Chombi1 

Had a Vetta wind trainer with the squirrel cage fans, back in the 80's and they worked pretty well for what they are, with increasing resistance exponential to speed.
As many had already mentioned in this forum, the wind trainer doubles as a good repair stand for your bike.
15 bucks is a bargain just for that....
Just make sure that the fan bearings are still OK and that all the adjustment knobs and frame clamps and skewer are in good, complete condition.
If you have not used a wind trainer before, just be prepared to deal with the noise coming from the fans......

kcblair

Thank you. Yep, went through everything, and completed a 30 HIIT. I did notice that wind resistance , had to drop back a gear, that I would normally use. It was like, somebody grabbing the rear wheel, as I spun up to 100 rpm.

Do you remember, how much to adjust the wind fan, against the rear wheel ? I mean, how tight should the spinner be on the tire ?

I do understand, the whole fan unit slides in and out, I'm just not sure, how critical, the tire needs to be against the spinner. KB.

Chombi1 

Adjust the fan position to apply just enough pressure on the rear tire so you would not get any slippage during your hardest efforts on the trainer. Not sure but too much pressure against the tire = more flexure of the tire carcass at the point of contact, which with the roller drum's small diameter, is much more than just regular road contact, which could maybe damage the tire in the long run. You can actually buy tires meant for using on trainers (usually with red or orange treads). They have tread and construction supposedly geared towards these stresses and I supposed the tread and its rubber composition, meant to get best grip in the trainer traction rollers. Problem is, when you want to take your bike on the road between sessions on the wind trainer, you will have to change it out for your regular road tire.

kcblair

Thank you, that's what I needed to know. I have one bike dedicated to a trainer stand, and one wheel set for that purpose. So, I think I will readjust the fan slightly. KB

kcblair

You can see the setup in post #271 . (https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycl...l#post20677435) KB

Goofball

Broke my arm, bought a used wind trainer, so loud, but with my headphones and a copy of alice cooper's greatest hits, who cares ?

ed4406

I use an older wind trainer and find music at sufficient volume drowns out the noise. Hair bands from the 80's seem to work best, perhaps because they're from the same era as both the bike and the trainer!

Manny66 

I dont anymore, but I wish I still had mine from the 80's.

Kdogbikes

Picked up this trainer this weekend. My third one. Can’t say I use them for training, but displaying bikes and as work stands. Going to keep this one in the garage for now. The varsity is my neighbors childhood bike getting refurbished.

brandenjs

Found this thread while trying to find more info on this Vetta trainer I just picked up. Can’t find any that have the dual rollers.

Kdogbikes

Picked up another Vetta today. That’s four wind trainers. Well it is winter.

ryansu

Cyclops fluid trainer I got for $40 on CL sits on my covered balcony not yet cold or wet enough to ride inside but its ready for when the long wet season sets in. I am actually looking for a cheap hybrid to become my trainer bike, yeah like none of my 5 other bikes could go on there I find these days I can only do 20 to 30 minutes without some sort of distraction like watching something on tv. Still better than not riding at all.

davester

For me, riding indoors just sucks. I used to force myself to do it, but given that I live in California there's seldom a day that riding outside is worse than riding on an indoor training device. I do empathize with you folks who live in climates where outdoor riding is not possible for several months a year.

Cougrrcj

My old Nashbar Tracx rollers gave up the ghost - the PVC 'drums' warped in my attic heat, and bearings went bad. So I bought a new set. Aluminum drums, sealed bearings... Once I clear a space in the living room (wife is VERY understanding), I'll be good to go this Winter season here on the North Coast...