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Turbo Trainer Advice...

Chrissie_54321Chrissie_54321 Posts: 2
in General Chat
It's dark!!! and as the wee country lanes near mine aren't lit, I've decided to get a turbo trainer for winter... but no idea which one.... any advice'd be appreciated - lots!

(I'm not sure on budget - if there's a really good reason for buying an expensive one, then I'd consider it, but probably looking £100-£200.... as long as that affords something good??!)

Thank you!

Comments

  • TrisurferTrisurfer Posts: 228
    Hello,
    I've just bought the cycleops fluid pro on wiggle (20% off) so around £200. It's fairly quiet when just spinning, but once I start pounding it in a low gear it 's noisey! and vibrates alot.
    Not sure how other turbo's compare but, it's not something I would use in my living room!

    Performance wise its a pain machine!! just crank in a low gear an go for it!

    On wiggle the delivery was fast and a good service, even gave me 2 packets of haribo!! yum yum!!

    cheers


    Neil
  • shadowone1shadowone1 Posts: 1,408
    I have the Tacx Satori. It has a varying resistance up to 8,at which point it is eye bleeding material.

    There is a lot of good trainers out there and its much a much. Best thing is to look over a few mags, internet and then cross reference that with your budget. Mines cost me £145 last year. They are hard work and boring but they are worth it.
  • Jack HughesJack Hughes Posts: 1,262
    Thing to consider:

    Where are you going to use it?

    As a rule of thumb, cheaper ones are noisier. And a turbo in full flight can make a far bit of use.

    Are you going to use it above living accommodation? (e.g. in flat).

    It will make a terrible noise in the room below - as the floor acts as a sounding board. Your neighbours will hate you.

    How complex/structured is your training?

    The more you spend, the more features such as control of resistance levels from your handlebars (great for intervals), speed/distance, heart rate, power output are added. An entry level ergometer (i.e. resistance trainier + computer) is about £250 - £300.

    Are you going to do long sessions?

    It is very boring. More expensive ones plug into your computer to give you a virtual reality experience. Or you can just watch a DVD.

    You'll sweat buckets, so something like a yoga mat is great to put it on.

    Will it be out all the time?
    If you have limited space and have to tidy away, then something small would be good!

    CycleOps/Tacx are the top brands. I have a Tacx flow - which is the entry level ergo. It is quite quiet. Cost £250 last Winter
  • antonyfromozantonyfromoz Posts: 87
    Besides the two top brands mentioned by Jack, I would also look at the Elite range. I have just bought a very basic entry level unit from Elite and am very happy with it, albeit based on a very limited level of use so far. I looked at various reviews on the internet prior to making the purchase though and the Elite trainers had a lot of good reviews so the quality across the range seems to be good. One of the things I learnt was that the fluid trainers are meant to be the most realistic as a substitute for on the road training as the resistance increases in line with speed rather than based on the resistance level selected with the magnets - but my level of use/fitness did not justify the extra expense.

    Good luck!
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