Road Cycling - Looking to get a trainer

There are just so many to choose from. Nashbar seems to have their own in house brand. I have already searched the forums and pretty much read everything but I still don't quite see the differences. My choices are the nashbar T5 Fluid, Mag Trainer or Rim Drive mag trainer or the Minoura Hypermag Alu remote trainer. I know the Fluid is the best for mimicking the road but I heard they sometimes have leak problems. My price range is under $160. Im still a beginnier and with school starting soon, I'm not going to have any time to go out on the road and ride during the week. I want to get some bike work in during the week at night. Thanks for all your help.

Have you considered rollers? As a beginner, nothing will help you develop good form and give you a great workout like a set of rollers.

55/Rad

I'll second a set of rollers. My Minoura rollers were bought off Ebay for around $180 delivered. I regrettably did not ride them all that much during this past winter (only got in 200 miles or so) but they certainly helped improve my form (it's necessity to pedal smoothly on them). I read a lot of horror stories before the purcahse but got them anyway and in 15 minutes I was riding. It's scary at first but once you get the courage to let go of the wall you figure out how to stay balanced pretty quickly. You will feel like you never learned to ride a bike at first so don't get too frustrated.

i have trouble using my rollers now because i live in a studio apartment without a lot of doorways or exposed walls to use for ballance.

i was thinking of getting a fluid trainer this winter instead.

also, i find that the focus on ballance keeps me from sitting up or changing position much and i get fatigued too fast.

the ballance thing is interesting though - i can ride no handed on my cheapo performance rollers if i'm careful!

Yeah I looked at rollers but from what I read here on the forums is that rollers aren't a good route to go if your looking to get a good workout. You can't adjust the tenison on rollers while you can with a remote mag trainer or the fluid trainer builds up as you go faster. Thanks for the input. Hoping to get somemore

I would respectfully disagree and state that you can get a good workout on rollers. A very good, pool-of-sweat-everywhere workout as a matter of fact. It's all in your gearing. Some units also have resistance units that make the effort even more difficult.

Honestly, the only drawback is that you can't get out of the saddle and sprint. At least I can't. After 45 minutes in the saddle, the body does get a bit tired from only sitting. Changing hand positions is a trick to be mastered as well, but it can be done with practice.

55/Rad

Ebay?

http://search.ebay.com/trainer_Universal-Parts-Accessories_W0QQcatrefZC6QQcoactionZcompareQQcoentrypageZsearchQQcopagenumZ1QQfromZR10QQsacategoryZ2 2688QQsorecordstoskipZ50QQsotrZ2

Im just curious on what yall thought about the ones I listed.

I have a Nashbar mag trainer, it works great. It does what a trainer should, provide easy to impossible resistance levels (you need to output around 800watts somewhere around 25-30mph - 200watts at around 12-15mph).

Andrew

I was initially going to get a trainer, but have decided to go with rollers instead.

That being said, in my research, this one appears to be the best of the best:

http://www.1upusa.com/bike_trainer.html

Best depends on how much money you want to spend and most importantly what skill level your at or want to obtain.

As you I too about 12 months go started researching trainers and forums such as this one. I found consistently that the Cyclops brand was mentioned the most and the Fluid 2 was the preferred model. So I went to an LBS and tested 4 of their models and one Minoura with the rim drive.

The cheapest Cyclops was the Wind, which I immediately did not like due to high noise and unnatural road feel plus the max work out watts level was low at around 150. The next was the Magnetic, again a bit loud, did not feel natural and the max watts level was around 250. Next was the Magneto, this one was quiet, felt very natural with excellent wattage ramping the faster the rear wheel goes and was rated a 450 watts max; this is a best buy model for most riders. The next and most expensive (excluding the computer trainer) is the Fluid 2, same results as the Magneto but with a max wattage rating of 750. Keep in mind that Lance Armstrong can do about 450 watts consistently for up to an hour, just to put things into perspective for you on this watts thing. I opted for the Fluid 2 (but probably should have gotten the Magento), thinking that I could eventually grow more into it then I would with the Magneto. The Minoura I didn't like the feel of it as much as the Magneto or the Fluid 2...but better than the Wind or Magnet and if I recall correctly it was a bit louder then the Magneto or the Fluid 2.

If your not training for racing and just want to maintain your physical shape when you can't ride outdoors, I strongly recommend the Magneto, it cost about $210 whereas the Fluid will cost about $260.

All Cyclops have a lifetime warranty, comes with a spare skewer (so you don't mar you good one), and a training video which somehow I lost mine!

You may have to buy a front wheel stand but they only cost $15. The wheel stand allow the front wheel to be more stable PLUS you can put it on top a concrete block set your wheel into it and simulate hill climbling.

I own both, and my trainer sits in the corner unused. I get a great workout from my Minoura rollers that I got on e-Bay brand new for $145 (with resistance). I think the rollers have made me a much better bike handler.

Best depends on how much money you want to spend and most importantly what skill level your at or want to obtain.

As you I too about 12 months go started researching trainers and forums such as this one. I found consistently that the Cyclops brand was mentioned the most and the Fluid 2 was the preferred model. So I went to an LBS and tested 4 of their models and one Minoura with the rim drive.

The cheapest Cyclops was the Wind, which I immediately did not like due to high noise and unnatural road feel plus the max work out watts level was low at around 150. The next was the Magnetic, again a bit loud, did not feel natural and the max watts level was around 250. Next was the Magneto, this one was quiet, felt very natural with excellent wattage ramping the faster the rear wheel goes and was rated a 450 watts max; this is a best buy model for most riders. The next and most expensive (excluding the computer trainer) is the Fluid 2, same results as the Magneto but with a max wattage rating of 750. Keep in mind that Lance Armstrong can do about 450 watts consistently for up to an hour, just to put things into perspective for you on this watts thing. I opted for the Fluid 2 (but probably should have gotten the Magento), thinking that I could eventually grow more into it then I would with the Magneto. The Minoura I didn't like the feel of it as much as the Magneto or the Fluid 2...but better than the Wind or Magnet and if I recall correctly it was a bit louder then the Magneto or the Fluid 2.

If your not training for racing and just want to maintain your physical shape when you can't ride outdoors, I strongly recommend the Magneto, it cost about $210 whereas the Fluid will cost about $260.

All Cyclops have a lifetime warranty, comes with a spare skewer (so you don't mar you good one), and a training video which somehow I lost mine!

You may have to buy a front wheel stand but they only cost $15. The wheel stand allow the front wheel to be more stable PLUS you can put it on top a concrete block set your wheel into it and simulate hill climbling.

I have had several mag trainers...and they are ok...but never really felt like the road. I purchased the Cyclops Magneto and I am very happy with it! I was concerned that the fluid 2 would eventually leak...and I felt that the magneto could create plenty of resistance...I was right. It feels very natural and is a very good quality trainer. It shoud last. According to the company, the power curve reading for the fluid 2 is 600 watts max...and the Magneto look like it's between 520-530 Watts.

http://www.cycle-ops.com/products/magneto.htm#
http://www.cycle-ops.com/products/comparisonchart.htm#
Click on the "Veiw power curve" link.

Keep in mind that the most common way that people adjust the resistance on their trainers, is by simply shifting gears. I've been using the Performance TravelTrac 2000 for about four years. It's a fluid unit and I've had no problems with it. I will say that time spent on a trainer is like having to stay after school at Our Lady of Perpetual Pain & Suffering (where I attended school)!

I have an "avoid" suggestion. I use the blackburn fluid trainer, and the fluid motion is not smooth. At around 15-16mph on up, the ride occassionally gets really rough and there is a huge peak in the effort required to maintain speed. It feels like there is some kind of turbulance in the resistance unit. Once that starts, I lose my focus and end up getting a crappy workout.

Yeah Don, i was looking at the Performance trainers. I have heard nothing but good things about them. They seem to be comprable to the cyclops trainers but for less. Thanks for the suggestions guys

If I decide to go with a fluid trainer, should I get one with adjustable tension or one without? Can I get a good work out by just changing my gears?

I have an "avoid" suggestion. I use the blackburn fluid trainer, and the fluid motion is not smooth. At around 15-16mph on up, the ride occassionally gets really rough and there is a huge peak in the effort required to maintain speed. It feels like there is some kind of turbulance in the resistance unit. Once that starts, I lose my focus and end up getting a crappy workout.

Maybe you got a bad unit. I have the Blackburn fluid trainer and have put in dozens of hours on it since the start of the year. No issues at all through a range of workouts and all the gears. I have to say that mine gives a great workout and so long as the drum is turned up against the wheel with the correct number of turns, the resistance is very realistic when going through the gears.

If I decide to go with a fluid trainer, should I get one with adjustable tension or one without? Can I get a good work out by just changing my gears?

I would definitely spend the extra to go with a fluid trainer. Having used one I can say that I found it to be very realistic. You push the drum up against the rear wheel to simulate the pressure of you sitting on the bike on the road - i.e. you would probably turn the drum into the wheel slightly more to simulate a 200-pound person than a 170-pound person. Once the drum is fixed up against the wheel to your satisfaction, you simply use the gears as you would on the road. In the absence of being able to get outside, the trainer is a life-saver for me! I guess I'm not too sure what you mean by adjustable tension since the ones I have seen all work the same way - you use the gears after fixing the drum unit against the rear wheel.