Trainers- I am clueless!

[Aggie_Ama]

DH and I want to get a trainer, but we are both clueless. The max we can spend is $200 (with the blocks and all). Can we get a decent one for that? Since we are in Texas it isn't looking at being a high use item. Mainly, weeknights during the winter.

I have seen magnetic, fluid, hybrid. I have heard you all talking about spinervals. HUH? Can someone please educate me? Thanks! :o

[Veronica]

My trainer is more than you want to spend, although you could try ebay... I have a Kurt Kinetic. It gets a good amount of use.

http://spinervals.com/

Spinervals are the brainchild of the Evil Coach Troy. It's kind of like spin class, but way harder than any class I ever took. Essentially you have this very cruel man telling you what gear to be in and what your cadence should be...no not my husband. :) And he makes you stay there for a wicked long time!

V.

[Eden]

Try CraigsList or something similar. Lots of people get rid of trainers on the cheap there - and you can even advertise that you want to buy one.

Turbo (wind) trainers are usually the cheapest and noisiest. A cheap one may offer up less resistance than a nicer mag or fluid, but these can be obtained around the $100 mark sometimes. You may not be able to hear your spinning DVD over it though....

Magnetic - less noisy than wind a good magnetic trainer should give you decent resistance, though if you are very very powerful you may want to go with a fluid.

Fluid - least noisy and the feel can be a little better than the other two - a little less abrupt. These are generally the most expensive of the three and the cheap ones can develop leaks!

[makbike]

Does your LBC have a forum? I picked up a Cyclop2 fluid trainer last year for $150 off our forum and have logged many a mile on it since my purchase. Craigslist and EBay are also good places to look too.

The Spinerval tapes/DVDs provide an excellent workout and by the end you will dislike Coach Troy a lot, an awful lot! I'm convinced he does not know how to ride a bike for I've never seen him astride one. He is one sick cookie. Our LBC offers trainer tours every Tuesday and Thursday hosted by a Coach Troy tape. Like little lemmings we all hook our bikes up, climb aboard and do as Coach Troy tells us. However, those who stick with using their trainers throughout the winter months are way ahead of those who parked their bikes for the winter months when it warms up later in the season.

Good luck!

[han-grrl]

We have a few bike forums around here, and people are frequently upgrading their trainers. perhaps you can post a "looking for" ad somewhere in your bike community.

[ribbit_zap]

I just purchased a Cycleops Magneto online for 200 (including the block) and the shipping was free. It is a 2006 which is why it was cheaper (they are now pushing the 2007 model) The cheapest places tend to be online. I looked at bike shops and they were all way more expensive...around 70 bucks more expensive and when you are trying to cut costs 70 bucks makes a huge difference. Good Luck! :)

[han-grrl]

you can also check ebay

[Aggie_Ama]

Mak- Have you had any problems with the Cycleops leaking? I found one on Craigslist for $175, I was thinking of seeing if he would take less.

Nancy- Do you recall which site you used? I have found several but am concerned about using one I am unfamiliar with.

We have a brand new Performance here, one of the first in Texas. I was thinking of checking them out this weekend. All this cold and rain is killing my fitness. When I lived in an apartment I had the fitness center to fall back on, now I am just sitting on my butt. :o

[makbike]

AA, I've not any problems with my trainer leaking. I've logged over 1,600 miles on since I picked it up last year. It was "lightly" used, whatever that means. No matter what it means I know I've gotten my $150 out of it and I've been able to maintain my fitness level.

Good luck in your hunt.

[EBD]

I just bought an Ascent magnetic trainer from Performance for $89 (sale). It seems very sturdy - but it is a little noisy. I had to crank up the TV a few notches. It has 3 resistance levels - the medium one is a good workout for me, using my toughest gears, but my BF was disappointed that he can't get enough resistance to stand up on the bike. I bought a block and sweat guard but not a mat - just use an old yoga mat with a towel on top (on carpet floor).

For what it's worth, my BF asked the bike shop guy what the difference was between an $89 trainer and a $269 trainer, he basically said the differences are at the margins - that cheap trainers have gotten better in the last few years. So a more expensive one will probably be quieter, more stable, maybe more resistance . . . but a cheap trainer isn't dangerous or anything.

But then, I'm still an amateur cyclist looking for a winter workout, and definitely not a racer.

[equus123]

DH and I want to get a trainer, but we are both clueless. The max we can spend is $200 (with the blocks and all). Can we get a decent one for that? Since we are in Texas it isn't looking at being a high use item. Mainly, weeknights during the winter.

I have seen magnetic, fluid, hybrid. I have heard you all talking about spinervals. HUH? Can someone please educate me? Thanks! :o

The difference between magnetic vs. fluid trainers is the resistance curve. Magnetic trainers' resistance does not increase with increased power to the pedals so if you're in a hard gear but you get the pedals going, you can find the groove and the trainer almost "keeps you going".

Fluid trainers, on the other hand, provides resistance proportionately to the power you're pedalling at. The faster or harder you pedal, the harder and harder the trainer's resistance is on you. Its basically exactly like you're out on the road. If you're riding up a steep climb so that you're pushing super hard at a cadence of 60 rpms, at that moment you feel like if you slow your cadence down to 57 rpms, you're gonna slow down and fall over because of the "resistance" of the road. The fluid trainer has the same feel.

That's the difference between the trainers and more than likely the difference in price.

[MissMoni]

I just bought a Kurt Kinetic and I love it! The only downfall is that it is a bit pricey ($275 for the cheapest). Prior to buying it I read tons reviews on roadbikereview.com. The Kurt Kinetic and 1 Up USA recieved the best reviews by far. From what people said, you get what you pay for. What I like about the Kurt Kinetic is that it is easy to use, very fluid and stable, feels like a riding on the road, and offers quite a challenging workout. It also has a good warranty which is important for trainers. The CycleOps was Kurt's first company so they have a similar design. Though it didn't get as good of reviews, it is a bit cheaper.

Now I am in the process of looking for a good training program!