CycleOps Fluid2 Trainer, is it a decent trainer??
 

the main reason I ride is to be outside and have the peace if it gives me......i dont care if it cold or raining but im dead in the water with 2 feet of snow on the ground so actually thinking of breaking down and getting a trainer...is this a good one??



CycleOps Fluid2 Trainer

I have the Cyclops Jet Pro, pretty much the same thing. Works great and not to loud. These had vavreputation for leaking but I have never experienced that. This one and the Fluid 2 I owned before this one never leaked. Supposed to be fixed and a non issue. I like mine and plan on many years of use.

I did a review on this in a thread here a week ago.

I had one for nearly 10 years. It's a good trainer.

Got a link??

I have a Fluid 2. I think it is good except it doesn't produce enough resistance for me so that I can do standing climbing simulation. Mine is stored in the garage and I do my training there. It is not heated unit I turn on a space heater when I start. Some wonder if the goo/fluid in it for resistance is getting too thick and is spinning out of he way. I contacted the manufacturer and they sent me a replacement which, at the time, seemed better but now I still find myself practicing teetering on two pedals instead of applying all 200 lbs of my weight and pedaling up a 15% grade.

Also, I find that I need to be on at least a 18T in the back to get some reasonable resistance out of it. Below that it feels like I have no resistance.

Don't get me wrong, I do work up a sweat and all but I was expecting more resistance. Now, if I had a 53 T crank, it might be more. I have often asked the manufacture what is the crank when the specs were determined and I got crickets but this it true for all of them.

This was my experience.

At this point, I am thinking of looking for a way to add the original resistance unit in parallel with the new one for greater resistance.

Probably should just buy a spinning machine and sell this.

I don't think fluid trainers, in general, which ramp resistance based on wheel speed, are ever going to provide enough resistance for really low RPM slogs, but in 50/11 at 60rpm the wheel speed is only going to be about 21.4mph, and 21mph on this trainer is only about 300 watts. At 90rpm that should be somewhere close to 900W.

Kind of the wrong tool for your wants/needs. Pretty much need an erg trainer, and that means $$$.

That is so interesting. That never occurred to me. Power requirement isn't linear with cadence even on one gear combination. Good to know.

Thank you for the input. I would love to understand how you calculated the watts at rpm. Can you show how? Might think of selling my unit to get what I need now.

what is an erg trainer?

Power isn't linear on the road at RPM, so this was one of the selling points on the Fluid2 back in the day, "realistic road feel." Faster=harder.

I'm also a teouble-free owner of 10 years, and I think any claims of these having a reputation for leaking are overstated. You know how stories go around the internet! The Fluid2 was a top trainer for a long time.

But yes, as [MENTION=62541]kc0bbq[/MENTION] stated, for people wanting to simulate really low RPM max efforts, it's the wrong tool. I don't think there are many who need to do that, and such workouts are not really part of modern training regimens, but nonetheless... I use a 53/11 on mine, and I think sub 65rpm, I can't make more than 350-400w; I've never monitored exactly. In a high cadence sprint, north of 110rpm, I can pull 930-950w, so KC0bbq's numbers ring true to me.

Searching for a "virtual power curve" for the unit should also reaffirm and give an estimate of watts at speeds.

ERG trainers are electronically controlled resistance units, which will hold a power level requirement irrespective of speed. Do look at their max wattage ratings, though, if you throw down big watts; some are as low as 450w, while others can pull 1600w. Depending on one'll needs, lower resistance power can be sufficient; holding 450w for an hour should tax just about anyone!

My example was in a specific gear (50/11). At 60RPMs that combination (at least on 700c, 25mm tires) gives 21.4mph, 90rpm is 32.4 or something like that. You could be in a different gear, at a different cadence - as long as the wheel is turning at a rate that would get you whatever speed on the road you'll get the same resistance from the trainer.

The fluid in fluid trainers is non-Newtonian (think corn starch and water). The more force you put on it the denser it gets. Once temperature settles, the speed of the impeller creates a predictable resistance. CycleOps has a graph with several of their trainers on their site which is reasonably accurate for speed vs. resistance. Mine runs a little higher, but I use a power meter.

Are you thinking of trying something like Zwift? A smart trainer that can very resistance will give you the best experience for Zwift. Currently using a Tacx Votex Smart that I am happy with.

Here's the link directly from CycleOps.

CycleOps Science: Resistance Curves - CycleOps

For simulating steep climbs, you need to find a gearing that allows to you near your threshold power (150-300W) while maintaining a 50-70 rpm cadence. In the case of a Fluid2, that's about 20 mph, which is going to require some tall gearing.

For that particular goal, a magnetic trainer set to max might be better.

The Kurt Kinetic resistance curve basically matches the resistance of a 160 lbs rider climbing a ~1% grade.

When I broke my wrist last summer I researched trainers and it's the sweetspot of value and performance. Fluid is the way to go, it's smooth and quiet whenever I decide to bring in from garage and ride watching TV, it doesn't wake up the whole house

I have the same trainer.......great trainer especially at the price point. Last winter was my first winter with it and once the weather was nice and I was able to ride outside it was like I didn't miss a beat, so clearly it worked and did what I needed it to do. Have not had any issues with it either.

I got rid of mine for the same reason...no linear resistance to simulate climbs. The Minoura VR4 is better in that respect, and quieter.

What is the VR4? I can't find any reference to that model designation.

Sorry, it is the V-270. Not sure why I was thinking about the Twin Turbo 3000GT VR4. I just saw a new one on eBay for $199. They also have a fancier model...M20V. I have had this V-270 for ~ 3 years and encountered no issues. It has 7 levels of magnetic resistance and runs cool and smooth. I found the CycleOps to be quite a bit louder though it ran smoothly as well. It just did not have the resistance curve I wanted.

Hehehe...sidestory: So I've got a '90 Porsche 928 w/ a Tim Murphy Stage 3 supercharger at 16psi (479rwhp on the Dynojet!) but is stock exterior. Came across a 3kGT VR4 on the highway once, and we got an open stretch where we leveled up and did some 70 to 130mph pulls! So much fun! The SC V8 surprised him and held him off each time! I dunno if he was tuned or what, but some guys are yanking big HP outta those things.

Oh, and if the local DA is reading, I want to be clear this is just interwebz trash talking; breaking the law did not happen.