Indoor Trainer Recommendations

[dana_e]

I read the Chris Horner rode his trainer for 3 hours after Stage 1 of the Tour of CA was cancelled.

It has been a long time since I had a proper trainer.

Any suggestions?

[AngryScientist]

the only ones worth considering IMO are the cyclops fluid trainer and the Kurt Kinetic. both have excellent reliabiluty and customer service. i have the cyclops and its a pretty fine machine, for as long as you can stand the boredom.

[gone]

+1 on the Kurt Kinetic - quiet, reliable, large flywheel.

Or, if you spend a lot of time indoors, a computrainer.

[ols]

We have e-motion Inside Ride rollers and a Lemond Revolution (a bit on the loud side but "feel" is quite good and you don't wear out any back tires!)

[regularguy412]

Purchased a Kurt Kinetic this past Christmas. Works very well. I had previously used magnetic or fluid trainers that had selectable resistance levels. The Kurt is just the fluid unit, only. I kind of miss the ability to dial up high resistance at lower cadence levels, but that really my only complaint.

I like it.

Mike in AR

[simple]

Received a Lemond Revolution for the Holidays, since then I've put it LOTS of time on it. It's certainly louder than rollers or Mag/Fluid trainer, but the 'feel' is so far superior it's easy to overlook the relative noise. It really only gets loud when you get down into 53/14-12, but then depending on how much wattage you're putting out (or your cadence) even that's not too bad. If you're simulating climbing for example (high power, low cadence), the noise is a lot less than a sprint (higher cadence, high power).

Whatever you do, don't go try the Revolution by getting on a bike at the LBS and getting on a bike then doing 2-3 HARD efforts that you can hold for maybe 30 seconds. It's not very realistic nor representative of the effort you'll be doing during more than 5% of your total training. Instead, try one at the gear you use while riding the other 95% of the time, at the cadence you normally ride.

I've had mag and fluid trainers, not going back.

[sbparker31]

I had a 1up trainer for many years (http://www.1upusa.com/bike_trainer.html)

It was a very nice piece of equipment, very solid, sturdy and pretty quiet too.

[thenewguy11]

I have the Kurt Kinetic trainer in my office and eMotion inside ride rollers at home. I much prefer riding on the eMotions because it feels more like riding outside. But if you're looking for some targeted power or HR training, the trainer allows you to focus on just that, and its a much less expensive option.

[Peter P.]

Kurt Kinetic or a TruTrainer set of rollers.

The Kurt offers the realistic resistance curve of the road and is much quieter than the LeMond Revolution. It's smooth and sturdy. A plus for stationary trainers is you can zone out while watching a video and not fall off. I wish I still had mine. I think they're a bargain and built to last.

The TruTrainer offers plenty of resistance vs. little on standard 4.5" drum rollers. The flywheel effect is as real as it gets. You can actually get out of the saddle with ease on these rollers. You'll have no worries about tire wear, if that's a concern of yours. The fact that the bike sits level on these rollers means less crotch pressure while riding the drops. Heck; you can coast on them while adjusting your shoe buckle! Bulletproof. If you want a workout that also gives you superb handling skills, you want the TruTrainer. The only drawbacks are they're expensive and heavy to lug around, which I have to do every time I ride them.

[Spin71]

Cyclops Fluid 2 w/ no complaints. Well made and it doesn't sound like a plane taking off in the garage...

[jroden]

I use the e-motions, they are really nice. I try to make my sessions around 2 hours, so it's nice to have a good trainer. I had a computrainer for a while, it's also nice, but has a lot of quirks including the expense. I was talking to someone with a tacx fortuis who really enjoyes it, though he says the watts are way off. I have used a tacx flow, it's nice in slope mode but inconsistent in ergo mode and tends to lose load over intervals, which negates the whole purpose.

[Louis]

My recommendation is to not use them at all.

[malcolm]

computrainer, never been on anything else that comes close in road feel. I've had the same one over 5 years and no problems. Add erg video and it is almost enjoyable.

[radsmd]

Tried the fixed trainers for a while(cyclops), but got bored pretty quick. Now using some Kreitler rollers and they are pretty fun to ride, and will give a good workout when you don't have enough time for a real ride.

[jeo99]

Only one word for indoor training, "Kreitler". He was making quality rollers when the rest were mere thoughts! My Kreitler's are over 30 years old and still work great. Only maintanence has been changing an occassional belt. Bearings are still top notch.