[Gym123]

I have a Blackburn TrackStand Fluid trainer and it works fine for a while, then slows and it feels like I'm riding on a washboard road- strange vibration. I called the company and they apparently didn't keep any technical info for this line or model- the woman asked if it was under warranty and that when they have warranty claims, the dealer is to keep the bad one and do what they want, since a replacement would be sent. Nobody seems to know anything about them and I have called a couple of the dealers on their list, but got nowhere. The only thing the did was recommend a Saris.

I found an old thread about the oil but that was from 2007 and there wasn't any info that would help.

This afternoon, I removed the end plate and checked the level- it seems likely that it hasn't lost any since it's just about at the level of the cylinder body. It smells like gear oil and is thick enough that it may be 80 wt. I watched a few videos on YT and the oil in those trainers seemed less viscous.

Does anyone have experience with the oil in these?

Thanks

 

[eri]

Some trainers use unusual fluids with iron in them, others are thixotropic polymers. Some special sauce to distinguish themselves. Extra stuff to prevent frothing.

Not obvious that an oil change will fix your symptoms. I’d leave it as a last resort.

have you checked for a mechanical issue, something misaligned? Tire might be getting hot?

 

[Gym123]

Some trainers use unusual fluids with iron in them, others are thixotropic polymers. Some special sauce to distinguish themselves. Extra stuff to prevent frothing.

Not obvious that an oil change will fix your symptoms. I’d leave it as a last resort.

have you checked for a mechanical issue, something misaligned? Tire might be getting hot?

Mechanically, it's fine- spins with no problem and feels totally smooth. I'm not riding so hard that it spins incredibly fast- my bike has 42/13 for the high gear combination and when this starts, I do continue at times, or slow down and let it return to normal. Not sure it's frothing, but I haven't felt excessive heat when I checked the heat sink, either. The tire isn't hot and the screw isn't pressing into it very hard. As I wrote, it smells like gear oil and I haven't seen anything anout that being used in these.

It's not a huge rush- I can live with it, but I may try something like the silicone used for treadmills- next time I go for therapy, I'll ask to see theirs and if it seems relatively think, I'll buy some.

 

[eri]

Could be a bearing surface is worn? Sounds like you have a high speed shimmy.

If you’re putting all this time doing workouts on a trainer… man you’ll be stunned by the new direct drive ones with electronic resistance. I sure don’t miss the bad old days of worrying about tire wear, contact pressure and slippage and high power.

 

[Gym123]

Could be a bearing surface is worn? Sounds like you have a high speed shimmy.

If you’re putting all this time doing workouts on a trainer… man you’ll be stunned by the new direct drive ones with electronic resistance. I sure don’t miss the bad old days of worrying about tire wear, contact pressure and slippage and high power.

To be honest, I doubt this was used a tremendous amount- it's in very good condition, especially when compared to the ones I have seen in the ads online. There's no audible change- it's all felt through the bike and while I know I used my road bike on it at least a couple of times, I don't remember feeling this because, without using a video to keep me from being bored, I wouldn't have used it for very long. Also, I decided that as soon as the bike came inside, I would tear it apart and do the maintenance that I suspected had been neglected and I'm glad I did- it needed everything to be cleaned & lubed. Then, I decided to tear my Trek apart and have been taking care of that, so I really haven't used the trainer a lot. Since this is the first fluid trainer I have used, I thought it odd that the resistance would change in this way- I have found nothing about others having the same issues in my searching online.

 

[Gym123]

Well, I haven't been riding on the trainer or on anything, since I started having COVID symptoms on Christmas Day- couldn't inhale deeply without coughing and didn't want to risk anything. As I had posted, it had gear oil inside and after calling a place that sells and services lawn & garden machines as well as snow removal equipment, decided to buy some straight 40wt oil since 46 wt hydraulic fluid is hard to find in quarts- it only needs 200ml. Filled it, left it on the bench to make sure it wouldn't leak and rode it for about 15 minutes after reinstalling it- never rumbled or became more difficult to crank and I used some of the higher gears. I cranked hard enough that it would have been a problem with the old oil, so I think it's fixed- I'll know for sure when I use my road bike.

Thanks for the comments.

I guess that whoever changed the oil didn't think the viscosity matters and that may be why they got rid of it.