CycleOps Fluid 2 bike trainer is an excellent piece of training equipment for all cyclists.
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There isn't much that can substitute for outdoor, real world training rides but the Cycleops Fluid 2 trainer is one of those few bike trainers that make you not mind having to stay indoors somedays to get your workout in. It's silky smooth and brings an excellent road like feel to the table that will leave you wanting to extend your ride just a few more minutes every time you ride it. The power will vary depending on your cadence, speed and the gear that you are in but it should comfort you knowing that the Cycleops Fluid 2 bike trainer is capable of generating a power band that ranges from as little as 20 watts all the way up to a mind blowing 720 watts which will put you through your paces in a hurry.
Who Should Buy the CycleOps Fluid 2 Trainer
The CycleOps Fluid 2 trainer is ideally suited for the rider who expects a lot out of their trainer and intends to take their fitness and conditioning to the next level during the winter months. The power bands and design of the Cycleops Fluid 2 trainer will allow you to work yourself out at a variety of levels that will range from a long slow distance type workout to build your base all the way up to the out of the seat sprints that demand maximum power! The CycleOps 2 Fluid trainer is an excellent quality piece of equipment that would serve most cyclists very well for their bike trainer needs.
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CycleOps has an awesome reputation in this business and I am extremely pleased that I bought one. It loads the bike easy, it’s quiet and nothing rides like a high quality fluid trainer. I read a lot of junk about leakage but I’ve ridden it hard for over a year now and no issues.
It’s the best bike trainer I’ve ever ridden and it’s sexy too. Yeah I know…I’m superficial…I don’t care.
Who are these reviews for? Anyone who wants to take their fitness to the next level… Geeze!!! you use the same copy – put a little more into it guys. Don’t be just another lame-commercially driven review site that is designed to push sales so you can get your kick back – or worse yet sell your own product. Actually review the products and compare them on merits rather than vague pseudo-in-the-know sounding comments.
Jay…if you click the product details tab above then you will find what I think is a pretty comprehensive review of this product. I hope that it’s not too “pseudo in the know” for you but we try.
Hey Admin,
Glad you mentioned the Product Details tab, I never saw that either and was hoping for a more detailed review. However, upon seeing your post I clicked it and got everything I had hoped. I’m about to buy my first trainer. I’m debating between the cycleops magneto and the fluid2. I found two options on ebay, the fluid is $50 more. I can afford the pricier one, and I’m just wondering in your opinion is it worth another 50 bucks? also, hopefully you know the answer, the only negative I hear about the fluid trainers is leakage, is do you know if that is an issue with this trainer? Thanks,
Josh….either trainer will do the job well but if money isn’t an issue then I would definitely go with the fluid trainer. The ride feel is much more realistic in my experience and they are typically considerably more quiet than a magnetic trainer. I do not own a Cycleops Fluid trainer but many of the guys in my riding group do and they are very satisfied with their selection. I think the leakage issue was more of an issue with the early Cycleops trainers but from everything I have read and been told lately, the leakage issue is almost non-existent. Good luck with your selection, come back and let everyone know what you think of the choice that you make. Thanks.
Excellent, thanks a lot for the fast response. I’ll go with the fluid version. I live in the mountains near asheville, and it’s only december, and we’ve already received nearly 20″ of snow. I’m doing my first ironman in november and have a feeling I won’t be getting much outdoor cycling in for the next 4 months. So with the amount of training I’m going to need, I think i’ll be logging a LOT of time on this trainer, so I want to go with high quality. I’ll post again after I spend a few hours on it and give my thoughts.
So now that I’ve done a few rides on the trainer I gotta say it does a great job. I don’t have a lot of comparisons to base it on, but I used what I think was a mag a few years ago, which had a detachable resistance remote that you attached to your handlebars. I did not know this component didn’t come with all trainers. This one is really nice that all you have to do is shift to a more powerful gear and get more resistance. It makes some noise, but nothing like the other one i used. I had to put the TV on the highest volume to hear it at all. This one is a lot quieter. It’s really easy to set up except for one part. Trying to get the resistance section attached to the L-bracket. Good luck, not easy, but fortunately it only has to be done once. Once done its done.
Overall, I’m very happy with my purchase.
I am looking for a new trainer for my road bike and I am worried about the wear on my tires. I have heard horror stories about many trainers eating through tire after tire. Currently, I am looking at the Fluid 2 trainer. Any feedback about what people have said about the wear on their tires?? Thanks
Excellent Josh. The tough part about any trainer is you have to use it for it to be effective, so the more comfortable and satisfied you are on it then the better because riding a trainer is like watching grass grow if you are used to riding on the road or a trail.
Matt….great question but I don’t have an answer you want to hear. Trainers will wear your tires and they will wear them badly. You have a few choices though….ride it anyways and wear it out because tires are not that expensive. It won’t wear tire after tire, but 1 per season is pretty normal. Replace the worn tire in the spring…..or you can buy a trainer tire that is harder and made for training and won’t wear as quickly.
The last option is that you could go with a completely different designed trainer that doesn’t clamp on the tire, but rather clamps on the wheel to drive the flywheel. Check out the Minoura Rim Drive trainers. http://biketrainerreviews.com/minoura-rda80-rim-drive-bike-trainer-review/
Me personally….I’d get the trainer I wanted, which in your case is the Cycleops it sounds like, and then buy a trainer tire. They are like 40 or 50 bucks.
Good luck.
Can mountain bike tires be use with this trainers? I have a mountain bike and would like to buy a trainer to keep in shape right now that I don’t have time to make it to the trails.
Marvin you CAN use a mountain bike on this trainer but it isn’t a great idea in my opinion. It will chew the tire up very quickly. Many mountain bikers buy a smoothie for winter time training and run that on the trainer OR you could purchase a rim drive trainer. Instead of clamping onto the tire to drive the flywheel….it clamps on the rim, so no tire wear.
http://biketrainerreviews.com/minoura-rda80-rim-drive-bike-trainer-review/
Do trainers come with a computer? Most product writeups don’t mention anything about a computer. I was thinking data about speed and distance would be helpful.
Thanks
Im new to the sport and am looking into trainers for those winter days when the roads are covered in ice. however the power ranges on some (like this one) lower than what I’ve produced on the road (friend has a powertap) how concerned should I be since not all trainers provide the power range? I’d like to do everything from short high intensity max bursts to the hours of continuous steady state.
I’m looking to buy a quality trainer and quietness is of utmost importance to me. Can you offer any advice? I have mainly been considering the CycleOps Fluid 2 or Jet Fluid Pro, or the Kurt Kinetic Road Machine.
I have the same question as Joel on June 6th, but it seems that nobody cares to reply here.
Any reason (other than tire wear) not to use a high quality road bike on a good trainer like the Cycle-Ops? I’ve used an older bike on my trainer but recently gave it up to a family member who was bikeless. I used my older bike on the trainer because of the tire issue and also becasue I heard that a trainer puts more stress on the frame and premature wear on components because of riding in the same, fixed, position. Any truth to this? Thanks for your views.
Not sure if anyone who didn’t get a response still looks here, but I thought I’d give it a shot.
@Scott: No, the Fluid 2 does not come with a computer. However, if you have a wireless bike computer (the Cateye Strada is relatively cheap), you can mount the sensor to your rear tire, which will give you speed and distance.
@Nick: Though you won’t be able to replicate the full-out effort of a 10% grade, 5 mile hill climb, you can still get an excellent workout in a short period of time. Instead of focusing on consistent power output, I’d recommend interval training (both aerobic and anaerobic), which will increase your capacity for sustained efforts. I do various intervals 3-4 times per week in the off-season (when I can’t get out and ride) and being a novice (only been riding 2 years) I can definitely say it’s made a difference every time I get back on the road.
@Anka/Josh: I haven’t tried the other two, but I’ve used the Fluid 2 for over a year, and the quality is exceptional. No complaints, and well worth the cost. I’ve watched football, movies, and listened to music, without having to blast the sound. It’s “loud” only when you’re at top-sprint levels. For those times (anaerobic intervals) I’d recommend a set of wireless headphones, but even then it’s not exactly necessary.
@Paul: From what others tell me, and from what I’ve seen from my own use, there’s two main reasons for the tire wearing down. One: heat build-up on the roller – but when you ride in 115° weather in the summer, you’re gonna get that anywhere. Two: unclean roller/tire. I used to use a second bike, but it wasn’t the same layout as my main bike, so I wasn’t getting as good training out of it. If you’re going to use your primary bike, make sure to clean any/all road debris from the rear tire prior to mounting. Also, check the trainer roller once in a while to make sure it doesn’t have any dirt/rubber build-up/gouges/etc. I have Michelin Pro Optimum tires – not exactly cheap – and didn’t notice any significant extra wear. But the Optimums use a heavier rear-tire compound to resist wear, so that might’ve helped.
As for extra stress/wear on components, I find that hard to believe. The skewer itself, maybe, but you can buy a cheap, strong steel skewer for $15 instead of using your nice outdoor skewer. The rest of the bike is going to be exposed to the same vertical, lateral, and torsional forces you’d normally have on a good ride. Just remember that when standing/pushing hard, you have to pull on the handles to counteract your pedal force. Otherwise the trainer in that case will be the one holding the bike upright against your hard pedal strokes. And believe me, my bike might not be high-end, but it’s a solid middle-ground $3k+ bike that I cherish dearly, so if I thought there was a chance for serious damage, I wouldn’t do it.
Hope this helps. Keep rollin’.