GamJams Reviews: Trainers and Rollers

[All cyclists are experts, at least when it comes to our equipment choices. We know why we chose what we chose, and what we think of the product after we've been using it. GamJams Reviews channels that collective expertise - category by category - into a tidy package of articles designed to help all of us make better equipment decisions. Buying what pros get paid to use is one way to go. But the candid testimonial of fellow racers who paid out of their own pocket - that's an endorsement that really counts.]

This week's GamJams Reviews is on Trainers and Rollers. If you want to add your own review, do it in the comments or on your own blog and throw a link in the comments.

• Karen Got Wheels likes her Cycleops Fluid 2 because of its low futz factor: "Of all the trainers, this one requires the least amount of fiddling with to work well. Set it, and forget it."
• Sweet Home Algomaha cites the possibility of tipping over on his Cycleops Aluminum Rollers as an advantage: "If you don't pedal, you fall down. Pretty simple. So an hour-long roller ride is actually an hour of constant pedaling, which is good for getting used to long time trials." For greater resistance workouts he uses the CycleOps Magneto, and offers a word of caution on their resistance units.
• Seconded by N Plus One, whose Trek Branded CycleOps Fluid 2 went on the fritz: "the trainer developed the loudest screech and a metal-on-metal sound. The sound became so annoying that the sounds of Metallica or Coach Troy couldn't drown out the noise." 
• Flamenco Chuckwagon's CycleOps Magneto has the most realist road feel he's seen: "It's a bit like riding outside is Coke and riding inside is Diet Coke. Somewhat similar, but less similar than the people who want you to buy Diet Coke would have you believe. Along comes Coke Zero, and Coke sues Coke Zero for taste infringement. It's that close. The road is Coke, the Elite is Diet Coke and the Magneto is Coke Zero. It's the taste infringement trainer."
• And K-Blogg's CycleOps Fluid 2 has given him no trouble, and is noticeably quieter than other trainers: "It's very quiet, smooth and easy to setup. I've seen other people using other brands, and lets just say that I'm glad I have the CycleOps Fluid 2!"
• TheWrobb's CycleOps Fluid 2 is also still going strong, and it's 5 years old. He points out the units heft, which is an advantage for stability, but worth taking into consideration if you use your trainer on game day: "Anybody who owns one of these knows that if you are bringing this to warmup to a race, riding your bike to your warmup location with this is a circus act, especially with the weak upper bodys most of us have."
• BethBikes lists the pros and cons of her 1up USA trainer, which she deliberated over at length: "I decided that if I found the perfect trainer, maybe it would make the task of indoor riding more pallatable."
• Nate Wilson replaced the rollers he found in a garbage can with a set of Kreitler dyno-lite, which he uses for z2. For intervals, he has to switch to the trainer. His preference? Neither: "If you find yourself having to ride inside just give up bike racing."
• Brian Fouche feels the same way. He reviews his Performance Travel Trac 2000, which is now 8 years old: "It still works and serves its purpose of awful indoor workouts, plenty of resistance for some 2x20 threshold intervals." Even so, "My advice: spend your money on some good winter clothes and just ride outside."
• Plain Jane has a tech-crush on her E-Motion rollers: "I rode them once and completed the 2-hour Have Mercy spinervals video in full, complete with sprints and spin drills. I was a believer."
• First Dropped goes even higher tech with his Travel Trac Real Axiom V4 Trainer, whose electromagnetic resistance unit is controlled by a PC and racing simulation programs, comparable to the Computrainer but at less than half the cost: "I have ridden a Computrainer numerous times and in most respects the Real Axiom is as good or better. It is my belief that Real Axiom, at any given slope (say 5%) is harder than a Computrainer at the same setting."
• The Unholy Rouleur says his Kurt Kinetic Rock and Roll Trainer rivals top of the line rollers as must-haves for the serious cyclist: "The bottom line is that this is a top quality trainer for a serious rider. If you are looking to do serious indoor workouts regularly, you should probably be in the market for E-Motion rollers or Kreitlers with resistance fans, or this trainer. At around $500, the Rock & Roll is a good competitive option, and possibly the most economical option among the three."

Add any comments or questions here, or go straight to the sites of the reviewers and pick their brains. Time on the bike is too dear to waste on the wrong equipment.

Comments

[Tom]

Great info. Question - I stumbled upon Video Sufferfests which considering the price is a pretty decent way to pass the time on a trainer - has anyone stumbled upon anything similar out there on the web for a similar price?
http://thesufferfest.com/video-sufferfests/

[Trunks]

E-motions, E-motions, E-motions! Nothing else compares

[vonteity]

Knitting, the perfect trainer distraction? http://vonteity.blogspot.com/2008/12/gamjams-reviews-trainer-distractions.html I think so.