Ask Levi: What Is a Good Stationary Trainer?
Comments(2) and indoor trainer | stationary trainer As winter is approaching, indoor trainers will become more and more popular (and more and more despised, at the same time.) Here’s a question about which one to get…
I am 49 and late getting into the cycling game. I found your site and like it. Just wondering what is a good stationary trainer to get.
-Kevin
Hi Kevin,
Glad you like my site, and welcome to cycling!
Before I talk about stationary trainers, I should mention that I greatly prefer riding rollers. But if you insist on getting a stationary trainer, here are my thoughts:
There are two trainers out there that are highly regarded. First, the Kurt Kinetic Road Machine, seen here. It looks like most other trainers, but the quality is top-notch.
Second, there is a small company which makes the 1UpUSA Trainer, seen here. This trainer has a unique design and has won many awards, so I encourage you to take a look.
But those trainers are in the $300-400 range, which is a lot of dough for something that’s not much fun to ride!
If you look slightly lower, in the $250-300 range, there is a very popular trainer called the CycleOps Fluid 2, seen here. This is a very common trainer to be seen in bike shops for doing bike fittings, and based on the number of reviews out there, many cyclists must own this themselves.
But of course, opinions vary. You will see a wide range of reviews covering this trainer at RoadBikeReview.com and MTBR.com.
That seems to be the case with almost every trainer in the $50-250 price range though. No one trainer is going to please everyone.
If you don’t mind choppy resistance and lots of noise, a $75 trainer might be great for you. If you need super smooth resistance and perfect silence, you probably won’t be happy unless you fork over the $350.
It can be a tough decision. So that means doing some more research and maybe trying out a few trainers on your own is a good idea. If there’s one specific model you’re looking at, here are places to see reviews:
Trainer Reviews at RoadBikeReview.com
Trainer Reviews at MTBR.com
Do your research, but don’t over analyze the decision or it will be summer again before you pick the right one! Good luck, I hope you find a good one for your needs!
P.S. Don’t forget the Spinervals indoor trainer workout DVDs!
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Kurt Kinetic all the way…I’ve used mine for a few years now and it awesome. The most road like feel of any trainer I have used and it can’t leak fluid. Its built really solid.
I did have a problem with the screw that you turn the knob on to apply preasure to the wheel. It stripped. I called Kurt Kinetic and a live person answered the phone on like the second ring and she was able to help me right away. No questions asked they sent me a replacement screw and knob. I had it in 3 days.
I also learned that putting a few drops of chain lube on the tensioner bolt prevents it from binding and stripping, not to mention it makes it alot easier.
Thanks for chiming in with your experience! With the purchase of something like this, customer service should not be overlooked.