Kurt Kinetic Trainer
Durable, with a realistic feel and quick setup.
By Andrew Juskaitis


Fluid trainers offer the exponential resistance of a wind trainer, without the whirlwind noise. They can be the best of both worlds until they exhibit their Achilles' heel: leaking their heated, expanding fluid.

Kurt's Kinetic trainer addresses leaking issues with a completely sealed fluid chamber. The Kinetic trainer uses a unique magnetically driven impeller system, which eliminates the shaft and the accompanying seal entirely. In addition to the sealed system, the Kinetic trainer also boasts a progressive power curve (which, at lower speeds, allows for very easy spinning) and a heavily weighted flywheel, both designed to provide true pedaling feel with resistance levels from 20 watts (5 mph) to 2,500 watts (50 mph). Three ounces of thermodynamically neutral, liquid silicone fluid resists heat fade, while the unit's quick releasable rear wheel attachment and adjustable resistance unit accommodate 700c road, 26-inch mountain, 20-inch BMX and 16-inch recumbent wheel sizes.

The Kurt Kinetic is my easily my favorite trainer for three reasons: its durability, realistic feel and quick setup. While our weather in Southern California oftentimes is more perfect than not, I still end up using the Kurt Kinetic for late-night training sessions, to help test other product and most commonly, as a warm-up tool for competition. Weekend after weekend I throw the Kinetic haphazardly in the back of a truck with little concern for its well-being. Its stout steel construction can more than take the abuse and once its leg are deployed, it's also extremely effective in creating a stable platform for heavy workouts. Locking down a bike is a snap with the metal quick-adjust knobs. The only downside is the locking collar doesn't accept some quick-release shapes (i.e. wide ones like Rolf or Bontrager QRs). Other than that, the Kinetic is quiet and fights back directly proportional to how much power you throw at it (just like the real world). The $300 price tag is a bit much to swallow, but for those serious about their training, there's no finer option than this.

Click here to see the review on Bicycling Magazine's website.
December 2001