There are several types of trainers. There are wind trainers that rely on wind to create riding resistance, mag trainers which rely on magnetic resistance, fluid trainers which rely on fluid and electronic trainers. There are also rollers which have different methods of resistance.  Trainer technology has come a long way in the last few years and we could spend a long time discussing all of the different trainers available on the market today.

One of my personal favorites is the CycleOps Fluid2 by Saris. CycleOps offers a full range of indoor training products and new for 2009 is a new Pro series line of trainers. Their trainers are assembled right here in the USA in Madison, Wisconsin. The Fluid2 is not new to the line it has been a mainstay of the CycleOps trainer line for years and along the way has received minor upgrades.

When you open the box you’ll need to initially assemble the trainer for the first use which should take you a few minutes. I am sure if you ask your local shop where you purchase the trainer they can help you assemble it.  The trainer also comes with a more durable rear skewer you should use so as not to damage your light weight aluminum skewer.  Also included is a workout DVD;  DVD’s such as these can really add a whole new dimension to your indoor training.

One thing that is not included with the trainer is a riser block to level the front of the bike so that you don’t feel like you are riding down a hill the whole time you are working out on the trainer. This is one accessory I highly recommend that you purchase when you pick up your trainer. They range from approximately $10 to $20. Some other optional accessories to consider are a mat for underneath your trainer to protect the floor perspiration; there is also a bike thong that is available to protect your bike from perspiration. A feature of the bike thong net that I like is the pockets for holding your phone and TV remotes.  When you pick up your trainer you also might want to consider picking up a few more workout videos for your indoor training. Of course a cycle computer that mounts to the rear wheel to record your speed and distance is a valuable tool to provide feedback for your workout.

Setting up the bike in the trainer is easy with the bolt action quick release lever. Once you set the spacing for your bike the first time it is easy to take your bike in and out of the trainer. Applying the resistance unit to the rear wheel is a snap with the quick release lever that Saris added a few years ago replacing the adjusting knob. To ensure you have a stable platform to ride the trainer also has adjustable leveling feet. As all of the Saris trainers the Fluid2 is backed by a lifetime warranty.

There is a lot to like about this trainer and a lot that I like about this trainer. One of the coolest things about this trainer is that it is a very quiet trainer. When riding it you won’t run your house mates out of the house.  One of my friends sets up his Fluid2 up in the living room and he would do his workout while watching a movie with his wife.  This comes from the silicone fluid that CycleOps uses in the resistance unit along with sealed-cartridge bearings to unsure a quiet ride and better inertia just like you are on the open road. While the amount of noise that the trainer produces is important to consider when selecting a trainer there are other features that I think you should consider when selecting your trainer.

I’ve been using a Fluid2 for some time now. It originally was call the Fluid Team Edition because it had a larger fly wheel then their standard fluid trainer. Eventually Saris standardized on the larger flywheel for their fluid trainers added a few features and called it the Fluid2 trainer. The fly wheel is a 2.75 pound individually precision balanced flywheel which offers a smooth ride and ride like inertia when you accelerate and decelerate.

The Fluid2 offers the rider progressive resistance, so the faster your ride the harder it becomes to pedal your bike. The bike will accelerate and decelerate just like you are riding on the road. Of course you can still utilize your gears to increase or decrease the amount of power you are generating on the trainer.

To reduce the wear and tear on your tire the Fluid2 has a larger diameter drum which also gives a smooth ride. Trainers tend to be hard on tires so I highly recommend using a durable tire for your trainer.  Don’t shorten the life of your high end tire, in fact some of the high end tires are not suitable for use on the trainer they can deteriorate from the heat generated by the trainers causing the clue used to hold them together to separate. There are even some trainer specific tires that are available on the market.

I’ve logged a bunch of miles on my Fluid2 trainer and I love it. It is just as quiet as the day that I first rode it.  I am a huge fan of the fluid style trainers they are quiet and do not stir up dust when using them.  My trainer has held up well over the years and is very stable when I get out of the saddle to do a sprint workout. The oversized drum that the wheel rides on does indeed offer a smoother ride and reduces the wear on the rear tire. The progressive resistance works like a champ and has been able to handle everything that I have asked it to. This trainer would be a great addition to your cycling equipment and will help you pass the training hours until the weather outdoors is to your liking.

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Saris Web Site

Fluid2 Trainer

If a trainer is not for you, the money you would have invested in a trainer could be invested on some winter clothing which would allow you to ride in the harshest of conditions.

Trainers are great tools to get a very structured and solid workout. One advantage of a trainer is that it removes a lot of the outside variables such as wind and weather and varying terrain.  This fact makes them perfect to use when you need to run a test to see how your performance has changed no matter the time of year.  Most coaches and books have different forms of these tests to help you establish your fitness level prior to starting a new workout program.

One of my favorite books with a workout program is the Lance Armstrong Performance Program book with Chris Carmichael, Peter Nye and Lance as the authors. When I needed to get back in shape several years ago I used this book a heart rate monitor and a trainer to start my road back into shape. I did many of the workouts but I also used one of my own workouts with the aid of my HRM.

One of my favorite types of workouts is to use the commercials of the shows that I watch when I ride. What is neat about this is you never know when the commercials will come and how many of them there will be. Using the commercials one of the workouts I do is sprint for the first commercial, rest the second and sprint the next. So on and so on until the commercial break is over. Then for the show I return to a steady state.  If you want to add a twist you can have the steady state you return to for the show to be harder or easier then what you rode for the last segment of the shoe. My next version of the same workout is to sprint two commercials and recover for one and then sprint for the next two. Another “commercial workout” is to take it up and do a long interval at an increased heart rate for the duration of all the commercials.

I will be posting a review of my trainer of choice the Cycle Ops Fluid 2 built right here in the great state of Wisconsin shortly. That was my original idea when I started this post but then I got sidetracked.

For more information on using your indoor trainer here are some links to more articles:

Indoor Training, The Basics – Indoor Training, The Workouts – Indoor training: Motivation and Success!

Make the Most of Your Winter Training