Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Indoor Trainers for fixies

So I havent been out on my fixie in weeks because of the nonstop rain. So I was thinking about investing in an indoor trainer. Does anyone have any preferences? Will I run into any compatability issues (eg. no freewheel, no quickrelease etc.)?

Kreitler rollers - you'll love 'em.

Get some fenders and ride in the rain. :D My Cyclops Fluid2 is good too.

cycleops fluid2 can be brutal depending on your drivetrain

I like rollers best, though I like riding my bike in the rain and snow better.

I picked up the Minoura magnetic with the remote tension aduster. I can now use Spinerval DVDs and adjust the tension to match the training. It also uses rubber grommets which hold the axle more securely than my Cyclops fluid. The Cyclops also could not get a good grip on the axle, so the bike shift and wobble when I rode. The cycleops fluid I have is not adjustable and I had to change to a much bigger cog.

cycleops fluid2 can be brutal depending on your drivetrain

Yeah, I tried it with my 43x16 fixed but it's a tough go. That's why I bought this little $48 gem to go on the trainer. http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=20525

I'm in the process of acquiring some Kreitler rollers right now. Supposedly they're the best.

jgsjr - How are those Spinverals DVDs? They're kind of pricey. Which one(s) do you own and are they at all useful for those of us with only one gear?

$48!? who'd you kill to get that price? :eek:

I picked up the Minoura magnetic with the remote tension aduster. I can now use Spinerval DVDs and adjust the tension to match the training. It also uses rubber grommets which hold the axle more securely than my Cyclops fluid. The Cyclops also could not get a good grip on the axle, so the bike shift and wobble when I rode. The cycleops fluid I have is not adjustable and I had to change to a much bigger cog.

What kind of grommets do you use? I thought about using my SS roading w/ tracknuts on my Cyclops magneto, but it won't mount w/o an QR axle.

I'd love to see a pic of how you did that.

']Kreitler rollers - you'll love 'em.

I am really interested in the rollers... but I guess it makes me nervous (learning to balance on them etc.)

What type of resistance do you get with them? Is it adjustable? I cant stand and climb with a fixie as I could on a wind trainer right? But I could if I use my mountain bike?

I guess I should also say that I want it for excercise since I am too lazy to go to the gym in the rain, but the idea of improving my form at the same time appeals to me. I just get the feeling I would get more excercise on a wind trainer.

I am really interested in the rollers... but I guess it makes me nervous (learning to balance on them etc.)

What type of resistance do you get with them? Is it adjustable? I cant stand and climb with a fixie as I could on a wind trainer right? But I could if I use my mountain bike?

I guess I should also say that I want it for excercise since I am too lazy to go to the gym in the rain, but the idea of improving my form at the same time appeals to me. I just get the feeling I would get more excercise on a wind trainer.


here's a pic of a fork clamp, and the head wind unit, yep the resistance unit is adjustable

I like them. I own most of them now. Big Gear and Climbing were the ones I started with and branched out from there. I had a few of Chris Carmichael's tapes, but they got old....Lance this Lance that....20 minute straight set. Spinervals break things up change gears in long sets, Stand up, aero position, change positions. If you go to spinervals.com and look at some of the tapes, you can download samples to give you an idea of the content.

I have the remote tension adjuster for my trainer so I can simulate changing gears.

I use them quite a bit since many times I don't get time to ride until way after dark.

okay, i was a bit jaded after my purchase of a trainer so i'll just mention this. despite the box saying how quiet it is, the blackburn mag trainer i bought is very loud. the highpitched whine goes though the walls and is very annoying for all that live there. if you live in an apartment with roommates, make sure you buy something very quiet for their sake. unless you hate them. if that's the case....get a blackburn mag trainer.

The Minoura Hyper-Mag which has groumets built into the trainer.





Minoura Trainer (http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=17628&subcategory_ID=4120)

Here is my take on the types of indoor trainers.

Rollers: Takes a good amount of concentration, maybe less if you get one with parabolic drums. Most road like feel even without the head wind.

Rollers with fork mount: Feels OK (I've had one). I've read that prolonged use of the fork mount could index the bearings in the headset. For me, it was a pain in the but to mount and dismount the wheel but that's because I'm lazy. No concentration required to balance so you could watch TV or a workout video.

Cyclops Fluid2: This is what I currently have. The resistance is tough on a single speed. Ideally you would use this with a geared bike to vary resistance. No concentration required to balance so you could watch TV or a workout video. Quick to disconnect bike and ride outside (unless you find a $48 gem to leave on it).

Cyclops Magneto (not Mag or Mag+): Less resistance than Fluid2 but still more than the resistance unit I had on my Performance Rollers. Seemed very smooth on the one I tried out.

I have the magneto and use it w/ some hutchinson road tires. Pretty quiet. I tried it w/ my Ritchey Speedmaxs (CX tires) and it was way too loud.

I set mine up in front of the plasma for total immersion. I use the time to clear out the tivo too. Helps to use a heart rate monitor to use as a guide, I set it up for intervals. Got some spinervals DVDs for Xmas too, so I'll be using those until it stops f'ing raining out here. Although, I am racing CX this Sunday, man, that's going to be muddy...

I just got a 1up for Xmas - haven't done a lot of riding on it, but one thing I did notice is that when I mount a track bike to it, the short chainstays mean that my heel occasionaly smacks into the front leg of the trainer. Not good. I do have large (size 13) feet, so you might not have this problem if your feet are smaller.

Ride in the rain, it's way more fun than some hamster-wheel dvd! and when the roads are slick, you can pull some massive skids.

okay, i was a bit jaded after my purchase of a trainer so i'll just mention this. despite the box saying how quiet it is, the blackburn mag trainer i bought is very loud....

Yeah they strectched the definition of quiet sometimes on the boxes. They were probably alluding to the comparison that a mag trainer is quiet when compared to a fan trainer.

Thread necromancy...

I have a Bianchi Pista that I'm considering using with a Cycleops Fluid2 trainer. I've got the stock 48-16 gearing on it at the moment. Reading around some threads concerning fixies and trainers, it believe I'm going to have my work cut out trying to turn that 48-16 over on this trainer. Anyone using a 18t cog with some success? I want to get a decent spin going without too much mashing.

I have the Cat Eye Cycle Simulator CS-1000 (http://www.cateye.com/en/products/viewProduct.php?modelId=37&catId=8&subCatId=0) .

I use the trainer with my road bike to do interval training. I don't like using my track bike on the trainer.

I also have the Kreitler Challenger rollers which I use with my track bike. I use the rollers to work on my balance and spin technique.

I get a better workout on my trainer because I'm able to focus on specific training without worrying about balance. And because I can adjust resistance and gear selection.

But, the rollers are great for warm-ups and cool-downs.

I would recommend a trainer first.


I guess I should also say that I want it for excercise since I am too lazy to go to the gym in the rain, but the idea of improving my form at the same time appeals to me. I just get the feeling I would get more excercise on a wind trainer.

"Get some fenders and ride in the rain. "

ditto. Embrace nature.

I use a Kurt Kinetic trainer. Check it out here...its pricey, but is pretty quiet and simulates road resistance nicely.
http://www.kurtkinetic.com/roadmachine.php
I hate riding it...and decided to build a ghetto fixie for when the weather merits an outside ride and its too grizzley for the good bike.

I've never tried rollers but have been looking into getting some.
I read about the Kreitler rollers. here's some questions for those with experience.
How noticeable is the difference between the 4.5" 2.5" dia. rollers?
is there a roller size you'd recommend to start with?

not sure if anyone is interested in the Kinetic trainer, but I just got off the phone with them because I had the same concern about attaching my fixed gear to a trainer.

The nice man said their trainer will work with a fixed gear or BMX bike but that it requires smaller cones that they will send to you free of charge (shipping doesn’t count). Call the 800 number and ask about the BMX/Track cones and they’ll take care of the rest.

He went on to say that they prefer you buy the trainer retail rather than mail order. But if you insist on mail order call them and they will match any offer within the United States. Make sure you say “price matching” offer when you order. They’ll put the smaller cones in the box before they ship.




“White Honey” Graham Parker

I've been using the Kreitler Poly-lite (3" drum ?) rollers with the squirrel cage fan with my fixie (48x15 gearing). Using the fan at full resistance provides a pretty challenging workout, although it's noisy as hell. You can stand up and sprint, sort of, but it's pretty difficult to maintain balance.

I personally prefer rollers over trainers. There's just something more natural about rollers, since both wheels are spinning, and you need to balance. Unlike trainers, rollers force you to focus your attention on your workout and your pedalling form. I feel that this reduces considerably the monotony of training indoors.