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Submitted by
Malcom
a Weekend Warrior
from Sydney, AustraliaDate Reviewed: March 18, 2004
Strengths: Everythings already been mentioned.Weaknesses: Not enough resistance but that can be altered.Bottom Line: I had the same poor resistance as mentioned by several reviewers. This can be improved by pulling apart the resistance unit and moving the base magnet disc closer to the moveabale disc.
Its easy to pull down, just remove the three screws holding the transpatent case to the black part, lift off the transparenbt piece and put it aside - don't bother undoing it at all. Undo the not holding the rotating ali=uminium disc and remove the disc. Theres two screws inside holding the housing to the main guts, remove them. You should now be able to slide off the half of the housing holding the remaining fixed magnetic disc. Turn it over and you'll find three more screws holding the disc in place, remove them.
Place very thin washers between the disc and the plastic where the mounting screws go through the plastic, I used about 1mm thick washers but the idea is to pack out the magnetic disc to get it as close as possible to the rotating aluminium disc - might take some trial and error with different washers.
Assembly is the reverse of the above. Check that the whole thing spins easily with no rubbing from discs.
Done, try it out, quite an increase in resistance.
Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$80.00
Purchased At: Ebay
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Bill
a Cross Country Rider
from Park City ,Ut.Date Reviewed: January 1, 2004
Strengths: Easy to set up. Quick and easy to mount the bike.Quiet, smoothWeaknesses: none that I've seenBottom Line: This is what I've been looking for.
I bought it with the remote and it is worth the extra cost, it allows you to change the resistance to simulate hills or flat at any rpm you wish without missing a tick.
quiet, I don't even have to turn the tv up to hear it when I'm on the trainer.
Unit apears to be very well made and is completely stable in any position I'm in. (148 lb. rider)
it is so pleasant to use that I look forward to using it.
Favorite Trail: Cresent Mine at night
Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$120.00
Purchased At: Supergo
Similar Products Used: old wind trainer
Bike Setup: road bike, mountain bike
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Adam Carlson
a Weekend Warrior
from TorontoDate Reviewed: May 28, 2003
Strengths: Very easy to use, don't have to change tires to a slick and super quietWeaknesses: None at this point, except should be easier to switch between wheel sizesBottom Line: I highly recommend this trainer. When I bought this trainer by Bayview Cycle Centre, they had a few set up on the bikes are they asked me to try the different models. I've glad they did, because I was looking for a tire driven unit, but found it too noisey.
Duration Product Used: 6 months
Price Paid:
$180.00
Purchased At: BAYVIEW CYCLE CENTRE
Similar Products Used: Used a Blackburn trainer
Bike Setup: Used on a Road bike
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Kurt McDaniel
a Cross Country Rider
from Oklahoma City, OK, USADate Reviewed: April 6, 2003
Strengths: NoneWeaknesses: Poor construction. Poor customer service.Bottom Line: Bottom line: Don’t buy this product!!!
This is a poorly constructed product and the manufacturer has done an even poorer job of taking care of a customer!
In the year that I have owned this product I have only been able to ride it for about a month. I purchased it last winter and got about a month’s use out of it. Toward the end of that month I noticed the plastic housing that holds the magnetic resistance unit was cracking. Since the weather was warming up and I was again riding outside I soon forgot about the problem.
This winter when I tried to use the trainer the problem went from bad to worse. The plastic housing began cracking even more. As I would try to use the trainer I would notice the plastic was literally cracking into small pieces and falling in the floor. Finally the housing had cracked to the point that it would not hold the magnetic resistance unit in place and the trainer became unusable.
Upon close inspection of the plastic housing I noticed that the plastic was very brittle. It was so brittle you could break off into pieces with your fingers. It was almost as if it was crystallizing and crumbling away.
I first went to Minoura’s website to check on the warranty. Confirming that it was indeed under warranty (five years) I contacted them. When I contacted them I wasn’t even halfway through my explanation when the rep interrupted and told me that I needn’t explain anymore because they already new what the problem was. He assured me that they would replace the magnetic resistance unit but there would be somewhat of a wait because they were being shipped by boat from Japan. He indicated that it might be 5 or 6 weeks before I got the replacement unit.
I then went to the LBS where I purchased the trainer. I explained that I had already contacted Minoura but wanted to see if they could get me the parts any quicker. They immediately picked up the phone and called their distributor. Their distributer mentioned something about the plastic used for the housing being a bad batch and the fact that I was not the only one to get the bad product. However, their distributor explained that they were not having any luck receiving the replacement parts either and that if the Minoura rep had talked to me on the phone and promised the part in 5 or 6 weeks I was having better luck than they were. They said that it was taking several months to receive their replacement parts from Minoura.
It has now been 5 months since contacting Minoura and I have not recieved my replacement parts. In the mean time I purchased a used set of rollers for a fraction of the price paid for the Minoura trainer.
Don't buy this product!
Favorite Trail: Clearbay
Duration Product Used: 1 Year
Price Paid:
$200.00
Purchased At: Wheeler Dealer
Similar Products Used: CycleOps Rollers
Bike Setup: '02 Litespeed Arenberg, '01 Specialized Stumpjumper FSR XC Pro.
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Joseph Gabriel
a Cross Country Rider
from Bedford, PA, USADate Reviewed: July 22, 2002
Strengths: Can be used with Mountain bike tires with out increased noise.Weaknesses: Could use more resistance and the plastic housing that holds the bearings breaks.Bottom Line: Do not buy this product! I have had nothing but problems with it. In the six months I've owned it I have only been able to use it about one month. The unit was purchased on 01/15/02 and recieved about one week later. I rode on it for about two weeks and it began to develope cracks in the lower plastic housing that supports the bearing. This caused the shaft to be out of line and allowed the inner plate to strike the magnets. I ordered a new unit from the small parts supplier. This unit took about two months to recieve ( allegedly being shipped by a slow boat from Japan). After numerous phone calls and continuous promises I recieved the unit. It too was cracked this time on the upper housing and was unusable. I then disassembled both units and made one out of the two broken casings. I also at that time phoned Jeff Zell at minoura who assured me that the unit is a quality piece and that he would replace it if there where any further problems. The patched unit was used for about two more weeks until warmer weather arrived. We have recently been having high heat and humidty, so out came the trainer. After two workouts the unit began to make the same noises as before.Low and behold there is a crack at the exact same place as the first unit. I will never buy another product from minoura again. I hope that others have better luck with their trainer, but for those out there who are looking to buy one, DONT DO IT!
Duration Product Used: 6 months
Price Paid:
$160.00
Purchased At: Performance Bike
Bike Setup: Cannondale F1000
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Mark
a Cross Country Rider
from Succasunna, NJDate Reviewed: February 18, 2002
Strengths: This trainer is easy to set up and smooth. I have only been using it for 3 months, but get a great workout. I have not had any problems with slipping. Since I am not a power rider, the resistance is adequate for me to get my heart rate up.Weaknesses: The adjustable resistance does not have much range and strong riders will easily max this out. Other than that, so far, this has been a great product.Bottom Line: This is a good trainer to get the legs pumping and heart rate going on those cold days. An increase in the max resistance would make this trainer a 5.
Duration Product Used: 3 months
Price Paid:
$160.00
Purchased At: Performance Bike
Similar Products Used: None - my first trainer
Bike Setup: Trek 950
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Zachary Orsulak
a Cross Country Rider
from Walnutport, Pa, U.S.A.Date Reviewed: December 4, 2001
Strengths: Great trainer for XC, DS, DH riders. The most prominent benefit is not having to switch from knobby to semi-slick or slick tires just to use a trainer.Weaknesses: Could definately use a bit more resistance. (On my old trainer, the highest setting was near impossible...I liked that) Also, it might cause some problems (or not be compatible) with disk-specific rims...I'm really not sure. Might want to check it out before buying one.Bottom Line: Overall, this is a great trainer for any type of rider, especially mountian bikers of any discipline. If you're a roadie, you might consider going with a standard setup trainer or rollers...as you'd get a bit more resistance. Other than that it's a great trainer! Great for warming-up before a race without having to switch tires/wheels.
Favorite Trail: Twin Peaks, J.T. Pa
Duration Product Used: 1 Year
Price Paid:
$140.00
Purchased At: Online
Similar Products Used: Minoura
Bike Setup: Trek Fuel 100. Pretty much the factory setup, except for a hot blue-glitter seat. (I'm thinking about getting a horn, and suggestions)
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
mike
a Cross Country Rider
from sydneyDate Reviewed: May 20, 2001
Strengths: Easy to mount
No tyre wearWeaknesses: not enough resistance on mountain bikesBottom Line: A good enough trainer for the money, but not worth it if you have a mountain bike and intend to use it for power workouts. The problem with the resistance is due to minoura assuming this trainer will be used with road bikes, which have a larger wheel diameter. I first tried this trainer with my mountain bike and found it too easy but when I put my road bike on it made all the difference.
Duration Product Used: 2 Years
Price Paid:
$150.00
Similar Products Used: cycle ops fluid trainer
Bike Setup: giant atx 870/hillbrick road bike
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Seth
a Racer
from RSM, CADate Reviewed: April 18, 2001
Strengths: no tire wear; works for knobbies and slicks as the resistance comes from the rim and not the tireWeaknesses: WILL NOT WORK WITH ROLF ROAD WHEELS; NO CUSTOMER SUPPORT FOR ROLF OWNERS; more resistance would be nice.Bottom Line: I have a new bike and tried to set it up with the Inter-rim trainer. The Rolf Vector Comp wheels slips and slides. No amount of adjustment helps. It worked fine for every mountain bike rim I've tried. It worked fine for the MA-40 rims I used to have. It works fine for the Mavic Heliums that I want to keep on the road racing bike.
So I called Minoura at the number shown on their website (http://www.minoura.co.jp/index-et.html). Incorrect number.
I tried the correct number (510.538.8599) and was told:
(a) the trainer WILL NOT work with Rolfs,
(b) Minoura currently DOES NOT have a retro-fit fix, and
(c) Minoura is NOT working on a solution for the Rolf wheel incompatibility issue.
Nice.
Zero flaming turds.
Duration Product Used: 2 Years
Price Paid:
$150.00
Purchased At: online
Similar Products Used: Cyclops Fluid +
Bike Setup: ROLF VECTOR COMPS
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
BobG
a Weekend Warrior
from Woodbury NJDate Reviewed: March 19, 2001
Strengths: Very easy set up (less than 5 minutes), solid construction, easy to mount/dismount bike. Good value.Weaknesses: Lowest resistance settings weak.Bottom Line: This product is great for my purposes - peddling in front of the tube one or two nights a week during winter / bad weather. My bike hops right on and off (one lever to crank), no changing tires, and it's not all that noisy. There's also no potential of hydraulic fluid breakdown or seal leakage. The only "trick" is that the front wheel needs to sit on something to bring the bike to a normal riding stance(a cutoff 2X4 board works fine.) In the shopping around I did, this was the best value I found. However, I can see how this product wouldn't be the first choice of very serious riders (low resistance settings are negligible.)
Favorite Trail: Uranium Road Broad Mt PA
Duration Product Used: 3 months
Price Paid:
$190.00
Purchased At: Bike Shop
Similar Products Used: None
Bike Setup: Specialized HardRock FS
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Andy
a Weekend Warrior
from RenoDate Reviewed: February 28, 2001
Strengths: Compact, well made, quietWeaknesses: slips someBottom Line: This is my first trainer. I am not what one would call a powerful rider. It's great to use while watching the tube or on lousy days. I really like the rim design. Don't need to take knobbies off to get a smooth, quiet workout. I do notice the difference in the settings, though I could see if you were a serious rider, the highest setting might still be too low. For a rec rider looking to put in a few non ride revolutions, this seems to be a really nice unit. I don't have the remote, didn't seem necessary.
Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$135.00
Purchased At: ebay
Similar Products Used: none
Bike Setup: '91 rockhopper, softride bar suspension, mavic corvair wheels w/shimano hubs, tektro brakes, stuff that hangs on bike and may or may not be needed!
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Clark
a Racer
from OregonDate Reviewed: January 23, 2001
Strengths: Easy setup, relatively quiet (compared to wind trainer), very solid constructionWeaknesses: Light on resistance and the range of adjustability (on the remote) is pretty minimalBottom Line: The construction is very solid and setup was simple. The bike goes on and off easily, too. As others have noted, the Interrim is pretty light on resistance. But it’s not total junk. I rather like mine and definitely manage to get good 60-min. workouts (using the Reoch Zonneveld guide). The remote is a joke – it barely changes the resistance at all (this after I sent a unit w/o remote back to get a unit w/ a remote). I haven’t seen any slippage problems as other have noted. But it’s definitely quieter than the wind trainer I used to use and I can spin comfortably on this, something that I found hard with a wind trainer
Duration Product Used: 3 months
Price Paid:
$150.00
Purchased At: Performance
Similar Products Used: old school wind trainer
Bike Setup: Trek 5200
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Tim B
a Cross Country Rider
from Fairfax, VA, USADate Reviewed: January 23, 2001
Strengths: No need to change tires/wheels; easy set-upWeaknesses: None -- but understand the concern w/ low resistanceBottom Line: This is my first trainer and I'm liking it. Didn't want another rear wheel in order to not shred my knobbies -- and this lets me lock in/out the bike very quickly. Agree there's not much resistance and that the adjustability feature is worthless. But I'm not using for interval training, just an opportunity to "ride" daily and keep the muscles working during Hockey Nite. Haven't had it long and will update if my opnion changes.
Favorite Trail: potowatomi
Duration Product Used: 3 months
Price Paid:
$180.00
Purchased At: LBS
Similar Products Used: None
Bike Setup: '91 D-back Topanga; SID SL; XT/XTR
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from MichiganDate Reviewed: January 19, 2001
Strengths: Excellent setup, very quiet, great concept.Weaknesses: VERY LITTLE resistance!Bottom Line: I would only recommend this trainer to novice through low-intermediate strength riders only. It's a great setup and easy to use, but it needs at least twice the resistance to provide a good workout. I haven't ridden in 2 months, and I spun it out in top gear on my first ride!
Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$160.00
Purchased At: Nashbar
Similar Products Used: Performance wind, Blackburn mag
Bike Setup: Trek 8500
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Eric
a Cross Country Rider
from MaineDate Reviewed: November 6, 2000
Strengths: Don't need to change tiresWeaknesses: SLIPPAGE!!! Very little resistanceBottom Line: This trainer is absolutely unuseable! The amount of slippage is unbearable. I've tried everything... cleaning my rims, and even trying an old set of Sun rims with no luck. The local bike shop said this has been a problem with this unit. Interval training is not even an option - not that there is enough resistance anyway. Even my brother, who's not a strong rider, felt the same way. I wanted to like it, but just can't.
Favorite Trail: unfortunately outlawed
Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month
Similar Products Used: Friends Cyclops, Kreitler Rollers
Bike Setup: Rocky Mountain w/ Mavic Crossmax wheels and WTB tires
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