Or, you can use any Bluetooth or ANT+ speed/cadence sensor to send the data to services like TrainerRoad, Zwift and others, which can use the data to predict power output, let you race virtually and myriad other things. It keeps me engaged in my cycling year-round, regardless of weather. . They also fit perfectly in the Kinetic Trainer Bag / Backpack for even easier travel. If youve got an extra wheel and cassette laying around, its highly advisable to use the trainertire or any old tire youve got laying around. Its held up to quite a bit of foot traffic (and sweat) in our office, which would make it worth the price. They also note that you can do a calibration on a cold trainer and bypass the warm-up; just shoot for 6 seconds instead of 7 in the calibration. Leaning it against something with the flywheel facing toward the wall is the solution. Its the last trainer you will ever need to buy. Pictured above is the most taxing step in setting up the Control - tightening two knobs. The fluid resistance unit is church mouse quiet. Ive had a KK trainer for years, and its great. Plus, it has a 2-1/8 inch roller the largest in the industry which provides a wider surface area for your bikes back tire. One thing we should point out Kurt Kinetic updated this model with a 2.0 version. If your goal is to find a reasonably priced smart bike trainer, then the Kinetic is the one for you. Once a month at the least. The models have improved slightly with the new flywheel that can take the add-on bigger weight, slight change to the frame, and the new and improved knobs. It put up with all the abuse I could give it and it is still working to this day just as effectively as it did the day I took it out of the box. We spend the rest of this review looking at it across five performance measures and consider a few other odds and ends. More robust trainers, especially direct drive trainers, are basically big, heavy boxes. It's a little more challenging to get good data from drums and tires than drivetrains and power meters, which most direct drives tend to use. There's not much to it, and we like it that way. New Kinetic Road Machine 2.0 Fluid T . Privacy | Cookies | Terms, A tire-drive model with all the awesome performance of a smart trainer at a fraction of the price. Its ramp seemed to mimic real world riding closely (they say its matched perfectly)and would get hard enough to simulate cranking up a hill when using a big gearcombo. Copyright 2022 Bikerumor, All Rights Reserved. They said it shouldn'timpact accuracy. It has a few kinks, but nothing that doesn't have a workaround or can't be easily ignored. It has been nothing but a problem with reliability. It doesnt generate a lot of noise like Mag indoor trainers and wind trainers. Kinetic makes a $170 Bluetooth-equipped InRide Watt Meter that combines a roller speed sensor and heart rate monitor to determine your power output, then display it all on your iOS device. Quick and easy maintenance tips for your stationary bike trainer. My experience. We love that this option provides the simplicity of a tire drive trainer with some smart control features you typically find in premium direct drive trainers. Overall, the trainer is great, and its a fraction of the cost of a connected trainer and doesnt require a wall plug to get all the features. In the age of connected smart trainers that relay your data directly to a computer (and soon directly into the cloud), a standard fluid trainer doesnt seem nearly as exciting. Paired up with TrainerRoad, it provides an great platform to train and the winter and be ready for the spring and summer. That creates a bedrock level of stiffness that kept it motionless whether I was trying to hit a 130 cadence or standing and draining every last drop of ATP from my legssprinting for the virtual city limits. The first is the physical design, where we consider how practical and user-friendly the trainer is. There is no trainer that more accurately replicates an outdoor ride indoors thanks to our precision-calibrated fluid resistance unit. To some extent, that preserves some of the natural rolling feel you're used to. I also have the inRide pod and thats a bit more meh (its plagued with reliability issues and calibration uncertainties), but when you get it working it does provide you with Power, Speed and Cadence that are pretty accurate and its nice that its all coming from the Trainer, meaning you dont have to have all those gadgets on your bike as well. You can even pull the resistance unit off and throw it in your suitcase or vice versa, depending on how big your case is and how well you can strap everything down. It's sufficient to simulate good road inertia but not too heavy to force you to lock your wheel down and slip every time you accelerate. At some point, you might decide you like the Road Machine Control so much and that you're having such a good time with it that you want to take it out traveling so you can maintain your fitness or warm-up before a race. That means that unlike other types of indoor trainers, the Kurt Kinetic Road Machine has no shaft to penetrate the chamber where the fluid is contained. This measure looks at the physical and practical aspects of moving a trainer around the house and taking it out on the road. Im just not 100% convinced right now that its worth the extra money if you already have a speed/cadence meter and are using TrainerRoads Virtual Power. We Are stationary bike trainers a necessary training tool decision-making process for at-home training equipment. It drops in the middle of workouts, refuses to pair for no apparent reason, and will not do a spindown. For smart control trainers, you need to do a bit of calibration. For those looking to eek out a few data points, there are options. You don't need any special tools or expertise to operate it. The Road Machine Control pairs with devices using Bluetooth Smart and ANT+. While waiting for the weather to improve, in fact as soon as the weather turns nasty during the late fall, I like to start working onmy legs and get some saddle time in using an indoor trainer. The oversized roller makes solid contact with the tire without needing a ton of pressure. You're going to have a hard time beating the winner of our Top Pick for a Smart Control Tire-Drive trainer, the Kinetic Road Machine Control. I LOVE THIS MACHINE! Why: It has a super low barrier to entry. Posted on February 9, 2015 by Tyler Benedict. A similar knob is used to push the roller into the tire. This is consistent with most other tire drive trainers. The 3 BEST budget (under $90) stationary bike stands! It fits 22 through 29-inch wheels, so just about any frame will work with it. And as we mentioned, it's really simple to remove the resistance unit (and reinstall), so any Tetris-type issues should be easily solved by removing that. Our Editors independently research, test, and rate the best products. It's listed as a Zwift Certified trainer, so compatibility is pretty solid. Got feedback? The resistance unit was unchanged, though, which is fine because its stellar. This allows the indoor trainer to accommodate nearly every type of bike from racing models to mountain bikes without worrying about tire wear. We don't all have a support team, so one of the points of a trainer is that it be easy to move around and manage yourself so you can train anywhere. At least, not until TrainerRoad figure out the spin down calibration issues with the inRide. Dont miss our guide to inserting the Kurt Kinetic rear skewer into your rear wheel. FWIW, the inRide pod is available separately if you already have a heart rate strap (chances are you do if you own a trainer, not so sure about the power meter though). He has been writing about the latest bikes, components, and cycling technology for 14 years. Bear in mind that regular, knobbly mountain bike tires make quite a bit of noise. That's pretty good for such an affordable tire drive trainer. And you get all the good outlets for training, including Kinetic Fit, Zwift, TrainerRoad, Rouvy, Kinomap, Sufferfest, and Fulgaz, among others. Yes. Kurt Kinetic claims that their accuracy is +/- 3%, but we found that it was usually off by 5-10 watts between when rolling around between 100 and 200 watts (and fewer watts at 50 watts and more watts at 250 or 300). This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Then you'll just unfold the legs of the trainer, throw the new skewer they provided onto your bike, set the bike up in the two clamps and tighten those, then tighten the resistance unit up against your tire, open your training program, plug the trainer in and pair your machine to your device, then you're rolling. Learn how your comment data is processed. The left side uses a locking nut to maintain its position. | Stationary Bike Stands, Pingback: Our in-depth review of the Blackburn Tech Mag 6 Trainer | Stationary Bike Stands, Pingback: Quick and easy maintenance tips for your stationary bike trainer | Stationary Bike Stands, Pingback: My review of the budget-friendly Soozier Kinetic Resistance Trainer! These app-controlled trainers will adjust the resistance to simulate terrain changes in pre-set workouts or on virtual courses while you focus on spinning and staying smooth. The best practice is to warm the machine up for 10 minutes, then you can do a quick calibration, and you're off to the races with more accurate data. Support us! Our biggest concern here is what we've raised elsewhere in the review, and they're about what you'd expect for an affordable mid-level trainer. You help support OutdoorGearLab's product testing and reviews by purchasing from our retail partners. Do a quick search and read about the issues before you buy. But if your torture chamber sees less wear and tear, a much cheaper yoga mat would probably suffice. You'll get all the training you need with the Road Machine | Control. The Kurt Kinetic Road Machine is their top level static trainer. https://kurtkinetic.com/technical-information/kinetic-power-tech/. But there is a way to simplify the buying process: Figure out the one must-have feature that would make or break a purchase and then narrow your choices down from there. Besides being quieter, thebenefit of a fluid trainer is that the resistance scales up as you pedal harder. We also had a little trouble getting phones to pair on a few rides. It has a real, road like feel and handles enduarance as well as intervals like a champ. Totally rock solid. Trying to work with Kinetic support has been a challenge as well. GearLab is founded on the principle of honest, objective, reviews. The second is the technological design, where we consider things like software performance and how well the trainer is integrated into 3rd party apps. My favorite over the last couple of winters has been my Kurt Kinetic Road Machine, which I originally purchased with some trepidation (mainly due to its fairly high price tag) but have been so thankful for every time I pull it out of storage. Why: The former will wirelessly transmit your ride data to training apps like TrainerRoad and Zwift. The unit is completely sealed, coupled to the roller magnetically, so it shouldnt ever leak. Why: Kinetic Rock and Roll bike trainers are the only free-moving trainers on the market today[3]. Happy wife, happy life. The resistance unit does a solid job of controlling it and simulating the changes in terrain or training segments. Tire-drive trainer or not, you get quite a realistic experience with the Road Machine | Control. I purchased a KK Road Machine in the fall for winter training, and it has been outstanding! The one downside is that when folded up and laid flat, the resistance unit could make contact with the frame and scratch it. Keeping the bike stable in such a good platform are the knobs, which thread on tight thanks to big, comfy knobs. SPINERVALS is a registered trademark owned by Mad Dogg Athletics, Inc. and used under exclusive license. It can't quite match the performance of the direct-drive competition here, but again, it's quite good for a tire-drive model. TrainerRoad, Zwift, Kinetic Fit, Rouvy, Kinomap, Wahoo SYSTM, FulGaz. Three full turns of the knob. But its pretty mush the same super reliable, killer workout, Road Machine that has made these legendary. With the Road Machine Control, you're getting a step up from your traditional tire drive trainer. Below, 5 popular features and the Kinetic indoor bike trainers that have them. In addition to realism, you also get reliability. But I can honestly say that I didnt experience any problems whatsoever with the Road Machine. The BEST 5 stationary bike stands to buy in 2022! Due to the relatively high cost, the Road Machine, and other top-end fluid trainers (such as the CycleOps Fluid 2 Trainer) are the indoor bike stands of choice for serious cyclists. The cadence and bluetooth HRM pickup are rubbish but Im not as concerned with that. Ive got an older gray model. How do I insert the rear skewer into my bikes rear wheel? We certainly didn't see any signs of it. Kinetics been making trainers for 18 years and we still have a hard time picking just one. BUT, I would be remiss if I didnt mention the color: its an awful shade of lime green! | Stationary Bike Stands, Another awesome fluid bike stand: the Cascade Fluidpro Trainer | Stationary Bike Stands, The BEST 5 stationary bike stands to buy in 2015! For this measure, we primarily look at two aspects of design. High quality fluid trainers, the Kinetic Road Machine Model is the perfect trainer on which to do your Spinervals Cycling workouts! Consider: Kinetic Fluid Power Bike Trainers or Kinetic Interactive Bike Trainers. As a matter of fact, the KK allows me to ride 5 times a week, as I get up an hour early on Tues, Wed, and Thurs mornings to get in an hour before work. And my Road Machine is undoubtedlyone of the best out there on the market for training in front of the TV! Shouldn't. I dont see the point of the InRide accessory. My motto has always been, Ride them hard and put them away wet. So Ive blown through several lower-quality indoor bike stands over the years. The price is on high end of competing fluid trainers, but it comes with a larger stock flywheel than most, seemed a bit quieter than others Ive tested and a good brand history to back it up. | Stationary Bike Stands, An introduction to the world of bike trainer stands | Stationary Bike Stands, One heck of a quality fluid trainer the CycleOps Fluid 2 Trainer | Stationary Bike Stands, Budget priced AND a bestseller the Magnet Steel Indoor Trainer | Stationary Bike Stands, How do I insert the rear skewer into my bikes rear wheel? I mean, whos going to see the thing besides you, anyway? trainer kinetic bike machine road smart kurt resistance adapter The benchmark for fluid trainers. I would still be using it except Ive made it a point to commute by bike every day, and that gets me 34 miles round trip each day. For that reason, Kinetic has a lifetime warranty on the frame. What possessed the designers to choose this particular shade of green is beyond me. The Riser Ring has four different wheel height settings and is far more elegant than the phone book wed been using. The Kinetic's versatility here makes it one of the best bike trainers for taking out on the road and just getting it shifted from place to place in your home. Quiet, smooth, progressive resistance precisely replicates outdoor ride feel, The most reliable fluid trainer available, Pairs with Kinetic inRide Watt Meter for power training, Patented Kinetic fluid resistance provides measurable and repeatable workload, Progressive resistance from 5 to 3000+ watts, Ergonomic rubberized knobs grip for easy setup, Large diameter roller reduces tire wear and provides a smoother ride, Fits 22" to 29" wheels--up to 29 x 2.4" tires sizes, Lifetime Warranty & Crash Replacement Policy, Recommended Kinetic accessories: Trainer Bag, Riser Ring, Trainer Mat, Pro Flywheel, InRide Power Computer and Heart Band. Stationary bike stands for 29 inch wheels heres the guide youve been looking for! When you click on links to buy products we may earn money to support, Affordable, simple to set up, easy to take on the road, great control for a tire drive trainer, Resistance unit is just a bit bulky and heavy, manual drum adjustment, lower responsiveness. And since it really is pretty quiet, my wife sleeps like a baby upstairs. Is cycling going to help me improve my sex life? If you already have a fluid trainer and youre thinking of upgrading to an interactive app-controlled trainer, check out this article featuring tips and information on upgrading. We only make money if you purchase a product through our links, and we never accept free products from manufacturers. Had I not had one I likely would have ponied up for the Wahoo Kickr instead of getting the power pod. What I believe causes wear is the tire slipping against the roller. | Stationary Bike Stands, Our in-depth review of the Blackburn Tech Mag 6 Trainer | Stationary Bike Stands, Quick and easy maintenance tips for your stationary bike trainer | Stationary Bike Stands, My review of the budget-friendly Soozier Kinetic Resistance Trainer! As shown in our TrainerRoad review, its not hard to figure out. the world's most carefully tested and objective gear reviews, Lower price range for a premium trainer, good responsiveness, smooth, high power accuracy, Quick setup, easy operation, durable, stable, communicates with training apps, low noise, Quick setup, easy to move around, light, simple design, Very affordable, light, easy to carry, store, and move around, Still relatively expensive, requires calibration, heavy, slightly aggressive in ERG mode, Limited max resistance, roller can heat up and accelerate tire wear, no power data, no control, Louder, unrealistic road feel, low max power, no controllable features, not supported by many popular training apps, Limited resistance, cable shifter, durability and quality issues, A more affordable premium direct drive trainer to get you through winter, rain, and turbo-charged training sessions, A simple, affordable, and highly functional tire drive trainer with the option to use it with training apps, This is the trainer you get when youre just trying to get your legs spinning without paying a ton, If you can't possibly spend more, this trainer works to get the legs spinning. kurt trainer fluid kinetic machine road advantages using cycling Santa Claus brought me the previous version back in 2012. Tire drive trainers can usually be broken down into a U-shape with a bulky resistance unit at the center. And, hes totally gone down the NFT rabbit hole. Depending on the design, the rate of resistance progression can vary, and this one seemed just right. I also liked the multi-position legs, which allows the trainer to get closer to the floor. A narrower base can make it so the trainer rocks a bit under extreme efforts, particularly for taller riders whose centers of gravity are higher, but not this one. Spin on in and check out the details. If you want more of a set-it-and-forget-it-experience where the trainer controls your intensity level automatically, check out Kinetic Rock and Roll | Control and Kinetic Road Machine | Control. It offers a unique, durable design (OK, a funky green design) that solves the biggest problem with most other fluid trainers (the leakage), and can stand up to a lot of use. BikeRumor may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article. I experienced that when I first used mine. It has all the simplicity of a tire drive trainer but throws in the sweet, smart control aspect you get with the premium direct drive trainers that cost hundreds more. Its a bit heavy, so traveling with it in a plane isnt going to happen (Id get a 1-Up if I wanted to do that). Resistance is more than adequate. It eliminated the need for front riser blocks and made it seem like I wasnt riding downhill every time I trained on it. Despite the lower accuracy, the Road Machine Control is still accurate enough most of the time to allow you to reasonably track your performance. (And half the time, I use my indoor trainer in the wee hours of the morning when nobody else is around anyway. The Alpcour Bike Trainer: why youll be as impressed as we were. But, seriously, if they only bad thing you can say about an indoor trainer is that its an ugly color, thats pretty darned good. The accuracy problems mostly come about in brief spots here and there where you need big shifts in power or you're doing a lot of close competition with other riders where a few watts really will make a difference and get you dropped (or your buddy). Ive got thousands of winter miles on one of these (with TrainerRoad). Still, most riders looking to get into the virtual training world without making their bank account cry will be happy with this trainer. It is also relatively portable and suited to life "on the road" indoors. Being a smart control trainer, you can interact with training programs like Zwift and others. NP, IF and TSS are trademarks of Peaksware, LLC and are used with permission. Assuming you have a speed sensor, you can already figure out your power output they already publish a power curve chart: It retains the cost and simplicity of a standard tire drive trainer but adds in the smart control features of a higher-end direct drive trainer. No apps, no syncing. One of the big factors many are won over by the Road Machine is itspatent sealed chamber filled with thermodynamically stable silicone fluid and a roller that is virtually connected to the impeller via a magnetic coupler. | Stationary Bike Stands. We did also have a few power drops. Tags $250-$350 bike trainer stand fluid trainers kurt kinetic road machine, If youre anything like me, then you sit at a desk for close to 8 , Pingback: A quick introduction to the different types of stationary bike trainers | Stationary Bike Stands, Pingback: OK, so which stationary bike stand should I spend my hard earned dollars on? We get it. Quiet, smooth, and 100% leak-proof. As we've mentioned, the frame is pretty darn solid. But many of the bottom end fluid trainerssuffer from the same problem: over time, they eventually develop leaks, at which point they cant be repaired and have to be replaced. Consider: Any Kinetic Rock and Roll bike trainer, like the Kinetic Rock and Roll | Smart 2 or Kinetic Rock and Roll | Control. Not only does it grip pretty well on the roller, but itll save your more expensive tires. All trademarks property of their respective owners It's the ideal weight for a tire drive trainer. Madison, WI Training Ride (Vol. The trainer is the cake, and their accessories are the icing that make it extra delicious. Plus, the price is relatively affordable as its still not out there in the league of virtual trainers, or even its more pricier sibling, the Rock n Roll Trainer. Theres not really a lot I can sat to dissuade you, as this is a GREAT trainer. The flip side is the spin down. The power data coming out of it isn't as accurate as it could be, though it is workable. I could get my tires to slip a bit on the first explosive jump, but thats happened on every traditional trainer Ive tried. The Road Machine Control is very simple to set up and get going. It has a road-like feel and has held up to multiple users over the past 8 months with nary a scratch on it.Id recommend it to anyone looking for a premium unit thats quiet, stable and durable. It's not bad for that, but you'll need a power source to get any decent use out of it. We didn't find any issues, nor could we find problems from other users. The power feature is pretty bang on (Ive compared it against a strain gauged power meter) and the speed sensor is accurate as well. It's a good choice if you do a lot of that sort of thing. After just two sessions, my Michelin Pro4 was showingundue signs of wearin the center. Then, flip the black lever to catch the threads and tighten as necessary. Looking for a high end fluid trainer that keeps it simple? This product is one of the easiest smart trainers to set up and offers great performance for the price. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. That little lever lock system makes it much quicker and easier to get the bike into place compared to systems that have to thread all the way in and out. @Jack the jr, dont forget the Single Speeders. Worth considering. . And, because the resistance unit and flywheel are heavy and dont sit centered in the frame when folded, it tends to want to fall over. As you go up hills, you'll feel your trainer adjusting to meet that simulation, and as you come back down the other side, you'll feel it drop off. Great! Snow and ice outside? Based in North Carolina, Tyler loves finding new travel adventures to share with his family and is always on the lookout for the next shiny new part to make his bikes faster and lighter. 2700 I bought one of these for the winter season and love it, using it with TrainerRoad. The only part of the package that has been disappointing is the inRide pod. Another thing I should mention is how realistic a ride the Kurt Kinetic Road Machine provides. motivate enthusiast If you're in hotels near a plug, it's probably the perfect trainer for that. In my opinion, a stationary bike stand is way better than using one of thosestationary gym bikes or taking a spin class at the gym because they allow you to pedal some miles using the actual bike or bikes you will be using on the road. Its shape is also great for taking it around. The bag is nice, too, and fits the wheel block, tire and other bits neatly for travel or storage. Other than that, rock solid bit of kit and works perfectly with TrainerRoad. It's pretty darn easy. Good luck hurting it. Thats it. 4 - "On The Road" Virtual Reality Cycling), UltraConditioning 1.0 - Ultra Leg-Strength Builder. Indoor bike training & COVID-19: why you need to keep pedaling, 7 amazing ways cycling will truly improve your life, Critical checks to help improve your ride (indoors or out!). Ive given up and just use VirtualPower on TrainerRoad. As course terrain or training session requirements change, so does the trainer's resistance. After unboxing and pulling everything out, you'll need to attach the resistance unit with two bolts (one has a knob, and you'll use it to adjust the tension on your tire), a nut, and then a wrench, which you'll need to have on hand.