Hello there.

My birthday is coming up in a month, and a friend of mine with plenty of money in his pocket is looking to get me a trainer. I want to send him a list of several options, but I need some help. I know very little about trainers other than I do not want rollers, and the fluid mechanic seems best.

I will be using the trainer on a road bike that will be be on and off the trainer frequently.

I've been searching the interwebs and this forum about trainers, but I am getting lost in all the options. I need some simple suggestions so that my friend and I are not overwhelmed.

So, if any of you have a moment, could give me your suggestions for some trainer types listed below?


- A trainer that costs less than $250


- A trainer that costs between $250 and $500


- A trainer with cost not being an issue at all.


- What trainer would you recommend that hooks up to a PC? I've seen different trainers, versus software packages, versus DVDs, with multiplayer connections online, and some of which have spotty reviews like Tacx. It is quite confusing. Is there a computer based trainer you can recommend that is not going to get frustrating to hook up?

Again, thanks for any help you can provide. There are so many posts about trainers, product placements hidden as reviews, threads battling out the pros/cons of different trainers, great information that is several years old, etc, that I am getting lost in a sea of information.

Tom

If he really has plenty of money - buy a computrainer.

Why no rollers?

Everyone on this forum seems to love the Kinetic, so I'll let someone else chime in on that, but I have had no complaints with my craptastic Nashbar fluid trainer. It holds the bike and resists the rear wheel. That's it; anything beyond that is just bells and whistles.

[edit: this is my recommendation for $250 and under]

I have an Elite Realaxiom VR trainer and it's pretty cool. Definitely helps with the boredom. I thinks it goes for ~$800. I bought mine used for a lot less than that though.

If money is no object- Computrainer.

Over $300
KK Road machine
Cycle ops fluid

Under $200
Cycleops or KK magnetic trainer

Get a fluid trainer.

Rollers for me(Kreitler Challenger). Riding inside sucks. Makes me cry.

Don't know if you have already got a trainer, but the Kinetic Road Machine is designed for a tandem. Available at REI and online for about 300-340 dollars. Easy to set up. If you get a trainer, get a support for the front wheel.

I like my Tacx Bushido because you have the option to use it with or without the computer. It has adjustable resistance, and is ANT+, so it will work with your HR monitor. It is fully wireless, so you can even take it to the races with you to warmup. The resistance is highly adjustable so you can really tune in your efforts in whatever gear you want at whatever wattage you want.

Also, get a nice trainer. If you get a crappy one, you will either not use it at all or dump it and buy a nice one anyway.

Kurt Kinetic Road Machine Pro!

Endless money, I'd try Chris Carmichael. Let us know how it turns out!

Just kidding, but it might be good

This...$418. shipped: Kurt Kinetic Rock & Roll Trainer

E-Motion rollers.