Why A Fluid Bike Trainer To Begin With?
Out of the three types of trainers, the fluid trainer provides the most realistic ride and is the quietest. Unlike a wind trainer or a magnetic trainer, the resistance in a fluid bike trainer is exponential; just like what you’d experience pushing against air resistance when you’re riding your bike outside. I’m sure you’re aware that when it comes to wind resistance, your effort doesn’t increase linearly, but rather exponentially. Increasing your speed from 18 mph to 20 mph requires a whole lot more energy than increasing your speed from 10 mph to 12 mph. And that’s what you’ll experience with the top notch fluid trainers. In fact, both CycleOps and Kurt Kinetic have calibrated their trainers using power meters to very closely reflect what you’d feel on the road. On their trainers it’s a lot harder to bump up your wheel speed a few extra miles per hour at the top end than it is to increase your speed when you’re spinning easily. And then there’s the ‘quietness’ factor. While a wind tra
