Blackburn TrakStand ULTRA Trainer

Price Paid:  $300.00 at LBS

Bike Setup:
Scott Cr1 Pro decked out

Summary:
Worked good for 4-5 uses watching spinervals videos. very spotty resistance. I am an engineer and took the contraption apart. There is nothing wrong and nothing needs to be lubed. it is evident the cheap "chinese" spring that pushes the brake pad away from the rotor does not always put a symetrical force and so sometimes only a part of the pad is touching the rotor. sometimes it takes 500 + watts to go 10 mph with my tire squealing and others it takes very little energy to go 25 mph. there is something very wrong with the design, possibly the material of the brake pad causing varying levels of friction. I have atempted to use it about 10 over the past 10 months all with horrible results that ruin your training session. I ahve cleaned the ball bearings of dust and cleaned the whole unit with dry rags. No help

Strengths:
Worked good for 4-5 uses, Does not need front wheel block.

Weaknesses:
Expensive promises same performance as a Kurt, but has some sort of design flaw involving the friction plate/pads.

Similar Products Used:
cyclops fluid trainer

Price Paid:  $250.00

Summary:
Most of the people complaining have it wrong.
This is a great trainer.
ULTRA quiet.
Very nice resistance ramping.
The floor leveling legs are a great bonus.
There are instructions that come with it.
They say to LUBE THE DEVICE!
Every half a year or so I take the unit apart and lube the axle and ball bearings with a very heavy grease. This is why you guys have spotty resistance.
The resistance is above average. In 53x11 it is HARD. A good high intensity workout for me is in my 53x19. With a properly lubed axle the resistance starts at 0 @ 5mph and then exponentially gets harder. A bit harder than actual road feel.
Other trainers you can pop in your 53x11 and overpower the resistance to produce no workout.
Best trainer I have tried.

Strengths:
QUIET!!!!
Sturdy
"on the fly" variable resistance
Resistance ramps higher than most will ever need.
Folds compact.

Weaknesses:
Slippery drum
After a season of many teammates using the trainer there is a worn groove on the drum.
Maintenance required.
Hard to warm up from cold legs.(I prefer rollers for warming up.)

Similar Products Used:
Cyclops fluid/mag/air
Kurt Fluid
Blackburn fluid

Price Paid:  $299.00 at Brand's

Favorite Ride:
Geneva to Maple Park, IL

Bike Setup:
Look 496, Campy Record, Zipp 800's front and rear, Blackwell Research aero bars.

Summary:
After purchasing my first unit, it was only a matter of weeks until trouble began. The unit began heating up, the resistance varied, at times I could not even pedal. Then it began "squealing". I had my pro shop clean it, change out the bearings, etc. The problem persisted and it was noticed that the plastic housing was off center. It was returned for a new one. I trained for 2 weeks on that until all resistance was gone. There was no way to train and I had the shop order another resistance unit which they will swap out. If this does not solve the problem, I will be looking for a different trainer. Life should not be this difficult!

Strengths:
When it was working (rare), the feel was similar to road conditions and quiet. I like the portability.

Weaknesses:
Everything else. Two units, two malfunctions.

Similar Products Used:
Cyclops, Kurt Kinetic, Performance Trak Stand.

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
I bought this trainer in October and took it back last month. It is one of the quietest trainers on the market, but the clutch began seizing up after about two months. Regular cleaning would solve the problem but only temporarily. I traded it in for a Kurt Kinetic Road Trainer, which I am quite happy with...so far.

Strengths:
Quiet.

Weaknesses:
Faulty clutch. I have heard that others have had the same problem, so it might be the design. I really can't recommend this product.

Similar Products Used:
Kurt Kinetic Road Trainer

Price Paid:  $300.00 at LBS

Favorite Ride:
Bald Peak, Washington County, OR

Bike Setup:
Trek Madone 5.2.

Summary:
Very nice trainer, very realistic. I was initially having some of the problems that other reviewers were having. I found that the solution was simple. The flywheel plate (the one that moves), gets hung up on it's axle and cannot move laterally to either engage (not enough friction complaint) or disengage (the too much friction complaint) the friction plate. The solution is to oil the axle and the ramps for the ball bearings. I did this and it is super smooth. The resistance is very well tuned to the road with the balls on the outside ramps, and I love the realistic feel.

Strengths:
Realistic feel of the road. Well matched resistance curve. I also like how sturdy and solidly it holds my bike - this is the reason I replaced the Blackburn fluid trainer I had been using.

Weaknesses:
Blackburn needs to lube their components before they leave the manufacturing line. When I opened the resistance unit up, it was completely dry and devoid of lubrictation on any of the moving surfaces. This, on a mechanism that works on the principles of sliding interfaces, is unacceptable.

Similar Products Used:
Blackburn fluid trainer.