Saris Fluid2 trainer questions

[johnsenaldi]

Hope you’re doing as well as can be during this pandemic!

I’m looking to do some interval training on my bike indoors and have some questions.  No bike shops are open near me so I can’t go in and talk with someone, and Saris hasn't responded.  I don’t bike that much but have the mountain bike I listed below.  I don’t feel the need to track my miles, power, etc…just want to do some riding at different speeds/time for 20 minutes of interval training.

• Will the Fluid2 trainer work with my 2017 Giant Stance 1 mountain bike?  I have some specs that might be helpful:
• Current rear tire (orig equip: Maxxis Ardent 27.5” x 2.25”
• Current rim (orig equip: Giant CX-1 [ETRTO 584x23]
• I’ve read that the training tire is recommended:
• If I didn’t get one and kept current tire on, rough estimate range of miles would the tire last (trying to keep it simple)?
• If I had to buy a training tire, which one would I need to get and would it fit my wheel (listed above)?
• What benefit would the optional "external speed sensor” provide?  I don’t think it will enable adjusting the resistance, right?
• Will resistance change with shifting gears on the bike?   Thanks for any help you could provide!

John

[REI-JohnJ]

@johnsenaldi Thanks for reaching out!

We're going to tap into some of our cycling expertise to get your questions answered. @REI-AlyS @REI-BryanV @REI-JimL @REI-GregM thoughts?

Thanks!

[REI-AlyS]

Hey @johnsenaldi riding indoors can be a lot of fun!

I can definitely speak to some of your questions and concerns. 

First off, while I’m not familiar with your specific bike, this trainer will work with many road and mountain bikes. If your rear tire is a quick release, you should be good to go. The instructions that come with the trainer will be pretty straight forward. 

Second, if you choose to get a training tire, unfortunately the one we currently carry is not compatible with your wheel. However, you can use your own tire. I don’t want to guesstimate how many miles you’ll get out of it but it really won’t wear down that quickly. The downside to using your own tire is that it will be much louder than necessary. You might look into getting a slicker tire that your wheel set can accommodate. 

Third, the sensor is strictly for speed and not for resistance. If speed isn’t important to you then it isn’t a priority. However, if you like to use an app normally to track speed, the sensor is designed to pair with many of them. 

Lastly, you can use your gears and change the resistance while riding. 

I think I hit most of your points and I hope this gets you going in the right direction!  Some of my colleagues may still weigh in with their thoughts on an optional tire for you!

One thing you didn’t mention was a mat and training block for the front tire...I would recommend both! Here is a link to the kit that Saris offers. 
Happy riding!!

[johnsenaldi]

AlyS,

Thank you!  Very helpful.  Only remaining question is that I think I saw somewhere that the trainer takes "up to 2" tire width.  Given that mine is 2.25", if there's some spacing issue (width) on the roller, than it might be a problem.  Any thoughts?

[REI-AlyS]

@johnsenaldi you’re right!  My apologies for overlooking that important information you provided originally. In this case you would need to get a different tire.

While we don’t carry it, I could recommend you looking into a Tacx tire. We sell their bike trainers but unfortunately not the tire. This tire would require you to get a different tube as well. 

Hope this helps!!