The Cascade Fluid Pro Trainer: another top level stationary trainer that impresses big-time!

We recently came across this bike trainer and love it – the Cascade Fluid Pro Trainer!

It might not have the name of a known brand like Kinetic or CycleOps behind it, but this superb trainer really does give one heck of a ride. The manufacturers proudly state that it will keep you training longer, and we have to agree to some extent; we found it incredibly easy to keep pedaling!

The major selling point with this bike trainer is its thermally sealed fluid drive, which should see years of service without leaks, much like many of the top level stationary trainers (like one of our faves, the Kurt Kinetic Road Machine).

It’s typically priced at just over $300, which admittedly puts it at the top of the price range for many stationary trainers. But this is one that offers a great riding experience and is therefore definitely one to consider if you’re looking for something top quality.

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Why we were impressed with the Cascade Fluid Pro Trainer…

A few things impressed us with this trainer:

• It was very easy to setup with what the manufacturer calls a “quick connect”, and get going almost immediately (within approximately 10 minutes); even for those of you who have never set up a stationary trainer, we’d imagine this one would cause no problems whatsoever.
• The trainer is stable and you can really ride quite hard without that feeling you get with the cheaper models that you might topple over. You really can put some grunt into your training sessions with this one – sprinting, accelerating, whatever you need!
• The ride is very smooth; the resistance is very smooth as you ride through your gear range.
• The front riser that comes with the trainer (and that would typically set you back $10-$20) gives you THREE separate height variations.
• The back flywheel is very quiet, and you really can enjoy a training session without the headphones! Of course, a slick racing wheel will always be quieter than a knobbly mountain bike wheel, just so you know.
• The trainer is fold-able and hence easily storable/movable! The orange legs you can see in the image above, just fold back into the main frame and then you can just slide it under the bed, or wherever it needs to go.
• You can see this is one quality product, very well built and hence giving you a smooth, quality ride.

One thing we should point out is that the trainer comes with a quick release skewer that really should be used (the trainer seems to fit very snugly into the supplied skewer and there have been reviews online that suggested it was the ideal option rather than use your bike’s existing skewer). If you don’t have a quick release skewer on your bike, I doubt this will work as recommended, and as described above, but it may work OK for you – just something we had to point out!

So, does the Cascade Fluid Pro offer value for money?

Well, if you’re looking for a superb, lifelike training session, then yes. It is a little pricey, but we can safely class this alongside the Kurt Kinetic Road Machine and CycleOps Fluid 2 as one heck of a bike trainer. There’s no doubting its ranking in our list of best bike trainer stands for 2014. There are cheaper trainers out there, of course (see our guide to the best value options under $80 for example), but this is superb quality that the pros and serious cyclists of you out there will truly enjoy.

And here’s a superb little video that highlights some of the great features of the Cascade Fluid Pro Trainer:

http://youtu.be/L73_as2M2Fw