I luv my Kurt Kinetic trainer. A little pricey being a fluid trainer but well worth it, in my opinion! I luv that it's relatively quiet (compared to others), keeps cool (will last longer~I hope) and I only need shift up/down to adjust the tension (co cables, knobs, etc). Can't go wrong as long as you're riding 'whatever' you choose! As for back tire/wheel~swap it out to something cheap and put the miles/wear-n-tear on something that you don't 'care' about. Save the good tire/wheel for the road!