Kyle385

I have done a lot of searching but cannot find enough information to decide which of these trainers I should get. I'm sure either will make me happy but this is a large investment for a college student such as myself. I can't help but to nitpick. To those of you that have had personal experience with both, which do you prefer and why?

lennyk

The Kurt Kinetic and Cycleops seems to get the most reviews, with the Kurt Kinetic
using a different mechanism which is supposed to be leak proof.

I am taking delivery of a Kurt Kinetic tomorrow, will let you know.

Kyle385

I'm mainly looking for direct comparison between the 1upUSA and Kurt.

ggusta

For me, I am not considering the 1up simply from a service after the sale standpoint, i can get Kurt Kinetic or Cycleops fuid2 at rei (as well as others, I think Blackburn) REI will let me just return them till I finally find the one I want to keep (within reason) and they won't give me any runaround nor any outrageous shipping issues if I need service later on.

1up may be better, but simply from that post purchase concern, I know I won't consider them. Something to keep in mind.

ggusta

ericgu

I bought the Kurt because I liked their engineering. A very elegant solution to the problem of fluid leakage, and if their engineering is good their, the rest of the unit is likely to be well-designed as well.

mewkiss

I doubt that you'll find many who have both of these expensive units to give you a comparative review. FWIW:I'm personally planning on getting a Kurt Kinetic based on the reviews I've read and on my experience of having used one at my LBS while being fitted for my bike. It was amazingly smooth and quiet and the LBS tech told me that the thing had been in use all day every day for over a year at that point. Impressive.

kuan

I like the sound of the Kinetic. Sounds like one of those rain sticks.

Havs

I went with a Kurt Kinetic, based on numerous reviews I read praising this trainer, in terms of reliability, most road-like feel, warranty, plus the fact my LBS stocked it.

I got the Kurt for xmas 2005, and have since logged well over 35hrs on it during the "cold months" here in WI. I like the feel of riding on it, makes for a good workout. My only gripe is that since I've become a stronger rider, the trainer is hard on the tire (especially for rides of one hr and longer). I burned up the stock Bontrager tire on my Trek 1500. This fall, Im planning on getting a spare rim and mounting a trainer specific tire, like the Conti Ultra Sport "Hometrainer" tire, 700X23, #23-622. If you're going to ride for longer sessions, I would strongly recommend the trainer tire.

Other than that rant, it was $$ well spent on the Kurt.

skiahh

I, too, narrowed down my choices to the 1up and the Kurt and went with the Kurt. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to compare them side by side, so I had to go on reviews and word of mouth. I found no really negative comments about either trainer and the racer guys I asked recommended the fluid trainer. One guy said he had tried both and liked the Kurt better.

For what it's worth, my Kurt was lopsided when it came; one of the arms wasn't on right or something. I called them directly and they shipped out a new frame that day, with a return label to send mine back once I got the replacement. Next one came with the same thing and they were flabbergasted! They overnighted a new frame - with return label - and had me speak directly to the engineer. He wanted the frames sent directly to him to test on the lab "true table". I never heard the results back, but the point of this story is that Kurt's customer service is among the best I have ever experienced. 1up may be the same, too, I just have no personal experience to relate.

I'm very happy with my Kurt and used it a lot this past winter and last with not a single problem once the level problem was resolved.

rgerve

I have a 1upUSA trainer. It is EXCELLENT. The customer service is great, even in Europe. It set's up very easily, is very quiet and smooth and much better engineered and built than the cycleops.
I've had it for more than two years now and have not had a problem. When I emailed about how to get another wrench for it because I lost mine (It has a nice attachment point to keep the wrench, but my son took it ) I got an email saying that one was just mailed to me free of charge.

Excellent service and a great product. I'm very happy with it.

jamesdemien

I just got the 1up Trainer last week and made this video of how it works and how it sounds while riding.

https://www.paunchiness.com/1up-usa-bicycle-trainer-ride-video/

You can here my dogs in the background because I locked them in the kitchen so they didn't stick their heads in the back wheel.

bbattle

I bought the Blackburn Trakstand Ultra which uses the centriforce mechanism. Quiet, very well built piece of equipment. You need a hard tire for it, though. It ate one of my Michelin Carbon tires in one session.

I found it to be rather dull and it's possible to ride year around here in Huntsville so I'm selling it.

Make sure you'll acually use the thing before you plunk down the cash.

Max Viotu

Just saw your video...something must be wrong with your 1-Up...your floor is way too clean. Where's the big puddle of sweat, ****ers, and snot rockets that always gets left on my floor?

Seriously though, I love my 1-Up...on my fourth year and not a speck of trouble. Throw in all 6 balls and kick it into the big ring/small cog, and you're in for some serious strength training on the bike. The video doesn't lie-they're very quiet, and as easy to set up as the video indicates.

Can't speak for the Kurt, but you can't go wrong with a 1-Up.

palookabutt

I bought a 1up last year, partly for the service reputation. Has something changed? I exchanged some e-mail with them and they were pretty responsive. The biggest drawback would be shipping the unit back & forth if I had to.

I've been delighted with the unit. It uses a clutch mechanism rather than fluid, magnet or air for resistance. I like the design as well -- someone obviously put some thought into it. It's really quiet and comes with a special skewer that provides solid contact with the bike without damaging the frame.

I've never tried the KK, so couldn't tell you how they compare. I've heard really good things about both.

jumpster

I have a 1up after trying a CycleOps from REI. It's a much smoother, easier to use unit. I love it.

Lonewolf48

i recently got the 1-UP. easy to set up, plain instructions (less than 10 minutes), quiet, won't leak, increases resistance just by changing gears, a really good machine. ranked #1 several years running by MTB magazine (check out their web-site), very responsive service. worth every penny. i am putting 20+ miles on it/day when i can't get outside. i am very happy with this purchase!

jamesdemien

I bought one too. If anyone wants to see some video of the thing in action check it out here... 1Up Trainer Ride Video

The thing is silky smooth and very quiet.

palookabutt

In the interest of full disclosure, my 1up has now developed a ringing/"singing" noise anytime I get the speed up much over 14mph. I disassembled the resistance unit to see what was going on and discovered a thin film of black powder in and around the friction unit. I've e-mailed the manufacturer and I am confident they'll resolve the problem with a minimum of fuss, but it was disappointing after purchasing the thing just this past spring. I hope I don't have to do this every year!

Sigh. I shoulda had more respect for Murphy's Law before I started gushing about my wonderful trainer on public forums...

palookabutt

Follow-up: I emailed the good folks at 1up about the problem and they immediately said they would ship me new parts. So, their customer service is indeed outstanding. I just hope the old parts were defective: i.e., a manufacturing flaw rather than a design flaw.