A Fluid Bike Trainer: Guaranteed To Fail!

While a fluid bike trainer is generally acknowledged to be the top of the line in bicycle trainers, leakage is definitely a problem. In fact there’s an interesting transition happening. While a Cycleops fluid trainer may be the most common unit out there, the Kurt Kinetic trainer has a definite advantage in design. I predict that the fluid bicycle trainer world is about to be turned upside down.

Destined To Fail!

If you read very many Cycleops fluid bike trainer product reviews (that's a mouthful) the emphasis is on how satisfied the rider is with product service after the sale. Now let’s give this some thought. How many high quality products do you know of that have practically all of their consumers rating ‘after sales’ service? Answer- only those products that can be expected to fail. So I suppose the most telling commentary regarding the fluid bicycle trainer, particularly the Cycleops fluid trainer, is the frequency of repairs (for those who struggle with my verbosity, the Cycleops fluid bike trainer is likely to fail).

Enter stage left- the Kurt Kinetic fluid trainer. So what’s the buzz- what’s the difference? Well the common failure of the fluid bike trainer is leakage and the difference is in the likelihood (or certainty) of the units to leak.

But How Do They Work?

To get back to basics, let’s review how a fluid bike trainer works. The fluid trainer generates its resistance by driving an impeller through silicone fluid. When the rider is feeling extremely manly the amount of heat generated by all of this moving fluid can be substantial (up to 400 degrees).

Here’s where the leakage problem can occur. In the Cycleops fluid trainer the shaft driving the impeller penetrates into the fluid chamber and a rubber seal keeps the fluid from leaking out. It’s only a matter of time before the seal fails and the rider becomes familiar with the service department of the store from which the unit was purchased.

So what does the Kurt Kinetic fluid trainer have to offer that’s different? Well, the fluid chamber on the Kurt Kinetic trainer is not penetrated by an impeller!

How Does That Work?

Here’s how it works- your tire drives a shaft which rotates a flywheel type disc. This disc is placed up next to the fluid filled compartment within which resides another disc. It’s this second disc which displaces the fluid, creating the resistance. But how does the first disc cause the second disc to rotate? With the magic of magnets!

Six magnets on each disc have a strong affinity for one another so when the outside disc rotates, the inside disc rotates in like fashion. And it’s all done without any penetration into the fluid filled resistance chamber! Just what the doctor ordered- no seals to develop a leak, just a sealed fluid-filled chamber.

Turning The World Upside Down

So here’s my prediction- there will be a new leader in the world of fluid trainers. Cycleops will have to scramble to find a way to get around Kurt’s patent and I’m not sure if they’ll be able to do it. If they don’t, their position at the top of the food chain is tenuous at best. I also predict that Cycleops' service department will stay a lot busier than Kurt’s department.

Go to Bicycle Trainer from Fluid Bike Trainer

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