Training & Nutrition - Have to face it - winter here! Need trainer - help!!

Have worked myself into pretty good shape mountain biking over the past 5 months and do not want to lose it. Who has trainers and what do you think of them? Will be hooking my mountain bike up to one once I get some help/advice on which to choose. Have heard that a trainer called the 1Up is pretty good but do not know anything about it. All I know is that I want one with some type of a remote to change resistance.

Jon

Have worked myself into pretty good shape mountain biking over the past 5 months and do not want to lose it. Who has trainers and what do you think of them? Will be hooking my mountain bike up to one once I get some help/advice on which to choose. Have heard that a trainer called the 1Up is pretty good but do not know anything about it. All I know is that I want one with some type of a remote to change resistance.

Jon

Shift gears to change resistance. Forget the gadgety remotes. I've read several reviews that said they were useless. Several people I know, including myself own a cycleops trainer with the version 2 fluid resistance unit. My daughter is training for an ironman and quite pleased with hers. Cycleops makes several models that use this resistance unit. I think Cycleops 2 and Cycleops Tempo are two of the models. They will work your butt off. You can read a lot of reviews on trainers at http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/Trainer.

Bob

depends how much you're looking to fork out. Theres a new kurt kinetics that can angle with the bike (like during a sprint) but i think its around 600. I don't have a trainer but i heard 1up's are good, kurt kinetics, cyclops, and a few others. Fluid is supposed to be the best and quietest.

I have rollers and love em, no resistance but trying to get the right technique at my beginning level is a workout alone.

Make sure when you get a trainer to use slick tires, mountain tires will be pretty damn loud i would think.

Would like to keep it under 300$ if possible.

cycleops fluid2 trainer is 329 on performance and usually they have a 10% off coupon (not now, but wait!)

or performance travel trac rollers for 109 (again, wait for the 10% off and you feel like you gotit for less than 100)

I'll chime in with another endorsement for the Fluid 2. I'm going into my second season with the unit, and I have to admit-- last year I didn't use the thing as much as I should have. It took me until February when I was morose with guilt for what I had let my state of fitness become for me to use it regularly. This year has been different however, and I owe it to the two Spinervals dvds purchased a couple weeks ago. Without them, the practice of riding on a trainer is insufferably boring.

I'll tell you this much: if you can put in three months of disciplined trainer time you will have done something that isn't as easily done on the bike: you will have trained your mind to ride with a focus that you might not now be able to imagine. Mark these words. Trainers suck. But sometimes I think that they are actually better than real riding.

Another fan of the fluid 2. This will be my third season on it and I must say it is awesome. It is very smooth and the way the resistance changes with speed is awesome. I have always gotten a great workout from it with very positive results.

With that said I did just order a Computrainer to use this season. If you have an extra $1,650 laying around they are awesome!

Thanks for all the info - bought the Fluid 2 today - $229.00 shipped. :-)

Make sure when you get a trainer to use slick tires, mountain tires will be pretty damn loud i would think.

And your trainer will thrash the knobbies.

... Brad

Thanks for all the info - bought the Fluid 2 today - $229.00 shipped. :-)

congrats, let us know how you like it. I've been lusting over buying one for a while, but i got the rollers instead. Trainer next season hopefully :)

Thanks for all the info - bought the Fluid 2 today - $229.00 shipped. :-)


You got a decent deal. Where did you buy it?

Bob

http://media.rei.com/media/793465.jpg

Whatever you do please DO NOT buy the Blackburn.

I bought one and that thing was way off on assimilating road conditions. At the store they told me about the gears, break in period, type of tire, bla bla bla...

Its not consistent at all, one moment is fine and then out of the blue when increasing speed is super hard to pedal. I even opened it up to verify the ball bearings were not getting jammed or in the incorrect position, double checked nuts and bolts to see if anything was making it run erratic and inconsistent. No matter how much I hate to return expensive things I really had no choice as it was a POS for how much it cost me.

Edit: this is what happens when I do not read the whole thread, by the way how does that one perform?

Got it at bicyclebuys.com - best deal I could find. I will let you know how it works out and yes, I will be using slick tires rather than knobbies.

I've been holding off on a kinetic road machine...fs at the lbs for 319Can. dare I?

Kurts are on sale at REI. I don't know if they have them in Canada, or if the US->Can exchange would make it the same price anyway.

Search Continental Ultrasport Hometrainer tire on these forums for threads regarding this dedicated trainer tire. Available in 700C and 26".

I like it so far - feels a little wierd, bustin my arse with no wind in my face or beautiful Pennsylvania scenery to look at. It will do what I want it to - keep my legs in shape - but every day that it is nice outside on a weekend or when the days get longer and the weather gets nicer I will ditch the trainer!!