Bike Trainer Reviews » Buying Guides

Mag Trainer vs Fluid Trainer

Admin — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 01:18:27 +0000

Many first time bike trainer shoppers are overwhelmed with the number of choices in bike trainers available to them and when you ask for opinions on a message board you aren't likely to find a consensus as to which is better. If you ask 100 people, 50 will tell you to go Mag trainer and 50 will tell you that a Fluid Trainer is a better choice. Frustrating for sure when all you want is to make the right decision as to which is the best bike trainer for you.

Well, we're not any different in that we can't make the decision for you but we will share our thoughts on the pros and cons of both and let you make up your mind. At the end of the day, quality beats price all day long when it comes to bike trainers. Bike trainers are not that much fun to ride anyways compared to the open road and a poorly constructed bicycle trainer makes the gap even that much wider and is a sure recipe for a future yard sale item.

Mag Trainer Summary

Mag trainers have been around forever and they present a solid choice as a bike trainer. The design is similar for all trainers with variations by brand but the "Mag" portion of a mag trainer refers to the flywheel drive mechanism where the rear tire turns. This flywheel provides resistance to the rider by using magnets (hence Mag trainer) that rotate opposite of each other and create a resistance to the rider.

Depending on your viewpoint, the downside of most Mag trainers is that they are not able to increase resistance to match pedaling input. In order to increase resistance they usually have some kind of selector switch either on the trainer body or via a cable attached to the handlebar. This switch will either engage or disengage more magnets and changing the resistance level. Functional, but not real convenient, especially if it's trainer mounted.

The ride quality of Mag trainers varies dramatically with the better models being smoother and more realistic but most riders would describe a mag trainer as riding an exercise bike at the gym. You can stroke the pedals and it will work your legs and lungs somewhat but it's not the same as riding a bicycle and will not maximize your training time. One of the better Mag trainers that we have experience with is the CycleOps Magneto trainer. It produces a nice ride and is a high quality trainer from a quality company. It also incorporates a design that is known as a Magneto trainer, which means that this Mag trainer will actually offer progressive resistance the faster you pedal without having to select a switch. It's one of the better Mag trainers on the market because of this in our opinion.

Pros: Price, Usually less expensive than a fluid trainer. Simple, no leakage.
Cons: Ride quality is not on par with fluid trainers, Noisy compared to fluid trainers, ride feel.

Fluid Trainer Summary

Fluid trainers are all the rage currently among most serious cyclists. They get a lot of negative flack from some riders who experienced leakage with early models or from lesser quality models. The basic design of a fluid trainer involves an impeller spinning in a silicone fluid that changes viscosity depending on temperature. So anytime you have a rotating shaft and a fluid chamber then you usually have a seal that can fail. This is the source of leakage and many a curse word by early Fluid Trainer owners.

So with all of that trouble, why would anyone mess with a fluid trainer? Good question but the answer is easy, because they ROCK! A good fluid trainer will give you a superb ride feel compared to a Mag trainer and do it more quietly. Most fluid trainers do not have selectable resistance but rather the harder and faster you pedal, the greater the resistance...just like on a real bike. They also typically do it with less noise.

The downside of a fluid trainer is the potential for leakage, although this is an overblown issue in my opinion. The other downside is price, they are typically more expensive than a comparable Mag trainer. This is more of an issue for some than others but the almighty dollar plays a factor when making a purchase for most of us. My own opinion is that you can skimp on some things and be ok, but trainers are not that much fun to ride to begin with and a crappy trainer is even worse. I would spend the extra money but that is a decision that only you can make.

A rock solid choice in Fluid trainers that we LOVE is the Kurt Kinetic lineup. Kurt uses a unique fluid chamber design that uses no seal and cannot leak. It has virtually eliminated the major flaw that most people have an issue with regarding a fluid bike trainer. In addition to this....Kurt trainers rock. Quiet with a very consistent and road like feel that is hard to beat and happens to be the trainer that I personally own.

Pros: Ride quality, no need to manually adjust resistance, just shift gears.
Cons: Expensive, potential for fluid leakage.

Mag Trainer vs Fluid Trainer Debate

So which is better..a Mag trainer or a Fluid trainer? I guess it depends on what you define as better. If price is your main consideration then you can find a great deal on a Mag trainer that won't cost you an arm and a leg and will provide miles of lung busting workout time. If ride quality and realistic bike feel is tops on your list then nothing other than a Fluid trainer will do in our opinion.

Opinion is the critical word there as they vary dramatically and nothing we've written applies to all trainers. There are always exceptions and at the end of the day, you need to prioritize what is most important to you and make the best decision you can.

Deals Online for our Recommended Choices

Buy On Ebay

US $571.80

Kurt KINETIC PRO FLYWHEEL ROAD MACHINE FLUID BIKE TRAINER RISER MAT COMPUTER SET

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Kurt KINETIC PRO FLYWHEEL ROAD MACHINE FLUID BIKE TRAINER WIRELESS COMPUTER SET

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Kurt KINETIC PRO FLYWHEEL ROAD MACHINE FLUID TRAINER WIRED COMPUTER MAT PACKAGE

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Kurt KINETIC PRO FLYWHEEL ROAD MACHINE WIRELESS COMPUTER RISER AND MAT PACKAGE

US $251.99

NEW Cycleops Magneto Cycle Trainer

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Cycleops Magneto Trainer Cycle Ops

US $239.98

Cycleops Magneto Trainer Black Comes With Video

US $499.99

CYCLEOPS SUPER MAGNETO TRAINER KIT MAT RISERS THONG DVD

Flywheel weighs 6.25-Pounds and offers a realistic coast down
15 seconds to coast down from 20 Miles per hour
The sealed fluid chamber has a magnetically coupled drive shaft and is guaranteed leak proof
Thermodynamically neutral silicone resistance fluid keeps the resistance consistent
2 - 1/8-Inch roller reduces tire wear
Riser ring not included

Kinetic Pro Flywheel Accessory Add-on

Description

Upgrade your Kinetic Road Machine or Rock and Roll trainer with the Pro Flywheel Accessory Add-on. The Pro Flywheel increases your trainerAAAs AAAroad feelAAA with longer accelerations and decelerations...

Kurt Kinetic Bike Trainer Buying Guide

Admin — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 22:34:34 +0000

When it comes to buying a bike trainer, there are few who would disagree that a fluid bike trainer is generally acknowledged as the best choice when it comes to bicycle trainers. However, for all of the pros to a fluid trainer there is still a big CON and that is that they are very prone to leaking.

For years, the very well known and well respected Cycleops Fluid Trainer has dominated the market despite the real possibility that they might occasionally spring a leak. Cycleops customer service is second to none and they will quickly and cheerfully warranty your trainer for you but that can still be an inconvenience. It doesn't happen often but it still isn't appealing if you like no hassle equipment that just works. Kurt Kinetic Fluid trainers feature a revolutionary design that might just be the answer to your fluid trainer needs. Let's discuss why.

Destined To Fail?

Kurt's outstanding fluid resistance unit assembled on the trainer.

Don't get me wrong, the large majority of fluid trainer owners, be it Cycleops or another brand, are quite happy with those trainers and they don't leak. If you read many reviews or talk to many long term owners of a typical fluid trainer owner though, you will find that it certainly isn't uncommon for them to fail and leak oil out all over the place. The manufacturer may replace or repair the trainer happily and eagerly but who has time for that stuff. Not most of us, that's for sure.

The "new Sheriff" in town is my personal favorite bike trainer of all and that is the Kurt Kinetic fluid trainer. Why is this my favorite? What makes it so great you might ask? Not only does the design not allow this trainer to be able to leak but it's also simply an excellent trainer, quiet and a great feel that closely simulates real road riding.

You can see the seal that the shaft has to penetrate through. Over time, this seal tends to fail due to the heat involved and begins leaking. The kinetic design has no seal to fail.

An ordinary fluid bike trainer generates its resistance by powering an impeller through silicone fluid. This action will of course generate a significant amount of heat and can get as hot as 400 degrees Fahrenheit. This is where the leakage problem occurs, most fluid trainers use a shaft that drives the impeller which penetrates into the fluid chamber and utilizes a rubber seal to keep the shaft sealed and the fluid from leaking out. Any time you have a moving part and a lot of heat, you will get a failure eventually. It's just bound to happen with this type of design, it happens on cars, trucks, bicycles and bike trainers.

The Kurt Kinetic Fluid Trainer is designed quite differently. The fluid chamber is sealed in glass and the shaft does not penetrate through it. Magnetized wheels connect the impeller to the driveshaft and the shaft never actually penetrates the fluid chamber and there is no seal to leak...ever. This might sound difficult to understand but the easiest way to explain it is to show you. Check out this video discussing the Kurt Kinetic Rock and Roll fluid trainer and wait til the end of the video where they show you the internal workings of the Kurt Kinetic Fluid Trainer.

Kurt Kinetic Video Review

If you watch this video all the way through, it really highlights the way the Kurt Kinetic is designed and WHY it is so much better of a design than a typical fluid trainer. The chambered design combined with the magnetic coupling rather than a shaft is simply super cool and ultra dependable.

As you can see in the video, your tire drives the shaft which is connected to one rotating disc that has 6 powerful magnets on the face of it. This disc butts up against another disc that is located inside the fluid chamber. The chamber is sealed completely and the two rotating discs are coupled through the seal and simply will not allow this trainer to leak.

I am a very satisfied owner of a Kurt Kinetic Trainer and can attest that not only will it not leak but the design also affords a very realistic road feel and ride and is simple the best bike trainer on the market in my opinion. The warranty department at Kurt Kinetic will be like the Maytag repair man...nothing to do and plenty of time on their hands.

The Kurt Kinetic comes in a couple of incarnations that while similar, are all somewhat different than the others, so check each of these out and see which Kurt Kinetic trainer would be best for your needs.

Kurt Kinetic Road Machine Trainer

The Kurt Kinetic Road Machine is the entry level Kurt Kinetic trainer but don't let the term "entry level" fool you. This is a great unit right out of the gate. It has been tested and rated as the best fluid trainer on the market by the Cycling press and is absolutely beloved by riders everywhere, it's no surprise that the Kurt Kinetic Road Machine indoor bike trainer is the official bicycle trainer for the USA Cycling Team. It's quiet, smooth, leak-proof, and offers an ultra-accurate simulation of outdoor riding. Powertap calibrated, the fluid trainer automatically adjusts resistance as you change speed and this closely simulates the way your outdoor bike reacts as well. If you want a great bang for the buck trainer, then the Kurt Kinetic Road Machine is a great buy.
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Kurt Kinetic Pro Model Trainer

The Kurt Kinetic Pro Model Bike Trainer is an upgrade to the standard Road machine, not because it is any better but simply because it includes a few extra parts. Specifically the Pro model Kurt Kinetic is equipped with the standard 6lb flywheel that the normal Road Machine features but also includes an extra 12lb. flywheel that is designed for endurance workouts like tempo and base building Long Slow Distance rides. Packaged with a rock solid and stable 540 square inch base, the Kurt Kinetic Pro model trainer will keep you very stable and focused on the trainer, allowing you to concentrate on the task at hand. An excellent choice and more versatility than the Road Machine IF you are into specific types of training. If you are just looking to stay in shape, then the Road Machine will work fine.
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Kurt Kinetic Rock and Roll Trainer

The Kurt Kinetic Rock and Roll trainer redefines what "realism" means when talking about your workout as it is the ONLY bike trainer on the market that delivers a very natural side-to-side (rocking) motion that emulates real road riding. This unique lateral motion simulates the out of the saddle grinds and will engage core muscles that maintain balance and don't typically get engaged on a normal stationary cycling workout. What this means is that you can now work on both your riding technique and your power for those out of the saddle intervals. The Kurt Kinetic Rock and Roll Bicycle trainer will redefine what your expectations are of an indoor bike trainer and is the closest thing you can get to a real bike feel without transitioning to rollers. If you are used to having the best equipment around, then the Kurt Kinetic Rock and Roll Bike trainer is right there. An excellent indoor bike trainer.
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Kurt Kinetic Bike Trainer Summary

As you can see, I am a big fan of the Kurt Kinetic bike trainers. I've been fortunate enough to be able to experiment with and try a LOT of different bike trainers and the one that I would buy myself is the Kurt Kinetic. I am attracted to the design and durability plus they simply feel good to ride. A high quality fluid trainer will serve your needs well. It's quiet and works you out very well and best of all it does as good a job as it can to emulate real world road riding.

If you're still searching for the right bike trainer for you, skip the cheap junk and head right to the Made in the USA Kurt Kinetic bike trainers. Check out more Kurt Kinetic Trainer Reviews here.

The Benefits of an Indoor Cycling Trainer

Admin — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 22:27:24 +0000

Why you ask? Why should you part with your hard earned money to buy a bicycling trainer? Well the answers SHOULD be obvious to most but if you are the kind of rider that takes 2 hours to watch 60 Minutes then we thought we would help you understand what the benefits of parting with your hard earned money might be.

The right indoor cycling trainer can be the closest exercise machine to simulate actual outdoor cycling. They are ideal for both apartments, condominiums and houses and some people take advantage of the benefits of cycling trainers in their own living rooms while others use them in their garages. Once the weather starts to cool down, cyclists and exercise enthusiasts can turn to an indoor cycling trainer.

What is an Indoor Cycling Trainer?

Load your actual road bike into the trainer and away you go.

A bike trainer is a device that allows you to ride a bicycle indoors without actually moving. It is generally used by competitive cyclists for training or for regular cyclists who just don't want to lose their fitness level over the winter months. When it gets cold and dark out, the bike trainer is a great way to retain fitness until the hybernation is over.

The actual equipment for a bike trainer is actually a steel or aluminum frame with clamps that hold the bicycle in place. A roller is attached to the frame in order to press against the rear wheel and provide the resistance needed to give you a workout. There are different models and manners of providing that friction but they all work in the same basic manner as described here.

Why You Should Consider a Cycling Trainer

Training for Cycling: Professional cyclists and other competitive cyclists benefit from an indoor trainer for sport specific purposes. With an indoor trainer, they can continue to develop and maintain their skills as well as work on very specific parts of their strategy such as sprinting or out of saddle hill climbing. Cyclists have to stay in shape and ready for racing, especially when the weather turns cold. Unlike bike trainers, indoor exercise bikes do not offer the lifelike experience of outdoor cycling. You still retain the same riding position, handlebars, bicycle seat, and pedal clips as a road bike.

Staying Healthy: Cycling trainers are great devices for staying healthy. Many people do not enjoy jogging, going to the gym and riding a bike on the road. Having a simple machine indoors allows one to exercise to stay healthy and stay motivated. You can even set up the trainer in front of a television for added entertainment and to help the miles click by. Specialized DVDs are also available that will provide specific workouts that range from mild to grueling.

Losing Weight: Aside from being healthy, bike trainers actually cause you to sweat. This means that you are burning calories and potentially losing weight. With the resistance mechanism on the trainer, you can adjust the amount of resistance for a harder workout. When the weather is too cold or too hot for outdoor activities, you can use an indoor bike trainer to maintain your fitness program throughout the year.

Building Endurance: Because you hold the same body position and use the same bicycle parts with a bike trainer, you can actually build more endurance than most other indoor exercise machines. While there are different types of trainers, Rollers offer the most effective endurance building options. This is because Rollers do not support the bicycle and the rider must balance the bike on his own without coming off. This is a more challenging workout for anyone.

As I mentioned before, Indoor cycling trainers come in a variety of types that are categorized based on resistance. These include Magnetic, Fluid, Air-Resistance and Computer trainers. There are also Rollers and Turbo Trainers that function on a slightly different system. Each type of trainer offers its own benefits in terms of resistance, noise level and overall functionality.

Regardless of the type of trainer, both professional cyclists and exercise enthusiasts can take advantage of the number of benefits. You can read more about the specific types of trainers in our Bike Trainer Buying Guide.

Bike Trainer Buying Guide

Admin — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 23:38:50 +0000

As winter approaches and the sun disappears from the evening sky earlier and earlier, most cyclists quickly realize that they have two choices; go into hybernation for the winter or invest a few bucks in a quality bike trainer. You don't need to give up everything you worked so hard to gain over the summer cycling season and you can both maintain and improve your fitness over the winter months. If you're hankering to be the hammer in your riding group come spring, then maybe you need to consider checking out a bicycle trainer.

What's that you say? You're confused by all the choices available in the bicycle trainer market? We completely understand as the differences between a Mag trainer or a Wind trainer can be rather confusing. Add to that your friend raving about their Kinetic trainer and who knows where to begin! We get it, we're not that bright either but we've put in the time to do the research for you. So sit back and check out our bicycle trainer buyers guide and find out which trainer is the best choice for you.

Why Buy a Bike Trainer?

"Why" you ask? Because pedaling your butt off all summer only to watch yourself get fat again over the winter is not good for you, that's why. The answer.... a bicycle trainer. In the world of bicycle trainers, it's always daylight out and the temperature is quite reasonable, just about room temperature in fact and the only wind chill you are going to have to suffer will be from whatever fan you train on yourself to keep cool.

Ok sure, the scenery might not be that great on a bike trainer but you can always spice it up with your DVR or even some DVDs designed specifically for trainers. Ride along with Lance through the French countryside or maybe pick up a training DVD and ride while being yelled at by a guy wearing way too tight shorts and having a decidedly sadistic little attitude. Your choices are endless.

So have we convinced you yet that you simply must have one of these trainers? Just maybe you are not yet sure which bike trainer is right for you? Well have no fear little trooper, keep reading.

What Bike Trainer is Best for Me?

Great question..... and pay attention now because here is where it starts getting good.

Wind Trainer

Breaking wind has new meaning when you start talking about wind trainers and if you're a complete and total cheapskate, then this might be the perfect trainer for you. Ok it's cheap, but does it work? Well a wind trainer is one of the more simple designs available in the trainer market and basically you simply pedal your little heart out, which in turn spins a fan. This fan creates resistance and that is where the work out comes from, very basic and easy to understand.

The downside to a wind trainer is that they are VERY noisy. In fact they are the noisiest of ALL trainers. How bad can it be you ask? Well noise is very subjective but let's say it's going to be louder than you imagined that it would be but not so loud that your ears will bleed...well at least not much anyways. You can get a decent workout from a wind trainer but they will not feel like you are riding on the road but rather more like an exercise bike at the gym.

Wind Trainers Summary
Pro: Economical and effective.
Con: Very noisy, poor simulation of real riding.
Best Choice: CycleOps - High quality company that utilizes technology to minimize noise using die cast zinc fan blades. This flywheel is heavier than most and improves the ride quality but still not as good as other trainers. The best choice in the wind trainer market in our opinion even though it is not the least expensive wind trainer available.

Magnetic Trainers

The next trainer up the ladder on the way to the bicycle trainer hall of fame is the Mag trainer which is short for Magnetic Bicycle trainer. As the more astute might have already ascertained, these bicycle trainers are designed around a series of magnets that create the resistance rather than a fan working against the wind. Why this design is considered better than the wind trainers is that first of all, they are much quieter than a wind trainer, but then again so is a 747 Boeing so that isn't saying much. Seriously though, these trainers are definitely quieter and they offer more features than the typical wind trainer.

Most Mag trainers will allow some sort of resistance variation, meaning you can set it to tailor your workout to vary from mild to hard core. The cheapy models will have the resistance on the flywheel so you need to get off the bike to change it, which stinks. A few bucks more and the resistance controls can be made from the cockpit of the bike via some kind of cable, which is a far better setup. The last thing you need to do when you are drafting off Lance down the backside of some French mountain is to have to get off to adjust your "dial." That's not sexy.

The best Magnetic trainers will feature what is called variable resistance, which basically means that the ride effort will get progressively more difficult the faster you pedal. This is a big improvement over the cheaper models and starts to approach the actual ride quality that you will feel while riding on the road. It's not there but it's much improved over the wind trainer.

Magnetic Trainers Summary
Pro: Variable Resistance, Moderate Price
Con: Still won't give the Ride Quality some want
Best Choice: CycleOps Mag Trainer - We're going with the Cyclops again here as a good recommendation in this category. CycleOps is a high quality company and they produce great stuff. You can buy cheaper Mag trainers but it would be hard pressed to find a better one.

Fluid Trainers

Sorry but a fluid trainer does not involve a 6 pack of your favorite suds but rather this bicycle trainer use some sort of fluid in a confined space that creates a hydraulic resistance. There are a lot of benefits to a fluid trainer, not the least of which is that they are typically the most quiet and smooth bike trainers available.

Your typical Fluid bicycle trainer uses a liquid silicone to create the resistance. The silicone is inside the drive wheel and silicone, by it's nature, gets thicker as it gets hot. The thicker the silicone gets then the more resistance is created. Simple physics for the brainiacs that invented this design but all I know is that these trainers are usually considered to be some of the best out there. They are quieter and provide a much more realistic feel that can very closely simulate true road conditions if the design is right.

Most fluid trainers offer some sort of variable resistance and when you combine the variable resistance with the quiet operation with the excellent ride quality then it's easy to see why many consider the Fluid bicycle trainer to be the best choice when it comes to bike trainers.

Fluid Trainers Summary
Pro: Excellent Feel, Quiet
Con: Cheaper models may leak. Spend the money and get a good one.
Best Choice: Kurt Kinetic Pro Trainer - Head and shoulders above the competition in our opinion. The Kurt Kinetic series of trainers are hands down some of the best on the market and is the one that we personally own for ourselves. The Kurt Kinetic Pro will give you excellent road feel, a superb workout and it will NOT leak. Nuff said.

Bike Trainer Summary

Whether you love them or hate them, bicycle trainers are a necessary evil when it's 30 degrees outside and it is dark an hour before you even get out of work. A bicycle trainer will let you not only maintain your fitness but if utilized properly you could develop into a hammer before spring. All from the comfort of your own home, no cars, no flats, no dogs....just you and Lance.

No matter which bike trainer that you decide to go with, the best bicycle trainer is one that you will use, feel good about and get your money's worth in return for a set of piston like legs and lungs that won't quit.

Ok..now that we've educated you...it's time to run off into the world and find yourself a killer deal on a bicycle trainer that is meant for you. Check out the listings below, these are some of the absolute best deals and lowest prices we could find online at the time of this writing.