If you’re stuck indoors over the winter season, twiddling your thumbs and wondering if the sun will ever break through the clouds again, we think it’s time you got yourselves a stationary bike stand. And if you’re after a good, mid-priced trainer for around $100, you can’t go wrong with the legendary Bell Motivator Indoor trainer!
Of course, the concept behind stationary bike trainers is to allow you to have a session on your bike whenever you’re available – and not whenever the weather permits it. It might not be the same as actual outdoor cycling, but it’s the closest thing you can get – and there’s no need to splash out on a pricey fluid trainer (like the Kurt Kinetic), or even a top of the range magnetic trainer (like the CycleOps Super Magneto) when you have a great option in the Bell Motivator Mag Indoor trainer. This option is so much cheaper and just as good in terms of functionality, utility and performance.
Find the latest deals for the Bell Motivator right HEREWhat we liked about the Bell Motivator Trainer
The Bell Motivator Mag trainer lets you score a ride on your bicycle come rain or shine; you ride when you’re available or when you need to keep up with your fitness and training schedule. It’s equipped with smooth and silent magnetic resistance, which enables progressive resistance to build up as you advance in speed. The trainer’s double adjustment and sturdy construction also centers the bike, providing more stability and balance.
Attaching and detaching your bike to the Bell Motivator trainer is also fairly easy, so no need to worry about complicated mechanical processes – they just don’t exist with this trainer.
The Bell Motivator can handle a wide variety of tires, measuring from 24-inch tires, to 29-inch tires. It can be adjusted for every standard sized tire, as set by the International Standards Organization, so this means that any adult-sized bike can be fit the trainer. Unfortunately, a child’s bicycle will not fit, and as far as we’re aware there is no attachment available for this trainer to make that happen (like there is for the CycleOps Fluid 2 or even the Kurt Road Machine). We’d have to say that bikes smaller than 24 inches shouldn’t be used on the Bell Motivator.
Some of the Bell Motivator’s main features
- Magnetic resistance is smooth, and quiet.
- Progressive resistance in single-adjustment, which can be increased along with the bike’s speed. The double adjustment balances the bike in the trainer for a smooth ride.
- Comes fully assembled after taking it out of the box.
- Compatible with bikes that don’t have a rear axle skewer; the bike can be attached via the rear axle bolts.
- Five-year manufacturer’s warranty.
Bell Motivator Mag Trainer Pros and Cons
The Pros
For some people, the trainer’s main selling point comes from its name. This bike stand has been around for some time, and coupled with that, Bell is known to provide high quality trainers and is widely popular.
Aside from the top quality guaranteed by its brand, the Bell Motivator Mag is also tweaked to look that little bit more stylish and fashionable in order to keep you motivated to train. It also comes completely equipped and assembled upon delivery. The only thing that you need to do is to adjust the trainer in order to suit the size of your bike’s tires, and tighten screws and bolts that hold the thing together.
As the Bell trainer is small and foldable, space and storage for this stand should not be a problem, another feature that you can truly appreciate if you have a small home or apartment.
Another feature included with this trainer is the double adjuster, which allows you to properly center the bike on the trainer.
And because Bell believes in the quality of its product, it also comes with a 5-year parts and service warranty, so you can be sure that you can fully get the max out of your trainer for the next 5 years.
The Cons
Problems with the trainer have been known to appear after some prolonged use. Some of these problems are common wear and tear issues while others are results of faulty or loose parts.
Perhaps the most noticeable downside to this trainer is the noise it generates while in action. I noticed that the noise increases as I increase the bike’s gear level.
This trainer is also a magnetic resistance trainer and comes with one adjustment, which gives off the progressive resistance that can increase with the rider’s speed. This means that you won’t be able to adjust the resistance, and if it’s too low for your ability, you won’t be able to change it.
Bang for your buck?
Frankly, yes!
As we mentioned, the noise can be a bit too much for some (though if you’ve got a mtb, try changing to training slicks, that always helps). But for around $100 – and yes, you might be able to get it on Amazon for even less – this is a decent trainer you’re going to get your hands on.
The duration of the warranty is also a great bonus in my opinion, and gives you 5 years of almost trouble-free training. Bell and their renowned customer service should be there for you in the event you need them (if they’re not, tell us about it!).
A good, solid stationary trainer, with a great brand name behind it. Sounds like a bargain to us!
