recommend me a turbo trainer please

aripallaris

guys im after a turbo trainer. i cycle / commute around 20 miles a day but im looking to up my distance. unfortunately by the time i get in after my initial commute and gym routine its a little too dark to venture back out.

im looking for a turbo trainer ideally quiet so that i dont wake people / annoy them all. so far ive got my eye on a cycleops fluid 2. any other recommendations. didnt really want to spend 200 though as ive just spent a ton on a saris bones cycle rack.

many thanks
ari

Wooliferkins

I've used a TACX Sirius for the last four years with no problem at all. I see the Blackburn Tech Fluid is about £15-20 cheaper. The magnetic Sirius isn't hugely noisy but the fluids are quieter still.

hugo15

I got a CycleOps Jet Fluid Pro last year to replace a cheapish mag trainer. I'm very pleased with the CycleOps. The Cycleops is miles better the the mag trainer. If you can try to stretch to the CycleOps. Lots of other on here like them too.

sungod

kurt kinetic (the fluid one, not the magnetic one)...

http://www.kurtkinetic.com/road-machine-p-198-l-en.html

...has a good road feel, not cheap though

imho look for a secondhand turbo, maybe try a last-second ninja bid on...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kurt-Kinetic- ... 336a346382

Down the Road

Lose the gym and you will have plenty of time to ride.

Gym work is of no good for your cycling

Secteur

Out of curiosity, do you/can you put your main road bike on the turbo, or do you need a dedicated turbo bike?

If not, is it easy to "clip" in and out of the turbo, or does it involve changing wheels etc?

Sorry if it's a daft question!

aripallaris

Down the Road wrote:

Lose the gym and you will have plenty of time to ride.
Gym work is of no good for your cycling

ditching the gym is not an option matey!

secteur, you put your road bike on. theres no need for a dedicated bike. some people do say use a seperate rear wheel as they do tend to eat away at the rubber alot quicker. if you dont have a seperate just check the wear and tear after use.

from what ive seen, they clip onto the quick release bolts that the units are provided with. seems pretty straight forward.

aripallaris

ive decided on the cycleops fluid 2 wit the rise block. now the waiting game for delivery!

luv2ride

You'll be pleased with the Fluid2. I have one and it's been great. I would recommend getting the towel "bike thong" :oops: to keep sweat off your frame because YOU WILL SWEAT A LOT!!!
So, you'll also need a decent fan and eventually might be worth investing in a special turbo trainer tyre (harder compound that also resists heat build up - normal tyres can get really hot after a good turbo session. I got the tyre, then a cheap rear wheel with an old spare cassette so i can use the old alu bike as the turbo bike, but can use it in iffy whether with a quick wheel chnage - sorted

Enjoy (although can't say turbo training is ever "enjoyable"?!!)

aripallaris

good advice mate. reminded me of my spare bontrager wheel set. different cassette ratios but its only marginalyl different. what tyre do you recommend

rickr55

Hi
had the kurt road machine for over a year best money i have spent great workout and not much noise would recomend bit expensive but well worth it. been browsing ebay one on at the moment 3 days left if anyone interested and no it's not mine just a heads up.

rickr55

whoops just noticed sungod much more on the ball than me

aripallaris

guys, is it possible to use a garmin 800 to monitor speed etc? dont fancy purchasing an actual cycleops comp

northpole

As long as you have a spoke magnet fitted to the rear wheel you are using with the turbo trainer, you can easily use a 705/ 800 for cadence, speed, heart rate, etc. It won't give you power output readings - you need the Cycleops gear for that.
Peter

sungod

also, cycleops publish the power curves for their trainers, so if you export your garmin speed data you can convert it to power - won't be perfect, but it'll give a reasonable indication

amaferanga

northpole wrote:

As long as you have a spoke magnet fitted to the rear wheel you are using with the turbo trainer, you can easily use a 705/ 800 for cadence, speed, heart rate, etc. It won't give you power output readings - you need the Cycleops gear for that.
Peter

You need a GSC-10 speed/cadence sensor, not just a spoke magnet.

aripallaris

that cool i have both. great stuff any recommendations on videos to cycle too?

luv2ride

I've been using the free DVD that came with my Fluid 2 ("Race Day" by Real Rides). Breaks up the monotony a bit, but find I need to alternate this with something loud out of the ipod or stereo. Mind you, my best turbo session was watching Cadel win the TdF time trial live!

Have been having a bit of a heavy week at work and the turbo is great for just doing a quick 30-45 minutes intervals session. Wouldn't go much beyond an hour on it though - it is hard work!

kfinlay

Best vids ever are Sufferfest - download them for about £7 each - you will suffer but feel great. See http://www.thesufferfest.com/video-sufferfests/
My favs are Angels, The Hunted and Local Hero.

James Newton

I'm also looking at buying a turbo trainer to stop the depression kicking in on the wet unrideable days!

Just wondering what you guys suggest are good things to pair with a turbo trainer? I have a Cateye Strada wireless computer (no cadence), will this work if it's hooked up to my rear wheel? Would I be better getting something that gives cadence/HRM?
I do have a spare set of wheels so I'll be looking at using the spare rear with a turbo tyre instead of my Conti Supersonic!

Any recommendations would be a great help, thanks in advance!

Vesterberg