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Blackburn
Defender magnetic trainer
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Submitted by
Peter
a Weekend Warrior
from Boston, MA
Date Reviewed: April 27, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$180.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Compact storage, quiet, easy set up. | | Weaknesses: | Skewer clamp doesn't hold fat MTB Q/R levers well. Moving side of skewer clamp not very well supported by housing (a bit wobbly). Poor assembly (see below). | | Similar Products Used: | Old style turbo trainer (BB & fork support). | | Bike Setup: | A variety, MTB (with slicks), road bikes, 3 of us use it (me, wife, son) | | Bottom Line: | As others have reported, my resistance unit began making noise too. I opened it up to find a very simple mechanism, a rotating aluminum plate between 2 stationary housings that had refrigerator magnets glued to them. The set screw holding the aluminum plate to the axle had loosened, allowing the plate to wobble and make contact. I tightened it up, and have had no problems since. Everything else looked OK, bearings/axle looked beefy enough. Rubber feet slide off too, will put some contact cement on them some day. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kenneth
a Weekend Warrior
from Barboursville, VA USA
Date Reviewed: January 4, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$210.00 | | Purchased At: | Local Bike Shop | | Strengths: | The frame was nice but the mechanism that holds the bike upright loosens and lets the bike lean to one side. The mag unit produces decent resistance. | | Weaknesses: | The unit lets the bike lean and the magnet is not durable. It explains why this unit is not made anymore. After a years worth of riding the bearings in the mag unit fell apart. | | Similar Products Used: | Used a wind trainer from Performance. The frame was not as nice but the resistance unit held together. | | Bike Setup: | Used a road bike | | Bottom Line: | If you dont mind feeling like you are going around a curve and you would like the experience of rebuilding the resistance unit this trainer may be for you. It was nice when it was spankin' new but it didn't last long. It produced decent resistance. Better than the fluid units that I have tried, guess I need to lay down some big $ for a better unit or build one myself. It seems that you can't get a good one from any manufacturer. | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John
a Weekend Warrior
from Anchorage, Alaska, USA
Date Reviewed: December 2, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$200.00 | | Purchased At: | REI | | Strengths: | The stands are sturdy and the different resistance settings seem to work well. We are not hard core and we get a good workout on setting 3 of 5. | | Weaknesses: | We own two of these and have had lots of trouble with the roller units. One has developed a loud constant rattle the other has developed a loud squeak. | | Similar Products Used: | None | | Bike Setup: | 1 old Motobecane and 1 newer Jamis | | Bottom Line: | We are basically unhappy with both units. When we first purchased them we had similar trouble with one and the retailer exchanged it for us - they were good. Now both are having trouble and we only use the units 2-3 times per week for 30 - 45 minutes at a shot. We tried to find a way to contact Blackburn directly on the internet and had no luck. If anyone has advice on how to fix these problems please let us know. We would avoid these units in the future. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Paul
a
from Davis
Date Reviewed: October 2, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$180.00 | | Bottom Line: | I thought this trainer would be a great thing for the winter. However, Everytime I got on it I noticed that I was leaning to the left. I tried adjusting my position, but eventually I realized that the screw which clasped the axle had so much play the the left side of the quick release was 1/4" lower than the right side! I tried Blackburn's website, but they didn't have a e-mail or phone number. I'm not very impressed with the product and very disapointed that I could not easily get a hold of someone. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeffro
a
from Spokane, WA USA
Date Reviewed: April 3, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$179.00 | | Purchased At: | REI | | Strengths: | Frame is sturdy. | | Weaknesses: | The resistance unit. | | Similar Products Used: | None | | Bike Setup: | Road - Trek 5000 | | Bottom Line: | The resistance unit works great at first. But after very little usage it eventually will break. After 2 months of training (4-5 days a week/ 20-40 minute sessions) the bearings went out. REI replaced. The new unit went out even sooner. 5-10 hours is all it lasted. Bottom line--stear clear of Blackburn trainers. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Craig
a Cross Country Rider
from MO
Date Reviewed: March 5, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$200.00 | | Purchased At: | A-1 | | Strengths: | Quiet at first, sturdy, easy setup | | Weaknesses: | I rode it for about 15 hours. After one day of riding hard for an hour, the flywheel on the mag side got bent over. My LBS was cool and replaced the resistance unit. Also the included skewer is to short for most bikes. | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | Specalized XTR SID | | Bottom Line: | For $200 it should not fall apart, and the skewer should fit. Blackburn screwed up this time. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
mike
a
from Springfield,Ohio,USA
Date Reviewed: January 1, 2001 | | Favoriate Trail: | buckhorn in clark cty. | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$150.00 | | Purchased At: | Bicycle Stop | | Strengths: | reasonably quite | | Weaknesses: | The part that touches the bike on the opposite side to the cassette. It is cast metal and it broke the second time that I rode it. | | Bike Setup: | Trek 7000 | | Bottom Line: | I have only had it a few days. If it holds together after I replace the part then I will be happy. It is fairly quite after I replaced the rear tire with a smooth one. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Phil
a
from St. Louis
Date Reviewed: November 27, 2000 | | Favoriate Trail: | Council Bluff | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$230.00 | | Purchased At: | The Touring Cyclist | | Strengths: | Wide, well built frame, adjustable resistance, lifetime warranty | | Weaknesses: | magnet rattles time to time | | Similar Products Used: | Minoura, Cyclops, and other brands in all forms | | Bike Setup: | Schwinn Supersport Dura-Ace (old 8 speed) | | Bottom Line: | The best trainer I've tried. Good for cold, crappy days. I still wish I had rollers though. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chuck
a Cross Country Rider
from Lake Oswego, Or, USA
Date Reviewed: May 11, 2000 | | Favoriate Trail: | Anything paved | | Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only | | Strengths: | Sturdy stand. Easy to mount/dismount bike. | | Weaknesses: | Rattled like it was going to explode. Marginal resistance even at max. Plastic case gets soft & gooey when hot. Knob falls off clamp handle. | | Similar Products Used: | Kreitler rollers, Cycle Ops fluid, Older Blackburn mag. | | Bike Setup: | Trek 5500. Dura Ace/Ultegra triple mix. | | Bottom Line: | My new Cycle Ops fluid unit leaked, rattled, rocked and listed to the right. I exchanged it for the Blackburn mag unit. The Blackburn mag rattled so bad I thought it was going to explode. I returned it after one use. I found a Blackburn RX-7 Contender wind unit at another shop. The salesman at the shop stated that they had also had RX-8 returns due to rattling. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
jamie
a Racer
from nova scotia
Date Reviewed: April 23, 2000 | | Favoriate Trail: | wentworth hostel race course | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | I got it cheap
i think it looks good
all levals of resistance actually work | | Weaknesses: | It made noises once
the handle for tightening the bike up is almost stripped | | Similar Products Used: | minura mag turbo | | Bike Setup: | GT force road bike | | Bottom Line: | I like this trainer. It is the only one i have ever owned but over the winter i have put about 2000km on it with out any big problems. After about 200km the mag unit started clicking. I took it apart and saw that the magnets were rubbing the drum thing. I greased the moving parts and tightened everything up and have had no problems since.
If you take the bike tightening handle off the rachate mode and really tourque it, when you try to take the bike off the handle will not work, it will turn but just make clicking noises and the quick relese clamp will not turn. Then you have to turn it by hand with pliers.
Overall it is worth the money i got it for considering i saw it for 430 at a shop . (i got it for 220$ canadian at canadashop.com/cogdog. they are shut down now though) | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Clark
a Weekend Warrior
from Berkeley, California
Date Reviewed: March 30, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | It always works. It has easy settings for beginners and goes up. It is easy to set up. | | Weaknesses: | the rubber mountings where it rests on the floor always work free and have to be remounted | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | rx100 road triple. 700x25 wheels, wire rim tires | | Bottom Line: | I have used it a few years and it still works. I like the new ones better because they don't have the rubber mounting feet. I haven't bought a new one because the old one keeps working flawlessly. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeffrey Chen
a Cross-Country Rider
from Jersey City, NJ
Date Reviewed: December 10, 1999 | | Favoriate Trail: |
Soquel Demo Forest | | Duration Product Used: |
less than 1 month | | Strengths: |
Sturdy construction | | Weaknesses: |
Mag Unit not as smooth as a fan unit | | Similar Products Used: |
Specialized trainer | | Bike Setup: |
Ritchey | | Bottom Line: | This seems like a well-built unit. One problem I had was the trainer was not put together correctly, but the problem did correct itself. I'll have to see whether the durability problems reported by the other reviewers happen to me as well. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
roy
a Racer
from broomfield, co
Date Reviewed: October 5, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
2 Years | | Strengths: |
Good resistance when new, stable. | | Weaknesses: |
magnets rub on drum, blows apart. | | Similar Products Used: |
CycleOps Fluid Plus | | Bottom Line: | The Blackburn Mag worked fine for several months, then the magnets started to rub on the drum and blew apart! The drum and magnets are all in pieces on the floor. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rob Taylor
a Racer
from Knoxville, TN
Date Reviewed: April 20, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
stable | | Weaknesses: |
Wears out way too fast | | Similar Products Used: |
Cycle-ops | | Bike Setup: |
Standard steel road bike, wire bead tires | | Bottom Line: | I'm submitting this review after blowing out my 3rd mag unit on this trainer. I've had them last me for anywhere from 15-50 hours of use. Every one of them has failed in the same manner - grinding of the magnet against the drum inside the resistance unit , leading to either siezing of the bearings or a total warpage of the unit itself. The shop I bought this trainer from has been very helpful in providing me with replacement units hassle-free, but after exhausting their entire supply I have had to wait for the warranty replacement - it has been over 10 weeks - 3 months since the first failed unit - and no warranty replacement has been seen. In the meantime I have purchased a trainer from another manufacturer with better results. Has anyone else had this problem? Is this a massive quality control issue like the much hated Cycle-ops fluid trainer? I hope one day a company learns to make a reliable trainer suitable for regular use. | | Overall Rating: |
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