i want to get an adjustable fluid trainer under 200 dollars...i see both nashbar and performance have some deals goin on...which of these two would you get?
https://www.performancebike.com/shop/...tegory_ID=4120

https://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...Trainer%20Sale

Check my thread as I was interested in the same thing. Hope this helps, but the general response is those trainers are junk.

https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycling/329705-trainer-crap.html

Do yourself a favor and pick up the CycleOps Fluid2 trainer. That thing is awesome. It costs a little more but it is worth it. Here it is for $249.

KK Road Machine is the #1 trainer on the market if you do the research. It's reportedly got the least drift in power curve and no leak problems.

I bought a KK Road Machine yesterday. Should be here by Friday. What sold me on it was that it won't leak and the unconditional lifetime warranty.

Go with rollers. Trainers suck.

+1 on the CycleOps, had mine 3 years with no problems. I hate trainers and rollers but you gotta do what you gotta do.

I wasted money on cheap trainers in the past and then have been frustrated. Just get a Kurt Kinetic Road Machine and use it the rest of your life. For $275 you can get it at (https://www.1upusa.com/kurtkinetictrainer.htm) with free shipping. I wish I would have just bought this one to start with but live and learn.

I would be very grateful if somebody could explain the real life differences among the Cycleops 2, the Road Machine and the Nashbar version. I have two uses in mind:

1. I'm recovering from an injury and have six weeks to get in shape for a long distance charity ride. I need an indoor trainer to use 2-3 nights per week to help get back in saddle shape.

2. Winter exercise.

Thanks.

Are there any trainers that won't torch your back tire? That's my biggest complaint so far regarding trainers.

-s

Yeah... something like this -

The Nashbar trainer (same as Performance Ascent series trainers BTW) has a smaller base (less stability then the others), a smaller resistance unit, and no flywheel...off the top of my head.

The Nashbar is a good trainer for beginners, but if you plan on using it season after season for a few nights a week then I would advise getting the Kurt Kinetic.

EDIT: Oh and you should be burned at the stake for mentioning trainers in August.

+1000 And here is the 2007 model for $235, including free shipping. I got mine here. Ordered it on a Sunday night, had it that Wednesday. No complaints.

How can you guys like the CycleOps Fluid 2 trainer? I've had mine for about 2 years and hate the thing. I've never tried any other brands or models of trainers but the cheaper ones must really suck the big one. Give me rollers over a trainer any day.

What sucked about it, I like mine. Easy to get the bike in and out, and works great, I have had no problems with it.

I have rollers as well, but in the winter I like to switch up between the rollers and the trainer.

I love ridin' my trainer, in winter, and at other times of the year, as a change-up from the distractions of road-ridin'. I can pay more attention to form and technique without worrying about runnin' off the road or gettin' hit, I can do intervals of various types under controlled conditions, and I can listen to music, which I never do when on the road. I can even drink an ice-cold beer while warming down and spinnin' out the lactic acid. Um. You know, glycogen replacement via liquid carb intake.

With regards to the functional differences, the Road machine has a magnetic coupling design that transfers your force on the cylinder to the fluid unit without a direct drive shaft. The problem with all other fluid trainers (and their subsequent leaking problems) is that there is a series of O-rings on a straight shaft that connects the roller into where the fluid/fins spin. Eventually the o-rings can wear out and fluid starts to leak. The KK road machine uses magnetic couplers that create a 'locked' condition through dead space. Connected, but the fluid is sealed inside it's own capsule and thus is FAR less likely to leak out. This is why they can offer the 'no leaks ever' claim, which as far as I've heard, has stood up fairly well. I own the KK Road Machine and have used the Blackburn fluid and the difference between the two is almost laughable. They can't even be put into the same catagory in my opinion. The Blackburn went back to REI after a week and I left with the KK. I haven't used the Cyclops. It is a sexier trainer, but I can't imagine a trainer feeling any better than the KK.

-Jeremy

Jolie Martin ... she is the SEXIEST Personal Trainer I've ever seen and would trade my rollers and Cyclops for her...no doubt!!!

SWEET MOTHER OF GOD!! I THINK I'M IN LOVE!!

thanks TC.. she was definitely worth another look... Oh yeah, she's mine!!!

wow... I mean...wow...

I've had no problems with mine either. It works fine; it just feels nothing like road riding. With the back wheel locked in with constant tension it basically gives the exact opposite feeling of riding on the road.

uuuuhhhhmmm, Gawd..

"Are there any trainers that won't torch your back tire?"

I use an old tire during the winter months on the trainer but if the tension is set properly on my KK trainer, there is minimal wear on the tire.

I keep my beater on my trainer. I put the roller pretty tight against my tire, and don't worry about the tire. Then I push myself to keep up the effort against that resistance. When I'm back out on the road, that same level of effort seems to make me a lot faster.