recommend a trainer and bike rack (car)

CycleOps Fluid 2 is what I have and it does its job. There are cheaper ones I'm sure but keep your eye out at Craigslist and you might get an excellent deal on a used one.

Regarding the bike rack, if you got the extra funds, get a roof rack (Yakima, Thule).  A roof rack will give you the flexibility to buy other rack attachments for your other hobbies or travel.  Again, you can get it used and be on the lookout at Craigslist.  That's where I scored mine.

For some reason I thought of this.  Cause you know, it's just your daily driver now.

Here's a vote for the Kurt Kinetic trainers.  I have a Road Machine and love it.  Not the cheapest unit out there but solidly built and great customer service including a lifetime warranty.

Kurt Kinetic.  Great trainer - solid, quiet.  There are many "recommend me a trainer" threads and Kurt Kinetic often comes out on top.

KK for me too!  Two full years and going strong.

Get a class 1 hitch, then a hitch mount rack. Sooo many people drive into a sign/parkade/garage/drive-thru with their bikes on the roof and that damage can be thousands not even including the bike.








I can have this mounted on the car, and bike on the rack in 2 minutes, with the bike supported, no wheels removed and it's lockable.

Another vote for the KK.
I just switched from a Tax mag trainer to a KK ...holy cow what a difference. This thing is smooth and quiet and built like a tank.  
As for roof racks, I have a Yakima. A solid , sturdy piece of equipment that holds my precious Cervelo safely.

Happy training! 

When my bike is up on the roof, I actually put a sign on my windshield to remind me! 

KK Road Machine.

Yakima Double Down.

Yeah, I started doing that after I drove into my garage with the Cervelo on the roof. Garage had no damage but El Guappo died in that battle.

Another vote for the KK for the bike trainer.

As for the rack, I have a Yakima roof system on my car and a Yakima hitch mount tray on my wife's.  I prefer the hitch mount for ease of access and the fact that I don't have to worry about driving into a garage.  I did that the very first day I had a bike on top of my car.  It only cost $1100 to fix that little mistake.

Although getting a nice trainer is something you Could do, you can still go with a cheaper trainer from performance bikes and wait till a good deal hits. 

Another vote for KK trainer and the hitch mount system similar to the one in the picture (okay that is actually two separate votes).  Make sure your hitch mount has the wheel buckets and lock down features and you are good to go.

Not the cheapest unit out there but solidly built and great customer service including a lifetime warranty.

X2 on the KK trainers. In my view the best out there. Also their customer service is outstanding if you ever have any problems with their units.

Like many things in this sport you can go nust with gadgets and gimmicks, but a basic indoor trainer that is sturdy and wel built should be in almost every triathletes basement.

KK or CycleOps fluid trainer.  If you don't have a power meter you can still train using power as they have nearly identical MPH/Watts curves and there are CPU's available from KK.  There is also a spreadsheet floating around that will give you the correlation.  Checkout the Winter V3 Cycling thread if you haven't already.

What kind of vehicle do you have, car, UV, etc.? There are 1.25" and 2" receivers and do you only need a 2 bike rack? This one is nice as it does fold up, comes in 2" and 1.25". If you want a 4 bike rack for the 1.25" receiver there are some options out there like this one. I have a 2" fancy bike rack for that can swing out for a rear hatch that lifts up.

i went with the Kurt...

i split it with my mom for a christmas present... cant be that... im pretty stoked...

as far as the bike..

i only own 1 bike, im single... i would liek to eventually egt a mountain bike so thats a possibility...

Regarding roof racks - I'm not worried about forgetting that there's a bike up there.  But tailgate racks put your bike in harm's way of another driver rear-ending you.  Each to their own

Edited by spudone 2010-12-10 4:25 PM

And their insurance would buy me a nice new bike which suits me fine.

As for putting the bike IN the car, this idea loses appeal once you mountain bike in muddy, cow paddy infested trails. Gross.