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General Triathlon

Stephen C.
Stephen C. Sendmail

Fluid Trainer vs. Mag Trainer vs. Wind Trainer...

asked about 3 years ago | Report

Just wondering which was the best kind of trainer out of the three. I know all of them has pros and cons.

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8 answers

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  • Brad B.
    Brad B. Sendmail

    Hands down fluid if you can afford it, just for the fact that it makes so much less noise. If you plan to watch tv or listen to music w/out using headphones while you're riding, then fluid is the way to go.

    answered about 3 years ago |Report

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  • Melissa B.
    Melissa B. Sendmail

    I've only used my fluid trainer, the Kinetic Road Machine, but from the research I did, I chose on fluid because of the reduced noise and more fluid (ha!) motion.

    Once it's cycling season again, and the roads lack anything resembling snow, I'll be getting a trainer tire to put on my extra wheel - apparently, it reduces noise even further, and doesn't damage your tread like a normal tire experiences.

    answered about 3 years ago |Report

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  • David N.
    David N. Sendmail

    Cycleops Fluid 2. Smooth, quiet, and well made.

    answered about 3 years ago |Report

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  • Mike P.
    Mike P. Sendmail

    Rollers - you use your whole body, not just legs, it's a better workout and you'll be a better rider on the rode for using them.

    answered about 3 years ago |Report

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  • Francis D.
    Francis D. Sendmail

    I second the rollers and the Fluid trainer.

    The Rollers are a bit sketchy at first, but after a few sessions you'll notice major improvements in your pedaling efficiency. The downside is that most offer a very minimal resistance and therefore are great for tempo riding in Zone 2 or Zone 3. CycleOps makes a roller with a resistance unit, but I've never ridden them so I can't tell you how they are.

    For interval training and all out efforts, you must stick to the trainer, and nothing beats a Fluid trainer in terms of replicating the resistance of riding on the road. Mag trainers are pretty low on the resistance and once you hit the max power limit the resistance stops increasing. Wind are great for a budget, but get super loud as you increase your intensity.

    I use both rollers and the Fluid trainer throughout the winter depending on the workout. Recovery and tempo days are on the rollers, intervals and sprints are on the trainer. Nice, sunny, days are spent outside on my road bike.

    answered about 3 years ago |Report

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  • Lynne K.
    Lynne K. Sendmail

    We have Kreitler rollers with a front fork stand and the "Killer Headwind" attachment, which earns its name! So you can get some resistance with rollers.

    I use the front fork stand almost all of the time, and even though that doesn't give as much of an all-body balance workout as using the front roller, it's still beneficial for road riding form. You can look down and see if your rear wheel is moving laterally on the roller, which indicates that you have flat spots in your pedal stroke. It's enabled me to work on my stroke so that now my wheel doesn't move laterally at all. Next challenge: using the front roller instead of the front fork stand. I move the rollers over to the doorway so the wall is there for stability if I wobble. It's hard, but great for form, balance, and core.

    answered about 3 years ago |edited about 3 years ago |Report

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  • Brodie B.
    Brodie B. Sendmail

    Ah Francis, you're so insightful. I've used nothing but a fluid trainer (Fluid 2) and fallen off of the rollers once. So.... fluid. Fluid 2 by Cyclops hands down.

    answered about 3 years ago |Report

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  • Tony S.
    Tony S. Sendmail

    I'm fairly new to cycling (and tri) and I have a mag trainer. I can totally vouch for the noise, the thing is LOUD. The dog freaks out every time I'm riding. Everything I've read says go rollers if you can afford them (I couldn't, $80 v $300 was a big issue since I was buying a bike at the same time.) As a beginner I can say that the resistance on mine is pretty good for me, but I can see it becoming not enough as I get more experience on the bike. I'm hoping to get some rollers for next winter.

    answered almost 3 years ago |Report

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