb trainer, use virtual power or get a cheap power meter and save your money to put some bling on the bike you will enjoy when you are outside! Just make sure that you spend ENOUGH on the trainer so that its not a super noisy beast that wakes the rest of the house up!

That and spend $10 a month on Netflix. I've found THAT to be the single best purchase (aside from my Trainerroad subscription) to get me back on the trainer day after day. When TR is used in "minimize" mode you can have all the training stats displayed at the bottom of your computer screen which allows you to use most of the screen real-estate for something like Narcos, Homeland, Breaking Bad or whatever turns your crank. :)

[dem]

I like my InsideRide E-motions a lot. They keep winter training fun.


FYI, yesterday they announced smart ANT+ resistance control for the insideride rollers. Probably pretty sloppy from a power measuring standpoint, but if you have a bike with a power meter, this could be the killer Zwift set up.

http://www.insideride.com/blog/2016/11/8/inside-ride-smart-resistance-control-update

[stephenmarklay]

Yeah without calibration it will likely not be that great.