Appears to be solidly built. Holds Schwinn Avenue Aluminum Hybrid securely. Makes weight room look better having a real bicycle in it to spin.

Noisy.

25 Years ago I was an avid MTN biker. Now it is back and forth to work. Around the neighborhood and on the streets of jax. Found this item in the local thrift shop for 10 bucks. Haven't checked the heat from the fluid drive yet but will now that I've read these posts. I'm hoping that everyone is talking about replacing the fluid drive unit and not the stand. Is the fluid unit optional due to different models and how do I tell which unit I have. I do have the thumb shifter but agree that using the bike's gears does the job.
Average chili's due to not owning it long enough.

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Quiet, smooth, easy to assemble, easy to mount bike, adjustability, resistance.

Locking mechanism has too much plastic, I would feel more confident with something a little more tough looking.

I ordered the AF500 adjustable unit because of some of the reviews here about the 300 being a little light. The 500 is plenty for me. The adjustability is nice and seems to work well. The unit is very stable and I haven't had any problems with the legs being uneven like others. The fins get very hot, I would recommend pointing a fan at it directly to help cool. Overall it has been a great purchase, it works well and I have been able to get more workouts in after work. Not going to give it 5 chilis just because I haven't had it long enough to give it credit for reliability yet.

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This is my first trainer.

Price
Surprisingly durable, at least for me

Loud, heavy, useless handlebar mounted shift lever

I have used this product now for six years during winter training and pre race warm ups at MTB events. It always seems to be on sale making it a good value. Newer models may be lighter than mine which is a struggle to carry around. I agree with other reviewers that the handlebar mounted shift lever is useless. I also toss it on the ground and just shift the bike for resistance changes. No doubt there are better fluid units out there but for the money I was pleased to get six years out of it. While my resistance unit never leaked, just the other day it died. The power drill description used in previous reviews is an accurate one. I will toss it and research new ones from several makers.

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Cycle Ops

Sturdy frame

My unit is making a clicking noise until it warms up!

Can any let me know where I can get my unit serviced? I purchased my unit used and it looked good. Only after a few weeks of use (no idea how long the previous owner used it)it started making noise.

It is a HF300 Fluid model by Performance.

Are there rebuild kits? Frame is great!

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Looks nice, fair price, easy to set up.

The AF-500 adjustable unit is a piece of crap! I returned the first defective unit and was disappointed to find that my second unit was defective just as the first unit was. As for the adjustment lever, I agree with the previous reviews saying that it has a narrow adustment range...then again, I don't think it even adjusts the resistance whatsoever.

When I spoke with the Tech Dept they said that there "was a bad batch of units." Not very comforting to say the least. Unfortunately I have to give this trainer (more less the AF-500 unit) a bad rating. What a hassle it is to return something of this nature! Make it easy on yourself and buy a trainer from a shop so you don't have to go thru the mail-order return crap.

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Blackburn MagTrack

Sold Base and Resistance Unit. My roomie and I are big boys and it held us solidly. Seems pretty durable. Quiet resistance unit, I got the 500 adjustable.

Adjustment range feels narrow. Adjustment lever is as bad as people say, but I didn't really play with it much.

I think it is as good as the positive ratings. I will have to wait and see. I was surprised with the service @ Performance.

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Older magnetic units

sturdy, good resistance, easy to use, good customer service

resistance adjuster either doesn't stay put on handlebar or breaks, rubber grippers on adjuster are easy to loose, noise from fluid unit and tire, a little wobbly when really cranking

Regarding kids near the unit when it is in use, I'd be more worried about the rotating wheel than the warm resistance unit. I had a friend in school that lost the tip of his finger to his mom's exercise bike.

I had to really tighten the resistance adjuster to keep it from slipping on my handlebar (yes, I have the two rubber grippers on.) Soon after I got the trainer I tightened the adjuster too much and the plastic broke. Metal would be better. Performance was very good about sending me a replacement adjuster. Using a rubber spacer would help reduce the slipping (a cut old bike tube).

The fluid unit started making noise at resistances above the lowest. It isn't too bad, and I plan on seeing if it can be fixed.

I have a cheap Performance slick tire that still makes a fair amount of noise. After the unit sat for the summer the tire made a lot of noise when I put it back to use. Scuffing the tire with sandpaper fixed this.

The front tire block is a good idea. Without it I felt like I was tilted too far forward.

A heart rate monitor also helps motivation.

All in all I'm happy.

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none

Durable, simple, inexpensive.

Performance changed the style, when it does break, that will be it.

Things been great. Put thousands of miles since 2001. No problems.

Quiet and smooth.

Unit gets very hot and has poor reliability.

Since I have had my TravelTrac 3 with the adjustable fluid for over two years now, I can offer a little different perspective than the other postings. I was thrilled with the unit the first year or so, but have noticef that the fluid seems to be "thickening" over time. I can't even use my big ring in the easiest of resistance levels without my heart rate going sky high. I have had no breaks in training, and my fitness on the road is at a much higher level than when I first used the trainer. I can only conclude that something is going wrong with the unit. For those with small children, I would be very concerned about them being anywhere near the TravelTrac after recent use; the chamber that holds the fluid get super hot. I can only give two chilis. Too bad, because it worked so well in the beginning.

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good road feel, variable resistance, sturdy frame

noisy compared with the quickstand

Buying one of these from australia has been expensive ($500 after exchange rates and shipping/customs fees).
There was an initial problem that lead to me paying the sales tax twice; to Performance's credit they have promised to refund me the difference which is not bad!
The trainer itself feels good, just like the road, and the frame is pretty sturdy (i'm a big guy and came out of one once during sprint training... a bit unsettling, heading for the lounge room window at 40kph!) After all the hype about fluid trainers i expected it to be quieter than my old quickstand centrifugal force trainer, however the wife believes it is louder. So far so good... if anything changes i will send another review

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quickstand