Bust Rod

Hey,
I live outside of Seattle where it rains non-stop all winter and is dark by 5pm. I've had an ond CycleOps wind trainer for a while, and am looking to upgrade it. I like to watch TV / listen to music while I ride indoors, and this trainer is loud enough to prohibit almost all other noise from coming through. I'm looking at Travel Trac Century fluid trainer - but I haven't read any reviews on how loud it is. Does anyone has a quiet resistance trainer that they would recommend? (Ideally under $200)

Thanks.

ghettocruiser

I'd either ask the road forum or the Training and nutrition guys.

I had a 10-yr old magnetic trainer.

I loaned it to a friend hoping he'd never bring it back.

late

There are a bunch of great trainers around 300 like my Kurt Kinetics. The Nashbar Fluid trainers have a good rep for something economical.

Don't forget the Spinervals.

Intheloonybin

I have two Kinetic fluid trainers. I like them but don't use them as I ride outside.

Wanna buy one?

I would recommend a trainer specific tire for it, however. A regular tire squeaks!

Oh, on edit: I think mine are both Kurt Kinetic trainers. I did not realize there were so many brands out there.

DogBoy

Another recommendation for Kurt Kinetic. Excellent trainer, very smooth.

dekindy

+1.

I just got the road machine and it is quiet. One website posted the decibel ratings and based on that I thought it would be louder. I tried it in the store and was pleasantly surprised.

Giro

If you search these forums, you will find the 1Up (fairly expensive) and the Kurt Kinetics (particularly the fluid resistance ones) highly regarded for durability, low noise, & versatility (range of wheel sizes). The Kurt Kinetic fluid models also allow you to convert speed into watts reasonably accurately using a table on their site or their cyclocomputer.

Dedicated trainer tires tend to be the most quiet, but only relevant if you have a quiet trainer in the first place (all fan trainers are quite noisy). Continental makes the Hometrainer Ultrasport and Tacx makes a dedicated trainer tire (tyre). In the 559 size, the Hometrainer is 1.75" while the Tacx is 1.25", so one may fit your rim better than the other. Some recent posts recommend the Tacx over the Continental and the Continental can be difficult to mount on a rim. Note that neither is to be used for road riding; apparently the harder rubber compound etc. has undesirable characteristics.

ProBikeKit has a sale on the 559/26" Tacx Trainer Tyre for only about $27 including shipping in US LINK. The Tacx is a bit harder to find than the Continental and the ProBikeKit sale price is quite low.

Hezz

If it was me and I used the trainer a lot and had the room for it I would just flip the bill for a Cycle Ops stationary bike. It will probably be more quiet and the last trainer you would ever need to buy. I also think that with the right seat and pedals would be more comfortable than a bike type trainer for longer training rides.