First look: Blackburn RaceDay trainer – Bike Magazine Australia

I’m a small person, so to me trainers are often big, unwieldy, heavy devices that seem to slam into every wall. My least favorite part of race day is lugging my trainer down the stairs and into the car, my second least favorite is unloading it.

Today, Blackburn launched a solution to this problem with the RaceDay Portable Trainer. With a claimed weight of under 7kg and measurements of 50cm long and 7.6cm high when folded in its carry bag, this trainer makes packing for race day so much easier.

You’re probably thinking, ‘Wait, I have to sacrifice something, right? It has to be awkward to use or incredibly loud.’ Nope. Not at all. Once you take it out of its tidy bag, all you have to do is unfold the trainer to fit the length of your bike, adjust the legs to the desired slant for your ride, and put your bike on by removing the front wheel and attaching it to the stand.

When riding, the trainer is very smooth. It feels like riding rollers without having to balance yourself. The only drawback to the ride quality that I noticed was that when I was sprinting out of the saddle my rear wheel started to feel a little wobbly and I worried about it going off the side of the roller. That did not happen, but I would probably stick to a standard trainer for intense sprint efforts.

This quickly became my new favorite warm-up protocol. It was easier to find a location to warm up: the trainer needs less set-up room than other models, and I didn’t need something to hold onto like I would with rollers. The adjustability of the front legs meant that I could compensate for changes in the pavement to create a stable base for the trainer.

The roller allowed me to do ramp-up efforts and sprints without feeling like it offered too much resistance as I accelerated, which is a typical complaint I’ve had with trainers in the past. It was smooth and quiet, letting me focus on warming up instead of who I was bothering. When the warm -up was done, it was quick and easy to fold it up and stow so I could head to the start line quickly. 

Even if you’re not a racer, this trainer could be a great solution for someone living in an apartment or other area where space and noise are issues. The trainer is nearly silent and folds up to easily fit in a closet or another out of sight area.

I only used road bikes on this trainer but it is also compatible with a wide variety of mountain bike and cross bikes that have standard quick release forks or both 12 and 15mm thru-axles. 

The RaceDay Trainer will be on sale internationally from July.

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