I need a trainer for my bike. I can't ride my Cannondale yet (could fall), and the recumbent I have is junk.

Anybody got experience with bike trainers? What do you look for quality-wise?

I have a mag trainer and it is more than adequate for my indoor use. However, most of the bike weanies on BikeForum.com will recommend a fluid trainer which is smoother and quieter than my mag-trainer.

I used mine quite a bit a few winters ago while getting ready to ride the Tahoe Century with Team in Training and it held up just fine. They will cost you around $100 to $150 or so at Performance Bike. The CycleOps Fluid trainer may be as much as $300 or so. I haven't looked at these in while as I am now just a large piece of flesh and fat with little or no muscle remaining any longer. Two years of sitting on my azz has ruined me.

aHA... Fluid vs. magnetic drive. Thanks there Don; that's a start...

Can you power a TV with it?

All this talk about fluids and cycles is putting me off my appetite.

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Try these:

I have one of those, it currently sits in a corner holding up the bike (something I need to change)

It's a mag - I've never tried a fluid one. They can be noisy, but to get around that I just changed my rear tire.

The one thing I wish I had was a remote cable to change the resistance, but that's a luxury if I ever get another one.

Another thing you'll probably want to get is a front tire riser - if you don't you'll find your rear tire higher than the front, and that can get akward.

Look real hard, there was a recall a few years ago on some mag models where the weight plate would shatter or come off nailing the rider in the leg, so do a lot of reading before you buy.

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Believe it or not, I have looked for a training wheel(s) at the bike shops. They aren't made for adults' bikes.

One shop guy did ask why I wanted one. At first I said, "So I don't tumble after I get tanked." He got wise, and I had to tell him it was for physical therapy, cause someone ELSE got tanked, and tumbled ME.




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If you don't change it there bmw, and wanna' get it out, PM me there...