Turbo help

FSR_XC

I'm thinking of buying a new turbo trainer.

There's a lot to choose from.

What is the difference between a fluid trainer, a magnetic one and a wind / vortex one?

Pro's & cons of each one?

sungod

fluid - generally the best road feel, i.e. more natural, bigger flywheel is best, fluid resistance is progressive so you just use the bike's gears as you would out on the road

magnetic - to me these don't feel as natural, a bit like going uphill all the time, some have a controller to adjust resistance, some only work when plugged into a power socket

wind - never tried one, i've heard they can be loud, but no trainer is really quiet

imho, look for a secondhand cycleops fluid, or even better a kurt kinetic road machine (fluid, big flywheel)

if you are buying new, cycleops fluid 2, the kkrr is pricey new, so a risky buy unless you are certain you will use it

read more here... viewtopic.php?f=40020&t=12661884&hilit=napd+turbo+guide

In_the_big_ring

For me the noise levels were important and I read that fluid's were the quietest. I bought an Elite one from Wiggle on sale and am very happy with it; it is pretty quiet and I simply change resistance by changing gears. I would also recommend buying some of the Sufferfest videos (http://www.thesufferfest.com/video-sufferfests/), they make training on the turbo much more enjoyable!

jordan_217

Bought one of these a few weeks ago, really happy with it:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/elite-crono-hyd ... l-trainer/

Works pretty smoothly and quietly with no noticeable vibrations through the contact points. In fact the only noise I can hear is the chain spinning. The resistance levels available are more than adequate for my sessions. There is a little wheel slippage when transitioning between different cadences and resistance levels but it isn't persistent and only happens for one turn of the pedals. My current tyre (old Specialized road one) is almost down to the carcass so I'm hoping that replacing with a turbo specific tyre (Continental) will alleviate this problem. It's also very stable for out of the saddle efforts.

In contrast, I returned a Tacx Sirius (magnetic) after 30 mins use, as it was absolutely pants!

weapons

I'd definitely recommend Fluid over magnetic. I initially had a Tacx Sirius like jordan_217 and upgraded fairly soon after as the magnetic resistance just didn't allow me to pedal with a smooth stroke. Now running a Cycleops Fluid2 (fluid resistance obviously) and very happy with that.

if you haven't turboed before I'd recommend getting a second hand one. I've bought all my turbos for myself and girlfriend (4 in total) second hand, all in near to new condition and less than 50% of the price of a new one.

snowy lowey

Definitely go for a fluid trainer if you can. They tend to be more expensive but well worth it, I'd reccomend the cycleops fluid 2 its really well made and has a nice smooth level of resistance. I bourght mine second hand too in nearly new condition which made it exceptional value. Needless to say I'm very happy with mine!

dodgerdog

If you look on ebay, try and hunt out the cycleclearancestore as a seller, it is the ebay trading name of paligap and they sell reconditioned cycleops machines with warranty

PKRAZOR

jordan_217 wrote:

Bought one of these a few weeks ago, really happy with it:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/elite-crono-hyd ... l-trainer/

Works pretty smoothly and quietly with no noticeable vibrations through the contact points. In fact the only noise I can hear is the chain spinning. The resistance levels available are more than adequate for my sessions. There is a little wheel slippage when transitioning between different cadences and resistance levels but it isn't persistent and only happens for one turn of the pedals. My current tyre (old Specialized road one) is almost down to the carcass so I'm hoping that replacing with a turbo specific tyre (Continental) will alleviate this problem. It's also very stable for out of the saddle efforts.

In contrast, I returned a Tacx Sirius (magnetic) after 30 mins use, as it was absolutely pants!

I second this, i bought the same trainer from Wiggle, though i got the additional computer display. Excellent bit of kit, will have you sweating your nuts off in minutes! :-)

hulla the hulla

I've mentioned it before on other threads about trainers but beware of the fluid only (i.e. resistance increases with bigger gears only, no handlebar mounted additional resistance) if you have / are capable of larger power output as you may run out of gears (like I did). This is on an Elite Crono Fluid ElastoGel Trainer.

edit - that is not to say that fluid trainers are crap, IMHO they are the better ones to get but it's just that mine ran out of resistance when I got fitter and stronger !

FSR_XC

Thanks for the replies.

I'm a bit concerned about hulla the hulla's comments as I am a strong rider.

Has anyone else had these issues?

The Elite model mentioned from Wiggle seems to be about the cheapest of the fluid models around. Any other recommendations?

I borrowed an older model Tacx Speedmatic Mag turbo tonight. The resistance felt very hard on this even at the lowest setting. However it was stable & easy to use.

amaferanga

FSR_XC wrote:

Thanks for the replies.

I'm a bit concerned about hulla the hulla's comments as I am a strong rider.

Has anyone else had these issues?

The Elite model mentioned from Wiggle seems to be about the cheapest of the fluid models around. Any other recommendations?

I borrowed an older model Tacx Speedmatic Mag turbo tonight. The resistance felt very hard on this even at the lowest setting. However it was stable & easy to use.

Don't be. I reckon hulla the hulla must have a faulty turbo.

I have an Elite Crono Fluid turbo and never had any issues with lack of resistance (mine is shit though and I always recommend people not to buy Elite turbo trainers - they're cheap for a reason).

I replaced the Elite with a Cycleops Fluid 2 which is a million times better (and Cycleops/Paligap customer service is superb - lifetime warranty effectively). On the Fluid 2 a cadence of ~95rpm on 52-19 gear is good for ~300W. I've never been anywhere near my highest gear. You say you're a powerful rider - I bet you couldn't ride a Fluid 2 in 52-12 at a cadence of 90rpm for more than a few seconds

hulla the hulla

amaferanga wrote:

FSR_XC wrote:

Thanks for the replies.

I'm a bit concerned about hulla the hulla's comments as I am a strong rider.

Has anyone else had these issues?

The Elite model mentioned from Wiggle seems to be about the cheapest of the fluid models around. Any other recommendations?

I borrowed an older model Tacx Speedmatic Mag turbo tonight. The resistance felt very hard on this even at the lowest setting. However it was stable & easy to use.

Don't be. I reckon hulla the hulla must have a faulty turbo.

I have an Elite Crono Fluid turbo and never had any issues with lack of resistance (mine is shoot though and I always recommend people not to buy Elite turbo trainers - they're cheap for a reason).

I replaced the Elite with a Cycleops Fluid 2 which is a million times better (and Cycleops/Paligap customer service is superb - lifetime warranty effectively). On the Fluid 2 a cadence of ~95rpm on 52-19 gear is good for ~300W. I've never been anywhere near my highest gear (for reference I'm a 68kg 2nd Cat). You say you're a powerful rider - I bet you couldn't ride a Fluid 2 in 52-12 at a cadence of 90rpm for more than a few seconds

Interesting - how would I know if it really is fecked other than the fact that it just doesn't have the resistance I want which could be by design rather than a fault? Maybe it's time for an upgrade as at the gym I'm sitting north of 230w for a good 1/2 hr and i just cant get that on my Elite so the cyclops 2 sounds right up my strasse (...grabs cc and searches for best price on a cyclops fluid 2....)

Dick Scruttock

What is your budget?

I have just bought a Cycleops Jet Fluid pro with DVD from here:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CYCLEOPS-TURB ... 780wt_1219

£245.98 delivered and everywhere else are charging £283ish +

FSR_XC

Rick Draper wrote:

What is your budget?

I have just bought a Cycleops Jet Fluid pro with DVD from here:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CYCLEOPS-TURB ... 780wt_1219

£245.98 delivered and everywhere else are charging £283ish +

As little as possible really, but there's no point buying a 'wind' type trainer when my riding style would suit a 'fluid' type.

I've been trying to compare my 'output' with the previous posts. I was able to maintain a cadence of 105 rpm in 53-17 for a pyramid set up to 4 mins this eve, dropping to 95 rpm for 5 mins

foggymike

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-t ... 0000000000


Slightly better deal on the fluid pro above. I prefer variable resistance myself so I can simulate steep climbs at low cadence as well as normal interval sessions/pyramids etc. I have also found the Cycleops fluid turbo's to be noisy (much louder than my Tacx) when cranking it up but there you go - horses for courses! I'm a bit baffled why people keep saying they are quiet -just when pootling IME. Nice ride feel though

amaferanga

FSR_XC wrote:

I've been trying to compare my 'output' with the previous posts. I was able to maintain a cadence of 105 rpm in 53-17 for a pyramid set up to 4 mins this eve, dropping to 95 rpm for 5 mins

Don't think you can compare unless you rode the same turbo with same tyres, etc.

You may well be more powerful than me, but for reference I race as a 2nd Cat so my power should be somewhat more than your average recreational rider.

Like I said, never had an issue with lack of resistance on my fluid turbo's, but my recommendation would be the Cycleops Fluid 2 (seen a couple of used ones on the classifieds recently that went for not much more than £100 - one of them to me ).

amaferanga

hulla the hulla wrote:

Interesting - how would I know if it really is fecked other than the fact that it just doesn't have the resistance I want which could be by design rather than a fault? Maybe it's time for an upgrade as at the gym I'm sitting north of 230w for a good 1/2 hr and i just cant get that on my Elite so the cyclops 2 sounds right up my strasse (...grabs cc and searches for best price on a cyclops fluid 2....)

Probably need to find someone else with an Elite fluid trainer and have a go on theirs or borrow a PowerTap wheel.

But even allowing for the fact that the gym power probably isn't very accurate, it does sound like there's an issue with your turbo as it should definitely allow you to ride at >300W (assuming you have regular road gearing).

Dick Scruttock

foggymike wrote:

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-track-bike/CycleOps-JetFluid-Pro-Trainer-9331-inc-DVD/CYCOTRAI320000000000


Slightly better deal on the fluid pro above. I prefer variable resistance myself so I can simulate steep climbs at low cadence as well as normal interval sessions/pyramids etc. I have also found the Cycleops fluid turbo's to be noisy (much louder than my Tacx) when cranking it up but there you go - horses for courses! I'm a bit baffled why people keep saying they are quiet -just when pootling IME. Nice ride feel though

LOL Always the way isn't it! You order one thinking its the cheapest you can get it after checking al your usual sources then someone posts a link to a cheaper one :evil: O well will see how it compares to my Sirius.