Minoura MAG500 Trainer Review: Is It a Good Value for Winter Training?

Question
I bought my first raod bike in sept (Trek madone) and did my first century in oct. I live where we get a lot of snow and this year is no exception. I am thinking of getting a Minoura MAG500 as a trainer (for $75) and wondering if this is a good buy. It will be at least april before the road bike gets out.

Answer
Laura,

Timely question!  This winter, I have been advising some of the members of my tri team on what to do about indoor trainers.  I checked on the Minoura Mag 500 and the prices are in the $110 - $160 range, so if it is in decent condition $75 is a good buy. However, having owned Minoura products in the past, they are good but not great.

Generally, what you should look for in a trainer is very solid construction and a wide base, so it will be very stable when you ride.  In terms of construction for the long haul, the fewer weld joints, the better, so if you can find a trainer that has a single tube bent to hold the bike, then that is going to be more solid and less likely to break over time.

A number of years ago, I had a Blackburn magnetic trainer ($220, I think) that I liked quite a lot.  However, it was loud and really heated up on long rides.  In the last 5 years, I have upgraded to a fluid trainer which I think is dramatically better than a magnetic trainer, mainly because it is quieter (so I can hear the dialog when I put on a movie) and doesn't heat up so much (the resistance is provided by blades traveling inside of a sealed fluid chamber).  If you spend some time on a trainer you will notice, too, that a fluid trainer reacts and feels much more like real riding than a magnetic trainer.  

After much research, the commonly recognized best trainer is the Kurt Kinetic trainer http://www.kurtkinetic.com/roadmachine.php which is a fluid trainer.  Kurt Kinetic trainers can be had for around $250 (I just bought a second Kurt last week for $259) and, to me, are worth the $50 greater cost than the good magnetic trainers because they are quiet, smooth and extremely solid.  Another good trainer is the Cycleops fluid trainer, which is about the same price.  I have ridden both and I like the Kurt.

I am not sure of your finances or intended frequency of use, so if you would like more detail, feel free to write me back.

Graeme