SportCrafters Overdrive Trainer

First, I ride a Catrike Dumont Recumbent Trike. It is a two wheels in front, one drive wheel in the back pedal trike. The rear wheel is a 26" wheel and I wanted a means to ride on days where the weather prevents riding outdoors.Second, I didn't want a huge setup, or to have to remove my rear wheel in order to use the trainer.THIS is an American made, super solid, but surprisingly small in footprint! It is also super quiet! I was really pleasantly surprised how small yet completely solid this platform is! This thing is so well made, I expect it will be in use for years to come!

I've been using the 'Progressive Mag Trainer' for about 9 months. It appears SportsCrafters is currently referring to this version as the 'Over Drive Trike Trainer.' I'm very pleased with the design and convenience of this trainer.Setup: There virtually is no setup required. I use it for a tadpole trike (Catrike Pocket), so I only have one drive wheel. All you have to do is position the trike where you want it (for me that is in front of the TV or a computer monitor), lift the back wheel off the ground high enough to slide the trainer under the wheel, and set the drive wheel on trainer; pretty much done; no bolts, no nothin. More importantly, when you want to ride your trike on the road, no disassembly is required; just go. Couldn't be more convenient.That being said, I do choose to go to a little more trouble on my set-up. This is because I find it extremely boring to ride a trainer without some type of mental distraction. The first couple of times I road the trainer, I thought this is too hard; I road less than 15 minutes and felt drained. In reality, it is less physically demanding (see that section below) than the road, but it is mind-numbing dull and noisy. My mind requires creature comforts in order to ride more than a few minutes. So I usually watch a movie while spinning on the trainer. The noise of the trike (not the trainer) is way louder than I expected. At first I just turned the TV volume up; big mistake. My wife and daughter quickly let me know that was not a long term plan. I ended up purchasing some bottom of the line blue tooth headset at Walmart. While watching a good movie, my mind is entertained long enough to allow my body to keep the heart rate up for an hour or two. Note, I'm pushing fifty; have a desk job, and do not consider myself to be an athlete.Oh also, the Pocket Catrike does have a very low chain to ground clearance. Most often I set my front tires on bricks; so that the chain doesn't drag on the trainer rollers in some gears. Most of my setup time is picking out a movie and tying my shoes. Trainer setup time is negligible, a few seconds.I also find myself keeping my trike cleaner, since it spends more time indoors (I don't want to drag the road grime into the house). And I have to confess, I find myself using the trainer on some nice weather days that I shouldn't; either because there is a movie I want to watch, or have some other lame excuse for not battling traffic or the elements. This is just bad character on my part. No excuse.Physical Demand: Like many other reviewers have said, even the single overdrive trainer could stand some more resistance; so that it mirrored road resistance bettered. I find myself using the next to the highest gear available on the Pocket Catrike. I really have to work to peddle 90 RPM. On the flip side, if I drop down one lower gear, I do not have a smooth enough peddle stroke to spin faster than 90 RPM on the trainer. Actually on the trainer, I'm pleased if I'm spinning 78 RPM. On the road, I have no trouble maintaining 90 RPM. I believe this is all do to technique and form, which I lack. The trainer probably indirectly forces me to improve. I do set the brakes to reduce rocking, but not setting the brakes would probably improve my form.Other reviewers have compared the resistance to riding on a flat road with a slight tail wind, and I would agree. The single over-drive provides me with adequate resistance. I would recommend considering the new double overdrive trainer, which I have never used. Also, I have never used the original trainer, the one without a resistance roller; I would avoid it. The trainers with resistance rollers can be ran without progressive resistance, just by running them backwards. I have never felt the need to do this, since the single overdrive just has enough resistance to keep me in the top three gears.In summary: Trainer does allow me to spin indoors without losing the physical conditioning built up riding on the road. So yes, it is an adequate substitute, but it is not the road. I believe the road more readily produces adrenaline conditions, which the trainer is not inclined to do. I've never been chased by a Rottweiler, while on the trainer.Self Q & A:Do I know of any better trainer designed for a trike? No.Can I imagine a better trainer designed for a trike? Yes, the double over-drive version, but now that is a reality. I'll try that one next time.

I’ve had the Progressive Mag Trainer since February. I bought it to train indoors while it’s raining or too cold to ride outdoors. I have a Catrike Road which I love! My problem with this trainer is the fore-aft rocking. I use front wheel risers and that helps some but the rocking is so aggravating I hate using the thing. I’ve searched online and also the SportsCrafters web site for videos that may address this issue but haven’t found anything that helps. Fortunately, I only use on rare occasions but $250 is a lot to pay for something that causes such a headache.

It could provide a little more resistance in lower gears. It doesn't really matter, since I don't spin out, but I was surprised how unrealistic the resistance was at lower speeds.It is able to provide a good workout. I didn't really expect it to be like real rollers in that I need to learn to smooth out my pedal stroke. I'm not sure if that is a good or bad thing at this point.I don't have any other trainer experience to compare this to, so I don't know if a regular trainer would be better or not.

I've owned a few different upright bike trainers over the decades. The quietest was a Minoura magnetic one. It was amazing. I borrowed a friends Catrike recently to try it out so I could see if it a trike was the way to go for me. It definitely is so I'm getting my own trike soon. When I heard about the SportCrafters roller trainers for trikes I was excited. I bought one from the local trike shop close to me. I used it all of about 2 minutes before I decided that the noise would just be way too much to deal with. I returned it today. Thankfully the shop was happy to let me return it. This trainer is a well built device. It looks nice. It's easy to use. But be warned, it is incredibly loud! Shocking that they didn't incorporate mag resistance into this thing. Pretty pricey for something so noisy. Big disappointment.

Using it for indoor recumbent trike riding. Excellent quality, easy to set up - just rest rear wheel on it, sit on trike and pedal! Live in New England- can’t ride outside for winter months.

I just purchase one but it doesn't seam like I can use it on my Mobo Tri Tron Tricycle! My tricycle has no gears. It is single from wheel. So I thought all I had to do is put the front wheel on the Mag Trainer and paddle!!! How simple is that???? Even I could do it!!! Right??? Not so fast little Lady!!!!I'm 71. Never rid a bike. Love this Tricycle. Need exercise. Winter is coming. So this product ( though more then I could afford) would fit the bill. Well when I paddle the wheel just goes where it wants till it is at the edge of the rollos! So I have to stop. Pick up the wheel and place it in the center!!! UGH!!What I'm i doing wrong??? The wheel does not stay in the middle. My tricycle is front wheel drive.Help!! Help!! Or it is going back!

After 3 knee surgeries in 6 months, and mobility issues before and after, well, that’s a lot of time not riding. And the weather hadn’t been cooperating. So I did some research, and found this trainer. It’s a simple design, easy to carry but heavy enough not to move around during use. It is very smooth, I'm not experiencing the rocking others have mentioned. I’m using my bike mostly for "range of motion" training now, but this will also get me ready for road biking come spring. It is a bit pricey, but for me, it’s been worth the cost.