Thursday, February 2, 2012

1up USA Indoor Trainer Review. Tha Trainer You Love To Hate.

I hate my indoor trainer. I feel bad for the trainer, as it's really not its fault that I hate it. I suppose it's some sort of projection, this hate, as it really is me that is the problem here; I am fat, I have been laying off of serious riding for months, and I have this funny odor that is neither pleasant or unpleasant following me around. (Well, I suppose that has nothing to do with the trainer.)


I guess you might call my relationship with the 1up USA trainer a love/hate relationship. The love started with the box it came in; Made In The USA stamped right on it. The trainer itself is also made in the USA, and is truly a beautiful piece of workmanship. I have a pasty English friend who thinks that Made In The USA is a mark of unfinishedness; he implied that all USA made items he has encountered are almost really nice, but lack the final "finishing touches" that things made elsewhere have.

Bootstrapping! 

I wish he was a cyclist, so I could prove him wrong with the 1up. I also wish I hadn't called him pasty, because while he doesn't appreciate our manufacturing skills, he does appreciate our liberal Texas gun laws, and I suspect he is a "fan" of this very blog.

Skewer and skewer retention system
The 1up USA trainer is billed as "simply the best" indoor trainer made today, and I believe it. The fit and finish are second to none, and it incorporates legs that have the ability to raise and lower the bike in order to eliminate the need for a front wheel block. The 1up includes a skewer for the rear wheel as well, so all you need to hate your trainer is enclosed in the box. The 1up actually has a lever to release one side of in order to put the bike in - you only have to get it set up once, and after that, you can pop your bike out for a ride in the real world very quickly. (Unless you are crazy like me, in which case it is actually easier to select one of the hundreds of other bikes that hang like suits in your garage.)

Lever to open and insert bicycle. 

When it comes to hating trainers, my wife has the same problem; she hates the way they look, and even more, she hates the loud "thrumming" sound when I use them. She doesn't hate this trainer at all - even she said it was nice looking. Better than that, without being prompted by me, she mentioned that this trainer is quiet, and that earns two thumbs up from Mrs. The Plano Cyclist.

Adjustable legs mean no front block. 


The flywheel starts up and spins very smoothly, and is pleasurable to ride - which makes me hate it even more, because it takes a lot longer for me to find some lame excuse to stop my indoor training session. The pain is still there, but this is such a finely crafted machine and it works so well that I keep going longer, because my "excuse gland" is not inflamed quickly enough.

Finely Balanced Flywheel


I have ridden several hours on the 1up so far, and it just keeps getting better - at making me hate it - because it is kneading away the doughy monster I have become, and wringing out plenty of sweat in the process. I will do a follow up article after a few more weeks of punishing myself for excess Oreos,and tell you if we have resolved our differences.

My Sweaty Little Corner of Hell. 
 The 1up USA trainer is $299, with free shipping in the USA.

3 comments:

  1. Why would you need a gun to ride on a trainer? Does your English friend endorse my "Open Carry for Cyclists" notion? And please don't tell us his name is Bradley Wiggins.

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  2. I wouldn't need a gun - he is into guns, so he might shoot me for calling me pasty. However, were I on my trainer when he decided to shoot me, I would need to defend myself, so then I would prefer to be "heeled".

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  3. I was torn between this trainer and the Kinetic by Kurt Road Machine. Finding a 1up locally proved difficult so I ended up purchasing the Kinetic, which so far has proved great. Have you ever compared these two units performance wise?

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