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Many first-time bike trainer shoppers are overwhelmed with the number of choices in bike trainers available to them and when you ask for opinions on a message board you aren’t likely to find a consensus as to which is better. If you ask 100 people, 50 will tell you to go Mag trainer and 50 will tell you that a Fluid Trainer is a better choice. Frustrating for sure when all you want is to make the right decision as to which is the best bike trainer for you.
Well, we’re not any different in that we can’t make the decision for you but we will share our thoughts on the pros and cons of both and let you make up your mind. At the end of the day, quality beats price all day long when it comes to bike trainers. Bike trainers are not that much fun to ride anyways compared to the open road and a poorly constructed bicycle trainer makes the gap even that much wider and is a sure recipe for a future yard sale item.
Mag Trainer Summary
Mag trainers have been around forever and they present a solid choice as a bike trainer. The design is similar for all trainers with variations by brand but the “Mag” portion of a mag trainer refers to the flywheel drive mechanism where the rear tire turns. This flywheel provides resistance to the rider by using magnets (hence Mag trainer) that rotate opposite of each other and create a resistance to the rider.
Depending on your viewpoint, the downside of most Mag trainers is that they are not able to increase resistance to match pedaling input. In order to increase resistance, they usually have some kind of selector switch either on the trainer body or via a cable attached to the handlebar. This switch will either engage or disengage more magnets and changing the resistance level. Functional, but not really convenient, especially if it’s trainer mounted.
The ride quality of Mag trainers varies dramatically with the better models being smoother and more realistic but most riders would describe a mag trainer as riding an exercise bike at the gym. You can stroke the pedals and it will work your legs and lungs somewhat but it’s not the same as riding a bicycle and will not maximize your training time. One of the better Mag trainers that we have experience with is the CycleOps Magneto trainer. It produces a nice ride and is a high-quality trainer from a quality company. It also incorporates a design that is known as a Magneto trainer, which means that this Mag trainer will actually offer progressive resistance the faster you pedal without having to select a switch. It’s one of the better Mag trainers on the market because of this in our opinion.
Pros: Price, Usually less expensive than a fluid trainer. Simple, no leakage.
Cons: Ride quality is not on par with fluid trainers, Noisy compared to fluid trainers, ride feel.
Fluid Trainer Summary
Fluid trainers are all the rage currently among most serious cyclists. They get a lot of negative flack from some riders who experienced leakage with early models or from lesser quality models. The basic design of a fluid trainer involves an impeller spinning in a silicone fluid that changes viscosity depending on temperature. So anytime you have a rotating shaft and a fluid chamber then you usually have a seal that can fail. This is the source of leakage and many a curse word by early Fluid Trainer owners.
So with all of that trouble, why would anyone mess with a fluid trainer? Good question but the answer is easy because they ROCK! A good fluid trainer will give you a superb ride feel compared to a Mag trainer and do it more quietly. Most fluid trainers do not have selectable resistance but rather the harder and faster you pedal, the greater the resistance…just like on a real bike. They also typically do it with less noise.
The downside of a fluid trainer is the potential for leakage, although this is an overblown issue in my opinion. The other downside is price, they are typically more expensive than a comparable Mag trainer. This is more of an issue for some than others but the almighty dollar plays a factor when making a purchase for most of us. My own opinion is that you can skimp on some things and be ok, but trainers are not that much fun to ride to begin with and a crappy trainer is even worse. I would spend the extra money but that is a decision that only you can make.
A rock solid choice in Fluid trainers that we LOVE is the Kurt Kinetic lineup. Kurt uses a unique fluid chamber design that uses no seal and cannot leak. It has virtually eliminated the major flaw that most people have an issue with regarding a fluid bike trainer. In addition to this…Kurt trainers rock. Quiet with a very consistent and road like feel that is hard to beat and happens to be the trainer that I personally own.
Pros: Ride quality, no need to manually adjust resistance, just shift gears.
Cons: Expensive, potential for fluid leakage.
Mag Trainer vs Fluid Trainer Debate
So which is better..a Mag trainer or a Fluid trainer? I guess it depends on what you define as better. If the price is your main consideration then you can find a great deal on a Mag trainer that won’t cost you an arm and a leg and will provide miles of lung-busting workout time. If ride quality and realistic bike feel are tops on your list, then nothing other than a Fluid trainer will do in our opinion.
Opinion is the critical word there as they vary dramatically and nothing we’ve written applies to all trainers. There are always exceptions and at the end of the day, you need to prioritize what is most important to you and make the best decision you can.
Many first-time bike trainer shoppers are overwhelmed with the number of choices in bike trainers available to them and when you ask for opinions on a message board you aren’t likely to find a consensus as to which is better. If you ask 100 people, 50 will tell you to go Mag trainer and 50 will tell you that a Fluid Trainer is a better choice. Frustrating for sure when all you want is to make the right decision as to which is the best bike trainer for you.
Well, we’re not any different in that we can’t make the decision for you but we will share our thoughts on the pros and cons of both and let you make up your mind. At the end of the day, quality beats price all day long when it comes to bike trainers. Bike trainers are not that much fun to ride anyways compared to the open road and a poorly constructed bicycle trainer makes the gap even that much wider and is a sure recipe for a future yard sale item.
