Direct Drive Turbo Trainer Review

If you’re looking for a high-end turbo trainer that operates at a high level of efficiency, yet generates much less noise and disturbance, you should consider the CycleOps Classic Silencer Direct Drive Mag Trainer Cassette.

This differs from traditional turbo trainers on many levels, making it an interesting consideration that could bring some worthwhile changes to how you exercise. Let’s take a closer look at this product and see how it actually performs.

Main Features

This device has a simple design that offers plenty of depth, as highlighted by its abundance of features. Here’s a closer look at this piece of equipment’s more unique offerings:

Unlike most turbo trainers, this direct drive uses the rear drop-out on your bike, rather than the tyre. This helps eliminate much of the noise and vibrations generated.
It’s also relatively small, too, with a size of 68.6 x 30.5 x 55.9cm.
Similarly, it only weights 6kg, so you will have no problem picking this up.
Because it doesn’t use your rear wheel, there’s no slippage or need to worry about the front wheel.
There are ten settings – essentially gears that connect to the chain – that allow for a broad range of resistance levels.
These settings can be controlled via a simple controller, which attached to the handlebar.
This device also comes with weight flywheels, helping to generate a sense of inertia familiar to outdoor environments.

As you can see, here is plenty of versatility here, which will keep many cyclists happy. At the same time, the design focuses on providing and product that’s easy to set-up and use. As a cyclist, you can spend your time cycling, rather than having to install a complicated piece of technology.

Using The Trainer

From the very start, it’s clear this cassette direct driver works in a different fashion to turbo trainers, although the end result is more or less the same. Rather than attaching a resistance unit to your rear tyre, this device uses the rear drop-out instead. Just hook this in place and attach your chain to the lowest gear to get started.

The benefit of this is that the bike doesn’t nearly vibrate so much. It also generates much less noise, thanks to the removal of the rear tyre. While you might not notice it at first, you will also find that you’re rear tyre lasts longer, as its not undergoing the hard wear and tear that turbo training often inflicts.

As for changing resistance on this bike, the device has a very similar concept to the existing gears on your own bike. As such, setting this up and using it is instantly familiar to any cyclist. It even comes with its own dial, attached to the handlebars, that operates exactly as you would expect.

In terms of its size and weight, there are no problems here. This is a very small product, with a size of just 68.6 x 30.5 x 55.9cm. It will fit in just about any place you wish to store it, while its weight of 6kg means its never too heavy to move or pick up, either.

Verdict

When it comes to turbo trainers, the CycleOps Classic Silencer DD Mag Trainer Cassette certainly offers something different. While it does differ from regular turbo trainers, it nonetheless offers a holistic experience that feels natural to many cyclists. Combined with 10 levels of resistance, this is a trainer that offers a deep level of versatility and will be a welcome addition for many cyclists.