Question about buying a trainer

[EBD]

I'm seriously considering buying a trainer, so I can get some more cycling into my rotation during the winter months - I rode last week for the first time in a couple of months, and it hurt!

That said, I'm a broke grad student. I've looked for used trainers, and will continue to do so (though I've had no luck so far) - but I'm tempted by the "Ascent Adjustable Magnetic Trainer," which Performance now has on sale for $89. Anyone have experience? More generally, what's the difference between a magnetic and fluid trainer? I'm only an amateur road cyclist so my body isn't a fine-tuned machine or anything - but I don't want anything that might damage my bike!

[CycleChic06]

No luck on Craigslist? You can find ANYTHING there!

[EBD]

I posted on craigslist, and got 2 replies - one selling rollers (which I am NOT ready for!), and one selling a trainer he bought in the '70s. That sounded risky to me :-).

Anyway I ended up going for the $89 trainer from Performance (Ascent Mag-3L), and it seems perfectly sturdy. It even has 3 resistance levels. My boyfriend was so impressed (. . . after he put it together for me ) that he went and got one for himself. They had all the trainers set up in the store and he asked, what is the difference between the $89 model and the $269 model? The bike shop guy basically said that low-end trainers have gotten so much better in recent years that the difference is on the margins - the high-end one will be quieter, perhaps a big more stable - but the cheap ones are just fine for most. (This is an uncharacteristic admission for someone who works at Performance!)

I hope he's right!

[CycleChic06]

congrats on purchasing one. I have been considering buying one too, I just don't have the space for it!

[emily_in_nc]

EBD,

I also have a low-end trainer from Performance, but it's several years old. It works fine. Yeah, it doesn't mimic the road, and it does chew up my quick release, but it does the job. I think I paid about $119 for it. DH got a slightly nicer Minoura mag trainer last year on ebay for a great price. It's slightly quieter than mine and has a remote for the resistance (which I don't need -- I just set mine on "2" and use the gears for anything else).

Sometimes I wonder what a really high-end trainer would be like -- but I'd rather spend my money on more interesting things. And I sweat just as much on my trainer as on a pricy one!

Enjoy (!!?!) your new purchase!

~Emily