June 17th, 2008 by

pro review

Blackburn Trackstand Mag Trainer

Blackburn Trakstand Mag Trainer Review by Gary Lee

Frame Material: CrMo Steel
Resistance Setting: Three Magnetic
“Three quiet, silky-smooth magnetic resistance settings in a reliable, affordable package”
Weight: 21 pounds
MSRP: $159

The Blackburn Trakstand Mag Trainer is Blackburn’s most affordable trainer and has 3 adjustable tension settings on the flywheel. Out of the box the unit is fully assembled and ready to go. It is well constructed, fairly light weight, works with a variety of bikes including road, hybrid and mountain bikes and folds flat to about a height of 7 inches for easy storing.

Initially setting up the bike on the trainer is a bit tricky only because, like all trainers, you have to adjust the width of the adjusting knobs to fit the bike. And with the locking knobs set you can easily return the bike to the trainer without much worry about how tight or wide it needs to be.

Adjusting the flywheel to contact the tire is pretty straightforward. The directions say once the flywheel makes contact with the tire rotate the knob about an extra 1-2 turns. I found that 1 to 1 ¼ turns was sufficient. Any tighter and the rear wheel won’t spin, and too loose the tire will, obviously, slip too much.

While on the trainer I did notice that the flywheel was louder than most of the other trainers we’ve tested. Also, the road feel wasn’t as realistic due to the higher than normal cadence. But I’ve tested more expensive trainers that spun similarly and they still gave me a good workout. The same can be said with this one.

I also tested out the 3 resistance settings on the flywheel unit. It’s easy to adjust by pulling outwards and turning the knob to 1 of 3 settings. After trying each out I found that keeping it at the highest resistance setting and just using my shifters to increase or decrease resistance worked best. But it was nice to know that I have that option if needed.

My only other concern about this trainer was with the possible tire wear over a long period of time from the contact with the roller of the flywheel. So I’d also recommend the use of a durable trainer specific tire when using this trainer. Then you don’t have to worry about tire wear on your high dollar race rubber.

Conclusion
Overall, this unit is a very affordable trainer for those that like to occasionally supplement their fitness with some high cadence spins when riding outside isn’t possible. With the trainer already fully assembled and solidly constructed out of the box it’s a nice first trainer that’s lightweight and easy to store. Although, if you like to jump on the trainer a lot for long spinning sessions you may want to look into the higher end brethren of the Blackburn lineup. But for those of you that would rather be outside and only use the trainer for rainy days, you may want to consider this affordable alternative.

Pros