Fluid Trainer Help

pb433 said:

I will be purchasing a fluid trainer soon and would like any comments on specific brands. I have $325 to spend and am looking for durability and reliability. I plan to use the trainer in my living room for endurance training.

I bought a 2005 CycleOps Fluid 2 last Fall on ebay for $223 shipped. I was pleased as punch with it until I noticed a small fluid leak. I thought they had fixed that problem. Now I'm not quite so happy with it, as you might imagine.

For $325 you can get a Kurt. They're supposed to be better anyway. If I were buying a new one today I would entertain something like the Performance® Travel Trac® Mag Force+ w/ Electronic Display as it has some nifty features such as power display (I don't have a power meter). It won't leak either.

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=19269&subcategory_ID=4120

pb433 said:

I will be purchasing a fluid trainer soon and would like any comments on specific brands. I have $325 to spend and am looking for durability and reliability. I plan to use the trainer in my living room for endurance training.

I've got a Cyclops Fluid 2 as well. It has never leaked, but they have a lifetime warranty if it does. My wife had a Nashbar Mag trainer. While there was a slight difference in the resistance feel, it wasn't that big of a difference. Same noise level out of both. Try looking at rollers as well. You can always get the fork mount stabilizer to get you started.

I'd by a mag trainer and spend the rest on a gym membership. Spin class keeps you strong over the winter.

I also have the cyclops. I really like it and have had no problems. I paid $219 shipped from ebay.

Kurt Kinetic is the only way to go if you ask me. I've had one for a couple of years now and love it. The resistance is good and has a better "road" feel than any other I've ever use. If you have the money to spend then the Kurt is one of the best money can buy. I'd make sure you find one with the bigger flywheel too. They have 2 different sizes and the larger one is the better way to go.