Saris Mag Indoor Bike Trainer - Magnetic Resistance

Video Transcript for Saris Mag Indoor Bike Trainer Review

Hi everyone, it's Evangeline here at etrailer. And today we have the Saris Mag Trainer. This is gonna be a magnetic trainer, which creates resistance but also stays compact and low profile enough where you can still cycle pretty much anywhere you want. We're gonna talk about how this trainer works as well as some accessories you might be interested in to upgrade your experience. When compared with other trainers on the market, the Saris Mag is gonna be the more affordable, but still efficient trainer there is. So if you're looking for maybe just getting into the trainer game or you're looking for an affordable option to carry around while you leave your heavier but also more expensive trainer at home, now this is gonna be where you start.

So how does resistance work Well resistance is key in order to give you a good workout and to simulate riding your bicycle even when you're not outside. And there's different ways that trainers accomplish this. So there's rollers, there's electromagnetic resistance, there's fluid resistance, like what we have here with the Fluid 2, which is the more premium option. And then there's the magnetic one, which has a similar feel to being outside, but it's a more consistent resistance. So it's not progressive.

Meaning, as you ride your bike and as your rear wheel spins, so will your trainer. And this utilizes magnets that as they get closer to each other and as they revolve, they create that resistance. You can adjust the resistance on the Mag with this resistance knob back here. We can tighten it down for more or for less resistance, or you can even get the Mag 2, which has a shifter knob attached to your handlebars to adjust the resistance. But without touching any of those, this is just gonna create a constant and steady resistance as you pedal.

If you're looking for something just to maybe help you warm-up or cool down before or after a race or something just to get a quick and easy workout in with your bicycle, that's where this magnetic resistance trainer may come in handy. With this kit, you're gonna get to the Mag Trainer as well as the replacement skewer to work with a trainer. This will fit most road bikes. Now we do have measurements on our website about rear dropout spacing as well as if you need to get a through axle adapter, what part's needed for that, things like that. Now I tend to ride a mountain bike, so if I wanted to use that with this trainer I can, but I would have to replace my rear tire with a trainer tire.

Now that way we have that smooth movement on the roller. And the same goes for your road bikes. You can also choose to switch out your rear tire with a trainer tire if you want to make sure you're not unevenly wearing down your treads. But with all that in place, this can work with both road bikes and mountain bikes. And if you do want to upgrade to the Mag Plus, that one does have the shifter cable as well as slightly different features like a different knob. Some things that you might see here now include is gonna be the speed sensor. I have that patched in the back as well as this leveling block. You can also get the riser block from Saris also found at etrailer, and that will allow you to adjust to different inclines and heights. Other things like a training pad can be put underneath if you want a more grippy surface. How well does this work Well, we do have a weight capacity of 300 pounds. And yes, we have our demonstration bike on so obviously I didn't bring my proper shoes for this, but when you're on here, as long as you use the proper skewer included with this kit and have it secured properly, you can see how it stays on the trainer. Something that I always think about when using trainers is, can I pedal as fast as I want Do I feel like I have enough confidence in staying on the bike and not tipping over And you can see here because of how the trainer legs are made and designed, we have a very stable surface. Even though the trainer is lightweight and compact, this achieves that stability because of how it's made. So we have these legs here and these fold in when they're in the pack mode, fold out to supports your bike. You have these adjustable knobs or legs down here as well, and notice how the rubber is shaped differently. That way if you have uneven surface, you can simply rotate these legs to fit your different surfaces. You also have your trainer in the back and this is where your magnets are going to be. This all folds down to be something that is easier to transport. Holding your bike in, you also have this bolt action lever. So with all this working together to create a more compact, but strong system, you can see that even at the lower price point, you still have a premium product. Saris calls this a resistance unit knob, and then this one, the shifter knob. So let me explain. This tightens down your wheel to your roller and unless it's tightened down properly, you're not gonna get any resistance whatsoever. But then you also have your shifter knob. So if you notice back here, there is gonna be an arrow. Well, this arrow will help you figure out what number to pick for your bicycle and for riding it. So you can adjust throughout the different functions and this will adjust the resistance you experience. So you can go all the way up to number five, but you also have the option to pick no resistance whatsoever. So if you're in the setting five, you'll feel some resistance. And then as you go through, you'll feel less. So when you wanna set your trainer up, this is what your trainer looks like in the folded position. And if people need to travel with us in their car, this is how they will do it. What we're gonna do is we're gonna unfold these legs, notice how they flip out and almost lock in that position. And now we're ready to load our bike up. I already replaced the skewer on our bike, we have the included Saris skewer, and we're gonna take a look at our knobs here. So our bolt-action knob is in the open position, and then our other knob is gonna be in the furthest position. So notice how we have these different grooves here. If you have a hub that is closer together and you can adjust this closer, I have found that most bikes work really well in the widest position. So once you found whichever one works for you, usually don't have to change it. We're gonna keep it right over there. The last thing I'm gonna do is I'm gonna loosen our resistance unit knob here. That way our roller sits further back and has space for our wheel. We're now gonna get our wheel up and then to these tubes. So notice we're gonna get the left side on first, and then holding that in place, I'm gonna pull this other lever and then push it all the way to the fully secured position, and that has secured our skewer that's in place now. We're gonna move this roller back up to the wheel. This is not a clutch lever. So what that means is once it makes contact with your tire, right there, I'm gonna turn it two and a half more times. So that's one, and then two, and then a half to achieve required tension. So it's very easy to get your bicycle set up there. Like the first couple times, yes, it does take a little bit of finagling, lining up your skewer, but I've seen people that own these that get their bike onto there trainer just like that. So with that in mind, if you are looking for an entry level trainer that can get you out on your bike faster, you can see how this works to achieve that. Being able to play around with the resistance settings is awesome. Having that continuous resistance is good, although I do know people that prefer the progressive resistance. That's up to you and your cycling style though. So hopefully this video helped you out with seeing how it works, comparing it with some other trainers you might be interested in. You can find all those different options here on our website, as well as all of those different accessories, whether it's the trainer tire or the riser block, you can mix and match to find the best fit for you. But right here, right now, this is a look at the Saris Mag Magnetic Resistant Trainer and you saw it at etrailer.com. My name's Evangeline, I hope you enjoy the journey.