Clueless about indoor trainers. Need Help.

I wanted an indoor trainer recently but I am cheap (and poor) so I bought a Minoura Interrim 850 for $80 on Ebay. It works great. It puts the resistance on the rims so there is no tire wear. It is surprisingly sturdy. The only problem was that I also had a front mounted computer so I just moved it to the back wheel. I had to splice in (solder) a little longer wire but that took about 5 minutes and I will just leave it on the back now. I am glad I didn't spend any more than this because I am perfectly content with this trainer to keep my legs in shape this winter. This is the one I bought.

performancebike.comprofile.cfmOpen ↗

I have one like this
http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=17878
and it works just fine for me 🙂

You might want to put on some old tire to save your nice ones.

I didn't want a roller because I was afraid I'd fall off! - Plus my kid would be more likely to get caught in the spokes.

Jim R said:

It puts the resistance on the rims so there is no tire wear.

What about rim wear? How is the drag applied?

rollers said:

What about rim wear? How is the drag applied?

There are 2 rollers (just like the rollers on rollerblades) that contact the rims and rotate with the tire rim. The magnetic tension system puts tension then on the "rollerblades." There certainly won't be any wear on the rims.

There is a control knob on the magnetic mechanism to adjust the tension. I have it set in the middle and then use my bike gears to make fine-tune adjustments. There is plenty of tension. If it was set to high, I would be dead in about 10 minutes.

This unit is also pretty quiet.

I can vouch for rollers. Much less boring to ride since you have to pay attention to what you are doing. Both wheels spin so your speedo is still readable (though why you'd want to know how fast you are going on rollers/trainer is beyond me - road and indoors are very different).
Improves your skill and balance too and rollers are more like the road than a trainer.

Looks like no one answered your original questions. A magnetic trainer creates resistance by turning a metal plate through a magnetic field; there is often a manual control which allows you to change the resistance up or down by moving the magnets. The advantage is that they are relatively cheap. The disadvantage is that they do not mimic actual riding very well - at a fixed resistance setting and gearing, the resistance you feel decreases as your cadence increases (exactly the opposite of riding on the road, where effort goes up as speed goes up!). At least one manufacturer, Cycleops, makes an upgraded mag trainer where the magnets reposition automatically as the rear wheel speed increases, so that it tracks real world feel better, making it harder as you go faster. But that model costs more than the normal mag trainer. The best trainers, for simulating the real world, are Fluid Trainers, where the effort increases as your rear wheel speed increases. But they cost more, since tolerances are tighter to avoid leaking of the fluid. The CycleOps Fluid2 is something of a "standard." Rollers are completely different - essentially a treadmill for your bike. Two horizontal rollers "cradle" the rear wheel, one roller for the front. They require some learning so that you can ride the rollers without falling over, but they do teach you pedal technique and smoothness. However they have relatively little resistance, and therefore a trainer (either mag or fluid) is probably more useful than rollers. Lastly, having a bike computer on the rear wheel is pretty useless on a trainer. If you are serious, you need an HRM, since you train by HR, not by miles or speed. I've got the CycleOps Fluid2. Like anything, you have to balance value against your own use. If your goal is weight loss, you can sweat a lot on a simple mag trainer. If you're a racer, you want one of the fluid trainers so that you can simulate your outdoor intervals realistically on the trainer. Similarly, if you're going to spin along at a moderate pace, cheaper is fine; if you're going to really crank it during intervals, quality of construction becomes more important.

Ok. That answers most of my questions and I already own a HRM. How about the wheel/tire question? Do I have to use a new set on the trainer?

I know this doesn't answer your question specifically but I would just like to mention it is easy to get into a rut while training indoors. So you might want to look at a bike that can connect to www.ifit.com I find Pyramid 58 to be a challenge and its free.

Senorx said:

The weather is getting crappy around here, so I'm looking into an indoor trainer. Problem is I have no idea where to start. I have a couple of questions that I need answers to before I can buy one. What is a MagTrainer, Fluid Trainer and rollers? I know these are differant types of trainers, but what are the pros/cons and differnat uses for these? Also, can you use your regular wheel/tires that are used on daily training rides or do I have to purchase a differant set? I really don't have the funds to buy an extra wheel set/tire. Finally, I have a fork mounted computer, so I would need a trainer with a rear cyclometer. Anybody had any experiences with a trainer/cyclometer combo they would like to share? Perferable something in th 250.00-300.00 range? I have seen a NASHBAR Mag Trainer/cyclometer combo for 250.00 on their catalog. Is this worth it? Thank you all in advance.

Use your regular wheel. Tire wear can be a problem, although if you are careful with setting the tension between the roller and your rear wheel, in my experience the wear isn't too bad. (The front wheel/tire just "sit there" so its a non-issue.) If you will use the indoor trainer occasionally, and try to get outside weekends, just use your bike in its normal set up. If you are going to have the bike on the trainer all winter, just put an old tire (one that you wouldn't use outside any more) on the rear wheel and call it your "trainer tire." The CycleOps come with a steel QR skewer (that's the part that takes the strain when you mount the bike on the trainer) which you substitute for your normal alloy skewer. Just leave it on all winter - an ounce or less of "extra weight" won't bother you if you ride outside! (The trainer doesn't put any extra stress on wheels or frames, in case you were worried.)

You seem to know alot about trainers but there is somthing you said about magnetic trainers that is hard to believe."at a fixed resistance setting and gearing, the resistance you feel decreases as your cadence increases (exactly the opposite of riding on the road, where effort goes up as speed goes up!)". How can that be true considering momentum and coasting advantages on the road? I think road riding in general is easier due to those two factors and I always find it easier when I lower my cadence on both road and on a trainer.

palewin said:

Looks like no one answered your original questions. A magnetic trainer creates resistance by turning a metal plate through a magnetic field; there is often a manual control which allows you to change the resistance up or down by moving the magnets. The advantage is that they are relatively cheap. The disadvantage is that they do not mimic actual riding very well - at a fixed resistance setting and gearing, the resistance you feel decreases as your cadence increases (exactly the opposite of riding on the road, where effort goes up as speed goes up!). At least one manufacturer, Cycleops, makes an upgraded mag trainer where the magnets reposition automatically as the rear wheel speed increases, so that it tracks real world feel better, making it harder as you go faster. But that model costs more than the normal mag trainer. The best trainers, for simulating the real world, are Fluid Trainers, where the effort increases as your rear wheel speed increases. But they cost more, since tolerances are tighter to avoid leaking of the fluid. The CycleOps Fluid2 is something of a "standard." Rollers are completely different - essentially a treadmill for your bike. Two horizontal rollers "cradle" the rear wheel, one roller for the front. They require some learning so that you can ride the rollers without falling over, but they do teach you pedal technique and smoothness. However they have relatively little resistance, and therefore a trainer (either mag or fluid) is probably more useful than rollers. Lastly, having a bike computer on the rear wheel is pretty useless on a trainer. If you are serious, you need an HRM, since you train by HR, not by miles or speed. I've got the CycleOps Fluid2. Like anything, you have to balance value against your own use. If your goal is weight loss, you can sweat a lot on a simple mag trainer. If you're a racer, you want one of the fluid trainers so that you can simulate your outdoor intervals realistically on the trainer. Similarly, if you're going to spin along at a moderate pace, cheaper is fine; if you're going to really crank it during intervals, quality of construction becomes more important.

When you are riding outside on the flat, most of your energy goes into fighting wind resistance which goes up as the square of your speed. As you pedal faster, the bike goes faster, and your effort increases. It takes twice the power to ride at 25mph as it does to ride at 20mph. On a fluid trainer, as you increase your cadence (increasing the rear wheel speed, assuming you don't shift your gears) the turbine has to turn faster inside the fluid, and the trainer is engineered (turbine size and fluid viscosity) so that the resistance rises at about the same rate as wind resistance would outside. But on a mag trainer, the resistance at any one magnet setting is essentially constant, regardless of the speed the wheel is turning at. So as your cadence goes up, you are dividing the fixed resistance into more and more pedal strokes, so each pedal stroke "feels like" it requires less force - just the opposite of the "real world." I agree with you that riding outside feels easier than on a trainer, but that is largely psychological, because the scenery changes, the road goes up and down, the wind shifts, in sum the effort is varying, unlike the trainer where you are constantly working. The "rule of thumb" is that you should reduce the time of an outdoor training ride by 20% if you are going to do it on an indoor trainer and want the same amount of exercise, because indoors you don't have the benefit of downhills, tailwinds, an occasional red light or stop sign, etc. Hope that clarifies!

Well I'm learning alot here thats for sure I also must say I forgot to consider the momentum of the flywheel on a trainer which would help at higher speeds much like a road bikes momentum. Aerodynamics at 25 miles per hour is a resistance that didn't cross my mind. I am probably goofing off more when I'm on the road and doing some vigorous pyramids when on the trainer so I am a little biased.

palewin said:

When you are riding outside on the flat, most of your energy goes into fighting wind resistance which goes up as the square of your speed. As you pedal faster, the bike goes faster, and your effort increases. It takes twice the power to ride at 25mph as it does to ride at 20mph. On a fluid trainer, as you increase your cadence (increasing the rear wheel speed, assuming you don't shift your gears) the turbine has to turn faster inside the fluid, and the trainer is engineered (turbine size and fluid viscosity) so that the resistance rises at about the same rate as wind resistance would outside. But on a mag trainer, the resistance at any one magnet setting is essentially constant, regardless of the speed the wheel is turning at. So as your cadence goes up, you are dividing the fixed resistance into more and more pedal strokes, so each pedal stroke "feels like" it requires less force - just the opposite of the "real world." I agree with you that riding outside feels easier than on a trainer, but that is largely psychological, because the scenery changes, the road goes up and down, the wind shifts, in sum the effort is varying, unlike the trainer where you are constantly working. The "rule of thumb" is that you should reduce the time of an outdoor training ride by 20% if you are going to do it on an indoor trainer and want the same amount of exercise, because indoors you don't have the benefit of downhills, tailwinds, an occasional red light or stop sign, etc. Hope that clarifies!

Rollers, here's what you'll hear over and over again from people that are clueless, even bicycle coaches. They all spit out the same [censored] that is in books. The same goes for the bogus plumb bob and knee and pedal alignment (that's [censored] too as far as I'm concerned) This is what I did. I bought A used steel framed racing bicycle from a yard sale, and put a 56T chainring up front, got rid of the small chainring. I put a 11-18 cassette/cog in the back. Also, I put wide tires on the bicycle, 700cc x 30 - 90 psi, and you'll work your butt off. In addition, I bought rollers with really small drums. I am so tired of hearing that repetaed [censored] that you can't get a work out on rollers. In addition, the winter work out is not suppose to be 100%, who wants to experience burn out in June? Between tire resistance, and the 56T chainring, you'll get the work out you'll need, especially for a winter training.

Senorx said:

The weather is getting crappy around here, so I'm looking into an indoor trainer. Problem is I have no idea where to start. I have a couple of questions that I need answers to before I can buy one. What is a MagTrainer, Fluid Trainer and rollers? I know these are differant types of trainers, but what are the pros/cons and differnat uses for these? Also, can you use your regular wheel/tires that are used on daily training rides or do I have to purchase a differant set? I really don't have the funds to buy an extra wheel set/tire. Finally, I have a fork mounted computer, so I would need a trainer with a rear cyclometer. Anybody had any experiences with a trainer/cyclometer combo they would like to share? Perferable something in th 250.00-300.00 range? I have seen a NASHBAR Mag Trainer/cyclometer combo for 250.00 on their catalog. Is this worth it? Thank you all in advance.

I just bought one for my wife, it's a Magnetic one. It's simple to use, all you need to do is to get your bike in, make sure is clean, set it up to your trainner and adjust to the desired resistance. I paid only 160.00, if you get an DMR which is the electric version of the one I got, it may range between 250 and 450. The most expensive one would measure the distance, heart rate and even calories and fat you burn.
If you wanna see the one I bought go to: /www.giant-bicycle.com and choose U.S. from the menu (I think it's only available in the U.S) and look for
"Cyclotron Magtrainer", you can find it under the search (upper right) or you can go to the bikes' folder (upper submenu bar inside the website) go to the the list of bike categories to where it says indoors, it's the last in the catalog. If you click on the picture of the trainner, it will direct you where you can find a dealer (upper right in tinny blue caps). The dealer finder engine is gonna ask you for your address (just give it a close interception to where you live and some close zip code) and it will show you several stores where you can buy one like that, you can also do what I did just call the stores and ask for more models so, you can compare. (my wife does that all the time). Make sure they offer you a 30 days store guaranty, in case it does work, and also ask for the return policy just in case you don't like the product 'cuz some store charge you for a restocking fee which can be a chocking fee too. ( the manufacturer always gives you a year but it's annoying to do it through the manufacturer.
Hope it helps. Good luck!

I used a wind trainer for a long time, which might have been the Dave Scott model from Supergo, Avenir? It worked very well and I got a lot of great sessions on it. The fan helped to keep me cool. A few problems were the front wheel had to be removed, attached to the stand, and the unit was screwed into the frame by the bottom bracket, so putting the bike on and off was a hassle. Regardless of that it was a great unit, the vroommming noise was okay and it lasted a long time.

Now I'm in the market for another but there don't seem to be any wind trainers around any more. From checking web sites, a lot of the fluid trainers leak and don't have very good ratings. I was going to get one but have crossed them off which leaves the mags, and I'm looking to spend around $150 or preferably less.

I'm tending towards the Minoura 850D.

Is the absence of wind likely to make a major difference to my sessions?

How long do the magnets last. Are they likely to be about the same strength after a couple of years?

How noisy are the current wind trainers? I liked the vroomm but is the noise from the newer ones the same or is it more of a racket and clatter etc?

Any other comments regarding mags vs wind trainers.

Oh and I like to do some riding while standing, which was possible with the previous trainer. Should this work well with the Minoura and other current models as well?

Thanks.

the Kurt Kinetic is not supposed to leak since it doesn't use a shaft with seals for the fluid drive unit.
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Thanks.

Are they generally all the same as regards standing and climbing?

I'm also thinking of getting a Trainer. Currently I use an exercise bike (hired) to train on, but it doesn't really cut-it. The positioning is no good, it's uncomfortable etc. So I'm thinking of getting a trainer and using my bike (that's set-up for me!), but as I know nothing about them I'll read around the forum (and this thread) to get some knowledge.
I don't have a very big budget on this, so I would say a mag trainer would do me fine.
I'll either hire one, or buy a second-hand on to keep my costs down. I will only really be using it during weeknights over winter etc.

I think so, the only other trainer I have ridden is a minoura mag and the stand is basically similar like most of them. In the spinervals videos I have the people do not sway side to side when standing,
the ride very upright. I would do the same too since I wouldn't want risk bending anything on my bike when standing.