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Submitted by
BillDate Reviewed: January 8, 2013
Strengths: Easy mounting of Bike and adjustment of tension to supply the friction needed between the wheel and the Resistance Unit. The height adjustment for the wheel to clear the carpet is very straight forward and accessable. Stability of the bike in the TrakStand I found to be excellent ( I am 5' 8" and 225 pounds and 67 years young). I am a commuter rider who is snow bound and need to rehab a knee surgery and get in shape for Spring rides,
Perhaps the greatest strength is from Blackburns Customer Service. The special skewer and instruction book was not in the box, I spoke with Katie at Blackburn and she happily and efficiently made arrangements to ship the Skewer and quickly emailed the instruction manual PDF to me.Weaknesses: I haven't discovered any at this time.Bottom Line: As the advertisements state, it closely mimics riding on the street without the need for a separate cumbersome control unit, such as my previous training stand had. Merely select a different set of gears to change the perceived amount of riding effort to meet my training requirements. I use my Garmin Heart Monitor to track my heart rate zone which I wish to attain and match the gear required to achieve the zone I want.
Disclosure: I do not work for or know any anyone at Blackburn, and I have no personal or professional association with a bicyle shop.
Similar Products Used: Previous trainer was a Mag Unit from Performance Bike
Bike Setup: Marin Eldridge Grade, 7 x 3, older model Performance 1.9 x 26 commuter tires on Wolber rims,
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Submitted by
mdbikerdr
a Recreational RiderDate Reviewed: December 15, 2010
Strengths: Heavy duty constructionWeaknesses: varying resistance over timeBottom Line: I bought a Blackburn Trainer despite all the negative reviews. After using it for a couple weeks and taking it apart multiple times, it has some design limitations but provides a good value for recreational use. As noted, the resistance will start to vary and this occurs after the resistance pad becomes glazed with several uses. My pad was not 100% flat so only a portion of the surface became glazed. This causes lighter resistance. Removing the glaze with emery cloth multiple times over the period of several weeks will leave you with a flat resistance pad that bears 100% on the mating plate. This takes time but in the end, the resistance becomes more consistent. Also, the axle should be greased but the bearings that push the metal surface against the resistance pad should not be lubricated at all. Once these things are done, the unit works consistently and reliably
Favorite Ride: Blackburn Ultra Trainer
Price Paid:
$75.00
Purchased At: second hand
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Submitted by
ball4759
a Road RacerDate Reviewed: December 10, 2010
Strengths: Reasonably quiet, low maintenance, stable platformWeaknesses: brake pad mechanism gets sticky after using for a couple months. doesn't hold new style skewer well.Bottom Line: I have had this trainer for 3 years, and the same thing happened to me that after about a year the resistance was all over the place. When it was cold it was like climbing at %20 grade then it would warm up and be okay. After being fed up, and against my better judgment I sprayed a little WD-40 onto the brake pad and the problem was solved. I am not suggesting you do it just letting you know it worked for me.
Price Paid:
$250.00
Purchased At: Don't Remember
Similar Products Used: none
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Submitted by
interactive3
a Recreational RiderDate Reviewed: March 13, 2010
Strengths: Now you can get them for $180. Quiet. Once greased the performance is excellent and the spin down is progressive.Weaknesses: Probably needs the axle to be greased or have better bearings.Bottom Line: There are a lot of negative reviews of this product. I've never had a major issue, but the resistance and spin down did seem to change after being on the trainer for a while. I took the mechanism apart and added grease to the axle. The unit now performs perfectly. The mechanism is so simple and it looks like a version of the 1up USA trainer which gets very high marks. The only parts that could degrade the performance as other people have complained about are the bearings. They're cartridge type so they should be consistent but maybe there's an issue with the bearing quality.
Favorite Ride: Outside
Price Paid:
$270.00
Purchased At: REI
Similar Products Used: Minoura, other Blackburn trainers
Bike Setup: Which one??
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Submitted by
kini
a Recreational RiderDate Reviewed: February 18, 2010
Strengths: Super quite. Large diameter roller is easy on tires. Simple design to resistance unit that "should" work. Height adjustable, stable, sturdy build.Weaknesses: Resistance unit just does not work no matter how much or little you lube, grease, clean, use the shroud, not use the shroud etc...Bottom Line: Bought it despite the reviews. As previous reviewers note the resistance is all over the place. When I first got it, bearings in the stock position I was good for about 20mph. Over the course of the next couple of months, 3 hours/week on the trainer the resistance became less and less. Currently running all 6 bearings and after about 15mins need to spin at 26-28mph to get any resistance. Of course when the unit is cold I can barely do 10-12mph. The resistance gets gradually changes over the next 10 mins or so. Recently though the resistance has been changing from 28mph in order to have some, to having to stand and mash at 15mph. I did everything and more that BB wanted in order to "cure" its ills. Blackburn is sending me a tech fluid to replace it. There are reasons why BB no longer sells this trainer.
Price Paid:
$199.00
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