Which Turbo Trainer

Soni

Following a bad case of ManFlu which has laid me up for over a week and been off work and unable to do any kind of training, i was due back at work today and thought i would head out this morning and get back into the swing of things for my regular early morning ride at 05:30 and was shocked when i was greeted with frozen roads/fog/mist.

After nearly killing myself half way into the ride when the back wheel slipped out whilst being overtaken by a 4 x 4, i cut the ride short and headed back home and lost control on a bend in a country lane and was stopped by the hedgerow prior to entering a farmers field!

So - i think its time to invest in a turbo trainer.....

I've been doing really well with training/fitness/weight loss throughout the summer/autumn and really want to keep the training up but its just rediculous and dangerous attempting to ride in the conditions i was confronted with this morning.

So - any of you use Turbo Trainers? I understand they are boaring? Are there better ones that make it more pleasurable? I was thinking of some type of Turbo Trainer which will plug into a pc game and have me cycling some climbs in Sunny Lanzorote?

I have 2 x Budgets - The one i would like to spend up to £150.00 - and the other which i 'could possibly stretch to if need be/worth it' which would be up to £300.00......

Any advice appreciated....

Anonymous

Cycleops Jet Fluid Pro is my turbo of choice.

Well built, easy to set up, sturdy, smoooooth, no faffing with resistance, realistic road feel, consistent.

Have had Tacx ones they were again well built and sturdy but were very choppy with bad dead spots at higher resistance...

Soni

NapoleonD wrote:

Cycleops Jet Fluid Pro is my turbo of choice.

Well built, easy to set up, sturdy, smoooooth, no faffing with resistance, realistic road feel, consistent.

Have had Tacx ones they were again well built and sturdy but were very choppy with bad dead spots at higher resistance...

Hi mate thanks for the reply, funnily enough i've just come accross your post on this thread whilst searching Google!

http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16504179

I've found it here but its the 2011 one:-

http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/produ ... ainer_2011

I like the idea that it also comes with a Lifetime Guarantee.

Also, somebody in the thread i posted above mentioned that they had a turbo trainer and it started slipping? Do they all do this? Does the one you recommend slip?

Scrumple

here we go again...

please just search for turbo trainer threads as it is a weekly posting...

To summarise: fluid are great, but have no data (you'd need a power tap or something) / magnetic are less realistic but have fantastic data to help training (not completely accurate but consistent so you can see improvement)

there... now search

Anonymous

Or just use a cheap bike computer that can work off the rear wheel...

Buckled_Rims

I bought the Elite Crono Fluid ElastoGel, but I've not tried any other of the latest turbos to compare. I'm fairly pleased with it. The casing gets very hot compared to my (very old) magnet one. It's quite smooth and feels like a 5% hill resistance (best i can describe I'm afraid).

It's boring, but that can be compensated by mp3 players. The worst aspect is the sweat. I don't like an electrical fan blowing on me - I get dry eyes quickly. So the sweat just pours off. Towels and the open kitchen door helps a bit.

Also don't forget to buy a front wheel riser, although I just made one from blocks of wood glued together

Anonymous

Buckled_Rims wrote:

I bought the Elite Crono Fluid ElastoGel, but I've not tried any other of the latest turbos to compare. I'm fairly pleased with it. The casing gets very hot compared to my (very old) magnet one. It's quite smooth and feels like a 5% hill resistance (best i can describe I'm afraid).

It's boring, but that can be compensated by mp3 players. The worst aspect is the sweat. I don't like an electrical fan blowing on me - I get dry eyes quickly. So the sweat just pours off. Towels and the open kitchen door helps a bit.

Also don't forget to buy a front wheel riser, although I just made one from blocks of wood glued together

Put the fan behind / to the side then!

Soni

Do you guys reckon a turbo is more entertaining than an excercise bike?

We have an excercise bike and i've only used that once as it was so so boaring.....whereas i normally ride every morning at 0530 for 70-80 minutes and enjoy every minute of it..

Just don't want to waste 200 notes and end up not using it..... :evil:

Anonymous

Have a look through that thread, plenty of tips on videos to watch etc.

The important thing with a turbo is that you use your own bike so the fit is perfect...

chill123

i've got a Cycleops Fluid 2 and am very pleased with it.

review here if required:
http://www.bicyclecenturytraining.com/b ... th-review/

paultheparaglider

Soni wrote:

I've found it here but its the 2011 one:-

http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/produ ... ainer_2011

I like the idea that it also comes with a Lifetime Guarantee.

Also, somebody in the thread i posted above mentioned that they had a turbo trainer and it started slipping? Do they all do this? Does the one you recommend slip?

On the recommendation of Nap D, I recently bought the Jet Fluid Pro. I have the 2011 model from Winstanleys. I've never used a turbo before so have nothing to compare it to, but I have found it easy to use, and realistic in feel. Easy to set up and no slip on mine. I use a fan with it, too, and I'd say this was pretty much essential.

It is boring compared with being out on the road, but I find an MP3 helps. I use a polar hrm at the moment to train, but intend to get a small cheap computer for the rear wheel to give some indication of cadence and speed performance.

hugo15

I got a CycelOps Jet Fluid Pro a few weeks ago. So much better tham the cheap Tacx mag trainer it replaced.

I used to find the turbo boring but I have found that the best way to combat this is to go into each session with a plan and stick to it. Getting on and then trying to decide what to do and changing focus mid way through the session is when I found it borning. Even when my session is an hour in the aerobic endurance zone I find that the time goes pretty quickly as I am focusing on my HR. I also have a rear wheel computer that shows cadence and I find it pretty useful.

Soni

Thanks for the replies guy, however one last question:-

What is the difference between the Fluid 2 and the Fluid 2 Pro?

Is the price increase of £225-£270??? Justifiable?

Soni

Picked up the Cycleops Fluid Pro today from Evans, they price matched it, brought it down from £269.00 - £225.00, so i purchased 2 x Climbing Blocks as well.

However, one question, i understand they reck tires, so i have a spare set of wheels that i can put an old tire on, but i normally swap the chain over when i use the other set of wheels as i've got 2 chains which i only ever use one with each set of wheels/cassette - do you guys change the chain each time you put your turbo tire/wheel on the back?

Padleigh

My Cycleops Jet Fluid Pro arrived yesterday. No problems setting up and had an hour on it today due to adverse weather ! Having never used one before I found the feel excellent allowing a good workout, and yes agree about the sweat, keep a towel handy.

It cost £229.99 inc p&p from Rutland Cycles, it all came in a box with two climbing blocks, mat and DVD.

Anonymous

Soni wrote:

Picked up the Cycleops Fluid Pro today from Evans, they price matched it, brought it down from £269.00 - £225.00, so i purchased 2 x Climbing Blocks as well.

However, one question, i understand they reck tires, so i have a spare set of wheels that i can put an old tire on, but i normally swap the chain over when i use the other set of wheels as i've got 2 chains which i only ever use one with each set of wheels/cassette - do you guys change the chain each time you put your turbo tire/wheel on the back?

No. TBH in winter I just have one really heavy duty tyre that I use on the turbo and the road so I don't swap anything! If I do swap wheels I keep the same chain...

danlikesbikes

Hi my taxc flow doesn't eat my tyres so I wouldn't worry about it too much. Can see if you don't set you turbo up properly i.e. the roller to tight against the wheel and the type pressure not correct that you could get some undue wear.

Go luck with the manflu - as for mine my GF to me to MTFU and get on with it!

Soni

NapoleonD wrote:

Soni wrote:

Picked up the Cycleops Fluid Pro today from Evans, they price matched it, brought it down from £269.00 - £225.00, so i purchased 2 x Climbing Blocks as well.

However, one question, i understand they reck tires, so i have a spare set of wheels that i can put an old tire on, but i normally swap the chain over when i use the other set of wheels as i've got 2 chains which i only ever use one with each set of wheels/cassette - do you guys change the chain each time you put your turbo tire/wheel on the back?

No. TBH in winter I just have one really heavy duty tyre that I use on the turbo and the road so I don't swap anything! If I do swap wheels I keep the same chain...

I am running Schwalbe Marathon Plus at the moment due to the state of the lanes and the amount of punctures i get with standard/faster tires, will this be ok with the turbo?

And you run the same chain with two different sets of wheels/cassette? Don't you get any problems with slipping? I was told by a couple of bike shops that it wasn't a good idea, hence why i end up covered in oil each time i change my wheels over due to trying to get the chain off, i would rather not keep changing it if it doesn't make any difference - as you seem not to suffer.....

Anonymous

That's so you buy a chain...

Never, ever had a problem!

I even swap between Campag,Sram and Shimano cassettes and never have problems...

JAGGY

I bought the jet fluid pro on nap's recommendation and the sufferfest videos. These are quality for the turbo. The DVD Is also a good workout that's in the box. Also vary sessions using plans from turbotraining.co.uk to keep it interesting.

Change your chain if it's worn only. No need to swap chain for different cassette on Spare wheels. It should work fine with different compatible cassettes. Never tried shimano campag mix. But if nap says it works then I'll go with him.

Cheers

Soni

Nap - do you run different sets of wheels and cassettes on the same chain on the road as well? If so, then i'm going to start doing the same, because its a bugger even with quick release links to keep changing the chain and getting your hands all mucky each blinking time i change my wheels.....i only did it because various different shops told me i would get chain slip.....because the chain/cassette wear with each other and wear in a unique shape with each other......

Got the Jet Fluid Pro turbo trainer set up this morning, had a bit of hassle with the yellow adjustment handle on the back, followed the instructions but couldn't get the tensioner wheel of the turbo to grip the tire, it kept backing off by about 1", after about 45 minutes of messing around with it, turning it 90 degrees clockwise, then back again and pushing it into the tire, it wasn't really making any difference, then all of a sudden when i pulled t he handle down, it suddenly dropped about 4-5 inches and i realised i wasn't pulling it down far enough/putting enough force on the down stroke, don't know if it was just stiff or me worried about breaking it, but got it sorted in the end!

Due to the time taken to set it up, only had about 15 minutes to use it, but was sweating buckets in that 15 minutes.

The tension was spot on, no slipping, and quite enjoyed it, even though i was only listening to music on my pc, will do 45 minutes tonight and watch a dvd which should make things more interesting!

Anonymous

Yeah, I only change a chain when it's stretched, I have 3 bikes one with SRAM, one shimano and one campagnolo, use different wheels/cassette combos on each, don't swap chains at all!

Soni

NapoleonD wrote:

Yeah, I only change a chain when it's stretched, I have 3 bikes one with SRAM, one shimano and one campagnolo, use different wheels/cassette combos on each, don't swap chains at all!

Very interesting, i shall definetely be giving this a go and hopefully i won't experience any problems either!

Thanks Again

Soni

Do any of you guys with the Jet Fluid Pro find that you run out of resistance?

I purchased 2 x Climbing Blocks, put the under the front wheel, do 40 minutes, mostly in the middle of the rear cassette on the large chain ring on the front (have a Compact) and its fine, loads of resistance, and very rarely get more than 3/4's down the cassette, however when standing, i'm in top gear and there is not enough resistance? Its pretty easy, can't seem to simulate the difficulty of a 20% hill that i normally climb during my regular training ride....

Anonymous

No, but you'd be hard pressed to find any turbo that is remotely smooth that can simulate very steep hills... I don't do that sort of work on the turbo.

Soni

Do you reckon its worth me using them training blocks then?

They don't create resistance in themselves or make things harder do they? They just alter the position of the bike?

Makes you wonder what the point is of training blocks?

Padleigh

I just use one training block which keeps the bike level. I would`nt expect the JetPro to be able to simulate all conditions, like going up long steep hills, conditions on the road can be variable to say the least. Despite that after an hour pushing the bigger gears you certainly know you have done something !

Soni

Also, that special skewer you use for the Turbo, can it be used if i want to take the bike out on the road? To save me keep swapping skewers over?

Anonymous

Yes, mine is on permanently

Soni

NapoleonD wrote:

Yes, mine is on permanently

Excellent, one more thing to make life easier!

roryh

I got the cheapest of cheap turbos and whilst it works, and asuages my cycling guilt on a foul day, its pretty damn boring.... However! My top tip to make this better is turbo DVDs!

There was a free DVD on the front of a cycling mag a while back showing roads and stuff, with a nice cycle coach and vicky pendlton amoung others, and I know it sounds cheesy, but it really worked to get you into it a bit more....

R.