anyone tried both? which gives a better road feel and training?

does the weight difference in the flywheel 6.25lbs in kurt vs. 2.75lbs in cycleops matter?

and which has a better build/construction quality and durability?

i have ridden both and the kurt is smoother to ride and quieter. both are well built, the kurt is heavier and a little more stable but harder to transport. the cycleops seemed to have a little less wheel slip but just pump up the tire and crank down the knob and my kurt works fine. both are quality products.

I use the Fluid 2 and well, it's decent.

But, I hate the trainer and can barely ride it anyway so no trainer would be 'good enough' for me in this sense.

but the kurt is a bit more expensive. so i dont know which to pick.

Here is a write up (testing), about trainers. I run in to it every year or so.

http://www.geocities.com/almost_fast/trainerpower/

The cycleop has worked well for me. If your going to races and using it for warmup it would be my first choice due to weight, you can also get a transport case to keep your car clean. Its hard to get more then 650 watts with its resistence however. If I had it to do over I would get rollers with resistence.

I have the Road Machine, and I've been very pleased with it. I've used the Cyclops trainer as well, but as has been mentioned, the Kinetic is quieter and has a power curve that is a bit more realistic.
I bought the Road Machine because I got bored riding on my Kreitler rollers in the winter. With the trainer I was able to multi-task (i.e. study, etc.), which is a bit tricky on the rollers.
Also, KurtKinetic has been very quick to deal with the one and only issue I've ever had with the trainer ( one of the plastic knobs coming loose...) and shipped me the correct type of loc-tite no charge. Very easy to deal with.

All this being said, nothing beats being able to ride outside, so now my trainer is mostly just delegated to doing a warm-up before races...:)

I own a older cyclops fluid and tested the Kurt. The Kurt is clearly better.

I am testing a Kurt Rock and Rock trainer right now, and I do not want to give it back. :(

All this being said, nothing beats being able to ride outside

yea, but sometimes it's better to ride inside like at nights and rainy days.

But I've found that I can get joy from riding my bike in pretty much any condition as long as I'm dressed for it. Fenders, snow/rain gear, knobby tires and 2 sets of NiteRider lights are my common weapons for winter commutes/rides. But I agree, for pure training, it's often better to be inside.

-epicxt

P.S.- I have moved aboard a 33' sailboat so I no longer have that luxury...:)

The Road Machine is definitly better. Its a little heavier and between the bigger flywheel and slicker track, the tire doesn't hook up as well, but its smoother, quieter and has more consistant resistance. I think the Road Machine retails for less, but Saris has such awesome distribution that they're always on sale. I've used both, actually two Saris' and I bought the Kurt.

anyone know of a place that sells the road machine at a discounted price?

i know agees sell the fluid2 at a discounted price.

I just ordered a Kinetic Road Fluid Bike Trainer for $229 at REI.com. Free shipping to any local REI store. Now just looking for a place to order motivation to use trainer.

I have the road machine, and it has been totally reliable for 2 years. I know there used to be a lot of problems with other brands leaking, but I don't know if that is still the case. Kurt avoided the leakage problem by using magnetics instead of having anything actually penetrate the chamber where the fluid is. it was explained to me too long ago for me to be able to give you a good explaination, but it sounded like a good idea, and mine has been trouble free.

we'll see...i ordered a road machine.

fyi, i read somewhere that cycleops uses a mechanism that will wear out which lead to leakage. and kurt doesnt. sorry cant give a more detailed explanation.

anyone know of a place that sells the road machine at a discounted price?

i know agees sell the fluid2 at a discounted price.

Check out the classified section under accessories. There is an ad for $55.00 off. It's from:

http://www.bicycledoctorusa.com/.

Everyone is selling out the 2007 models, the 2008's are the same machine, different color, higher price.

It comes out to $229 from bike doctor as well. For me REI charged a higher shipping plus tax so it came out about $20.00 higher from them , and it seems it takes forever for me to receive things from REI. He also sells the KK poweremeter/computer for $39.00

fwiw, i dont think bicycledoctorusa is a very trust worthy dealer in regards to their price match policy. and that's all i'll say.

I bought my road machine from bicycledoctorusa and was happy with their service, I would use them again in a minute.