Advice please

cexton

Hi all,

I would like to buy a turbo trainer but I have no idea which one to go for or what I should look for when buying one!

Does anyone have any knowledge on turbo trainers?

Cheers

Chris

cexton

I have just been looking at this http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.a ... iner%20Set

Does anyone have one of these? would they recommend it?

Bronzie

Here's your advice:
1. Search the forums for similar queries first - there are loads of threads on turbo trainers already (especially at this time of year), but possibly not as specific as yours - if you can't find exactly what you want, then post a thread of your own
2. Don't title your thread "Advice please" - it helps nobody - something a little more helpful would be "CycleOps Magneto Turbo Trainer - any thoughts?"
3. Put your thread in the right section - as this is an equipment question, I'd suggest "Road Gear and Know-how" is more suited than "Beginners".

Sorry if this comes across as a little prickly, but there seem to be loads of new users turning up in the Beginners section (which is great, the more the merrier) who don't know how to post to a forum in a way that is likely to get them the answer to their question (which is less than great). :roll:

Anyway, rant over, back to "work" I go.

Pagem

hey bronzie, there is a 'losing it in the workplace' thread going on that you would seem quite suited to.

cexton

Blimey who rattled your cage!!!!

You really know how to make people feel welcome!

For your information, I am new to the forum however the forum I posted in states "New to Cycling? Want some advice? Start here..." so ........ thats what I did!!!!!

Cheers

Chris :shock:

heavymental

To be fair, all of Bronzies points are fair. Unfortunately they're lessons you tend to learn after a few posts or some time spent lurking. At least you'll know for next time.

Stick around though, don't be scared!

Bronzie

cexton wrote:

Blimey who rattled your cage!!!!

Sorry, didn't meant to be quite so curt - just trying to point out that the way you've asked your question isn't the best and that there have been a lot of "which turbo trainer" posts in the last few weeks which if you haven't read already, may answer your question.

Welcome to the forum by the way! :oops:

PS Sorry, I still have no opinion about the specific turbo trainer you've pointed out, so I'll shut up now.

cexton

No worries!

I have had chat with my local bike shop since I posted on the forum! I think I will probably go for the CycleOps Magneto Trainer.

Cheers

Chris

BeaconRuth

OK, now Bronzie's apologised for getting out of bed the wrong side this morning I'll try to show the true face of Bikeradar and be helpful:

Cexton, like anything in life, you get what you pay for. The quality of turbo trainers improves the more you pay and you will notice the difference between a cheap model and an expensive one. However, as you're just venturing into the world of turbo-training, my advice is don't go spending too much until you've tried one out for a while and you know you're going to make good use of it. A cheap model will serve you perfectly well for just a few training sessions if, really, you'll be out on the road given half a chance. And besides, a lot of people develop a strong aversion to turbo-training as soon as they try it. It's not everyone's cup of tea!

The most basic models have no way of varying the resistance - you have to use your gears or cadence to ratchet up the effort - you could liken this to riding permanently on a flat road. Other turbo trainers have resistance settings which in effect simulate riding on hills of varying gradients.

As you go up the price range you get to turbo trainers that measure (sometimes not in a very accurate way) your power output which can be very useful if you're seriously into doing interval sessions. Even more expensive and you get into the world of the virtual reality turbo trainers where you can simulate climbing a mountain or racing your mates.

The amount of noise turbos generate will differ greatly which may or may not be an issue for you. Also critical is how stable they are while you're pedalling furiously and the feel of the wheel on the roller - all of these things can only really be judged by experiencing them so I'd recommend asking your LBS if you can try a few out.

Ruth

Barbes

It partly depends on whether you want the accessories that are bundled with it (i.e., mat, riser, sweat thing etc). I think you pay quite a bit for these extras with the Cycleops. I was making the same decision this time last year and concluded that the Minoura 1200

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.a ... h%20Remote

was a better deal. Two things I really appreciate are being able to get the bike on and off quicky and the weight (ie stability). I think the only real difference in terms of the trainer itself is the Cycleops variable resitance. I'd take Ruth's advice & see if you like it first - possibly pick up a second hand one (there are plenty "hardly used" - what does that say?).

popette

I went for an Imagic in the sales at Edinburgh bikes in spring (thinking ahead eh?).

I chose that because I thought the virtual reality stuff would help to make it a bit less boring. It's fine but it still is quite boring compared to riding on the road and I've now chosen to spend money on good lights so that I can go out in the dark instead. I will use the turbo when it gets colder and it's frosty etc but i'd go with the other guys recommendations of trying first if at all possible.

good luck. I hope you find something that you like.
right, off to bed. night night.

Pagem

popette wrote:

I went for an Imagic in the sales at Edinburgh bikes in spring (thinking ahead eh?).

I chose that because I thought the virtual reality stuff would help to make it a bit less boring. It's fine but it still is quite boring compared to riding on the road and I've now chosen to spend money on good lights so that I can go out in the dark instead. I will use the turbo when it gets colder and it's frosty etc but i'd go with the other guys recommendations of trying first if at all possible.

good luck. I hope you find something that you like.
right, off to bed. night night.

seconded.

after having spent an unhealthy amount of time on turbos in the past i have decided to take the plunge and buy some decent lights. cant do turbos anymore.