Tags: magnetic cycle trainer, What Is A Magnetic Cycle Trainer
What Is A Magnetic Cycle Trainer
The short term for magnetic cycle trainer is a magnetic trainer but call it what you want, if you are looking for a bike trainer that will keep money in your pocket and get you in shape, a magnetic cycle trainer may be the way to go. So why don't we quickly define a few of the different cycle trainers on the market.
Wind Cycle Trainer - Uses a fan for resistance. Usually the least expensive and most noisy.
Magnetic Cycle Trainer - Uses a series of magnets for resistance. Great price and adds more resistance.
Fluid Cycle Trainer - The most road realistic trainer of all cycle trainers. More expensive and yet more resistance.
Roller Cycle Trainer - Uses both tires to provide resistance. Mainly meant to keep balance when riding.
Rim Drive Cycle Trainer - Perfect for mountain bikes. Will not tear up your rear knobby tire.
So why get a magnetic cycle trainer over any of the other trainers above? Simple. Because there are many magnetic cycle trainers to choose from and the price is right. Oh yeah, and I left out the most important part... many magnetic cycle trainers are quality bike trainers. No, you won't get the progressive resistance that you would find with a fluid trainer but you will find an upgrade from a wind trainer which should not only keep you in shape during the winter but get you in better shape when the spring comes.
Based on price alone, perhaps my favorite magnetic cycle trainer is the Bell Motivator Mag. After that it would be the Forza F2 Mag.
CycleOps Magnetic Cycle Trainer Video
Take away price and the magnetic cycle trainer that I will ride above all the rest (without getting into the professional models) is the CycleOps Mag Trainer. You can see a picture below.
Setup out of the box on most magnetic cycle trainers is half an hour at most. I'm easily able to put my bike on my trainer within about 2 minutes on average. My only recommendation when purchasing a bike trainer is to put a mat under it and to use a riser block. The mat will cushion vibrations and drown out some of the noise while the riser block will raise your bicycle enough to not have your bike leaning forward, thus causing undo strain on your hands or wrists.
During bad weather I'll hop on my bike trainer for about half an hour at a time and as we push towards winter, I'll increase that up to about an hour a day. Because I'm into this industry, I have the choice of riding many bicycle trainers but perhaps my favorite of all, and taking after the name of this website is the magnetic cycle trainer.
