As
a cyclist, the search for newer and better gear is constant — there's
always something else out there. Premes, Picks, Promos will highlight
both the next big thing and the sleeper deal.
As I type this, there's snow falling in Omaha. Lots of it. Underneath it is a bit of ice. By the end of it all — sometime Friday, likely — we'll have up to a foot of snow. And this is on top of the six or seven inches still hanging around from a storm earlier this month.
Yeah, winter is here. And as much as I'd love to regale you with tales of three-hour, 20-degree rides, it's just not going to happen. True, there are pockets of time where we can get out every day for a week or two, but the conditions just aren't good a majority of the time.
So I've become somewhat of an expert on trainers. Lately I've been riding the CycleOps Super Magneto Pro ($399, right). With four resistance settings and quiet operation (but not as quiet as the Fluid2 I'd been using), the Super Magneto Pro has been impressive so far.
The big draw is the ability to adjust resistance depending upon the workout. The easiest setting is suitable for recovery days, while the second setting (Road) is good for those steady aerobic burns. The third setting is Interval, which allows for more resistance when cranking up the watts. Finally, the Mountain setting rounds it out. It's hard.
One thing I noticed is the momentum carried by the flywheel. Once you wind it up on the Road setting, it feels like having a slight tailwind. On the Interval setting, that switches to a headwind. On Mountain, it's a hill with a headwind.
If you're a power user (as in you ride the trainer a lot), it's hard to go wrong with the Super Magneto Pro. If you're more of an occasional indoor rider, the Fluid2 is probably a better option at $80 less.
(The newest issue of VeloNews has a review of the Super Magneto Pro as well.)
While you're there ...
One thing that helps me escape the tedium of spending the winter on the trainer is watching race DVDs. I have several hundred hours' worth, spanning 10+ years of the Tour, the Giro and the spring classics. I have my favorites (2005 Liege-Bastogne-Liege is a treat, as are various bits of the Armstrong Tour years), and the 2009 Giro d'Italia has just joined the list.
You can get it here for $69.95, and I'm sure it can be found elsewhere for a bit less. The eight-hour version includes the 2009 Milan-San Remo disc, too. Between watching DiLuca try like to hell to drop Menchov — for three weeks — and Menchov's Stage 21 crash, it's worthy of plenty of repeat viewings.
Heads up
Keep an eye on SRAM's road-wheel offerings in the coming months. To go along with its S40, S60 and S80 wheels (rebranded Flash Point carbon wheels), the company is adding an aero aluminum line, dubbed S30. The lighter version of the two S30 models checks in at around 1,400 grams and will reportedly cost between $600 and $800.
In addition to being GamJams Tech Editor, Bryan Redemske manages the Trek Bicycle Store of Omaha, is a professional writer and a Cat 3 racer. He drinks a lot of coffee.
Fan us.
Follow Us.
Network.
Comments