Kurt Kinetic Road Machine turbo trainer

Kurt Kinetic's Road Machine might be pricey but it’s ultra-sturdy and the consistency of the resistance allows you to get a good power measurement if you buy the compatible computer too.

Before you can get going you need to attach the resistance unit to the trainer frame. You don’t get printed instructions but you can’t really go wrong here – and if you really can’t work it out, just watch the DVD included or go online. It takes five minutes and you only need to do it once.

You can also set up this turbo for different wheel sizes from 20in to 700c. Swapping between them is a case of moving the front legs. Again, it’s a five-minute job with a couple of spanners. Mounting your bike on board is easy enough too – with a quick release and turny wheels, it takes seconds. There’s no foot adjustment to level things out on uneven surfaces, though, and you don’t get a front wheel riser included with the turbo, although one is available.

The fluid resistance unit is the clever bit. It’s actually silicone in the fluid chamber, and it’s unaffected by heat so you get consistent resistance whatever the air temperature and however long your training session. It’s quiet too and, with a heavy 2.8kg flywheel, it’s really smooth.

The Road Machine lives up to its name by providing a ride that feels a lot like being out on the road – it’s very realistic. There’s no way of adjusting the resistance – you just flick through your gears as you would out on the road – although we found it hard enough for 60rpm high-intensity intervals (this will obviously depend on the individual and the gear ratios on your bike) and for convincing sprints.

You won’t get any leaks with the Kinetic either. Rather than using a standard drive shaft between the roller and the impellers in the fluid chamber – which would require an O-ring that could wear out – Kinetic use magnets. The bottom line is that there’s no danger of your living room carpet getting ruined (you don’t do that? Just us then).

The durability is very good all round. The Road Machine has a really solid feel and there are no itty bitty little parts that look set to fail any time soon. The only problem we’ve ever heard of is the thread stripping on the bolt that adjusts the position of the resistance unit. If this happens, Kinetic will just send you another – you get an unconditional lifetime warranty.

The fact that the Road Machine’s resistance is so consistent allows Kurt to produce a computer that gives you power measurement (the wireless model is £99.99) which we are reviewing separately.

Verdict

Pricey turbo but it's built to last, and the consistent resistance means you can get a repeatable results and a power reading if you also buy the dedicated computer