Are Magnetic Trainers Good For Ordinary Cyclists?

Magnetic trainers use magnets to help supply resistance for the cyclist. Actually the way it works is that opposing magnets (call them positive and negative) either sit across from each other on a flywheel or they are spaced so that you have one positive followed by one negative while you would have one negative followed by one positive on the opposite flywheel. What ends up happening is that as they cyclist wishes to increase resistance, he/she either twists a knob on the magnetic trainer or on a remote handlebar shifter which brings the magnets closer together, thus increasing resistance. On the opposite end, if the cyclist chooses to reduce resistance, the knob on the magnetic trainer (or remote handlebar shifter) is moved the opposite way, so the magnets move further apart and with less resistance, it is easier for the cyclist to pedal.

What you will find with most magnetic trainers is that they provide what may be termed linear resistance. If the cyclist decides at one point to really get some energy and stands up to give it everything he's got, you will often find slippage with most magnetic trainers. You would find that same slippage with a wind trainer. However, CycleOps makes an indoor bike trainer called the CycleOps Magneto and it is the first magnetic trainer of its kind to offer progressive resistance.

CycleOps Magneto Indoor Bicycle Trainer

Rating:	(17 reviews)
	$251.99
	Yes ($25 minimum)

So with the CycleOps Magneto Indoor Bike Trainer, you now have a relatively quiet and smooth trainer which offers what is called power band technology. This magnetic trainer provides a wide range of resistance which starts at what you could call a warmup or easy spinning and progresses to lung burning climbs and this is all without having to get off the bike trainer to change the resistance on the unit.

Take a look at the CycleOps Supermagneto Pro with flexible Power Curve Technology and choose your resistance setting:

EASY SETTING Warm up before you ride hard.
ROAD SETTING Ride all day to build volume and build a sweat.
INTERVAL SETTING Step up to a more intense workout.
MOUNTAIN SETTING Take on the trainer's most challenging ride.

Spring loaded magnets help to provide the progressive resistance while precision balanced flywheels add to the road like feel that the CycleOps Supermagneto Pro Trainer offers.

CycleOps SuperMagneto Pro Trainer

Rating:	(3 reviews)
	Too low to display
	No

Now I realize that not everyone wants to spend a few hundred dollars on a magnetic trainer. And if you are budget conscious, there is no reason why you need to. The Bell Motivator Mag is the perfect choice for those that want to spend less than $100 on a magnetic bike trainer. In fact, you can sometimes find this trainer for $79.99 when it is on sale. You won't find progressive resistance but just look below at the sheer number of reviews for the Bell Motivator Mag and the quality of reviews given for this bike trainer.

Bell Motivator Mag Indoor Bicycle Trainer

Rating:	(364 reviews)
	$89.99
	Yes ($25 minimum)

This entry was posted on January 16, 2011 at 6:20 PM and is filed under Bell Motivator Mag, Cycleops, mag trainer, magnetic trainer. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.