Stationary Bike Stand Buying Tips and Reviews
For bargain-hunters searching for a decent indoor bike trainer, sifting your way through some of the options available out there can be a bit daunting. We have done our bit to help you out and collected 3 of the best & cheapest trainers in this article, but here’s another one to consider: the Minoura B60D Tiredrive trainer!
This Minoura bike trainer focuses on delivering the bare essentials – a quick and fuss-free setup and a quiet, comfortable and challenging training session. As far as I’m concerned, all the other bells and whistles you’ll find on bike trainers costing hundreds of dollars more, are entirely optional.
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What impressed us with the Minoura B60D
Whenever a company manufactures a lower-end indoor cycling trainer, the first feature to suffer from the reduced price is usually build quality. The Minoura B60D bucks that trend with a heavy-duty frame that is capable of supporting over 260 pounds in weight.
Part of this is down to clever design. The U-Shape frame, which promises excellent stability and even weight distribution, has been subtly modified to multiply contact points between the trainer and the floor for better balance.
In terms of building materials, however, you’re certainly getting maximum bang for your buck. The steel tubing used for the bike frame is nearly 4 cm thick, so you get a very premium look and feel at a decidedly bargain price (we’re talking under $100).
An yes, even the paint is of high quality. Minoura has invested in rust-proof ED paint which will keep your trainer looking sleek for years on end. How this company has managed to turn out a bike trainer that looks and feels this luxurious at such a low price is beyond me – but all the better for us consumers!
Setting up the B60 was also a real pleasure. If, like me, you hate fiddling around with dozens of moving parts, you’ll love this Minoura Tiredrive trainer. It took less than half an hour to set up and was clearly designed with minimal assembly in mind. Moreover, it takes even less time to put away. Despite the thick steel frame and wide base, this portable bike trainer folds away really easily into a lightweight package that will fit into most storage spaces with minimal hassle.
I also appreciated the hub-clamping handle design. I’ve used some indoor bike trainers that take ages to fasten to the bike. It’s hard enough to find motivation to work out in the winter months, and bike trainers that are difficult to set up provide further disincentive. Fortunately, although the Minoura B60 trainer does not include a quick-release level, the hub-clamping mechanism is intuitive to use and extremely secure. Setting it up from a folded position takes less than five minutes, even if you have big 700cc bike tires like I do.
But how well does it ride?
When it came to the actual training, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the Minoura B60 Tiredrive includes adjustable resistance options. This may be par-for-the-course on expensive bike trainers, but on this entry-level product it was a real gem. The three resistance settings really added some variety to my workout options, especially since the highest setting was challenging enough for a really exhausting uphill simulation. Resistance changes were smooth as well, thanks to the magnetic resistance unit and the manual adjustment lever.
Riding on the Minoura B60 was also extremely realistic. I use bike training videos for my workout sessions – the scenery and winding roads help me forget that I’m really in my living room, pedaling on a shag carpet while the winter rain pelts down outside – and whether I was coasting or sprinting, the B60 delivered sufficiently accurate simulation that I could lose myself in the illusion of cycling outdoors. The twin-disc flywheel is clearly of superb quality and just hummed along no matter how much I threw at it, making for a very enjoyable ride.
With a whole host of useful features at such an affordable price, you’d expect durability to be a factor – but the B60 again exceeds expectations in this regard. My riding buddies have been using this trainer for a year, but it hasn’t given them any cause for complaint on the longevity front. The flywheel is usually the first to break down, but they haven’t noticed any jerking or creaking despite using the trainer four to five times a week.
In any case, by offering a generous 5-year warranty on the frame and a 1-year warranty for the flywheel, Minoura has issued a clear statement of confidence in the lifespan of its product, and delivered a guarantee that you can (literally) take to the bank.
In summary: why you should buy the Minoura B60D trainer
The Minoura B60D trainer provides ample proof that when it comes to indoor bike trainers, you don’t have to spend a fortune to enjoy a satisfying indoor workout. Rather than gouge its customers with exorbitant prices, Minoura has reaffirmed their commitment to affordable prices and a no-frills but highly effective indoor cycling experience with the B60 trainer!
Highly recommended and a trainer everyone on a budget should totally consider!
