Bike Resistance Trainers
Alpcour Fluid Bike Trainer Stand for Indoor Riding – Portable Foldable Stainless Steel Trainer, Noise Reduction, Progressive Resistance, Dual-Lock System – Road & Mountain…
$189.95
- MAKE THE SWITCH TO STATIONARY! – Fluid bike stand converts any mountain or road bike into a stable, smooth-riding indoor stationary bicycle for all-season training, conditioning, fitness & exercise – A must-have for dedicated cyclists!
- NEAR SILENT FLUID TECHNOLOGY – High-quality flywheel mechanism creates drag against back tire to replicate real cycling experience – Built-in super noise reduction eliminates whir, while reduced friction extends the life of your bike
- POWERFUL PROGRESSIVE RESISTANCE – Impeller spins inside the wheel’s liquid & heats up to increase resistance as you pedal faster, so the sky’s the limit! – Simulate roads, hills & intervals with life-like accuracy, No adjustment necessary
- SAFE, STEADY CONSTRUCTION – Stand is composed of durable, heavy duty stainless steel & includes a front wheel riser block & anti-slip rubber pads to prevent movement – Includes dual tension knob & lock ring for superior security
- FOLDABLE FRAME FOR EASY TRAVEL – Portable stand is hard-wearing yet lightweight & compact so you can fold, pack & go – kit comes w/ free sturdy bag for effortless carrying & storage – Compatible w/ most 26-29 in & 700c wheels
- ULTIMATE FAMILY FITNESS GIFT – The ideal gift for every family member: from sons to daughters, fathers to mothers, grandpas to grandmas. Perfect for Christmas, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, or that unique present for someone who has everything. It’s a top choice for dad, mom, brother, sister, MIL, and more!
- TURN HOME INTO A CYCLING HAVEN – Experience the joy of cycling, whatever the weather. This trainer stand is a stellar gift idea for men, women, girlfriends, and boyfriends alike. It’s the perfect surprise for adult children, grandchildren, and inlaws. Whether it’s a special Xmas gift, a treat for granddaughters and grandsons, or just because – make indoor cycling memorable for your loved ones!
engineer on wheels –
This stand is sturdy, minimal, does the job. It was easy to get the bike into the stand. It came with a quick release axle if needed. I didn’t. The directions that came with the stand weren’t helpful, but was able to figure it out with the picture. Peddling and switching gears on the stand is just like riding. Did pay attention to the pressure the rear wheel applied to the training rod.
engineer on wheels –
It’s Me –
Antes que nada quiero aclarar que no soy un experto en rodillos para bicicleta y este es el primer aparato que compro para ello y lo estoy utilizando con una bicicleta de montaña con rin 29. Mis comentarios:
1. Efectivamente como muchos dicen las instrucciones son muy malas, sin embargo es muy intuitivo y existen un par de videos en youtube donde se aclaran algunos de los puntos. No fue mucho problema.
2. Ruido. Hay comentarios que dicen que hace mucho ruido y otros dicen que sólo lo normal. En mi opinión y para una bicicleta de montaña sí hace ruido y es por la razón básica de la rodada de la llanta con el cilindro del rodillo. Tal vez para una bicicleta de ruta donde se reduce el contacto entre llanta y rodillo el ruido sea menor. Sin embargo yo lo estoy usando en el patio y no me molesta tanto. Una referencia: no veo como estar utilizando el rodillo dentro de casa y viendo la televisión. No creo poder escuchar la TV a menos que esté al máximo. Creo sin embargo que en un cuarto cerrado sea manejable
3. Solidez: Muy sólido. Las especificaciones dicen que puede llegar a mantener hasta 136 kgs. Yo le estoy cargando unos 120 kgs con bicicleta y equipo y no tengo problema.
4. Efectivo. Buena rutina de ejercicio. Una vez establecida la resistencia inicial (cantidad de presión entre la llanta y el rodillo), el aparato mantiene esa resistencia durante el proceso y NO es posible cambiar la resistencia sin bajarse y reajustar la presión entre llanta y rodillo. Esto quiere decir que es una rutina estable, tal vez más del tipo bicicleta de ruta pero que como rutina de ejercicio a mi me funciona bastante bien.
En general estoy contento con la compra.
It’s Me –
Erik –
BACKGROUND
I ride my bicycle to work for most of the year (when the weather is decent and I have enough daylight), and I was looking for a way to maintain my fitness through the winter months after my exercise bike died of old age. A number of fellow cyclists recommended that I look into getting a trainer. Since I am not a competitive cyclist (FTP 250-300 depending on how/when I measure), I wanted something that would have mimic the experience of riding on the road fairly well without breaking the bank, so I decided to try this fluid trainer.
THE PRODUCT
The trainer arrived securely packaged in a double thickness cardboard box with molded styrofoam to hold the pieces in place. Despite this, I noticed that the main bolt and nut (for attaching the fluid brake/flywheel assembly to the frame) were miss when I laid out all the parts and tools. There was a card in the box suggesting that I e-mail Alpcour’s customer service department if there were parts missing rather than returning the item. The card indicated that they would respond within 24 hours, so I decided to give it a try before attempting a return over the holidays. Customer service did indeed reply within 24 hours, notifying me that replacement parts had been shipped and would arrive in 3-6 business days. I received no further communication and the parts arrived 17 business days later (shipped domestically from about 200 miles away). I realize that no manufacturing process is perfect, but the presence of the card and the poor communication about the shipping and arrival of parts makes me wonder if they have a QC problem. One star removed due to this negative experience.
ASSEMBLY
I have seen complaints about how difficult this product is to assemble, so I wanted to add my perspective. I found the product assembly to be quick and painless, with the exception of the above-mentioned missing parts. I am a mechanical engineer, which may have helped, but the instructions (complete with photographs of each step) seemed pretty straight forward.
NOISE
Since reports also seemed to vary on the noise this trainer generates, I took some measurements. I bought a new tire for my rear wheel that was designed to minimize noise when using a trainer, so bear in mind that your results may vary if you are using a road tire. For my test setup I used an iPhone 12 to measure the sound levels and placed it about 6 inches to the right side of the saddle (the side where the drive train is located on my bike). For both pedaling tests, I put the bike into its highest gear ratio to maximize the rotation speed of the rear wheel.
Background room noise: 40 dB (average)
Bike suspended off of the trainer and pedaling as fast as possible: 65 dB (average)
Maximum pedaling speed with the bike on the trainer: 70 dB (average), peak 72.1 dB
According to the Center for Hearing and Communication, 60 dB is similar to the nose from a sewing machine and 70 dB is similar to TV audio. I listen to music with in-ear headphones without active noise cancellation while I ride and found that I could not hear the trainer while listening to music at a modest (half) volume. However, if you intend to use this in a living space, it is not subtle. Sleeping would likely be difficult and I could see it getting annoying for anyone without a wall between them and the trainer.
PERFORMANCE
As someone else commented, the resistance feels very low initially but ramps up over 10-15 seconds. The variability in resistance cited in the product description was noticeable, but reminded me more of wind resistance at various speeds than the difference between going up or down hill. If you want to use this trainer to stay active and get some exercise, it should work great. If (like me) you want to train for road rides, I recommend using a bike with multiple speeds to allow some resistance control without getting off the bike. I would say even this is more similar to the experience of shifting gears on a constant grade, but it is better than constantly stopping to adjust the tension knob.
CONCLUSION
Customer service was good, and the trainer does everything I wanted, so 5 stars from me. If noise is a significant concern you may want to look at magnetic trainers, and if you are an athlete trying to get a competitive edge you may want something with a bit more features and flexibility. But if you’re looking for a modestly priced trainer to keep those muscles in practice until you can hit the road again, this device should do the job nicely.
Erik –
Jerome L. Coggins –
This trainer works great. It is very sturdy and stable. Assembly was just adding a bolt, and a wrench was provided. I have a Motobecane Champion road bike, and the installation was easy. It only takes a couple of minutes to remove the bike for an outdoor ride. It’s great for rainy days, and lately the Texas heat has driven me inside as well. It is pretty quiet, so it is easy to listen to music. I leave mine set up, but it comes with a heavy canvas bag for those who want to get it out of the way when not in use. I expect it will fit under most beds or in the bottom of the closet.
Jerome L. Coggins –
Cristina –
El rodillo realmente es muy bueno, y aunque el armado y la instalación no son difíciles, sí le hacen falta instrucciones más detalladas. Me sucedió que, a medio entrenamiento, una de las patas delanteras se abrió y se soltó la bici. Las patas delanteras, al desplegarlas, alcanzan un tope bastante resistente y yo no quise forzarlo. Pero, sin miedo, hay que desplegarlo hasta que la pata quede alineada con la placa de metal curva (como se ve en la foto). Tan sencillo como agregar en el instructivo una línea que diga “extender completamente”.
Pero, habiendo superado esta situación, el rodillo realmente se siente muy resistente y cumple de buena manera con su función.
Cristina –
Cristina –
The product is sturdy and easy to use. A piece was damaged in shipment and was replaced very quickly. Excellent service.
Cristina –
engineer on wheels –
1. Yes, the assembly instructions could be better, but there are only 2 bolts, so, sit down, lay out the parts and just look at it. It’s really easy and takes less than 10 minutes.
2. If you want it to be noisy, get knobby tires or keep your knobbies on. It will be happy to make a high pitched whine. If you want it much more quiet, put a slick on. I ride gravel, so I have treaded tires made for that terrain, and yes, it makes noise, but nothing my AirPods can’t blot out while listening to my music.
3. If you want to track your progress, make sure you buy a speed sensor to mount to your rear tire that connects to your bike computer. I have a $40.00 Garmin sensor that is compatible with my Lezyne computer and it’s perfect.
4. Be careful dismounting because hitting your shin on the trainer can be a real eye-opener. I just throw a towel over it because I never remember to watch out.
5. I love it!
engineer on wheels –
Jerome L. Coggins –
Noise is fine. But I wouldn’t use it in an apartment. I am using a treaded tire so that does increase the noise.
I’ve been using this for a few months now. With many hours on Zwift!
As this is my first fluid trainer I don’t quite know how they work internally. But it appears that the liquid stays close to the center until you reach some sort of threshold and then it moves outward increasing the resistance. This appears to only happen once around 160 watts or more.
So if you’re looking for a hard work out right from the beginning make sure to pass that threshold (yours may vary I’m sure) Once there it’s not easy to drop it back down without using the break and giving it a moment to do so. Which in Zwift will practically stop immediately. But outside that it may be an effective strategy if you don’t wish to change gears.
Quality is much better than I excepted! I’d guess I could get a few years out of this thing. That being said currently my FTP is only 220. But even now I feel I’ve gotten my money’s worth!
The only bad part is the front tire block. I busted mine at some point. But it’s still functional and isn’t in an area to pinch my tire. Getting a better block in the future was my plan anyway.
Jerome L. Coggins –
M. Stoll –
I have been using this trainer daily for the past 3 months and has been working flawless for a medium power daily 1-hr. ride. No visible defects and the quality of the product is acceptable. Instructions for setting it up can be improved, however, should not be a major concern. Noise levels are OK with a Conti trainer tire. Good affordable alternative for the Saris Fluid Ops 2.
M. Stoll –
PRReilly –
I’ve read many reviews here about issues with assembly, elevation, and noise. First, there are only three bolts you have to thread, and less one if you use the bolt in your back wheel. It took no more than 10 minutes to assemble. You use a 90 deg adjustment bolt, a bolt that connects the flywheel to the frame, and another for the wheel or can use your own. That’s it. I have 27 inch wheels, so when completely setup it is the same as riding on a flat surface. In addition, the only noise I hear is from my tire that is the same as on the road. Nothing else. the frame is very sturdy. The only issue is the tools. The wrenches that come with the package to tighten the bolts are not of good tolerances so not a good fit to the bolts, but they work So? I would recommend.
PRReilly –
D. Garza –
I purchased this item a bit over a month ago. I hooked my mountain bike to it and peddled away only to hear a very loud noise. I soon realized that the bike’s tire tread was so aggressive it was creating a low-frequency sound against the contact points which also cause great vibrations in the room and floor. I swapped this tire for a smooth road tire and the loud noise went away. I am now really happy as it is quiet!
This bike trainer is more for cardio than building muscle through a resistance trainer. It is therefore recommended to purchase a more expensive bike trainer that will offer you resistance training. I bike on the highest gear 3 and 8 and I don’t really feel any resistance even after 15-30 minutes of biking.
This product is great if you want to keep active and keep those legs moving after a long day sitting at your desk. If you have a smooth road tire, the device is quiet and you can watch tv easily while you bike.
D. Garza –