Best indoor trainer

Paul Stone

 Cycleopspro, lemond with power, rollers? What do you use in your pain cave? I have to go back in mine for 6 weeks due to schedule. Please help.

mgraffeo

Paul, for plain-vanilla trainer, you'll get a lot of votes for either the CycleOps Fluid trainer or the Kurt Kinetic Road Machine (I have the Kinetic). Both are solid machines, and if you have a powertap wheel, you're good to go.

That said, plenty of folks are pretty jazzed about their computrainers, and the recent phenomenon around TrainerRoad seems to be helping the popularity.

Personally, I'm leaning towards upgrading in the future to a CycleOps PowerBeam Pro. Power control, and a coming virtual ride interface allowing you to ride courses, all with a modern interface (unlike the mid-1990's Computrainer version) and a wireless setup. Good writeups of each at dcrainmaker's blog.

Good luck!

Doug Johnson

Here's a link to a thread I started back in November asking the same question... http://members.endurancenation.us/Training/TrainingForums/tabid/101/aft/7456/Default.aspx

I ended up with the Kurt Kinetic and am really satisfied. That being said it doesn't have any of the extras that Mike is talking about.

William Jenks

Good recommendations for the vanilla.

I haven't used Trainer Road, but doesn't it also work if you have a PT and a vanilla trainer?

Rollers are great and fun, but not the best way to maximize your power output until you get very, very good at them.

Tom Glynn

TrainerRoad works with plain vinilla trainers as well as CompuTrainers. On one of their podcasts they highly recommended Kurt Kenetic trainers. Sounded like a lot of trainers tend to have power drift went they start to heat up. Based on their testing the KK trainers were very good at maintaining consistent power at given speeds.

Having seen the new CT software, I think TR wil replace it as the standard in a year or two as they continue to add improvements. CT hardware is bullet proof. They should get out of the software business.

Dino Sarti

Interesting discussion.... I have a cyclops fluid trainer and a LeMond Revolution. With my Quarq I can get power on both, but have been fighting getting a computrainer in favor of riding outside. Plus I think the CT software just looks old. I may wait and see how things develop...

I do like the idea of rollers now, however. I am told roller will do big things for your form and bike handling which I find intriguing. Any thoughts on that?

mcstrangelove

I've tried several different trainers and the Kurt Kinetic Rock & Roll is by far the best in my opinion.  Not impressed with CompuTrainer, although SpinScan is pretty cool.  I've heard nothing but negatives about rollers, from BT to SlowTwitch...although since many people seem to unload theirs you could probably find a used one pretty cheap.

cgres123

CycleOps on the cheap 125/150 dollars save your cash. They all work good enough to get in a decent ride includeing a magnetic Blackburn. The more bells and whistles you have it may take you your 6 weeks you want to use it to learn how to use it.

[Deleted User]

+1 for what Mike said. The pro beam works great and it is easy to program in the EN workouts.

kimmydct

+1 on Kinetic Rock n Roll trainer. I've used mine for 2 seasons and like the somewhat more realistic feel when standing.