1up USA CPR A-2000 All-Aluminum Bicycle Trainer
submitted by jdelliot_sea on December 20, 2004
Pros:
Easy setup, quiet, solid and realistic.Cons:
None that I have seen.After having decided that fluid was the only way to go for a trainer, I began shopping to find one. I had read enough reviews to have narrowed it down to either a Kurt Kinetic or a CycleOps. Based on reported leaking in the CycleOps and other brands I was sold on the Kurt Kinetic. However, I then stumbled on this unit. I don't think I found a single negative review on this product and most were unbelievably glowing. I read all the material on their web site and decided that it was the unit for me. I was able to find one on eBay that had very limited use for a bit of a discount. The unit arrived and I was able to set it up for my bike in about 10 minutes. I have since then used another bike (slightly) different fit and got that setup time down to just a couple of minutes. It is all the manufacturers website says it is. It has not top end on power (at least none that I can find). You can crank to your hearts content and you should never be able to max this unit out. If you can, they have some relatively simple adjustments you can make to shift the power curve up a notch or two. It is quiet enough that I can ride my bike in the same room with my family while watching TV.
Price Paid:
$260.00
Stable / Durable / Good Customer Service
I've been using this trainer regularly in the past two years and occasionally in the previous three years. It's a simple design that enables me to pedal along generating around 150 to 250 watts at wheel speeds of 15 to 20 mph. Since the resistance is adjustable, it can be changed to accomodate riders aiming for higher wattage output, although the power curve is pretty steep - Pedaling at 25 mph would generate over 400 watts, which may be viewed as good and bad - Small changes in speed change power output dramatically.
Since I have not owned other trainers, I'm unsure if the anomalies that I described above are consistent with other trainers.
Recently I called customer service with a question about a felt disc that is sandwiched in between the flywheel the other metal disc. It seemed to have moved. They offered to ship out a new pad at no cost - I thought that was very kind, considering the unit is several years old.
Overall, I feel the device was a good value and customer service was great.