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Turbo trainer
NB: Originally posted elsewhere on the Global Riders Network and appears via syndication.
Any recommendations for a good indoor turbo trainer?
I managed to get fitter the other year by spinning etc but my own trainer is lousy, it's noisy & doesn't feel anything like real riding.
I am after a trainer that will accommodate 26" to 700c wheels, is quiet & gives a realistic load rather than a simple brake type resistance that stops the wheel dead as soon as the pedalling effort is reduced.
I'd rather be in the hills but distance & time is prohibitive.
Any advice welcome, cheers.
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I spent the first 6 months of this year serving in the middle east with the Navy. With my spare time i took my trainer and road bike.
The trainer i got is one of the Elite range. Magnetic resistance, wireless controls that tell you distance, speed, power, cadence, heart rate, time, average speeds, max speeds,odometer and so on. Comes with like 16 preset workouts for interval, speed, strength and endurance work outs.
The only problem i found with it is if i stood up it took to much weight off the back wheel and it lost traction.
It cost me around $600-$700 from my LBS.
While nothing beats a good ride, when its pissing down rain or a howling wind outside just set this bad boy up infront of the TV and watch old mountain bike or tour de france dvds.
Gday tony, allow me to give some advice back for a change.
For a more realistic feel, stick with a fluid trainer. One of the best on the market, and one that I keep coming back to in reviews is the kurt kinetic road machine. Although I have no personal experience with this machine, and the trainer i use has yet to die, I heave read and heard many agood thing about it.
I myself use a jet black fluid trainer with the elastomer roller, rather than the standard metal/steel. I have done easily over 300+ hours in mine and it is still going strong. I have even worked out a rough power output equation so as to help you train in power zones if you want.
Good luck and find some good training dvd's, a quality fan and some stainless bolts around your headset
pete
I use the Kurt Kinetic Rock & Roll. It's prob the best fluid trainer you can get. Unlike most it allows the bike to rock side to side.
It fits all bikes from 24 inch BMX's to my 700cc roadie.
Fluid trainers are very boring. The only way I get through is with Sufferfest videos and TrainerRoad software.
Aside from fluid trainers you can look into virtual reality trainers. They are mega bucks. I've not tried one to comment though.
You will need an industrial strength fan from bunnings and a stand to hold your computer. I use a music stand but a lectern from an office store will also work well.
Jet Black Fluid Z1 as per ptpete. Resistance ramps up the faster you go. Not quite the same as 'on the road' feel but quite good. After some time (90 mins) the fluid can heat up and reduces the input required but isn't too noticeable.
The Kinetic is also very good.
TrainerRoad.com has this model (and others) programmed into their system so you can use power to train not just heart rate.
Kurt Kinetic trainers are probably one of the better brands out there. I use the KK Road Machine which is the same as the rock and roll except you can't rock the bike side to side. It is a lot quieter than my last mag trainer. The other good thing about it is that because it is a fluid trainer you don't have to adjust the resistance, it just gets harder as you go faster.
I bought mine off Cycling Inform which is a Australia cycling site for about $400.
Other good brands include Tacx, Wahoo fitness, Le Mond, Jetblack etc.
If you have got the money another good option would be a Tacx Virtual Reality trainer. Expensive at about $2000 but it connects to the tv and you can set a course and it will simulate going up and the hills on that course by adjusting the resistance. And if a friend has one of these trainers, you can race him in multiplayer mode.
If you want realistic feel, power measurement you cant go past either of these two trainers.
The KICKR is a very open platform, connected and cntrolled by iphone or ipad. You can even race your favourite strava segments on the trainer with one of the apps. I have one and cant recommend it enough.
http://au.wahoofitness.com/
http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2013/03/fitness-train...
Lemond
http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2010/09/spending-time...
Kurt Kinetic Road Machine or Brian's RocknRoll if he's still got it for sale.
If you have a cadence sensor on the rear wheel you can convert speed to power as the resistance is calibrated. I think Brian is selling his with the necessary bits.
I agree with the comments about needing the vids. They turn indoor training from an instrument of torture into a really effective tool.
Buy a good industrial fan.
My one has been sold
Looks like Brian sold his Rock 'n' Roll... which is just as well as I note the OP is on the opposite side of the country
Anyhow - I too have a Kurt Kinetic Rock 'n' Roll trainer and it's awesome. They just updated the model but looks like they just wanted to make the base take up less floorspace and weight. Yes, these things are heavy - 27kg.
The resistance unit in the Kurt Kinetic trainers seems very nice. It's certainly a lot quieter than some mag trainers I tried. I also tried a mag unit with resistance control but you don't need this with a good fluid trainer - just get into a bigger gear if you want more resistance.
Kurt claim the fluid they use doesn't change consistency with heat and that there is a linear function between how fast the wheel is going to how much power the rider must be putting in to maintain that. If you have a wheel magnet & speedo fitted and care about working out power that is. Can't say I ever bothered.
I don't actually use mine that much now as our gym got a proper cycle you can clip into and doesn't have a 10 foot wide seat
If your into VR trainers this one looks the bomb to me.
https://www.proform.com/tour-de-france/
You can apparently plot any route in the world using google earth and it will simulate its elevation profile.
Also has all the usual fitness data.
SUMMARY:
There’s no question in my mind that the Wahoo KICKR trainer has completely changed the trainer landscape. Partly because of the hardware, but more importantly because of the ability for 3rd party companies to develop software for it. As you’ve seen above, companies and organizations are already doing so – and at price points significantly lower than the high-priced multi-hundred dollar software suites that the market is currently locked into. And if we fast forward to next fall, I think we’ll be looking at an even cooler set of applications for the KICKR.
I recently spent a fair bit of time on a work trip on one of these which is similar to some of the others talked about in that it's a stationary bike with programable maps which automatically adjust resistance to simulate terrain etc. The only real difference is the Expresso also has steering input so it's halfway to being a game.
http://ifholdings.com/Learn/Products/Expresso
What was interesting is that I didn't need the sufferfest or movies and was never bored even after a few hours, normally I'm terminally bored after 7 minutes. It makes it a lot more interactive because you're racing against yourself and other riders (you can also set pace riders with specific power outputs) and you can track against previous times/power etc.
I'd certainly agree that these electronic trainers are going to change the landscape, not cheap but the way to go. It will be interesting to see what hits the market and how the pricing changes if at all
Yeah, Kickr fo shizzle, especially since the Strava app has been released just recently (you can ride strava segments on the trainer).
LeMond has the closest feel to riding on the road, but is certainly dating a bit.
Rollers? Nothing like having to balance and pay attention, rather than being bolted in.
I've wondered about rollers. Is there any resistance on them so you get a cardio workout or is it all about balance and paying attention? Serious question.
Jeez, I've just come back from a sneaky loop in the hills & in one day I've got enough cyber trawling for the whole weekend.
Cheers guys.
I doubt that I'll be investing in a multi thousand dollar virtual system quite yet but those up to $500 sound pretty good. I've also not really thought about videos but I did have Le Tour on last time I used my rubbish trainer. Unfortunately the drone of the thing drowned out the sound completely.
Hawkeye, rollers are great and provide more than enough resistance.
I've used both since I was ~10 years old, and prefer rollers 10-1.
Some rollers have added resistance mechanisms, but I've never used them. Even on short 6m junior gearing there is enough resistance for most sprints.
In addition to basic balance, you also have to be smooth. Sure, anyone can spin 200 rpm when bolted in, but if you can do it on rollers, you can do it anywhere. Most turbo trainers don't reward or encourage smooth, high cadence 'road-like' riding.
Doing max power 5 sec sprints, you WILL break traction on a normal turbo trainer and strip your rear tire even faster. Systems where you remove your rear wheel eliminate this, but also usually cost much more.
I got a D2R Shadow off Torpedo 7 when it was on sale at $350. (currently on sale at 380)
It allows the bike to sway side to side so it is better for the frame than some other trainers. Plus it doesn't wear out your rear bearings/tyres. It has magnetic resistance and since there is no tyre to trainer contact, it is really quite and can be used on any size bike wheel.
Downside is it weighs 25kgs. And bike/trainer need to have the same size cassette. Plus there aren't many reviews online and I'm not too sure who stocks them or where you can try one out.
The sufferfest series is a great workout for stationary training. They almost get you more obsessed with doing them than being on the bike.
All available online from their website for a price or free if you know where to go
^^^ agree re Sufferfest.
I've gone through periods where I preferred doing my daily turbo Sufferfest session than actually riding.
After 1 hour your always well buggerred often much more than you would be after a many hour ride with mates.
There's no pre and post ride faff other than a shower.
When the video defeats me I'm just as cut up as being dropped on a group ride.
When it gets hot in the next few months I'd imagine I'm going to be doing up to half my rides on a turbo.
So far the short list is as follows:
Kurt Kinetic road machine $399. well proven, simple, reliable, loads of recommendations. Seems expensive for what it is though.
D2R $380. looks good, mounts without rear wheel, allows movement (is it necessary?) can't find much info or reviews. I'm worried it's a cheap copy of another trainer?
Tacx Satori high power $280. Plenty of positive reviews.
Force fluid $160. Seems great for the money, a few reviews (all good) but not much info otherwise.