We have often been asked by customers about wind trainers that are suitable for the 20"- and 16"-rear wheels on our trikes so that they can exercise on their trikes
indoors when the weather is grim outside. Pedal Prix teams have also expressed interest in looking for
dynamometers to measure the power output from riders, and to train them for the races. We recently came across a
neat trainer that very accurately simulates the drag forces on a trike-- the inertia, the wind drag, and the
tyre drag. Thus, a rider's power output
can be just as accurately measured
on this trainer as on a dynamometer costing thousands of dollars!
This output is simply measured by a special cycle computer which
calculates the rider's power according to rear wheel RPM.
The ride
on this trainer is very realistic
because it accurately simulates all
three forces that come into play
when one rides a bike or trike on
level road. The trainer has a large flywheel which matches,
for one, the inertia of the trike plus
its rider. Then the fluid resistance system
matches the cube power-resistance factor
that is due to the air resistance
confronting a trike ridden on the open road.
Finally, the pressure of the roller against the
trike's tyre simulates the tyre rolling resistance of the
same vehicle on level road.
For larger riders
a larger flywheel is available. The
standard trainer suits 26"- and 700c- wheels. Wheels smaller than 22"
would require the optional Small Wheel Adaptor, which suits wheels down to 16", the size used on our
gt3, gt5 and x-Series trikes.
The machine is very quiet. It has massive cooling fins and will absorb up to
three (3) kw of power, so there will be no problem even if you are an Olympic athlete! The power-resistance unit has a magnetic coupling,
which means there are no rotating fluid seals
that could leak in this unit. The only faults we
found are, it takes some time to
adjust between accommodating a trike
and a road bike; and the maker's website
seems very slow to
load. We've therefore copied the manual to our website for customers who are interested in the nuts and
bolts --
see:
Kinetic Trainer Manual
For more info, please see: www.kurtkinetic.com
Having tested this trainer, we consider it to be the best on the
market so far and we would recommend it.
Road Machine - Fluid Trainer, $599
Pro Trainer - Fluid Trainer, $799
Small Wheel Adaptor, $59.95
Power Computer, $89.95
Riser Ring, $39.95
Please contact us for other Kurt products.
