The new Ascent Fluid Bike Trainer: a superb fluid option!

We’ve come across some great fluid based trainers in our time, but the Ascent Fluid Bike Trainer is definitely one of the best value options we’ve tested.

If you’re looking for a stationary stand that’s quiet, provides great smooth resistance, and is still a sturdy and sure ride, then the Ascent could be right up your alley.

What’s even better about this baby is that it typically comes in at around $150, which is a great price for a great fluid trainer.

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What we liked about the Ascent Fluid Bike Trainer

There’s a lot to like about this trainer. As mentioned before, the big win for us was its relatively cheap price tag. You won’t find many fluid trainers out there this cheap. OK, it might not be quite as good a trainer as the CycleOps Fluid 2, or even the Kurt Kinetic Road Machine, but this trainer packs in some real, genuine value. Something we all appreciate in these harder, economic times.

Other feel-good factors for buying this stand include:

• It comes fully assembled, so all you’ve really got to do is slide in that skewer into your rear wheel, fix your bike securely to the trainer, and start that training session!
• You can get a pretty intensive workout thanks to the fluid resistance unit. The unit includes a steel flywheel that ensures your ride is pretty darned smooth, though as we always recommend, stick on a slick road tire for your training sessions – those knobbly mountain bike treads often cause a certain amount of friction and noise, which becomes especially prevalent with the slightly cheaper models.
• You can fold the steel frame to a pretty compact size, allowing you to store it away between training sessions, or even transport it elsewhere.
• Stability is ensured with rubber feet, which also help to soften the impact of any vibrations you might churn up during an intensive session. Almost all of the trainer is steel, with no flaky plastic bits to worry about.
• The manufacturer suggests the riding experience is like riding out on the road – we’d have to suggest that might be pushing it a bit. The ride is great, stable, and you can work up quite a steam (some reviewers have even suggested you can stand up and really pump those pedals hard – we didn’t test it that intensively ourselves), but I wouldn’t quite class it in the league of the Kinetic Rock and Roller for example.
• As we mentioned, it comes fully ready to ride, with a steel quick release skewer included.

So, bang for you buck?

Yes, absolutely!

This trainer won’t let you down if what you’re after is stability, a good ride, and tremendous value. It’s certainly not the top of the range for fluid trainers, but the Ascent is up there at the top of the league for value!