Best Turbo Trainer for around £200

blue07794

Now the weather has turned and the nights are pulling in i am home from work after its dark so my evening rides are almost a thing of the past until spring!

So i am on the outlook for a descent, quiet and value for money Turbo Trainer that can be quickly set up in the conservatory within minutes.
As i have never had one before i require some advice, so can anyone point me in the right direction from there experiences on one of these things.
I have had it mentioned to me that the Gel trainers are good but please let me have everyones thoughts

cheers
Mark

velvetytoast

I bought one of these

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/elite-crono-hydro-mag-elastogel-trainer/

I keep it set up and just change the QR - takes seconds - I like it

If you get one and don't like it you can always blame wiggle!!

wishitwasallflat

There was a TT and Rollers review in last Cycling Plus (254) - Tacx Speedmatic (£149.99) came out as best for value - maybe worth your while checking it out?

I haven't gone for one yet as still braving the weather but ... so if you do get one post how it works out please as I think it's inevitable for me.

Would you beleive only twice have I ever had to call the missus to come rescue me (one crash left me ok but bike immobile and once had one puncture too many for spare tubes) and so she won't let me go out once the kids are in bed!!!

rjh299

Tacx speedmatic only £105 on Ribble.

nmcgann

I just got a s/h Cycleops fluid2 - it's a good trainer, a lot more road-like than my old Tacx Sirius (which I broke) and on a par with my main trainer (Tacx Flow).

The only slight snag is that it is quite a high resistance, so using the big ring means a tough workout. The Tacx Flow is more flexible as the resistance is easily adjustable, although one of the main reasons I got a fluid2 was the simplicity of it. (and it is very quiet - quietest turbo I've used)

suzyb

I was thinking of getting this trainer http://www.wiggle.co.uk/elite-crono-flu ... l-trainer/

blue07794

like the look of the Cyclopes Fluid 2 - good reviews on You Tube and it does appear to be quiet too

Bobbinogs

I haven't tried any others but my Tacx Sirius does the job well. I don't need to worry about noise (Trainer tyres and some floor damping would help though). Not that it's noisey, more a case that I just haven't noticed it either way and just use an old towel and normal (old) tyres.

Worth looking around second hand? Turbos are the kind of thing some folks buy and don'tget on with (like gym membership) and there is not much that can go wrong with them.

wardieboy

Do you need a quick release rear skewer to attach to a turbo?

I have no idea on how these work :?

Muffintop

wardieboy wrote:

Do you need a quick release rear skewer to attach to a turbo?

I have no idea on how these work :?

The elite ones come with a back quick release bit - if that's the bit you're talking about. I have an elasta gel one (Elite brand) it's quite quiet, and a solid bit of kit.

Underscore

I'm torn between the Elite Hydro-Mag and the CycleOps Fluid 2. Is the latter worth an extra £25? Anyone with any experience or thoughts?

Cheers,

_

prawny

I've got a Tacx Sirius Softgel, quiet, quick to set up (after the initial build) and nice to ride on. It's got a really big heavy flywheel so feels more like riding on the road than the cheapo ones that I nearly bought. I'll be getting it out a bit more regularly now, at least until the clocks go back and it's a bit lighter in the mornings again!

MikeWW

I'm torn between the Elite Hydro-Mag and the CycleOps Fluid 2. Is the latter worth an extra £25? Anyone with any experience or thoughts?

Not that keen on the Cyclops Fluid 2. resistance is just a bit too hard so you never feel on top of it. The Tacx Satori with variable resistance is far better iMO

chiark

I've got a CycleOps fluid 2 - bought it second hand from ebay.

I like it. It's fairly quiet, and it has enough resistance so you can be standing and pounding pedals in your highest gear.

It's designed to produce 400w of resistance at 25mph IIRC, and the power varies with speed - naturally-.

Just means you select a low gear and keep the cadence up if you want an easy workout, and select a higher gear if you want to stomp the pedals.

It feels like a quality bit of kit, too: really solid.

No experience of the tacx, only of rollers...

Underscore

Thanks all. I decided to go for the Elite so put the order in with Wiggle last night. My hope is that, seeing as it is a hybrid of magnetic and fluid, it will give the best of both... So long as it doesn't give the worst of both, I guess...

_

Underscore

Just an update. The turbo arrived yesterday so I unpacked it and set it up (about 5 minutes in total) and had a 30 minutes spin on it. I've nothing to compare it to but it seemed sturdy and was very quiet. The fluid resistance alone was a bit low - I'd hooked up my commuter and was able to turn its top gear of 48x11 on 28x700c tyres at about 90rpm for several minutes but putting the magnetic resistance on level 3, the total resistance was much better.

All in all, I'm a happy bunny: it seems like a good deal for £168.

_