Bicycle Trainer - Types of Trainers

Types of Trainers

Bicycle trainers are categorized by how the unit provides resistance.

• Wind — the unit uses a fan powered by the cyclist's legpower to provide resistance on the rear tire.
  • Pros: Resistance progresses with cyclist's speed, creating a realistic feeling of cycling on a road.
  • Cons: Noise, limited resistance.
• Magnetic — a magnetic flywheel creates resistance on the rear wheel.
  • Pros: Nearly silent operation.
  • Cons: Resistance has an upper limit, prone to breaking.
• Fluid — combines magnetic flywheel with fluid resistance chambers.
  • Pros: Nearly silent magnetic operation with added progressive resistance.
  • Cons: Repeated friction heating and consequential expansion and contraction of the fluid can result in seal leaks.
• Centrifugal — Specially designed centrifugal pressure plates provide resistance.
  • Pros: Nearly Silent, resistance curves may be adjusted by the user.
• Utilitarian — The output power is used to drive a useful device such as generator; or even to spin laundry as one inventor has done.
  • Pros: pedal powered clean clothes.
  • Cons: Considerable do-it-yourself engineering required; imperfect design requires a strong cyclist.
• Virtual Reality — this is a very comprehensive simulator, the rear wheel sits on a motorized roller and the front forks fit in a frame equipped with steering sensors, the whole system is linked to a computer with 'virtual world' software. Riders steer their way through this virtual world and pedaling gets harder (the motorized roller 'loads' the rear wheel) when going uphill. The sophistication of the computer system allows it to be linked to the internet to provide additional information.
  • Pros: the virtual world is massive, it will hold your interest and you can fit your own bike into it.
  • Cons: It is expensive and requires a computer with an advanced graphics card and a monitor.

Usually all trainers can be adjusted for most sizes of road and mountain bikes. However, knobby tires can cause vibration and noise, defeating the purpose of noiseless units.