The Elite Fluid Primo is a US only trainer that utilizes a fluid resistance unit with the company’s Elastogel 45mm diameter roller in their CRONO frame. They tout it as the smoothest, quietest and easiest to use trainer ever built. So I put it to the test.
The preliminary impression of the unit is that it is light weight and well constructed. It is also easy to carry and the unit folds fairly flat for easy stowage under a bed or in a closet. This, combined with the advertised quietness of the Elastogel resistance roller and progressive fluid resistance, could make this trainer a good choice for someone that lives in an upper level apartment that doesn’t want to bother the lower level neighbors.
The setup was also fairly straight forward. You lift the arms in place and you place the bike between the arms and tighten the adjusting knob. But be sure to read the instructions, conveniently located on the arm adjacent to the adjusting knob, on how to properly secure the bike to the trainer. The adjusting knob is nice and large making it simple to hold the bike with one hand while tightening or loosening the bike on the trainer with the other hand.
My only issue, and a very minor one, is that the width between the two arms could be a bit wider for easier install and uninstall of the bike in the trainer. The rear derailleur cable would sometimes get caught on the adjacent adjusting arm making the positioning of the bike into the trainer tricky. But again, this was a very minor bother.
Once properly adjusted onto the trainer the weight of the rider automatically adjusts the resistance of the flywheel and the flexible support legs helped lend to the realistic road feel. As advertised, the Elastomer roller was very smooth and quiet. The smoothness translated into a higher cadence which provided an excellent Vo2 max workout. The subtle clamor of the trainer was also very prevalent, as advertised. Maybe not the quietest roller ever built but certainly in the top 2 or 3. But be sure that your tire is properly inflated. An under-inflated tire can wear on the Elastomer roller and your rear tire tread.
However, the smoothness lent itself to a faster spin of the flywheel than you would on the road due to the low resistance. So my cadence was much higher than normal compared to other trainers. I averaged about 2 mph faster over a one hour training period than I usually do.
