Kinetic trainer

                After having multiple issues with my Cyleops magentic trainer, I finally broke down and got a new fluid trainer, the Kurt Kinetic "Road Machine". We get a pretty nice deal on these trainers, and I ended up getting a new bike computer through Kinetic that gives a power reading as well. The power meter is displayed based on your speed while on that fluid trainer. It has an algorithm that it uses to compute the speed into an approx watt reading "for the average cyclist on the average ride". I thought that it would be kind of cool to get and play with. My thinking being that so long as I consistently use that trainer, and that watt meter, any improvements in my training will show up in the watts. It's kind of like using the same scale whenever you weigh in if you're looking to really watch how much weight you've lost.

                  I've been using the Kinetic fluid trainers for a while now. We have permanently at the station, and the guys still bring there's in just to make sure that everyone has a trainer. Some of the guys have the upgraded fluid trainer known as the Rock N Roll trainer because the entire resistance unit is mounted to a rubber bushing before it mounts to the frame, giving you the ability to really rock your bike back and forth like you're sprinting for the finish line. The Rock N Roll is pretty cool, but I have issues with it. First, you need to get your bike pretty well centered on the unit, otherwise you feel like you're leaning to one side or the other. The second thing is that I feel like a bounce a bit on that trainer. As in the rubber bushing causes me to have my back wheel bounce around. Maybe it's because my pedal stroke isn't super smooth (I've been told that I'm a masher on the pedals) but it gets a little annoying. I feel that with the bouncing not all of the power I'm putting out is going to the wheel, it's instead getting eaten up by the bounce.

                 But, back to the road machine version. I really love this trainer. It is very user friendly, and the legs have 4 different hole positions to get the correct, and most stable, position for your bike based on the wheel size. A 700c, 650c, and then 2 other holes for mountain bike with a trainer tire on them. It's a very well thought out design. Once I had the bike on the trainer, getting it locked down and secured is a breeze, and the turn knob to move the resistance unit against the wheel is smooth and very easy to use and tighten. The other awesome feature about the fluid trainer is the silence. The Cycleops trainer was a magnetic, and it was loud. This trainer is quiet. Meaning that we don't have to blast the tv super load just to hear what is being said. I would recommend the Kinetic fluid trainer to anyone.

               The new computer that I bought to give me the watt readings is a fun little toy to have. I've played with the computer on several rides, and it has a few more features than my Cateye Strata computer had. Not only does it have the power meter, it has a separate lap feature so you can time different intervals or rest periods if you'd like. It also has a temp gauge and an indigo light on it. GT now bugs me when we're riding at the station about what his watts are at a specific speed. So now I get to speed up to his speed just so his curiosity is fixed. For the most part, I've been just using the watt meter to see where I'm at, and then I go back to the cadence portion. I'll dial in my cadence and look at my speed, then I'll switch to the power reading and speed. Now I know my power reading and then go back to the cadence. At the end of it all, the computer will tell me my max and average watts, although I don't think that it will separate it into more detailed info like watts per lap. Overall for the price, the computer is pretty good. It's a wired unit, so I know that some people wouldn't bother, but I have an opinion about the wired units. They don't get any interference from outside sources like tv's or heart rate monitors. I had a terrible time with the Cateye getting frozen up from the tv or my heart rate monitor it was ridiculous. No problems now. The wires really aren't that big of a deal for me, I just used electrical tape on the frame to streamline the wires and you don't even really notice it.

If you're in need of an indoor trainer, look no further and buy the kinetic, they rock.