Every year we say we’re going to suck-it-up and ride outdoors through the winter, then some time around January, sanity takes hold and we pull out the trainer. For those looking to get ready for the “indoor training season”, RCUK has put a few indoor trainers through their paces, measuring things like noise, ride quality, as well as bang for the buck. The winner of their tests was the CycleOps Magneto, which received a 5/5 score. In fact the only area were it missed a perfect score was in noise, receiving a still respectable 4/5. Overall the editors liked the Magneto’s solid feel, ease of use, and also seemed to have good things to say about the Magneto’s Power Band technology which automatically adjusts resistance based on cadence and gear choice. If $230 for the Magneto is a little steep, RCUK also liked the less expensive $180 CycleOps Mag, which uses a different fly-wheel mechanism that requires manual adjustment. While not ideal, the editors found that once a rider set the resistance, additional adjustments were not required. Both the CycleOps Magneto, and Mag are listed as indoor trainers of choice by RCUK.

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