Sub £300 turbo

matt-h

about to pull the trigger on a Kurt Kinetic Road Machine 2.
I've recently used a friends RM1 and it was very smooth.
Are these still the turbo to get for the money or is there something else I should be going for?

Matt

Anonymous

Over budget, but Kenetic Rock 'n' Roll II is the new Daddy.

Why have cotton (albeit Egyptian) when you can have silk

pippi_langsamer-2

There's been a cpl of nearly new Rock n Roll MkI's in the classifieds recently IRO £300.

cougie

Read last weeks Cycling Weekly. They raved about a cheap Jet Black turbo ?

matt-h

It has to be sub 300 as my wife is getting me it for my birthday. 8)
I thought the RnR had a larger footprint?
If so, it will be no good, i can just about fit my turbo into the home office

Matt

pippi_langsamer-2

If footprint is an issue, RnR is out then as even the newer Mk2 smaller footprint is pretty big.

Cyclops Jet Fluid Pro then? Chain Reaction have for £299.99 inc riser, mat etc...

cougie

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/reviews/ ... ro-trainer

matt-h

Pippi Langsamer wrote:

If footprint is an issue, RnR is out then as even the newer Mk2 smaller footprint is pretty big.

Cyclops Jet Fluid Pro then? Chain Reaction have for £299.99 inc riser, mat etc...

The Road machine 2 is the same turbo as the RnR albeit in standard guise?
I'm only considering the RM as i have used one, The Cyclops looks incredible value - have you used either machine?
Its going to be used with virtual power on Trainer Road

cougie wrote:

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/reviews/turbo-trainers-accessories/jet-black-z1-fluid-pro-trainer

Cheers Cougie. Have you tried this Turbo yourself?
Be interesting to hear if so

As usual, too much choice out there

Matt

themogulman

Ive got a RM Mk1. Awesome. Use it on trainerroad(but with a power meter) lots of resistance. Really well built.

The rock n roll is good if you plan to do full on sprints out of the saddle, otherwise others have said its no real benefit.

Had to return 2 cycleops jet fluid pro units last one for a refund.

cougie

Matt - no not used that one - I've an old Cateye that I don't think is in production any more.

Just check on trainerroad that whatever turbo you get is supported for virtual power - its on their website.
And look at tyre wear too - my turbo has a steel roller and it doesnt shred the tyre - so I've saved on a turbo tyre and spare wheel/cassette.

matt-h

Thanks Cougie,
interesting about the steel drum means it wont shred a tyre. would mean much more convenience

Matt

pippi_langsamer-2

matt-h wrote:

Pippi Langsamer wrote:

If footprint is an issue, RnR is out then as even the newer Mk2 smaller footprint is pretty big.

Cyclops Jet Fluid Pro then? Chain Reaction have for £299.99 inc riser, mat etc...

The Road machine 2 is the same turbo as the RnR albeit in standard guise?
I'm only considering the RM as i have used one, The Cyclops looks incredible value - have you used either machine?
Its going to be used with virtual power on Trainer Road

cougie wrote:

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/reviews/turbo-trainers-accessories/jet-black-z1-fluid-pro-trainer

Cheers Cougie. Have you tried this Turbo yourself?
Be interesting to hear if so

As usual, too much choice out there

Matt

I haven't used the RM or the Cyclops.

I have a Rock N Roll Mk II which is fantastic. I disagree about it being "only any good", if you intend on doing out-of-the-saddle sprints. Its actually not that brilliant out-of-the-saddle as the "honking", mechanics is a bit weird.

What the movement is fantastic for is mimicking the movement you make under hard efforts when seated. This really does feel like being on the road. You can really throw the bike around. It also means you get less of a numb arse. Don't get me wrong, you can get out-of-the-saddle, but it does feel a bit weird.

As stated, the RM and RnR are essentially the same fluid unit- and its a good one. Build quality is superb and lifetime warranty. The power curve is also arguably the best out there. Buy a Ant+ dongle, an Ant+ cadence sensor and you have virtual power accuracy not far off real power meters (test proven- not my words alone).

If I hadn't got a deal on the RnR though, I would've bought the Cyclops.

markp80

matt-h wrote:

Its going to be used with virtual power on Trainer Road

Matt

If you're using it with TrainerRoad, then you can't go far wrong with a KK RM. The TrainerRoad guys are big supporters of these, due to the compatibility of the power curve with their virtual power software algorithm. I'd say it was the one to go for on this basis alone.

Cheers,
MarkP

handful

I haven't used a KK but have heard nothing but good about them. If you decide to go the Cyclops JFP route I have one of those and find it excellent with Trainer road. The power curve seems pretty realistic and consistent to me but it is important to check the setup is the same before every ride although this goes for any turbo.

pippi_langsamer-2

handful wrote:

I haven't used a KK but have heard nothing but good about them. If you decide to go the Cyclops JFP route I have one of those and find it excellent with Trainer road. The power curve seems pretty realistic and consistent to me but it is important to check the setup is the same before every ride although this goes for any turbo.

I'd agree about consistency in set-up.

I generally inflate my rear tyre to 100psi before a session.

I also did a run-down test. For the KK RnR, they reckon a run-down (time to stop wheel rotating), time of +/-13 seconds from 20mph is the most accurate against their power curve. Now I have the roller set at a pressure that gives me this, I leave the roller adjustment knob alone and deflate/ re-inflate my tyre to mount the bike on the rig. This way, Im fairly confident my sessions are about as consistent as I can manage in terms of set-up....

matt-h

Going for the kurt Kinetic RM2.
Thanks so much to all that have contributed to my queries.

A bit more research does show that Trainer Road pretty much recommend the KK

Just got to wait until Tuesday to try it now

matt

pippi_langsamer-2

Good choice.

Ant+ cadence unit (and dongle for the puter), and you're all set!

Its worth doing the 20mph rundown test. Time exactly time it takes from 20 to standstill. Aim for that 13 sec and adjust roller pressure accordingly. Mine takes two cull turns and a half turn to get around 13sec with 100psi

matt-h

I've had the KK RM2 since Tuesday and it has been fantastic.
It reasonably quiet but the 'road feel' is a revelation,

Start smashing TR next week!
THanks for all of your input

Matt