Spring is not too far off and I am in appalling shape. I’m shopping for a trainer that I can use in my basement, but it has been so long since I purchased something like this that I have no clue what to look for.
I have an old fan trainer that I bought when I was in college and it has officially fallen apart. It was also a pain to use because it was very loud.
I am looking at the kind that you can just secure the back wheel of your bike into and the biggest feature I want is that it be quiet and smooth. The two different kinds out there seems to be magnetic resistance and fluid resistance. Can anyone tell me the pros/cons of each type?
I’m not looking for top of the line, but somewhere around the $100 - $150 range. I have looked at the Nashbar and Performance web sites, and here is the kind of thing I am thinking of:
Can’t help you with the fluid trainer, but I just got a Minoura trainer on consignment from my LBS for $100 in early January (nyah-nyah, I got the jump on ya!!). I’ve been dealing with my LBS for 15+ years, their opinion is that anything in your price range is junk, FWIW.
I really like this unit and it’s big selling point is the quiet. I, like you, recently junked a 15 year old Vetta trainer with fans. This unit spins really smooth, even at low rpms. The other nice feature is the rear mount, reducing bottom bracket and chainstay stress (not good on a Kestrel). There doesn’t seem to be a lot of difference in the resistance settings, but shifting rings can definitely give you a workout. And, with the rim mount there’s no tire wear.
I can’t help you with the magnetic trainer, but I have a TravelTrac fluid trainer (much like the one you’re looking at). I’ve had it for 2 years, and I still use and like it. I’m not sure what you call “loud”, but I ride it while watching TV, and can get away with only turning the TV up a few ‘notches’ and I can hear fine. It’s a very smooth trainer, and I’ve had no problems whatsoever. Let me know if you have any more specific questions.
Thanks for the replies. As far as the noise goes, I’m looking for something I can ride with the TV on and not have to blast the sound. My old one made an annoying whine as the fan spun. It sounds like the fluid one may be the way to go.
I assume you’re using a road bike or a mountain bike with slicks, right? If not, look at the Minoura rim drive system. Like it says, it is driven from the rim instead of the tyre so it will run quietly even with off-road tyres.
Heh, I did a google search and apparently Minoura is the only one making a rim drive right now. I am surprised.
Upon preview I see collinsc has chipped in. I’ll be on the rollers here soon, but I need some brainless mileage w/o killling myself to lose some tonnage. If I got on the rollers now, they probably wouldn’t spin from the sag.
I was actually toying with the idea of rollers as an alternative to a trainer.
I’ve never used them before. Is the learning curve as steep as it seems it would be? I’m afraid (unreasonably I’m sure) that I would kill myself if I’m clipped in to my pedals and not proficient enough at the rollers to maintain my balance.
I know they are supposed to be great for improving your pedaling motion and all that good stuff. Do they give a good workout as well?
I was intrigued by these by Performance but I don’t have a clue what I would need to look for in a set of rollers. Besides the house-brand ones from Perofmance and Nashbar, most of what I see is expensive sets by Kreitler (way out of my price range). Could I expect to get good use out of a “discount” set of rollers?
Not really. It was probably the first four or five times that it seemed really loosy-goosy, but I think you can pick it up reasonably well. The trick is to use the rollers in a narrow hallway or doorway. Use a step stool to get in the saddle and off you go. And yes, you’ll get a definite workout, and with the mag unit’s some are available with, you can’t go wrong. I’m proficient enough now that I ride in the garage with only my tool bench for support on one side. I bought my rollers (American Classic) used for about $100. (See the theme here?)
It can be a challenge at first, but once you gain the faith that your spinning wheels will keep you upright, it’s pretty easy. You will see right away where your spin needs some smoothing, and you will fix it right now or you will fall. Setting up in a doorway is a good idea.
The resistance of rollers is determined by tire deflection. Tire deflection is determined by the diameter of the drum and tire pressure. I’ve seen some rather large drums that I can’t imagine offer much resistance at all, but the average seems to be 3.5 inches. Some offer addon resistance units, but I dont think that’s really what your goal should be with rollers.
If it’s too easy, spin faster. Dont forget you have a whole load of gears, and you dont need to have your tires at 120psi either. Rollers offer a more interesting workout IMO because though you cannot do the completely balls-out sprint fest that you can on a trainer, what you do do has to be on good form or you will be on your ass. Drop into your top gear and try to spin 130rpm, good luck.
At times, I do appreciate being able to completely space out on a trainer. You cant fall asleep on rollers, but after some time it doesnt really take too much attention.
Yep. I really wish I could afford some Kreitlers, but I cant. PVC drums wont be as smooth as Aluminum ones, and wont stay as smooth forever, but I have had no trouble with my PVC Tacx rollers for the past 3 years of abuse. Though you will hear of plenty of people who are still using 20+ year old sets of Kreitlers…
Minoura makes some reasonably priced aluminum rollers, Performance probably sells them rebadged as their own, but that $90 set you linked I’m sure would be just fine.
Thanks for all the info. Now I’m more undecided than before.
I may be leaning more towards rollers so I’ll have to shop around. They have that whole “real cyclist” cachet and all. And I’m sure I could use some smoothing out of my pedaling.
Although today it was 41 degrees here in Wisconsin. Maybe I’ll just put my old wool tights on and hit the pavement:)
Well, I’m thankful - I need to buy a trainer in the next month, and I had no idea what to look for. Except I knew rollers were out. (RBR is great if you’re deciding between 2 or 3 things. But if you’ve no idea it’s far too much information to try and filter through effectively. Well, for me at least.)
As I’m also going to have to buy crap (I can’t afford anything above your stated price range) I really appreciate your opening this thread.
And yeah, RBR can throw a ton of information at you. I can see how it could be overwhelming if you dont eat, sleep, breathe, live bicycles. (Like some of us )
Because I have (at best) 15 inches of useable hallway. Maybe. Probably less (Just the way the apartment is set up) and I’m clumsy, so I think that would be a bad idea. And even assuming I did put it there I’d be facing either my front door or looking at the side of my computer - and I couldn’t bike that long looking at nothing. I’d go crazy.
Triathlon. And biking is worst for me (I simply suck at it) so I tend to avoid it (the way many people do with things they’re not good at.) The trainer is the last ditch attempt to get a level that’s merely pathetically bad as opposed to where I am now.
