Budget priced AND a bestseller – the Magnet Steel Indoor Trainer

The first thing you should know about the Magnet Steel Indoor Trainer Stand (other than its “official” name is a mouthful) is that it is the number one bestselling stationary bike stand on Amazon, mainly because it is one of the most affordable indoor bike trainers for home use on the market today.

Typically coming in at the $70 to $90 price range, this has to be one of the best value trainers money can buy (you could probably hunt an even better deal down online, but it probably won’t come with the service that the big boys at stores like Amazon can offer).

The bottom line: you can train all winter long in your own home on your own bike for under a hundred bucks. So regardless of how the Magnet Steel Indoor Trainer performs, that’s still a pretty awesome deal. Especially for the beginners of you out there not willing to risk the bigger bucks on models like the Kinetic Road Machine or the Fluid 2 from CycleOps.

Grab the latest and greatest deal on this Magnet trainer HERE!

So, for that price how does the Magnet Steel Indoor Trainer actually perform?

I have to be honest: at this price point, I wasn’t expecting a lot out of this bike stand. So I was pleasantly surprised to learn that it was actually quite durable.

I seriously was expecting a cheap piece of junk. But the Magnet Steel Indoor Trainer actually had a sturdy steel frame that provided a surprisingly solid ride. It didn’t wobble at all. It gripped my bike solidly and provided a smooth ride, even when I ramped up my reps to full speed.

The trainer also offers resistance settings, although they are controlled  by means of a cable that you have to clip to your bike’s frame and run up to your handlebars. More expensive stationary bike stands offer the same feature with automatic resistance (take a look at the CycleOps SuperMagneto Pro for example), but you are going to pay at least a couple of hundred dollars more for that convenience.

What I really liked about this trainer

This Magnet trainer makes it fairly easy to put your bike on the stand. It clips into place simply and easily and provides a firm grip without any wobbling. You just have to make sure it is properly attached, otherwise there’s a risk your bike could come loose while you are training. But you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure it out, it’s pretty instinctual.

I also liked (and was surprised by) how lightweight the Magnet Trainer was. Unlike more expensive stationary bike stands, it can be easily lifted and moved out of the way when not in use. It is also adjustable, which makes folding it and pushing it out of the way relatively simple.

Of course, the price is the huge deciding factor here and who’s not going to like that? Undoubtedly it’s price makes the Magnet Indoor trainer the bestselling magnetic bike trainer on Amazon.

But…

You also have to keep in mind that you get what you pay for. You really shouldn’t expect the same level of performance from a budget-priced stationary bike stand as you would an elite model. But as long as you go into the deal with this in mind, you will find that the Magnet Bike Trainer is terrific value. And from the countless number of great reviews on Amazon, you won’t be alone (the Magnet makes our list of the 3 BEST cheapest trainers, as well as our Top 5 stationary bike stands of 2015, largely because of its tremendous value).

As we said, you get what you pay for…

It probably won’t come as much of a surprise, but this bike stand trainer was a little bit louder than most other magnet bike trainer’s I’ve used. I usually train while watching TV or listening to my iPod, so I had to turn the volume up to drown out the sound of this device. No biggie for me, but I did get some complaints from my significant other about both the noise of the Magnet trainer and the fact that I had the TV blasting!

Another drawback with this bike stand are the instructions. They aren’t too easy to understand, and are confusing and not very well written. But because I have set up plenty of other trainers in the past, I was able to figure it out on my own. But if it’s the first time you’ve used one of these devices that might be something of an issue; at the very least, it probably will take you longer than you anticipated.

Bang for your buck?

Hell yeah!

I would recommend the Magnet Steel Indoor Trainer for anybody who wants to do their cycling at home but who isn’t ready to invest a fortune in a top-of-the-line stationary trainer. This is definitely an entry-level model without a lot of the extras you will find on other models.

The big plus for me was the price factor; and if you find that you like training in the off-season at home, you can always come back to our website and reviews and upgrade to a better model!