Customer Reviews

Outback Magnetic Indoor Bicycle Trainer

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I have had this trainer for just under 2 months and am fairly happy with my purchase. I knew going in, that I wasn't going to get a Cadillac (or BMW) for a hundred bucks, but it does a good job of helping me keep in shape during the cold winter months. To give you some kind of idea as to my normal work out level, I generally ride out doors about 2,000 miles per year. With my retired 20+ year old Fuji Palisade mounted in this trainer at high resistance, and top gear on the bike, I can get a full cardio workout.

I used the free shipping option, and received the package a few days earlier than originally expected. Assembly was completed in a 10-15 min time frame, using the instructions included in the box. I didn't need to use the included skewer replacement, as the stock quick release axle on my Fuji fit fine. The paint finish looks great, and the only thing I might have added would be a quick release between the bike tire and the resistance unit so I don't have to re-adjust the tension each time I ride. NOTE: You do not want to leave the tire locked in when you are not riding in order to prevent the tire from denting. Noise is not an issue for me. Sure it make some noise, but it is not so loud that I can't listen to my MP3 player, and the more I ride, the less I notice it.

One final note, if you are going to buy this or any other trainer you really should consider a stabilizer for the front wheel.

For the price this wasn't bad.

I experienced a few minor frustrations. The assembly pictures weren't really clear, but putting it together was fairly self explanatory so I could live despite that.

The only real issue came when I went to mount my bike. I have a Mongoose Mountain bike, and this is most definitely set up for a street bike.

if you don't have a quick release latch on your rear tire you may need to purchase one. the one that is supplied is extremely small if you have a mountain bike (Mine requires almost a 1/4 inch shaft the one supplied is considerably less than that)

However I was able to improvise by tightening the bracket on to my lugs and it works fine.

Is rather loud, but I attribute that to my knobby tired more-so than the unit itself, which when I tested it was very quiet

All said and told a good purchase, just wish they had supplied more information (such as the latch) before purchasing so i could have been better prepared.

This product was purchased as a gift for my wife. We have had it for one month and she has been using it since Christmas. I found the assembly to be easy and the instructions easy to follow. Before purchasing I was almost scared off by other reviews that had talked about excessive noise. While it is far from quiet the noise is no more of a distraction than a running refrigerator. My wife listens to the radio while using the trainer with no problems. She uses the trainer in our garage on a cement floor.

i love this thing. and i paid more for it in a bike store so this is a deal. snap to set-up. takes 15 minutes maybe. there is a gentle hum but not loud. i have chronic fatigue so this is perfect. I was looking for a very easy low impact workout and this is it. I used to be an avid bike rider but not suffer from CFS and i'm hoping this thing will bring me back. so if you need and real easy work-out and have cfs this is as good as it gets. I love it. and this price is a super deal.

After looking for a trainer for about a week I reluctantly purchased this one. I say reluctantly because everyone and everything told me to go for the cycle ops brand by saris. Friends had them and liked them, all the bike shops in my town exclusively sell them, and they just look better. I however did not want to drop the money for one. So I went with this one, and was very pleasantly surprised when it arrived and found out that it is made by saris!

First thing I liked about it; ease of setup. It has no parts to assemble, you just unfold it, attach the resistance unit using a bolt, screw in the adjustment knob and it's ready to go. It took about 5 minutes and most of that was cleaning a space to assemble it in.

Second; resistance. If you have a triple gear bike you will have no problems resistance. This trainer easily gives me a work out, and I have been riding trails at least four times a week for a year now.

Third; transportation. This mostly stays in my office with a bike on it, but occasionally I take it outside. This unit easily folds up and is not too heavy.

Now the other details, and these all involve the tire not the trainer.

Noise. If you have a mt. bike tire on it, it is going to be loud.

Ride quality. Again a mt. bike tire is going to slip easily due to the knobs which will not give you a smooth ride. It will also cause it to heat up the tire and give an awful burnt rubber smell.

These are two things I see talked about negatively towards all the trainers I looked into, and they are so easy to fix. Get a slick tire.

The noise is drastically reduced and the ride is much smoother. You also don't get that awful smell that many complain about.

This is a great product and I'm very happy I bought it.

This is my first trainer and I am not disappointed in my purchase. It was fairly easy to set up, although the picture directions are a bit hard to distinguish. Once it was set up, the trainer worked get. I have a road bike and I find that it hardly makes any noise at all. If this is your first trainer and you aren't looking for anything fancy, but something that works well, I recommend it.

Worth every penny. I am an avid cyclist and was looking for an affordable trainer. This fit the bill perfectly. Love it.

Instructions? Yes there is, inside the box was a double sided piece of paper with large b&w photos provide by Saris Cycling Group of Madison, WI, the Zon resellers. Come on, there is only one part to assemble onto the frame and that is the mag unit. DUH! There is an L shaped retainer screw [looks like a large allen wrench], and a nut and bolt to hold the mag unit to the frame. That's it! Took me all but three-five minutes to assemble, mount my bike and start pedaling. If you can't do it in this time frame you are mechanically declined. Go hire a handyman.

The adjustable tension knob works as it should. I have it set for my middle gears. This way I can shift gears up or down depending on the amount of resistance I desire. Piece of cake. As with all mag trainers, the tire to drum noise is a factor. Not much but enough to be audible. Whirring to me is not a normal sound my ears expect to hear so it bothers me. That's where my MP3 player comes in handy, put in the earplugs, turn it on and music drowns out the whirring.

Frame is well made, sturdy, rugged and with a nice paint finish. It is the same as the Schwinn sold on the Zon, but at less cost. Comes with a Skewer Replacement for touring/road bikes too.
=================================================================
Here it is Dec 2011, 10 months since I first reviewed this trainer and it's going to be junked. Here's why;
1. The hold down 'clamps' chew up your road bike skewers.
2. If you don't have the left clamp facing upwards, the bike will walk out of the clamp and you will crash.
3. The left clamp hold down screw worked its way out of the clamp head. I had to put a washer between the screw head and clamp body to make it workable. However, this causes the clamp to wobble so you end up really tightening the knob. Forget about getting up and grinding on the cranks as #2 above will occur.
4. Tension is by the rear knob which moves the roller closer to the tire. Burning rubber can and will happen.
5. The roller is made with plastic and has ridges now. Replacement roller? Forget about it, none exist. Basically this trainer is now a piece of junk.
5. Because of the wobble the left side rubber boots come off making the entire trainer wobble. Did I say cheap?

Do your self a favor and spend the extra $$ on a Blackburn Tech Mag 6

After reading all of the other reviews for this product, I wasn't sure if it would work with a mountain bike and/or how easy it would be to set up with a mountain bike. I decided to do a little research first and I went to a local bike shop and looked at their magnetic trainer ($150) to get an idea how to set it up. I also bought a front wheel stabilizer ($14) and a slick tire ($20) and from the same local shop.

When the Outback arrived, it was missing an L bolt, so I had to contact the manufacturer and have them send another. They were very friendly on the phone and I was satisfied with their customer service. I thought the setup was straightforward and I was able to follow the manufacturer's directions without problem. The box also included a quick release skewer which worked fine with my mountain bike. I would not have been able to use the trainer with the mountain bike's existing skewer because it would not have fit securely into the trainer.

We have used the trainer a few times now, and are using it primarily for indoor fitness - not to train for the Tour de France. For our purposes, the trainer works great. It is not particularly loud since we put the slick tire on the rear wheel and we generally pedal to music anyway. Also, you can change gears on the bike while pedaling to change the resistance -so it is not necessary to jump off the bike to adjust the resistance once it is set up. This is the first indoor trainer we have owned or tested, but I am giving it 5 stars because I think it is a good value for the price for a person who is using it primarily for winter fitness and training. Also, the Outback does indeed appear to be the same as the Schwinn magnetic trainer, but $10 cheaper on Amazon.

I purchased this trainer for occasional use during the Florida summer, when the heat is sometimes unbearable, and the thunderstorms unpredictable. My Trek 7200 fit perfectly without having to use the included skewer. I have smoother street tires, which cuts down on the noise that others have complained about when using the trainer. You should always expect some kind of racket when using one of these things, but as long as you don't have "knobby" wheels on your bike, it is more than tolerable, especially with headphones/earbuds in use. It was a quick 5 minute assembly using the included instructions. Unless you're a hardcore cyclist looking for the best of the best in a trainer, I'd highly recommend this one. The price is right, and the quality is definitely there.