The Minoura sets up easy in spite of some of the most horrible directions I've ever read. Fortunately I am male, so I don't need no stinkin directions but a few minutes and the Minoura Mag 850 Bike Trainer was put together and ready to go. The Minoura gets thumbs up for a foot operated pedal that moves the flywheel up against the rear tire but thumbs down for smallish cranks that make loading the bike into the trainer a bit more annoying than it has to be. Not a deal breaker but it could be designed better.

Riding the Minoura 850R Mag trainer provides a solid workout. It's reasonably quiet compared to say a wind trainer or a lower end Mag trainer but not as quiet as the better fluid trainers on the market. Seven resistance levels are controlled by a remote cable that you can clamp to your bars and these resistance levels provide a solid workout that will get your heart pumping and keep your lungs and your quads in shape. The Minoura will not provide what I would call a realistic ride feel but it is decent and as expected from a trainer in this price range.

Who Should Buy the Minoura 850R Mag Trainer

The target buyer for this type of trainer is the average cyclist who doesn't care about simulating the exact feel of road riding but rather just wants to stay in shape and get a good workout. Minoura has a good quality reputation in the bike trainer market and this Mag trainer is a reasonable example of that quality. It is not priced out of the range of the average rider and should give a solid ride, a great workout and years of dependable Mag trainer powered useage.

Minoura V270 Ride Feel

The theory is that the Minoura Gyro Mag trainer will provide a progressive resistance that will closely emulate a realistic ride feel but provide the unmatched durability and trouble free operation of a Mag trainer. A really cool idea from a company that is a pillar in the Mag trainer cycling world. As if this wasn't enough, the Minoura V270 Mag trainer sports all of the usual accoutrements that you would expect from a Mag trainer at this price point including a foldable compact design, accomodations for the various sized tires, durable frame and selectable resistance via a remote cable adjuster.

In our short time with this bike trainer, the Minoura V270 delivered a surprisingly quiet ride that offered a wide variety of resistance that felt "good" on our legs. I wouldn't go so far as to say it provides as good of a ride as a high end fluid trainer but it will provide a great workout, good road feel and should be extremely durable throughout hours of indoor cycling time. Throw in your favorite cycling DVD and start spinning.

Who Should Buy the Minoura Gyro V270 Bike Trainer

The Minoura Gyro V270 bicycle trainer would make a superb choice for the cyclist who wants a high quality trainer but might be a bit leary of things they have read about fluid trainers OR just doesn't want to pony up the bigger dollars to purchase a fluid trainer. The Minoura V270 strikes a great balance and bridges the world between those two styles of trainers very well. It provides near fluid trainer like quality with Mag trainer dependability and a solid workout and road feel.

It appears to be a solidly engineered and sturdy design that will function well, give you a great workout, won't make your ears bleed and will not bankrupt you doing it. What more could you want from your indoor bike trainer?

Money is tight for us all these days...so check out these potential deals we found on Ebay and Amazon that will save you money on your Minoura Gyro V270 Bike trainer purchase. List price is $389 dollars, so check out how much you can save by shopping wisely.

The Forza F2 trainer features a rubberized base to reduce vibration and noise but at this price point, you are only going to get so quiet and the Forza F2 trainer is pretty loud. This isn't an issue if you are in a basement or own your own home, but if you are a condo or apartment dweller then let's hope you are on good terms with your neighbors. The resistance feel is decent and you can get a solid workout on it but this trainer is not going to do a great job of simulating a real ride feel. That isn't a knock, as really none of the trainers at this price point do that great a job of it. The Forza F2 will still give you a good workout and allow you to burn some calories and keep your legs tuned up and that is all many trainer users are after.

Overall the Forza F2 Mag Trainer is a decent little trainer. It's easy to assemble, easy to operate and has quick release skewers included. It isn't going to run with something like a Kurt Kinetic Pro machine but then again it's 1/4th of the price so it shouldn't be expected to either. Definitely a decent buy for someone looking for an economical trainer to burn some calories on.

Who Should Buy the Forza F2 Magnetic Bike Trainer

The Forza F2 Bike Trainer is targeted at the occasional cyclist that wants to spin some gears and keep their legs tuned up and their lungs working well during either the winter months or on rainy days. It doesn't excel at anything but it performs reasonably well at everything making it a great all around selection.

The cyclist who is on a budget will find this attractive as the list price is somewhere around $120-$140 dollars and that is a decent deal for a decent Mag trainer. You can find cheaper ones, but the quality gets suspect in a hurry when you get into the sub $100 dollar range.

Even at full price, the Forza F2 trainer is not a bad deal but we're always about saving some money so check out these listings we found below. You should be able to save a decent amount of money on your Forza F2 Bike trainer and still have the satisfaction of dealing with a high quality supplier like Amazon.com. MSRP is $229 dollars, so check out how much you can save by shopping wisely.