Hello. I'm new to road biking as of this year (and really enjoying it!) and would like to keep in riding shape over the winter. I've been researching indoor trainers and it seems that in the $300 range that the Kurt Kinetic Road Machine and 1up USA trainer are two of the more highly recommended trainers.

The 1up looks like it's well engineered and well built but I've seen some grumblings about the resistance unit being susceptible to overheating leading to inconsistent resistance over time (and some complaints that the reviews are skewed by the mfg?). The Kinetic leak proof resistance unit seems to get high regards for it's reliability and 'road feel.'

I was leaning towards the 1up based on the solid reviews but now leaning towards the Kinetic. I'm torn on which one to go with and maybe I can't go wrong with either.

Any recommendations for those of you familiar with both? Are there others in this price range I should be considering?

thanks!

If you really want the 1up, get the Blackburn Ultra instead. Same resistance unit, but Performance and Nashbar sell them, so if it ever cr@ps out, you can return it no questions asked. Plus you can also get one of those 20% off coupons, so real price should be closer to $240 (at which point you can throw in a set of the cheapo Nashbar rollers for another $80, and have both for the price of one).

All that said (and the above is EXACTLY what I did, rollers and all), I wish I would have gotten the Kinetic. My Blackburn's resistance unit gets really unstable after a while, at which point I have to crack it open and sand down the resistance plate. That fixes it, but only for a while. And despite the fact that I got it from Nashbar, I'm too lazy to return it.

I like the fact that I can use power with my KK. It is accurate to within 3%, too.

Resistance is consistent.

No long-term reliability reviews from me, but I hear they have excellent customer service.

There is an old post on this issue that went into great detail. It may be 3 years old. I the choose the KK and have been pleased. The adjustment knob crapped out twice and both times KK immediately sent me a replacement and I had it in 2 days. I think KK has made an improvement to the knobs. I really like mine-no regrets.

Get a really good fan if you don't have one. I went to Home Depoit an bought one of hurrican strength for $100. Worth every $.

Do you plan to use more than one bike on the trainer ? Will your partner will use it too, or might you use your TT bike on it as well as your road bike? If so, you won't like the 1 Up.

The 1 Up is solid, and the "feel" of the resistance is good. Also, it's about the quietest trainer I've heard (or didn't hear). The deal killer? Adjusting the trainer to accomodate bikes with different rear hub and drop out widths is a chore. Not difficult, but it takes a few minutes and requires some tools.

Meanwhile, the Kurt is very beefy as well. As a fluid unit it's reasonably quiet (though louder than the 1 Up and one other fluid unit I've used). Resistance feel is excellent -- even better than the 1 Up. And minor differences in hub and drop out widths don't affect the setup.

Last year I tried the 1 Up, but returned it and bought a Kurt instead. I've never regretted it.

I've had the Kinetic for seven years with not one issue - very happy with it. Can't comment on the other.

I've only got 5 years on my Kurt Road Machine, but same here, no complaints at all. I did have a problem with the adjustment screw last year and a call to Kurt had one in the mail to me at no charge. The feel is very realistic and smooth. No experience with the 1-Up.

I like my new 1up. The only thing I do not like is that you MUST use the skewer that it comes with. I brought it to a cross race thinking that I could warm up on it, but left my road wheel at home. Turns out the Bontrager skewers on my cross wheelset do not fit. Neither will any other kind (Salsa/Mavic) that has a lever that sticks out. The end cap of the skewer needs to be completely flat and rounded. Huge bummer.

Adjusting the trainer to accomodate bikes with different rear hub and drop out widths is a chore. Not difficult, but it takes a few minutes and requires some tools.

That is true, but the tool is actually ON the trainer itself, and it's just one tool. I do feel the trade-off for having your bike fit better into the trainer is worth it, though.

That is true, but the tool is actually ON the trainer itself, and it's just one tool. I do feel the trade-off for having your bike fit better into the trainer is worth it, though.

And if you get the Blackburn, which has the same resistance unit AND is cheaper (with coupon), no tools required to accommodate different bikes.

This will be my third winter with the KK. The first unit I had leaked in the first week, but was quickly replaced and the current unit has worked perfectly. I did strip the resistance knob as others have mentioned, but again, quickly replaced at no charge.

Joe

I got my Kurt last year from www.bicycledoctorusa.com (an advertiser here) for $249 shipped. I like it.

I like the fact that I can use power with my KK. It is accurate to within 3%, too.

Resistance is consistent.

No long-term reliability reviews from me, but I hear they have excellent customer service.

My experience with KK has been that the power curve provided is accurate in the low ranges (less than about 160 watts) when the unit is cold. Once the resistance fluid has warmed up, low end power input is significantly less than predicted by the curve.

At higher power inputs, the KK is fairly accurate once warmed up, but requires more power input than the curve when it's cold.

Of course my power meter could be wrong.

Thanks to all for their helpful thoughts and recommendations. Based on the feedback I'm leaning towards the KK at this point as it seems that overall satisfaction is very high with this unit even after years of use.