Cycleops Fluid 2 Purchase

[hibiscus09]

Okie dokie -- I realized this week -- now that I'm back home from vacation and busy again -- that in order to get my three weekday rides in, I may have to resort to a trainer at times. I'll do my longer rides on Saturdays and Sundays out on the road. There's nowhere nearby to ride safely and I just don't have time to go over to the Fort each day to ride.

So, I bought a Cycleops 2 fluid trainer today. Sure hope I have everything put together correctly!

I sat on my bike in the trainer tonight to see how it felt and I did notice the resistance seems to be tighter than it would be at the same gear on the road. Is that normal? Now granted, I was too lazy to change into my cycling gear and had on 3" platform wedges -- that may have been the difference. I did make sure that the trainer was not too tight up against the rear tire.

Anyway, do any of you own the Cycleops 2 and is the resistance a little tighter than on the actual road? I believe the resistance gets more difficult the faster I pedal, but I've yet to try it out for a period of time to see if that's the case.

The only other thing that I noticed is that if I rock my bike back and forth sideways there is a little wobbling -- however, when I was actually on the bike it felt pretty stable. I guess I'm already worrying about have a crash in my garage/gym.

Any comments, advice, crash from the trainer stories?

I'm going to give it a go tomorrow and see if I live.

[makbike]

I picked up a used cycleops fluid 2 trainer in November. Here are a couple of observations/reflections I have from pedaling for endless hours and going absolutely nowhere from Nov-April. First, it is boring so pick out some good music, tune in your favorite TV program, pop a movie in the DVD or enjoy a book to help pass the time. Second, put a junk tire on your rear wheel for the trainer with time will chew up your good one. Third, the resistance always seemed a bit more on the trainer than it actually is on the road but it will make your stronger. Finally, good things come from using a trainer so enjoy the results. Not sure if any of this is helpful but I hope it is.

makbike

[hibiscus09]

Thanks so much for your input, makbike!

I took my son to have all 4 wisdom teeth removed this morning (he's 16), so there was definitely no bike riding earlier today.

I did finally make it out onto my trainer for 47 minutes this afternoon. I definitely think the trainer seems a bit more difficult. My dang iPod was dead, so I hauled out my Bose stereo system to the garage where our home gym happens to be. I cycled to Marvin Gaye. I knew I couldn't keep going nowhere without at least some music. I now know I definitely have to buy a standing fan! I sweated like I never have before.

I have another question. I need a simple rear wheel cyclocomputer. I'd just like to know distance and average speed. Any suggestions? I have a Sigma cyclocomputer on the front wheel, but of course that's not turning when I'm using the trainer.

Thanks!

[makbike]

I'm using an old Cateye computer that I purchased with the bike back in 1986 so unfortunately I can't help with this one. Have you checked with your LBS to see what they have in stock?

[hibiscus09]

Thanks! I did and they didn't have a rear wheel cyclocomputer in stock. They said they could order a Cateye. I may just end up letting them do that. I suppose I could check e-bay, but I wasn't sure which models work from the rear wheel or what I would need to use with the trainer. I'm not very bright about my new trainer.

[melissam]

Hibiscus,

The Cat Eye Astrale 8 has a rear wheel sensor and is on sale at Performance for $34.99. It also does cadence, which could be handy for your sessions on the trainer.

I bought a cheapie wireless for $25 from Performance -- the db4lw. No cadence, but I wonder if it would work for your purposes. The computer has to be 60 cm from the sensor/transmitter. Not sure if that would work, or if it would be blocked while you're riding.

Hope your training is going well!

-- Melissa