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whats the best turbo trainer

Hi, I am a novice at the triathlon, having completed only one sprint race last year. I want to get some bike training in over the winter and have heard that turbo trainers are good. Anyone recommend a particular make or model?



Cheers

Comments

  • Hello Rothlay, nice to meet you.



    As with so much of the kit you can buy the "best" turbo is really a case of personal preference, size of budget, etc. There was a group test in 220 last month which was quite useful and I quote:



    "if you're on a tight budget then both the cycleOps Mag (£80), which offers power-band technology, Minoura's Mag 500 (£99.99) prove to be great value for money. But the all-round ride, feeland value of the Elite Volare Mag Lite (£74.95) overshadows them.

    In the mid-preice range, the Gist fluid (£134.99) is a sturdy trainer and, although the minoura hypermag (£149.99) did well, its possibly a bit overpriced when compared to some in this range. Tacx's Sirius (£129.99) punches well above its weight in terms of cost and overall feel and is right up there. As is the CycleOps Fluid2 (155.00), which is smooth, quiet and easy to use.

    Heading up the price range, the Elite Crono Hydromag offers a ride feel that is like no other with its large elastogel roller and magnetic resisatance set-up (£199.00)...While the ride might be great on the Hydromag , the real winner-if price isn't an issue-is the Tacx Flow (£289.99). It offers so much for serious training athletes, such as accurate heart rate and power readings along with a great ride feel. Sitting on the Flow is a joy and time flies as you're ept busy checking out all your outputs." (Ian Osborne, Indoor Trainers, 220 Triathlon, issue 189, December 2005)



    Hope this helps. Once again, 220 to the rescue. Seriously, as a novice triathlete one of the best things I ever did was get a subscription/start buying 220 on a regular basis. Good Luck with your winter training, see you around in the summer.
  • thanks josh (not that i started the thread),



    I have been looking at turbo trainers (have some xmas/ birthday money) and now i think i have made up my mind - so shopping it is tommorow.



    I have liked look of the Tacx's Sirius and the review seems to like it.



    Cheers again,

    lee.
  • I would be carefull about buying a turbo trainer from TACX. Check out their forum:



    http://www.tacxvr.com/phpbb2/viewforum.php?f=10

    [color=#666600]http://www.tacx.com/service.php?lvlMain=25&language=EN&ttop=Forum[/color]



    They have had a number of complaints about power adapters failing and USB interfaces not working anymore.



    I own one and my power adapter has failed. It's a costly repair job, but considering I also have a lot of the VR DVDs (Virtual Reality training routes) I have to stay with them!



    Good luck with your decision - it's important to gather as much information you can before buying an expensive training device.



    Paul
  • rj1265rj1265 Posts: 70
    Hi All



    From personal experience --- I have owned a Minorua Hypermag for 18 months and am very pleased with it, there is a wide range of settings allowing you to perform various different workouts. I use it at least twice a week (glutton for punishment and it means I have a large MP3 library [:)] ) throughout the year (I find it very useful for recovery rides as I can keep my HR to a specified level).



    I would recommend it.



    R
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