5 comments about Bell Motivator Mag Indoor Bicycle Trainer.

1. The trainer is as advertised, and works great. Good unit for the money. Simple to set-up and use. I would certainly recommend getting a road-type tire for the rear of your bike if you are using with a mountain bike, as the vibration of the tire can get loud and be irritating after a while. But, I'm sure that's the case with any trainer.
   
   The problem... ...AMAZON. When I clicked "THIS IS A GIFT", I assumed it would arrive in some sort of nondescript packaging. No, it arrived in it's box, proudly displayed on my porch where, upon arriving home from work, my wife gat an early birthday present. HELLO? AMAZON? Anyone home? Second order in as many months that had problems. Seriously considering shopping elsewhere from now on.



2. I bought this item so I could continue riding my bike through the tough Chicago winters. I had no idea it was going to be SO LOUD! I live in a condominium, and after the first day of using this product, I got a "not so friendly" visit from the people who live downstairs. Before long, I also got the same type of visit from several other neighbors. After about a week, this item went into storage. I probably should just sell it, because as long as I live in this condo, I won't be able to use it, because of the noise.
   
   The item works well, it's just extremely loud. I suggest not getting it unless you live in a house. It makes it very difficult to listen to music while riding too.



3. Trainer arrived very promptly as promised; however, the shipping box looked like it had been through WWIII. I decided to take pictures of the box before opening just to be on the safe side. I was please to see that the Bell Motivator Mag Trainer had not suffered any damage. My second concern was when I found a part included that had no description as to what it was or how to use it and the user's guide left a lot to be desired. Fortunately, the customer service rep I talked to was very helpful and I was up and riding in short order. I have used the trainer daily since receiving and although a bit loud it is not nearly as bad as I had anticipated after reading many other reviews prior to ordering. The unit is very stable and I absolute will say it fits my needs without a hitch. Good product - I would have given this a 5 but considering the condition of the box at the time of receipt plus extremely poor instructions I think a 4 is fair.



4. This is a very basic trainer with very little resistance. This really is best for beginner bikers.
   
   In addition, the tension adjustment knob is made of cheap plastic which stripped and cracked within a few weeks. When I called the company for support they said that they didn't have any extra ones that they could send me. They told me I would have to mail in the entire unit to have it replaced. It certainly wasn't worth the cost shipping for a 30-cent piece of cheap plastic.
   
   I haven't done it yet, but I'm going to take it somewhere to have a metal crank welded on to replace the cheap plastic adjustment knob. Until then, I have to use a pair of pliers to adjust the tension.
   
   The unit is easy to setup and to get the bike setup on it. I didn't need to use the extra skewer that was provided but you may if you have an older bike.
   
   I recommend you buy slick tires to use with this (and any other) trainer. I very quickly went out and bought slick tires for my mountain bike because the knobby tires makes too much noise. Even with the slicks the noise is louder than I would like, but this is not the unit making the noise - it's the vibration from the tires which you will have with any unit. Another thing that helped was setting up the trainer and bike on a set of foam floor pads to reduce tranmission of vibrations to the rest of the room.



5. You can't go wrong with the price on this item. The structure itself is strong, does not look cheap and no assembling required. I wish the rotator was adjustable to set a stronger resistance but the price on those models are more than double.
   
   Some people reviews say it is a bit noisy but since I have mine in the living room and I use it while watching TV it makes very easy to ignore the noise. Specially if watching American Funniest Videos at night! =)
   It works for those days it is too dark/cold/hot to go bike outside. It definely has helped to increase my biking resistance.

5 comments about RAD Cycle Products MAG Bike Trainer.

1. This trainer is a great addition to my slow-growing home gym. Its perfect for the price and with a decent bicycle, I get a lot out of the time that I put in. It is relatively quiet but I recommend having a good pair of headphones that are sweat-proof if you plan on listening to talk radio or something that requires close attention, as the vacuum-esque sound is a little distracting.
   
   The seller delivered it much faster than I had anticipated. Well packaged, no chance for a damaged product unless a piano fell on it. Highly recommended.



2. Very pleased with product and shipping. Fast delivery. Would recommend highly as a place to purchase merchandise.



3. I really enjoy having an indoor trainer and this works amazingly. It is easy to set up and take down!



4. Trainer was as advertised and shipped promptly.Is easy to install bike and is an easy way to get in shape for mt.biking



5. I received the trainer on time but the package was damaged. When pulling it all out of the box I noticed that an integral part was missing and promptly contacted the seller by phone and email late on a Friday night. I didn't expect to hear anything until the next Monday and was happily surpised to get an email that the missing part was mailed by that Sunday. Thanks! I love the trainer :)

5 comments about CycleOps Fluid 2 Indoor Bicycle Trainer.

1. I never owned a bicycle trainer before, so I don't have anything to compare it to. My only complaint about it is it's louder than I would have liked. It seems very well built, looks great, and can fold away in a closet when you want it out of site.



2. I used to do a lot of road riding 20 years ago, so now I'm not really "in shape" for returning to road riding. I got this trainer when I bought a new road bike since I used to use an old fan based trainer, the fan was very noisy! I didn't like the idea of the mag trainer having a resistance selector via cable or having to get off the bike to adjust. The fluid trainers adjust resistance based on how fast the rear wheel spins... faster spin, more resistance... this makes it perfect for the training videos that are available... they say you should shift up or down and the resistance will then be easier or harder. Actually, most of the training videos I've seen use fluid based trainers (either cycelops or kinetic) anyway.
   
   I do my exercise at night, usually when my family has gone to sleep. I wouldn't call the trainer very quite, but it's certainly not loud. I can be downstairs and the family asleep upstairs and it doesn't disturb them... even with the bedroom right above where I'm riding. I don't need to turn the TV volume up much to hear the audio.
   
   This is a well build and sturdy trainer. It's not light, most of the weight is in the fluid and flywheel assembly, but the tube frame is very strong and looks well designed. It was very easy to assemble, it took about 5 minutes to figure out and put together. The hardest part was setting how much pressure to apply with the metal roller to the tire so it wouldn't slip when I sprinted and wasn't pressing too hard to cause the tire to heat up/wear faster.
   
   I've done about 100 miles in the past week on it (got it last Sat!) and am looking forward to more.
   
   BTW, it also works with mountain bikes, but the knobby tires are a lot louder than the slicks on my road bike, but I didn't buy it with plans to use my mountain bike since the gearing is so much lower for hill climbing, I don't think the resistance from the fluid would be enough for a hard workout since it wouldn't be turning as fast as a higher geared road bike (53:12 on the road bike verses 44:11 on the MTB)



3. I was looking for something to augment my at-home workouts because I was getting tired of just having my rowing machine (Don't get me wrong. I LOVE my Concept 2. I just wanted a bit of variety.) at home. This trainer has been great in allowing me to get back in biking shape while snow is still a familiar sight in New England... It seems very solidly built but it does make a significant amount of racket if you are 'moving' at high speed. It is my first trainer so I don't have any point of comparison but so far so good. I have been using it, on average, 1/2 hour per session, 3 days a week, for the past few months.



4. This trainer gets it right. It is easy to set up and take down so it takes up little space when not in use. It is stable when set up and there is little noise made by the resistance unit, which is a nice feature if you live in an apartment. Since my home has hardwood floors, I put a ruberized mat under the trainer to dampen the vibration through the floor, but with the mat, there is no vibration sound at all. The resistance unit works well with little or no slippage and it has a very natural feel to it. I've tried a couple different types of trainers but this one is the best of the lot. So far no complaints and I've had it over a year and logged perhaps a thousand miles on it.



5. I've had this product for a month and I love it. It is easy to put into operation, quiet and smooth. It has a great training DVD that came with the package. I found that I need a towel under the bike to soak up all of the sweat. It is a real help in getting my revs up during the off-season.

5 comments about CycleOps Mag Indoor Bicycle Trainer.

1. I've owned this for about two weeks, and have used it several times already. Assembly took about 20 minutes and was very easy. In the two weeks I've had this, I agree that using it is noisy, but I believe it is due to the tread on my mountain bike tire. I'm going to try switching to a smoother road tread to see if the noise decreases. Either way, I'm very happy to have bought this as I've already lost weight and am able to ride for a longer time at a higher speed than I was with the first few uses.
   
   I recommend buying a block for the front wheel, too. Not for balance, but to level the height of the front wheel with that of the back wheel.



2. This has to be one of the best investments I've made, makes Wisconsin winters easier to deal with. It's smooth, quite, a snap to use and I still have plenty have resistance to grow into. Also came with a very nice training video that will challenge you. In fact I think I will order more of these training videos. 5stars from me...I'm no novice I have years of biking under my belt, road and mountain. Get it!!



3. A trainer is better if it closely replicates an actual cycling experience. Hence, the graduating complexity and cost of fan, magnetic and fluid drive trainers. The more you pay, the closer the experience is to replicating the inertia of what happens in a real ride. You want the trainer to feel as if it takes more exertion to get up to speed, but also want it to "coast", when you stop pedaling. This trainer is a mag drive, and does a good overall job, but doesn't coast well. I find myself pedaling all the time, as if I were hill climbing. That's OK for getting exercise, but not good for getting in a sustained ride. Those brief periods of coasting help the muscles recover and allow longer ride time. I could stop entirely for short periods, but that's not how I want to ride. I do use the gears to vary pedaling speed, but can't use the high gear and standing to vary the working muscles enough on the trainer; the resistance doesn't go high enough for that. I haven't tried a fluid drive, so don't know if it would be much better. I suggest trying a trainer somewhere before buying. All said and done, I would probably buy this same trainer again, as it is solidly built and with a smooth tire on the bike, quiet enough. Now, if someone put a 20 lb weight on the spinner...



4. assembles easy (may be difficult for some as instructions are not clear). must say that getting the riser block was definitely worth it. It is realitively quiet with a road tire but horrendous with an off road tire. Every effective and the DVD is a nice touch as well. i would recommend this easily to anyone cause i have already to much of my friends and family who were looking for an at home trainer



5. I'm not a hard core cyclist but I like to bike to stay in shape. It creates a little noise but it's not bad at all. This trainer works really well and it's really nice for the price. I'd recommend getting the stabalizer for the front tire to keep everything sturdy and to lift up the front end.

5 comments about Blackburn Trakstand Mag Indoor Bicycle Trainer.

1. I should have read the reviews before purchasing. The Trakstand Mag has little resistance even at the tightest setting. I am returning it to the store today. Buyer Beware.Blackburn Trakstand Mag Indoor Bicycle Trainer



2. The Blackburn Trakstand is great! It is a good quality trainer and has been everything I had hoped for. You really need the Trakstand Block to go under the front tire for this set up so you can ride level as you would outside.



3. I bought this item for my wife to use, so she could still bike during the winter months. It is very easy to set up and use, and while it is somewhat noisy, it is not any louder than one might expect it to be. She can ride it and hear the TV or radio with no problems.
   
   This is a great item that I would highly recommend.



4. This does what it's meant to do. It sets up easily, but it is noisy. I used it for the first time last night, and had to turn my tv volume up very high.
   
   Like I said, it works and does what it is supposed to do.



5. I haven't previously owned a trainer, and all I was hoping for was something relatively quiet and smooth. It showed up and the handles were all shattered (they are pretty cheap plastic). In addition, the casing around the mechanism was broken, allowing the magnet to spin freely around. Trying to look past that I deided to set my bike up to see how it ran, and how noisy it was. After getting most everything back into place that I could the noise was fine for about 20 minutes, and setup was relatively easy, but after 20 minutes it started making a ringing noise that is apparently the metal wheel rubbing against the magnet. If it wasn't broken maybe it would be a good product, but I am pretty disappointed, and I would look elsewhere if you want to spend this much money.

1 comments about 2008 Kurt Kinetic Road Machine Fluid Trainer and King Riser Package.

1. I've been using my Kurt Kinetic Road Machine for about a week now and have found it very helpful in maintaining and increasing my fitness during the rainy season in the Pacific Northwest. Setup was very easy and straightforward (once I was able to free up the axle nut on the left side, which seemed to be jammed at first. I just had to be persistent in twisting hard until it loosened up). I was up and pedaling within 10 minutes of opening the box. I don't have any experience with other trainers so I was expecting a greater degree of "progressive resistance" in the fluid trainer than I am experiencing, but I have no basis for comparison since I have never used any other kind of trainer. The unit is realtively quiet and very smooth. I also appreciated the "Spinervals" DVD that came with it. Very helpful. I would definitely recommend this product.

No comments about Minoura Mag-850DR Trainer With Remote " w/ Riser Block, Blue 128595.

1 comments about Minoura Mag 850 Tire Drive Magnetic Trainer, Dial, w/ Riser Block.

1. just what I wanted! A system that gives me a stationary bike and a street bike in one. I even get resistance with this trainer.

1 comments about New 2008 Green Kurt Kinetic Road Machine with Riser Ring, Power Computer & Floor Mat Package.

1. What a great deal on such top-notch products! A trainer is a must, especially when there is a foot of snow outside. I believe that the Kurt trainer has a superior design (see their web site), and it is a great value when purchased in this package format.

No comments about CycleOps Climbing Block.