Hey, my girlfriend is planning to get started with virtual power, and I’m looking to get her a good setup. and wondering what a good trainer would be.
I think my cycling ops fluid 2 would be terrible, because I’ve noticed not only is the resistance different before/after warming up, but also changes during the workout from beginning to end of intervals, and in the rest cycle. So until she commits to a real power meter. She’ll need something that’ll give her consistent readings (given same tire pressure and trainer tension on the wheel, etc)
I’m guessing a mag or wind trainer is my solution, and wondering if anyone has had great/terrible experiences with any models, especially while using virtual power.
I’m not too concerned about price, there’s a lot of workout equipment on Craigslist and eBay for cheap from all our fallen comrades that realized fitness isn’t for them. Anything that retails for under $500 (so probably not going to start her with a smart trainer)
The Kinetic Road Machine is still one of the best standard trainers. It is recommended for it’s power curve and road feel from the flywheel size and weight. It has a very stable temperature curve with minimal variation (but some variation may still be present according to some users). It also lacks the failure point of a seal that is present in all other fluid trainers. They are practically a “trainer for life” due to their longevity. I still have an old gray framed model that I will never sell, despite having trainers worth much more. It is a great trainer.
Wind is fine and generally consistent, but it is often very loud. They don’t get reviewed often anymore, so I don’t know if you will find many resources for a recommendation on one model over another.
Mag can be more stable, but is often a more linear power curve that falls short for some riders. If you don’t need high resistance, it can be a good option. Again, there aren’t may of these that get close looks anymore, so not sure if one is necessarily better than another.
2nd the Kurt Kinetic, and if you find one without the inride sensor, you can buy one and I think it adds a layer of consistency. We have one, although my wife doesn’t use it very much, I’ve used it a couple of times when I didn’t have my powertap or the hammer and I think it worked well with TR
I also suggest the Kurt Kinetic Road Machine. I have one that my wife uses while I use a Kickr. I will never sell it because it just always works. I have a Kickr too and when it works it’s great but when it decides to be fussy it is a huge pain in the ass. The KKRM is my back up for when the Kickr and TR software don’t want to get along.
I’ll second that the CycleOps Fluid2 would be rubbish. Love its robustness - but its resistance definitely changes with temperature, I can see this when doing 10min intervals at steady power and the speed gradually decreases.
i would guess that a magnetic trainer would be less susceptible to such fluctuations.
I’ll throw in another vote for the KK Road Machine. It’s well constructed and provides consistent, reliable resistance. I’ve never had an issue with the wheel mounting mechanism, and mine has a “quick” release on one side for rapid install/removal of the bike.
They are relatively quiet as well.
KKRM is about 22.5 mph for 300w. I don’t find it to be too loud until you get into the sprint efforts. I used mine for years and never had an issue with the noise. My Kickr17 is louder if I am spinning in a similar gear to hit the same 22.5 mph speed.
Mag trainers tend to vary widely on how much resistance they have at particular speeds. Most have a very linear curve, and may require fast spinning to hit 300w. This shows the simple CycleOps Magneto (orange) and the SuperMagneto Pro (shades of black) The Magneto is about equal to the KKRM for speed at 300. The SMP hits is sooner depending on the setting or about the same for others.
I’m using a Tacx Booster on minimum setting 7/10, sometimes higher. Even at 350 watts my fan overpowers it, and the neighbours beneath can’t hear either. On lower settings though, they are disturbed by the “washing machine” somewhere in the building.
That supermagneto pro at the mountain setting looks nice. I don’t think I could use any fluid model, unfortunately.
Feels like riding uphill though. Some people don’t like it. I don’t care much. The positive thing is that I’ve gotten a better pedal stroke - you can’t be lazy at 4 to 6 o clock or it will get too choppy. I don’t notice any cons riding on flat roads. But all that is already discussed in other threads about flywheel effect.
